TORONTO – With two on and two out in the top of the seventh inning, Robbie Ray prepared to throw his 111th pitch of the night.
By that point Wednesday evening, Tim Anderson had stood in against Ray three times without yet reaching base. By that point in that at-bat, Anderson had seen two of Ray’s sliders, fouling the pitch off both times. But Ray went back to the slider a third time, placing it knee-high just off the plate inside, and Anderson whiffed.
“I knew it was probably my last hitter,” Ray said. “I threw three really good sliders and got the punchout, so I was really fired up. The fans were loud, getting behind me. It was a really cool experience.”
With that, Ray had strikeout number 14, equalling a career-high, yet the Blue Jays still didn’t have the lead. Considering the recent struggles of the Jays’ offence and the disparity in talent between the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays bullpens, it seemed all too possible that another strong start would go to waste.
In that context, it was almost surprising to see the Blue Jays respond with the kind of late-inning rally that’s too often eluded them in recent weeks. But Teoscar Hernandez got things started with a two-out hit in the eighth before Breyvic Valera advanced him to second with a pinch-hit single of his own and Alejandro Kirk delivered a line-drive single to give the Blue Jays the lead.
“We wanted Kirk to get to the plate and the best chance to do that is trying to get somebody on base,” manager Charlie Montoyo said post-game. “Valera had a better chance against the lefty and he got the hit. It worked out great.”
A bases-loaded walk to Randal Grichuk brought home a welcome insurance run before Jordan Romano closed out the 3-1 win. At 66-59 the Blue Jays have all kinds of work remaining if they’re going to fully reinsert themselves into the playoff race, but Wednesday’s win was a good start.
“Nights like tonight, they’re pretty special. The team’s able to grind it out and get a huge win there at the end,” Ray said. “It was an all-around really fun game.”
Front and centre in the win was Ray, who pitched at an elite level against the White Sox while relying almost exclusively on his fastball and slider. Over the course of seven innings, Ray allowed just one run on five hits and one walk.
“All of his outings are very good,” Kirk said afterwards via interpreter. “It was very emotional, very special. What can I say? He was great tonight.”
It was the 14th quality start Ray has recorded in his last 16 outings – a remarkable feat for any pitcher, but especially for one who didn’t record a single out after the fifth inning last year. These days, Ray appears to be Montoyo’s most trusted starter, even in the late innings long after the bullpen would ordinarily have taken over.
“There was no room for error because we’re not scoring runs right now,” Montoyo said. “It was his game to win or lose and he did a great job. The more he throws, the better he gets. He’s that guy. He’s having a hell of a year.”
“He ended up striking out 14 guys?” the manager continued. “Against that lineup? That was fun to watch.”
If anything, Ray appears to be improving as the season progresses, and he’s now squarely in the American League Cy Young race alongside the likes of Lance Lynn and Gerrit Cole. Plus, at 29 years old he’s setting himself up to be one of the most intriguing pitchers available in free agency this winter.
More immediately, he’s the pitcher who gives the Blue Jays the best chance to win. And should the Blue Jays somehow defy the odds and reach the wild-card game, there’s zero doubt that Ray would ideally be the pitcher who gets the ball.
Of course, offence remains an issue for the Blue Jays even after a much-needed win. They’ve now scored just 14 total runs in the six games they’ve played on this homestand, an average of 2.33 runs per game.
In recent weeks, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been swinging more, chasing more and hitting more grounders. That combination has contributed to his summer slump – though those shifts may also be linked to the nagging injuries and fatigue many players experience this time of year.
“The at-bats were really good the last two days. Vladdy’s at-bats have been really good, so that’s a good sign. Of course we need him to get back to who he was,” Montoyo said. “But we can never forget it’s the first full season for all these kids getting to 500 or 600 at-bats.”
On Wednesday, Guerrero Jr. grounded out his first time up before contributing with a line-drive single and a walk. More days like that and his results should start to normalize once again.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays will be without George Springer for at least two more days as he continues working his way back from a Grade 1 sprain in his left knee. If Thursday’s baserunning drills go according to plan, Springer could conceivably return this weekend against the Detroit Tigers, but the Blue Jays will be careful not to rush him.
First, though, the series finale against the White Sox – and one last chance to combine some excellent pitching with the full-fledged offensive attack that’s gone missing lately.
“It was a great win,” Montoyo said. “That’s what we need to do. When your hitters are struggling, your pitchers need to keep you in the game and they have been.”
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
