BALTIMORE (AP) — Anthony Santander homered twice, Dean Kremer threw six innings of five-hit ball, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-0 on Wednesday night.
Baltimore extended its streak of series without being swept to 80 and maintained its two-game lead in the AL East over Tampa Bay. Toronto fell one game behind Seattle for the final AL wild-card spot.
The Orioles improved to 9-3 this season against the Blue Jays.
“It’s an excellent team,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “A great lineup. Maybe the best if not one of the best bullpens in the game. And starting pitchers that know what they’re doing. So, it’s an extremely hard team to play.”
Ryan Mountcastle went 1 for 3 with an RBI, extending his major league-leading on-base streak to 28 games.
Kremer was expected to start the series finale on Thursday but was moved up a day to replace Jack Flaherty, who was scratched because of “general soreness,” Hyde said.
“It was a bit of a surprise,” said Kremer (12-5), who struck out five and walked none. “The last time I pitched was Wednesday, a whole week, so plenty of rest.”
Relievers Jacob Webb, Yennier Cano and Shintaro Fujinami completed a five-hitter.
Kevin Gausman (9-8) made his fifth career start against the Orioles, for whom he pitched from 2013-18. He allowed two runs and five hits with nine strikeouts and one walk over six innings. Gausman took over the AL lead in strikeouts with 196.
“It’s always that chess match of trying to figure out what their plan is against me,” Gausman said. “They faced me plenty of times last year and this year so obviously, they know me pretty well. They’re a good lineup and that’s why they are in first place.”
Baltimore took a 1-0 lead in the third when Gunnar Henderson doubled, took third on a fly ball and scored on a single by Mountcastle.
Kremer retired nine consecutive batters before George Springer managed a single in the fourth.
Santander, the Orioles’ home run leader who missed the past three games with a back issue, went deep to right in the fifth to make it 2-0.
“It’s not 100 per cent but I feel much better today, thank God,” Santander said. “The trainers have done a really good job keeping me in the lineup.”
He added his 23rd homer of the season in the eighth, and the Orioles poured it on from there, scoring four more runs. Mountcastle scored on a wild pitch by Trevor Richards and a throwing error by catcher Danny Jansen. Cedric Mullins added a sacrifice fly and Adley Rutschman had a two-run single.
“You can’t give a good team extra outs,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
SKIPPER IN THE CAGE
Hyde took batting practice before the game. It was the first time he swung a bat in the cage since 2006 in Lake County, Ohio. “The older you get, the bat gets way heavier,” Hyde said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: RHP Chad Green (elbow/head) threw two-thirds of an inning for Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday. Green could be activated next week or the team could wait until rosters expand on Sept. 1 for him to make his Blue Jays debut.
Orioles: LHP Keegan Akin (lower back discomfort) was transferred to the 60-day injured list. … RHP Austin Voth (right elbow discomfort) was reinstated from the 60-day IL.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: RHP José Berríos (9-8, 3.39 ERA) held the Orioles scoreless through 7 2/3 innings on June 14 at Camden Yards.
Orioles: Kyle Gibson (12-7, 4.97) will pitch the series finale.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
