Another series, another key moment in the wild-card race for the Toronto Blue Jays.
The slumping Blue Jays (61-52) host three games against the Baltimore Orioles (59-55) at Rogers Centre, one week after dropping a pair of games in Baltimore.
The Blue Jays still hold the top wild-card spot in the American League, but are just 2.5 games ahead of the surprising Orioles, who are fourth in the race. The top three get playoff spots.
With Yusei Kikuchi starting the series opener for Toronto, it’s a nervous time for Blue Jays fans.
Here’s a look at the series.
Probable pitchers
Monday, 7:07 p.m. ET / 4:07 p.m. PT: Toronto LHP Yusei Kikuchi (4-6, 5.13 ERA) vs. Baltimore RHP Kyle Bradish (1-4, 6.42 ERA)
Tuesday, 7:07 p.m. ET / 4:07 p.m. PT: Toronto RHP Alek Manoah (12-5, 2.56 ERA) vs. Baltimore RHP Dean Kremer (4-4, 3.69 ERA)
Wednesday, 3:07 p.m. ET / 12:07 p.m. PT: Toronto RHP Ross Stripling (5-3, 3.16 ERA) vs. Baltimore RHP Austin Voth (3-1, 5.34 ERA)
(All games on Sportsnet)
Latest on the Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have not won any of their past four series after dropping two of three over the weekend against the visiting Cleveland Guardians.
Losers of six of their past eight, Toronto has let its margin at the top of the wild-card standings slip.
Shaky defence didn’t help Kevin Gausman on Sunday as the starter gave up five runs in 4.2 innings in a 7-2 loss.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 22-game hit streak also came to an end as he went 0-for-4.
The Blue Jays scored all of three runs in the series against the AL Central-leading Guardians.
Latest on the Orioles
The Orioles avoided being on the wrong end of history when Jorge Mateo doubled on the first pitch of the ninth inning on Sunday to break up Tampa Bay Rays starter Drew Rasmussen’s perfect game.
However, the contest still went into the books as a 4-1 loss for the Orioles, giving the Rays a 2-1 win in an important series – Tampa is third in the wild-card race.
Baltimore scored just three runs in the final two games in Tampa after collecting a season-high 19 hits and scoring 10 runs while opening the series with a victory.
Still, the Orioles are 8-4 in August and hanging in the playoff race after dealing first baseman Trey Mancini and closer Jorge Lopez at the trade deadline.
Injury report
The Blue Jays are expected to get leadoff hitter and outfielder George Springer back for the opener after a stint on the injured list with a lingering elbow issue.
Stripling also is slated to return Wednesday after being sidelined with a glute/hip strain.
Meanwhile, Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (15 home runs, 55 RBI) is listed as day-to-day with left wrist/hand soreness after he was hit by a pitch on Saturday.
Season series
The Orioles lead it 4-2 with 13 games still left after the series finale last week in Baltimore was rained out and pushed back to September as part of a doubleheader.
One of the tougher losses during this cold spell for Toronto came last Tuesday when Rougned Odor hit a go-ahead homer off Yimi Garcia in the eighth inning of a 6-5 win – a game which resumed after a one hour and 18 minute rain delay.
Odor, of course, is a man Toronto fans love to boo after he sucker punched Jose Bautista years ago.
Up next
The Blue Jays travel to the Bronx for four games against the AL East-leading New York Yankees before heading to Boston for three games against the Red Sox.
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.
