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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chris Bassitt rarely leaves you guessing on how he feels about how his work on the mound is going.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chris Bassitt rarely leaves you guessing on how he feels about how his work on the mound is going.
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Or, for that matter, how he feels about his effort following a start.
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So it was when he raised his arms in self disgust after serving up a 90.5 mile per hour cutter over the heart of the plate in the third inning of Friday’s game at Tropicana Field and had to watch Brandon Lowe destroy it for a game slam home run.
The blast essentially sealed the fate of the Jays, who fell 8-2 to drop their record to 1-1 out of the gate in the young MLB season.
“Threw a cutter. Homer,” Bassitt said afterwards. “I felt I threw my pitches basically where I wanted them, it was just one pitch. “Obviously (Lowe) is an unbelievable hitter. I just can’t make that mistake. That was the game. Just one pitch. It was unfortunate.”
As for the frustrated reaction of their workhorse starter, manager John Schneider was sharing the sentiment in a game that wasn’t played with anywhere near the precision of the previous one.
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A night after a crisp and efficient 8-2 win in which his team did pretty much everything to the pre-season script, night two at the Trop was decidedly the other way.
Schneider wasn’t about to jump all over his players, but acknowledged that a double play ball that was botched by Bo Bichette — in his first of two errors on the night — was a contributing factor to the Lowe grand slam.
“Any team in this league, you have to catch the ball,” Schneider said. “These guys (the Rays) do damage and right after that, grand slam. But errors are a part of it.
“These guys are good. They work their asses off at it. They take a lot of pride in it. Errors are going to happen, it’s part of the game. You move on to tomorrow and hopefully just tighten it up.”
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It didn’t help that the bats were relatively dormant, being held to just six hits, including a solo home run by George Springer in the third inning, his second in as many games.
That, too, is going to happen, a reality in the early season and certainly nothing to dissuade the Jays from their offensive approach.
And in reality, there was plenty to be encouraged from in Bassitt’s outing. The way the lanky right hander’s night started, it looked like he was about to resume the form that had made him one of the Jays most reliable starters last season. Bassitt struck out the first four Rays batters he faced and five through two innings.
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“Stamina is a big key at this time of year,” Bassitt said. “Those longer innings feel a heck of a lot longer in those first couple of games. Overall it’s just getting your feet wet, so to speak.
The third inning was the ugly one for the Jays, thanks to the grand slam from Lowe, the farthest grand slam hit by a Rays hitter in the Statcast era.
After Ben Rortvedt lined a singled into first, Bassitt hit Jose Caballero with a pitch. Yandy Diaz then reached on a fielder’s choice following a fielding error by Bichette. That loaded the bases and set the stage for Lowe, who launched the poor Bassitt offering 444 feet over the wall in right centre field.
He hunkered down to give his team five innings of work, though Bassitt needed 95 pitches to do so. He allowed six hits and five runs (four earned) while striking out six.
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“I thought he was really good, I thought his stuff was good,” Schneider said of Bassitt. “We just didn’t take care of the ball behind him a little bit, obviously. But he continued to battle, kind of what he does.”
Springer’s homer was certainly the encouraging sign for the Jays offensively, marking the first time he had homered in back-to-back games since July 9-10 of 2022.
“I think just getting back to that mindset really, and really having a good understanding of his go zones,” Schneider said of Springer’s early success. “Hanging breaking ball, he does some pretty good damage on that throughout his career. I think just having that intent every single at-bat.
“When George is going, it’s usually a pretty good tone setter for us.”
Bassitt took the loss and fell to 1-3 in his career against the Rays … Vlad Guerrero Jr. had two hits and a walk and has now hit safely in eight of his previous nine games at the Trop … Wes Parsons made his Jays debut, relieving Bassitt and giving the Jays three innings. The right hander allowed four hits and three runs as the Rays cruised … Pinch hitter Daniel Vogelbach saw his first action in his second stint with the Jays, coming in as a pinch hitter for Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the seventh inning, meekly grounding out to first.
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The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
PSG officials and Mbappé’s representatives met in Paris on Wednesday after Mbappé asked the commission to get involved. Mbappé joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer.
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AP soccer:
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
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