The Wallabies kicked clear to make it two-from-two against the Brave Blossoms with a commanding victory in Townsville
The low key atmosphere isn’t helped by two of the less upbeat national anthems and the sky becoming blanketed in cloud. Hopefully the players can spark the occasion into life.
And here come the two sides out into the Townsville afternoon. It’s all a bit muted in a stadium far from full.
Continue reading...The Wallabies have completed a 2-0 series sweep over Japan, producing a devastating second-half performance to run away with a 56-17 victory in Townsville.
For what feels like the first time in some time, the excitement is palpable for the upcoming Utah Jazz season. With the addition of Darryn Peterson in the lottery, the addition of Jaren Jackson Jr., and the clear goal of pushing for wins, Jazz fans are excited for a season like they haven’t been since the height of the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert days. Our most recent Jazz Reacts survey shows they’re probably more excited now than even then.
In the history of all the polls we’ve done, I’ve never seen one this lopsided. The fact that 96% of fans are excited for this season is remarkable. The diehard fans know how good this team will be too. FanDuel has the Jazz at 36.5 wins, but that seems extremely low for this team. I think an over/under around 45 is much more accurate to what Utah will do.
There’s no doubt that there’s always a level of optimism for fans when a season starts, but this feels different. This feels like the beginning of something special. There’s a lot of hope riding on the shoulders of Darryn Peterson as the pick that Utah tanked for. It might be too much pressure for a lot of players, but Peterson looks like he has the demeanor to take the Jazz to another level. All we can do now is wait for the season to start. All our questions will be answered very soon.
Rained out. Doubleheader tomorrow (Saturday).
The Knoxville Smokies reached escape velocity against the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 5-4.
Another strong start from rising prospect Luis Martinez-Gomez, who gave up a solo home run in the first inning and not much else. Martinez-Gomez got the win after going five innings and allowing just one run on three hits. Martinez-Gomez struck out four, walked three and hit one batter.
The Smokies held a 5-1 lead heading to the top of the ninth, but Marino Santy couldn’t find the plate at all. He allowed three runs on one hit, three walks, one hit batter over just one-third of an inning. So Grayson Moore got summoned from the bullpen to get the save. Moore faced two batters and got two weak groundouts to get the save.
Left fielder Carter Trice connected with the bases empty in the sixth inning for his 14th home run of the season. Trice went 3 for 3 with the home run and a sacrifice fly for two overall RBI. He scored twice.
Center fielder Kane Kepley had a two-run double in the fifth inning. Kepley was 1 for 4.
Trice’s home run.
The South Bend Cubs cooked the Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers), 6-2.
Starter Alfredo Romero gave the Cubs five scoreless innings on just three hits. Romero got the win while striking out three and walking no one.
Shortstop Angel Cepeda, the second hitter of the game, hit a solo home run in the top of the first. It was Cepeda’s fifth home run this year and fourth with South Bend. Cepeda went 1 for 4 with a walk. He scored twice.
Second baseman Michael Hallquist hit his sixth home run with the bases empty in the sixth inning. Hallquist went 1 for 4.
Right fielder Jose Escobar was 2 for 5 and scored one run.
Cepeda just sliced this one over the wall.
The Hallquist home run.
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were mauled by the Hill City Howlers (Guardians), 11-7.
David Avitia gave the Birds a chance to win, as he did not allow a hit over his five innings of work. He did allow one run in the first inning (walk, steal, ground out, sac fly). Avitia walked two and struck out five.
The wheels came off for the Pelicans with a five-run seventh inning by the Howlers. Hayden Frank took the loss, allowing four runs on three hits over 1.2 innings. Frank walked two and struck out one.
Right fielder Derik Alcantara hit his first Myrtle Beach home run with a man on in the eighth inning. It Alcantara’s only at-bat of the game.
Third baseman Derniche Valdez was 2 for 3 with a two-run triple in the second inning. Valdez scored once.
Center fielder Ethan Conrad was 1 for 2 with three walks. He scored twice.
The Valdez triple.
Alcantara’s home run was his second overall.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers sending Dennis Schröder and cash considerations to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Tre Mann, per ESPN, the 32-year-old guard now adds a dubious distinction to his NBA resume.
It marks the ninth time Schröder has been traded, making him the second-most moved player in league history. First on the list? That honor belongs to Trevor Ariza, who was traded 11 times in 18 years from 2004 to 2022 and played for 10 different teams. The Hornets will be the 12th team Schröder, entering his 14th NBA season, suits up for.
There's also a couple of more coincidences that tie the two well-traveled journeymen together: most notably, they both had multiple stints with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ariza arrived in LA via trade in 2007, and though a fractured bone in his right foot kept him from contributing heavily to the Lakers' Finals run that saw them lose to the Boston Celtics in six games that season, he played in all 82 games for the only time in his career in 2008-09 and emerged as a key role player in the playoffs, averaging 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and shooting 47.6% from 3-point range as the Lakers brought home their 15th NBA championship. He left that offseason in free agency, signing a five-year, $33 million contract with the Houston Rockets.
He later returned to the Lakers for one more run in purple and gold in 2021-22, though a right ankle injury that he underwent a procedure for in October ended up derailing his season. Ariza was waived on April 7, 2022, after playing in just 24 games, starting 11 of them, and averaging just four points while shooting 33.3% from the floor and 27% from deep. He never played in the NBA again.
While Schröder never overlapped with Ariza in LA, he missed him by just a year on both ends. The Lakers traded for Schröder, in a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Danny Green and the draft rights to Jaden McDaniels, just ahead of the 2020-21 season as part of a retooling in their ill-fated title defense. He averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists on a 43.7% field-goal percentage and 33.5% from 3-point range in 61 games played. But in the postseason those numbers dipped to 14.3 points and 2.8 assists on 40% shooting (30.8% from 3) as the Lakers were bounced in the first round by the Phoenix Suns in six games.
There were rumors (and many, many memes) about Schröder reportedly turning down an $84 million contract extension with the Lakers, but he later claimed that wasn't true. He eventually signed a one-year, $5.9 million deal with the Celtics in the 2021 offseason but returned to the Lakers a year later, telling ESPN's Dave McMenamin he had "unfinished business."
His individual numbers took another small dip in 2022-23 as he averaged 12 points and 4.5 assists on 41.5% shooting, but Schröder had arguably his biggest moment in purple and gold in their play-in game against the Minnesota Timberwolves when LeBron James, driving under the basket, dished the ball to Schröder in the corner and he drained a tiebreaking 3 with 2.4 seconds left in regulation. The Wolves still managed to force overtime, where Schröder again came up clutch with two game-winning free throws to complete LA's unlikely rise from 13th in the West at the trade deadline to the seventh seed.
Since that 2023 Western Conference finals run, Schröder has played for the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, Cavaliers and now, the Hornets. He's one team away from tying Ish Smith's NBA record of playing for 13 different teams in his NBA career.
But it's not like the latest move doesn't make sense; it does, for all parties involved. The Cavs are now $32 million under the first apron and have more flexibility to fill out their roster as they pursue a new deal for James Harden, while Charlotte adds a veteran ball handler to a young but talented locker room that includes Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Coby White and Naz Reid, who they acquired earlier this summer in the LaMelo Ball trade.
More importantly, Schröder brings playoff experience — something the Hornets haven't experienced since 2016.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dennis Schröder has now been traded 9 times. Is that the NBA record?
Dylan Beavers’ pinch-hit single in the 7th and Gunnar Henderson’s homer in the 8th powered the Orioles to a 6-5 win in their series opener in Tampa Bay.
The AL-leading Rays came into Friday’s game riding a nine-game winning streak, but could never get ahead of the pesky Orioles. Baltimore and Tampa went into the 7th inning tied at two with Gunnar Henderson leading off the inning. Henderson has struggled for much of the season, but you wouldn’t have known it the way he lined a double into right field to kick off the decisive rally.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand then stepped up looking to move Gunnar over, and did so with a hard single to left. Things then got a little weird for the O’s and Leody Taveras. The outfielder stepped up looking to lay down a safety squeeze, but ended up chopping a ball down the third base line that caught Gunnar in a run-down. The Orioles’ SS was able to retreat back to third, with CES ultimately being tagged out as Taveras took second.
After the Rays brought in right-handed reliever Kevin Kelly and intentionally walked pinch-hitter Jeremiah Jackson, it set up the would-be showdown with No.9 hitter Carlos Narváez. Instead, Craig Albernaz countered with Beavers, who laced a single under the glove of Jonathan Aranda at first to score two and give Baltimore a 4-2 lead.
After starting the rally in the 8th, Henderson punctuated the win with his 20th homer of the season. With two outs in the inning, Tyler O’Neill lined a single up the middle to bring up Gunnar. The Rays’ Chris Roycroft quickly got ahead 0-2, but grooved a cutter down the center of the plate, which Gunnar gladly deposited in the right-center bleachers and gave Baltimore a 6-2 advantage.
Yenneir Cano nearly gave the game away in the 9th, as the usually reliable reliever delivered his worst outing of the season. The non-save situation started with back-to-back singles from Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls. Cano would strike out Yandy Díaz for the first out, but a wild pitch during the AB allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Rays’ 1B Jonathan Aranda then lined a single to right to score two and cut the Orioles’ advantage in half.
Cano then walked Chandler Simpson and allowed Simpson and pinch-runner Jorge Mateo to steal second and third. Junior Caminero would further cut into the Orioles’ lead, as an RBI groundout to third dropped Baltimore’s lead to one. Cam Sanders put an end to Cano’s nightmare, taking over needing just one out to seal the win. Rays’ outfielder Ryan Vilade attacked the first pitch he saw from Sanders, sending a lazy fly to left to end the game.
Despite the nervy situation in the 9th, the Orioles never trailed in Friday’s win. They took their first lead in the 2nd, as O’Neill led off the inning with a walk before moving to third on a softly-hit Henderson single to center. CES delivered the O’s first run of the evening, lining a sac fly to right that allowed O’Neill to score on a close play at the plate. After the Rays tied the game in the bottom of the 2nd, Colton Cowser restored the Baltimore lead in the 3rd with a solo homer into the Ray tank in center field.
The veteran righty Chris Bassitt made his first start for the Orioles since June 3rd and came out looking sharp early. He started the first inning by getting Díaz to ground out to second. He then struck out Aranda and Caminero looking, sandwiching the two Ks around a Simpson single.
The 2nd inning has often spelled doom for the Orioles with Bassitt on the mound this year, but tonight was a different story. The 37-year-old right-hander came into Friday’s game with a 9.75 ERA in the 2nd inning this season. With the O’s up 1-0, Bassitt started the bottom of the 2nd by giving up a single to catcher Liam Hicks. The 12-year vet rebounded by getting Víctor Mesa Jr. on a first-pitch fly out, but lost the battle to former Oriole Cedric Mullin when he flipped a single to right.
After getting ahead of Richie Palacios 1-2, a Bassitt curveball caught just too much of the plate, and the Rays 2B looped a double just out of the reach of O’Neill in right. The extra-base hit drove home Hicks, tied the game at one and put Bassitt in a jam with runners on second and third.
Earlier in the season, that jam would have snowballed into a crooked number, but instead, Bassitt locked in. After walking Taylor Walls to load the bases, he got former All-Stars Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda to pop up and fly out, stranding all three runners.
Bassitt gave another leave back in the 3rd as the Rays got an assist from the umpire. After the Cowser homer put the O’s up 2-1, Bassitt started the frame by getting the speedy Simpson to ground out. He then surrendered a one-out walk to Caminero, which ended up spelling trouble for the O’s. With a full count on Hicks, Caminero took off for second just as Bassitt uncorked a curveball that was originally ruled ball four. Orioles’ catcher Narváez immediately challenged the ball call, and ABS overturned it to a strikeout looking.
However, manager Craig Albernaz tried to argue that Caminero should be sent back to first as Narváez’s reaction to challenge the incorrect call seemingly prevented him from throwing down to second. Home plate umpire Jordan Baker didn’t side with Alby and Caminero remained on second for Mesa Jr. The 24-year-old outfielder then lined a low curveball into center for an RBI single that tied the game at two.
From there, Bassitt turned on cruise control and started mowing down the talented Rays’ lineup. In the 4th, he started the inning by winning a seven-pitch battle against Palacios, getting the infielder to fly out softly to center. He then set down Taylor Walls on six pitches by getting him to bounce out to second, before closing out the inning with a Díaz 5-3 groundout.
The right-hander then flew through the heart of the Rays order in the 5th, setting down Aranda, Simpson and Caminero on just six pitches. After getting through five innings on 80 pitches, Bassitt went back out for the 6th. His control then began to slip, as he walked leadoff hitter Hicks on four pitches. He’d set down Mesa Jr. one last time on a fly out to left and then exited for Josh Walker. After the lefty reliever finished off the inning, it closed Bassitt’s line at 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB and 3K—a solid return after 2+ months on the IL.
The win not only snapped the Rays’ nine-game winning streak but brought the Orioles within one game of the AL’s final Wild Card. Baltimore will continue their push toward the postseason tomorrow as Kyle Bradish takes the mount in Tropicana Field.
Yesterday our own Jeremy Nielsen described the Yankee offense no-showing like they were itching to just get on the plane and start their road trip already. Tonight felt like the bats somehow never left the tarmac, because aside from Trent Grisham poking one out of the stands there just wasn’t anything to show for their at-bats. The Yankees wasted another solid pitching performance and allowed a starter on the other side that has been struggling to cut right through them in a 3-1 loss to Toronto.
Shane Bieber was on the mound for the Blue Jays, and he entered this game with a gaudy 5.48 ERA — naturally, that was of little consequence to this lineup. Bieber sat down the Yankees in order in the first inning, picking up strikeouts from Grisham and Spencer Jones, and worked around a one-out Jazz Chisholm Jr. single in the second. The third brought the first real instance of a pulse, Austin Wells leading off with a walk before getting forced out at second. Grisham stepped up and provided a single that should’ve made it a rally, but George Lombard Jr. was caught in the middle of trying to go for third and didn’t get back to second in time, instead winding up in a rundown. A Ben Rice groundout ended the disappointing frame.
The fourth brought more opportunities to squander, as Jones led off with a double and advanced to third on a flyout from Luis García Jr. (Jones was briefly called out on the tag up, but a challenge overturned that call as he was clearly never tagged despite the throw beating him). Still, two more fly outs were all the Yankees managed, and the first one was too shallow for Jones to test with another tag up. It wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Yankees finally caught a break, Grisham crushing a middle-middle fastball out to right field to get them on the scoreboard.
Now holding the lead, the Yankees looked to break open the dam but couldn’t get anything else going in the inning. Rice flew out harmlessly and Jones grounded one out to first. García stepped up to the plate and took a low strike call that apparently drew a comment from Aaron Boone, because home plate umpire Vic Carapazza turned to instigate things with the manager and ultimately ejected him. Even then it wasn’t the classic fiery Boone tirade that drew it, as he almost looked surprised that things escalated to an ejection that quickly and went out onto the field briefly to get his money’s worth.
On the other side of the ball, Gerrit Cole had been pitching a solid game. He got a double play ball to erase a one-out walk he issued in the first, and then worked around a jam with runners on second and third with one out in the second by striking out Kazuma Okamoto and getting a groundout from Jesús Sánchez. The third and fourth innings were both breezes for Cole, sitting the Blue Jays down in order, and an Okamoto single in the fifth went nowhere either.
The bottom of the sixth proved to be a different story. Just as quickly as the Yankees got their lead it vanished, Brett Bateman leading off with a single and ceding his place to Nathan Lukes on a forceout. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled to put runners on first and second with one out, and then Cole induced a groundout to third that had double play potential. Ryan McMahon stepped on third for the force and then fired over to first, but García’s glove flew off his hand trying to scoop the throw. Fumbling around for the ball, he fired it back to third trying to get the lead runner but Lombard was the closest man to the bag and he still wasn’t anywhere close enough to catch it. Instead, the ball bounded for foul territory and Guerrero was able to score, tying the game up. The next batter, Alejandro Kirk, brought home the dagger lacing an RBI double out to left to put the Blue Jays ahead 2-1.
From there, the Nyquil had fully set in for the Yankees. Facing Toronto’s bullpen they got just a lone baserunner in their final three innings, a McMahon single with two outs in the seventh that went nowhere. Paul Blackburn relieved Cole for the seventh inning and stranded a pair of runners, but Bradley Hanner served up a solo shot to Kirk in the eighth to add an insurance run.
Two days after a 10-run outburst the Yankee offense is back to sleepwalking through games, having scored just a single run over their last 18 innings. The Red Sox and Rays both already lost today so no ground was lost there at least, but Tampa nearly rallied to come back from down four in the ninth and only lost by one. It sure would feel nice if the Yankees showed they could rally more than once a week at the rate they’re going.
Tomorrow will be a chance to get this series back on track, with Cam Schlittler going up against a to be determined starter for the Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 3:07 p.m. EST.
It is Friday night.
Chris Bassitt returned from the injured list with 5.1 decent innings, Gunnar Henderson was dropped to the #5 spot in the order and responded by coming a classic “triple shy of the cycle” over a four-hit game where he drove in two runs and scored two runs, Dylan Beavers had two hits off the bench, and the Orioles beat the Rays by a 6-5 score. (Don’t think about the ninth inning. It’s the GIF Party!)
As of right now, the Orioles are one game back of a wild card spot in the American League. This is subject to change based on the Texas result in Sacramento.
YOU KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE.
Full recap to post later this evening. For now, hit the comments and enjoy the W!
A lighter GameDay Thread tonight, likely due to the earlier start time, only getting a total of 215 comments at time of publishing. There seemed to be quite a bit of rec rationing going on early (hat tip to Sighborg) but Timmy Tawa’s late insurance run dinger loosened the recs and kilnborn earned COTG:
The Diamondbacks face the Braves for the second game of this 3-game set tomorrow evening with a 4:15pm first pitch Arizona time and televised on FOX. Grant Holmes (7-4, 3.47 ERA) is the probable starter for the ATL and our favorite hologram, Eduardo Rodriguez (11-4, 2.70 ERA) will get the ball for the good guys.
Full scoreboard thread to follow but feel free to update in the comments.
For a team like the Chicago White Sox looking to wrap up their division over the remaining weeks, winning the few series left against divisional opponents is crucial. Last week, the White Sox took care of the Cleveland Guardians and this week, they have a big test on the road against the Detroit Tigers.
With just 2 ½ games separating the two teams coming into this series, anything less than a series win would put Chicago in a really tight spot. Although the series is far from over, the White Sox got off to a great start with a massive 9-5 win over the Detroit Tigers.
It was your normal intradivisional game, with both teams trading blows left and right, all night. The White Sox landed the first punch in the very first inning when Sam Antonacci was driven in by Braden Montgomery after the first two batters of the night were hit by pitches.
Sean Newcomb did his job as an opener, as he allowed just one base runner over his first five batters faced. Unfortunately the Tigers landed a few punches of their own shortly thereafter.
The “Gritty Tigs” awoke from slumber off of José Urquidy, with a two-out, two-strike homer in the second and a two-out double in the third inning that had the White Sox reeling. It wasn’t the finest work from Urquidy, but his role was to eat innings, and with 52 pitches with three runs of damage he could very well see long relief work into September.
Fortunately, as they have all season, the White Sox refused to wave the white flag, tagging Detroit for two runs in the first seven pitches of the fifth inning, as a Tristan Peters two-run homer evened it up. Chicago fattened its lead from there, thanks to a Munetaka Murakami homer
and a Braden Montgomery triple:
For as much as Braden has struggled during the season, batting just .238 on the year coming into this game, he’s played a major role in multiple big wins this year. It was his fourth game in his short stint in the South Side this year driving in three or more runs. If he keeps it up, he may be the most popular Montgomery on the team before too long.
It looked like the White Sox landed a knockout punch in the sixth inning when Miguel Vargas clubbed a two-run homer, but much like Tyson Fury against Deontay Wilder, the Tigers found a way to rise off the canvas and show a little life.
They say “Mets gonna Mets” but apparently that saying still has some legs on former players, too, as Huascar Brazobán had another tough night. Although he only gave up two runs to Urquidy’s three, Brazobán also only made it through just 1 ⅓ innings, allowing the Tigers to make it a three-run game before Grant Taylor found a way to work out of the jam Brazobán left him.
Fortunately, Vargas showed off his power bat one more time, and the four-run lead was too much for the Tigers to make up, no matter how “gritty” they may be. With the win, the White Sox now have a 3 1/2-game lead over the Tigers, four over the Twins and five on Cleveland. Just as important, the White Sox now hold the lead in the season series against the Tigers, four games to three. Should these teams finish the season tied atop the standings, that tiebreaker would loom large.
With tonight’s game being the fourth in 16 straight days of games, a win without using too much of the bullpen is a massive help. If they can keep these good vibes rolling and leave this tough stretch with any type of lead atop the division, the White Sox will have a huge advantage over the rest of the division.
MVP
Miguel Vargas: 4-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, two impressive pop-up catches
Runners-Up
Braden Montgomery: 3-for-5, 3 RBI
Tristan Peters: 3-for-5, 2 BBs, R
Cold Cat
José Urquidy: 3 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 K
Runners-Up
Colson Montgomery: 0-for-5, 2 K
Drew Romo: 0-for-4, BB
Huascar Brazobán: 1 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER
The Mets were held to one baserunner through five but they broke out late in their 4-1 win over the Nationals.
Francisco Lindor had another tough day in the field which helped Washington get on the board first, but he made up for it when he tied the game in the sixth with a solo home run. That was the team’s first hit of the day but they tacked on another run that inning with Carson Benge’s RBI single to drive in Bo Bichette who reached base after striking out on a wild pitch.
The Mets scored two more in the seventh when Jared Young hit a solo home run of his own. After another wild pitch moved Luis Torrens into scoring position, Bichette added a RBI single off old friend Max Kranick to make it 4-1 Metsies.
Robert Stock got the start for the Mets and was much better than his last start against Pittsburgh but he failed to make it through five. He was lifted after pitching 4.1 innings and allowing just one unearned run. Nate Lavender entered with runners on first and second and one out, but was able to finish off the inning without any damage.
The Mets bullpen as a whole is what allowed the offense to come back and take the lead. Lavender, Jonathan Pintaro, Daniel Duarte, and Kodai Senga were all very good in this revamped bullpen. Pinarto picked up his first major league win and Senga picked up his second save of the season although he did allow two baserunners in the ninth. The Mets have now won seven of their last ten ballgames as they look for positives during a lost season.
Amazin’ Avenue
Federal Baseball
Big Mets winner: Francisco Lindor, +16% WPA
Big Mets loser: AJ Ewing, -10% WPA
Mets pitchers: +34% WPA
Mets hitters: +16% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Francisco Lindor home run, +20.1% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Brady House RBI single, -7.8% WPA
The Dodgers (73-49) look to bounce back and even the series against the Brewers after a stunning 5-4 collapse in the ninth inning during Thursday night’s opener.
Yoshi Yamamoto (11-7, 2.65 ERA, 0.89 WHIP) takes the ball for the Dodgers.
Robert Gasser (3-4, 4.57 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) starts for Milwaukee.
There couldn’t have been a worse start to a series after coming off a high from the last one.
…Well, I guess there could always be worse.
The Atlanta Braves fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 2-0 shutout to open their series on Friday night.
The first run was kicked off by Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo on a Gabriel Moreno RBI at the top of the first inning. And the second was a homer hit by Tim Tawa in the top of the ninth to cap off the night.
Chris Sale pitched through his usual six innings, but gave up five hits and one earned run with a total of nine strikeouts. Besides the first run, Sale did a solid job at holding the rest of the offense off. Plus, it wasn’t his fault the Braves’ offense was quiet throughout the night.
It wasn’t until Tyler Kinley came in for Dylan Dodd that the next run would be scored beyond the fence.
Same story, different team. Not the best way to start, especially against a team that’s putting up similar results through the eye test.
But that’s why there’s always tomorrow.
Until then, rest well, Braves Country. We’ll return to gear up for tomorrow in hopes of turning things around.
Gerrit Cole was a tough assignment, but the pitching staff was more than up for the challenge of winning the pitching duel and the offence took advantage of their opportunities and did just enough.
There was bad news, though. Vladimir Guerrero jr. left the game after being kicked in the side of the head sliding into third. We haven’t recieved an update on his condition yet, but he looked shaken in the dugout after the play and went into the tunnel for concussion tests. Hopefully it’s minor, but they may be without their star first baseman for a little while.
Shane Bieber was very good today. He wasn’t missing many bats, but he kept the Yankees’ hitters off him for the most part and worked efficiently. He also got some sold defence behind him and benefited from mistakes like George Lombard jr. inexplicably rounding second advancing on a line single straight to Nathan Lukes and getting caught in a rundown at third.
The Yankees got their first chance in the fourth, when Spencer Jones doubled to centre field and advanced on a fly out to put a man on third with one out. Bieber got a pop out and a fly out to escape, though. He cruised through the fifth, picking up a his third and fourth strikeouts. He finally slipped in the sixth, though, catching too much of the plate with a fastball that Trent Grisham chipped just over the fence into the Yankees’ bullpen in right. He retired the next three batters to get through the inning. It was an excellent start, and it was justice that the Jays were able to take him off the hook for the loss.
The Jays could do nothing with Gerrit Cole. They manufactured one chance in the second. Alejandro Kirk worked a walk and Andres Gimenez lined a double into the right field corner. Kirk was only able to make it to third, though, and Cole struck Kazuma Okamoto out and got a ground out from Jesus Sanchez to end the inning. Cole then set the next seven Jays in order before a one out Okamoto single in the fifth. That was stranded.
Finally, the offence woke up in the sixth with the help of a bizarrer play. Brett Bateman hit a ground ball single to open the bottom of the sixth. After Nathan Lukes grounded into a fielder’s choice, Vladimir Guerrero jr. hit a ground ball single to advance Lukes to second and give the Jays their first runner in scoring position since the second. George Springer grounded to third. Ryan McMahon stepped on the bag and threw over to first for what would have been a double play except that the throw was a bit off and popped the glove off Luis Garcia jr.‘s hand. Vlad went for third and Garcia made the ill advised decision to throw it back across the diamond. McMahon, running back to the bag to try to catch it, had to jump to try to avoid a sliding Vlad and ended up kicking him in the side of the head and sprawling. Vlad had the presence of mind to get up and go home, but looked shaken in the dugout after the play. That tied the game at one. One pitch later, Alejandro Kirk lined a ball to the left field wall for a double that plated Springer to put Toronto in front 2-1.
Vlad went into the tunnel for a concussion evaluation and was replaced by Charles McAdoo. Tyler Rogers relieved Bieber for the seventh. He allowed just a ground ball single. Paul Blackburn took over for the Yankees. He retired the first two batters before Ernie Clement and Bateman reached on back to back singles. A pop out prevented the runners from scoring.
Rogers returned to get the first out in the eighth before handing it over to Mason Fluharty, who got two soft fly outs. In the bottom half, Bradley Hanner made his MLB debut. It started well, as he struck out McAdoo and Springer, but the Alejandro Kirk welcomed him to the show with a home run to right, extending the Jays’ margin to two.
Louis Varland came in for the save. He must be tired with all the work he’s gotten in the last week, so he was in no mood to mess around. The Yankees were set down in order on four pitches.
Jays of the Day: Kirk (0.27), Bieber (0.17), Rogers (0.15)
Less so: Sanchez (-0.11)
We’ll be back tomorrow at 3:07pm ET. Cy Young frontrunner Cam Schlittler (10-6, 2.21) will take the mound for the Yankees. The Jays haven’t announced a starter. This was to have been Jameson Taillon’s third turn with the club, but he’s on the IL with forearm tightness. That leaves Simeon Woods-Richardson (2-7, 6.23) as the logical next man up.