
Ernie Clement hits the Jays' 3rd homer in final 2 innings, Toronto beats Dodgers 5-4 to avoid sweep
Mason Fluharty earned his first career save in spectacular fashion after replacing erratic Jays closer Jeff Hoffman in the ninth with the bases loaded and one out. The rookie left-hander struck out Ohtani with a full-count breaking ball before getting Mookie Betts on a game-ending grounder.
After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a tying homer and Addison Barger followed with a go-ahead shot for Toronto off struggling Blake Treinen in the eighth inning, Clement hit the first pitch from Alex Vesia (2-2) in the ninth into the left-field bleachers.
Hoffman (7-4) walked Freddie Freeman with the bases loaded to blow Toronto's lead in the eighth, and he walked three of the Dodgers' first four batters in the ninth.
Ohtani drove Eric Lauer's fourth pitch 400 feet. The three-time MVP's third homer in four games tied him with Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead.
Freeman also homered in the first.
Ohtani had two hits and was intentionally walked twice.
The Dodgers' bullpen wasted another strong start by Tyler Glasnow, who yielded two runs on four hits and four walks while pitching into the sixth and striking out eight. Glasnow's winless streak stretched to 10 starts since March 31 despite his 1.82 ERA since coming off the injured list.
Key moment
Guerrero and Barger homered on juicy, belt-high sweepers from Treinen, while Clement put a great swing on a well-thrown low slider from Vesia.
Key stat
Ohtani, who only became an everyday leadoff hitter after joining the Dodgers last season, has already hit 23 career homers to start a game, including an MLB-leading 11 this season.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
Up next
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10-7, 2.51 ERA) opens another Freeway Series for the Dodgers in Anaheim on Monday.
José Berríos (8-4, 3.89 ERA) takes the mound in Toronto against the Cubs on Tuesday.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Canada News.Net
27 minutes ago
- Canada News.Net
Scuffling Cubs visit AL East-leading Blue Jays
(Photo credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images) The Chicago Cubs bring a struggling offense across the border as they visit the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game series that opens on Tuesday night. After losing 3-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, the Cubs are 10-11 since the All-Star break and have averaged just 4.1 runs per game while the surging Milwaukee Brewers have taken command of the National League Central. While 4.1 runs per game isn't awful, it's a far cry from the 5.3 runs the Cubs averaged prior to the All-Star Game. One Cub who's not responsible for the slowdown is rookie third baseman Matt Shaw. After hitting a two-run homer on Sunday, he has three home runs in his past four games and seven in 63 plate appearances since the All-Star break. He owns a .328/.349/.770 slash line with 15 RBIs in his 20 games since the break. 'We should all be really proud of what Matt has done this year,' said Cubs manager Craig Counsell. Shaw hit .198/.276/.280 with two homers and 15 RBIs in 63 games before the All-Star break. 'We've talked about Matt so much this year, of what the mechanics are and this and that,' said Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly. 'What I've seen from him the most is just the intent to hit the ball really hard. And I think a lot of that has just come with confidence and comfort.' The Cubs, who lost two of three in St. Louis, will complete their six-game road trip against the Blue Jays, who are returning from a 4-2 trip. The Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday with a 5-4 victory. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Addison Barger hit home runs in the eighth and Ernie Clement's blast in the ninth proved to be the winner. Clement is batting .424/.441/.818 with three homers, four RBIs and 10 runs scored in his past seven games. Nine of his 14 hits in that span came in the three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies. The Blue Jays used seven relievers Sunday after starter Eric Lauer lasted only three innings. It was left to rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to get the final two outs with the bases loaded to earn his first career save. He fanned Shohei Ohtani and retired Mookie Betts on a grounder. Toronto used 20 players overall to push its AL East lead to four games over Boston. 'Any time it is one of those team wins, that's kind of what it's all about,' Clement said. 'And it's kind of been how our season has been. It's how we win ballgames, just relying on everybody.' 'The Dodgers are a good measure to see where you're at,' Lauer said. 'This is what you play for,' said Toronto manager John Schneider. 'You try to put yourselves in those moments and you try to slow it down a little bit, hopefully knowing that you are going to be in those again.' Despite dominating the Rockies last week, the Blue Jays have lost eight of their past 14. The Blue Jays are expected to start right-hander Jose Berrios (8-4, 3.89 ERA), who is 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA in 20 1/3 innings over four career starts against the Cubs. Right-hander Ben Brown (5-7, 6.04) is Chicago's probable starter. He has not faced the Blue Jays. Toronto could have second baseman Andres Gimenez back from a sprained ankle by Tuesday. Outfielder George Springer (concussion) is still out. The Blue Jays also could have a better idea of how right-hander Shane Bieber, who has been on a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Buffalo, might fit into their rotation. He pitched Saturday against Toledo and allowed two runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and one walk. The Cubs are expecting right-hander Jameson Taillon to return soon from a strained calf.

Globe and Mail
43 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Ratings for Victoria Mboko's win help restore some lustre to Sportsnet's coverage
Sportsnet pulled in a record number of viewers for Victoria Mboko's thrilling victory over Naomi Osaka in the National Bank Open championship last Thursday night, ending the tournament on a high note after criticism of its coverage during the first week of the competition. The network announced the women's final attracted an average audience of 638,000 viewers according to the ratings agency Numeris, making the broadcast its most-watched tennis program ever. The previous high-water mark for Sportsnet's tennis coverage came during the 2019 final of the same tournament, then known as the Rogers Cup, when an average of 594,000 viewers watched Bianca Andreescu win the championship in a 19-minute match after Serena Williams retired early because of back spasms. Victoria Mboko tries to stay grounded as her career takes off Tennis world hails Victoria Mboko's meteoric rise This year's strong ratings helped to restore some lustre to Sportsnet after viewers pilloried the network for a string of unusual programming decisions. Though the tournament expanded this year from seven to 12 days, Sportsnet used the generic ATP world feed coverage of the men in Toronto, and the WTA world feed coverage of the women in Montreal, for the first six days rather than produce its own broadcast. Analysts and play-by-play commentators during those broadcasts frequently seemed to have scant knowledge of the Canadian players they were discussing or the local interests. After Eugenie Bouchard won her first match, the courtside WTA reporter conducted an interview exclusively in French, denying English-language Sportsnet viewers the chance to hear from her during her last triumphant moment. And, on the night that the Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime was eliminated from the tournament, Sportsnet instead broadcast a match featuring two European players. By the time Sportsnet began its own original broadcasts, Mboko was the only Canadian player still standing. If history is any indication, Mboko could pull in even more eye-popping numbers if she is able to continue her string of victories. Less than one month after winning the Rogers Cup in 2019, Andreescu's victory over Williams for that year's US Open championship attracted an average audience of 3.4-million viewers on TSN and RDS, making it the most-watched tennis broadcast ever on those networks.


CBC
44 minutes ago
- CBC
American League-leading Blue Jays return home with reinforcements coming
It was feast or famine for the Toronto Blue Jays on their recent road trip that included a record-breaking beatdown of the Colorado Rockies and a series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The first-place team is back home for a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs starting Tuesday night at Rogers Centre ahead of a three-game weekend set against the Texas Rangers. Toronto leads the American League standings at 69-50 and has a four-game lead on the Boston Red Sox entering play Monday night. Here's a look at five Blue Jays storylines to watch with about one-quarter of the season remaining: Bieber fever The resurgence of veteran right-hander Max Scherzer and the emergence of southpaw Eric Lauer have given Toronto's starting rotation more stability. The team's five-man crew, which also includes Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt, could soon become a six-man group as Shane Bieber nears a return. The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner, who was acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline, has impressed in his Triple-A rehab appearances. Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery last year. He has a career record of 62-32 with a 3.22 earned-run average over parts of seven big-league seasons. Offence clicking Toronto leads the major leagues in several offensive categories, thanks in part to back-to-back-to-back routs of the Rockies last week. The Blue Jays set a modern-era big-league record with a whopping 63 hits over the three games in Colorado. Toronto also set a franchise record with 45 runs scored. After dropping two of three games in Los Angeles over the weekend, the Blue Jays still lead the big leagues in hits (1,099), batting average (.269) and on-base percentage (.339). Toronto is also third in on-base-plus slugging percentage (.767). Tough decisions The Blue Jays will have some tough decisions to make this month as some big-name players get set to return to the lineup. Second baseman Andres Gimenez will soon be activated after spending five weeks on the injured list with a left ankle sprain. Outfielder/designated hitter George Springer, who has been out for two weeks due to a concussion, could also soon return. Recent call-up Buddy Kennedy is the most likely player to be sent down. A second roster move is expected to be a much tougher call, given it will likely involve a player who sees more regular playing time. Arms race A couple of hard-throwing right-handers could make their mark at the big-league level for the Blue Jays over the coming weeks. Alek Manoah has impressed in his minor-league starts as he continues to build up after undergoing elbow surgery last year. Manoah finished third in Cy Young Award voting in 2022 and is 29-20 with a 3.34 ERA over 75 career starts for the Blue Jays. Normally a starter, top pitching prospect Trey Yesavage threw in relief for double-A New Hampshire last week for the first time since being drafted last year in the first round. He had nine strikeouts over five innings Stretch drive A playoff berth appears to be a slam dunk for Canada's lone big-league baseball team. Entering Monday's games, Toronto has a 98.3-per-cent chance of qualifying for the post-season, per FanGraphs projections. The website lists the Blue Jays at 78.1 per cent to win the East Division and at 65.8 per cent to earn a first-round bye to the division series. After this homestand, Toronto visits the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins before returning to Rogers Centre to play the Minnesota Twins and MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers.