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Canada News.Net
4 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
After facing lowly Rockies, Orioles draw Jays for four
(Photo credit: Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images) The Baltimore Orioles finally got things going in the right direction against the worst team in baseball. Now the challenge rises considerably when the Toronto Blue Jays visit for the opener of a four-game series on Monday. The Orioles have won two in a row after Sunday afternoon's 5-1 victory against the visiting Colorado Rockies. It's Baltimore's first winning streak since July 10-11. But now the Orioles go from facing the team with the worst record in the majors to facing the team with the best. What's more, despite the wins over the Rockies, the Orioles are 4-6 since the All-Star break and enter Monday trailing the Blue Jays by 15 1/2 games in the American League East. Toronto had a four-game winning streak snapped with Sunday's 10-4 loss at Detroit. The Blue Jays are 8-2 since the break. Despite their success, the Blue Jays need to improve away from home. They're 26-26 in road games. The series will be played over three days as a doubleheader is scheduled for Tuesday. The teams have split six meetings so far this season but have not played each other since April 13. Back then, the Orioles were considered one of the American League favorites and the Blue Jays weren't among the favorites entering the season. That has changed dramatically as Toronto has emerged as a front-runner. But the Blue Jays are not without their issues. Catcher Alejandro Kirk suffered a concussion Saturday when a foul ball struck his mask, so manager John Schneider said Tyler Heineman will handle a bulk of the catching in Kirk's absence. The team also called up Ali Sanchez from Triple-A Buffalo. 'He'll stay with us and rest up,' Schneider said of Kirk, who was placed on the seven-day injured list. 'You never really know with a concussion, and we don't want to take any chances.' Baltimore is expected to make some roster adjustments, as well, but that has more to do with Thursday's trade deadline. 'There will be some adversity throughout the week, without a doubt,' said interim manager Tony Mansolino. Yet catcher Adley Rutschman is expected back after an injury rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Norfolk. Orioles designated hitter Tyler O'Neill is on a tear with a home run in each of his past three games. He hadn't done that since 2021 with the St. Louis Cardinals. 'We knew it was only a matter of time, just getting on the field and getting reps,' infielder Gunnar Henderson said. 'That was, I feel like, the biggest thing, was just getting out there.' Right-hander Zach Eflin (6-5. 5.78 ERA) heads to the mound for the Orioles in the opener. He opened the season with a win over the host Blue Jays on March 27, giving up two runs on two hits over six innings in a 12-2 win. The Jays' runs came on a two-run homer from Andres Gimenez, who has been out with an injury since July 4. More recently, Eflin's only appearance this month came with Wednesday's 3-2 loss at Cleveland, where he gave up two runs on five hits over five innings. Eflin is 4-3 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 career games -- nine starts -- vs. the Blue Jays. Toronto's starter will be right-hander Chris Bassitt (11-4, 3.88), who is 4-0 across four starts this month. Along with an inning of relief pitched the day before the All-Star break, Bassitt has a 2.39 ERA in July. Bassitt picked up a March 30 victory at home against Baltimore by logging six innings and holding the Orioles to one run on eight hits with seven strikeouts. Bassitt has made nine career starts against Baltimore, notching a 5-3 record and 4.61 ERA in those games.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
The Kansas City Royals and pitcher Seth Lugo agree to 2-year extension, AP source says
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals and right-hander Seth Lugo have agreed to a two-year extension that includes a vesting option for the 2028 season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Sunday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal, which presumably takes one of the most talked-about names on the trade market off the table ahead of this week's deadline, had not been officially announced. The 35-year-old Lugo made his first All-Star Game and won his first Gold Glove last season, when he went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA in the first year of a two-year, $30 million deal that included a player option for next season. Lugo has followed that up with an even better start to this season, going 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA through 19 outings for Kansas City. Rumors surfaced of several contenders interested in trading for Lugo ahead of Thursday's deadline, and the fact that the Royals have been hanging on the fringe of contention themselves left many wondering whether they would be buyers or sellers. It appears that they are going to make a push for a second consecutive playoff appearance. The Royals acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Diamondbacks for reliever Andrew Hoffmann late Saturday, shoring up a weakness in the lineup by adding a right-handed bat. Now, they have indicated that Lugo remains big a part of their future with his extension — an especially timely one given it came the same day that All-Star pitcher Kris Bubic went on the injured list. Kansas City also is missing starters Cole Ragans and Michael Lorenzen due to injuries. Both are expected back at some point in August, and the Royals are hopeful that their return to the rotation will propel them down the stretch run. After beating the Guardians on Sunday, the Royals were four games back of the final American League wild-card spot. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. ___ AP MLB:
Toronto Star
7 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Blue Jays stumble against Tigers despite a Max Scherzer gem, but the week still had its rewards
By Baseball Columnist Mike Wilner is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star and host of the baseball podcast 'Deep Left Field.' Follow him on Bluesky: @wilnerness DETROIT—It was a crappy way to end a great week as the Blue Jays fell 10-4 to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Sunday, wasting a near-perfect outing from Max Scherzer and failing to secure what would have been the first four-game sweep of Detroit in franchise history. Pitching on his 41st birthday, Scherzer had six three-up, three-down innings with 11 strikeouts, equalling his best strikeout total since he fanned 13 St. Louis Cardinals for the Los Angeles Dodgers in September 2021. Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
