Fresh off rout, Blue Jays vie for series win vs. Rockies
The Toronto Blue Jays are in first place in the American League East due in large part to their dominant play at Rogers Centre.
That said, the Blue Jays made themselves at home in Denver on Monday night with a 15-1 romp over the Colorado Rockies in the opener of a three-game series.
Toronto will have a chance to clinch the series on Tuesday night when it sends Jose Berrios (7-4, 3.84 ERA) to the mound against Colorado's Anthony Molina (0-0, 7.27) in a battle of right-handers.
Molina allowed one run on three hits in an inning in relief last season in his lone career appearance against the Blue Jays.
Berrios has faced the Rockies twice in his career, winning both starts over 14 2/3 shutout innings. Tuesday will be his first time pitching in Colorado, and he can build off Eric Lauer's start in Monday's victory.
Lauer was 0-6 with a 12.73 ERA in seven starts in Denver before allowing just one run over six innings on Monday night.
Beating the Rockies in the opener was a positive sign for the Blue Jays, who had lost four of their last five games on the road and are 28-29 away from home. (They are 38-19 at home.)
Monday's victory also gave the Blue Jays just their third win in the last nine games overall and comes after they dropped two of three games against Kansas City.
'This group is so good at turning the page to the next day,' Toronto manager John Schneider said after Sunday's 7-4 loss in 10 innings to the Royals. 'That's, I think, one of the many reasons why we are where we are.'
Colorado won its third straight home series by taking two of three games from Pittsburgh but needs at least one victory against Toronto to avoid a losing record on the homestand. The Rockies also need to get off to better starts; they've trailed by at least four runs in each of the last four games.
'We've been down early, especially in the first inning,' interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. 'That's not a good recipe for longevity in a season. We need better performances out of our starters.'
One of the sparks for the recent surge has been 23-year-old rookie Warming Bernabel, who made his major league debut and has been hitting ever since. He has hit safely in eight of the nine games he has played in and started his career with a seven-game hitting streak.
His hot start earned him National League Player of the Week honors after he batted .462 with two home runs and seven RBIs. Bernabel has become the everyday first baseman after Michael Toglia struggled and was optioned to Triple-A for a second time.
'It's a very good thing, competition -- it's a good thing when you have a guy like Bernabel that came up here and basically earned a spot,' Schaeffer said. 'That's what you want, especially in a team in our situation. You want guys to force their hand and earn a spot. Then guys that lose their spot, they need to go to work and get better so they can come back and get their spot back.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
41 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Naomi Osaka, Clara Tauson set up semi-final showdown in Montreal
Naomi Osaka powered into her first National Bank Open semi-final, beating No. 10 seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday night. Osaka advanced to face No. 16 seed Clara Tauson, who eliminated sixth-seeded Madison Keys 6-1, 6-4 in the first quarter-final of the night. Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion who reached No. 1 in the rankings, continued her best performance in a WTA 1000 tournament since reaching the final in Miami in 2022. She stepped away from tennis for 15 months toward the end of that season and had daughter Shai in July 2023. The native of Japan is seeking her eighth career title and her first since the 2021 Australian Open. Victoria Mboko's wildcard, wild ride takes her to National Bank Open semi-final Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko takes on ninth seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the other semi-final Wednesday. Mboko, who's playing in her first main draw at the National Bank Open, will rise into the WTA's top 50 after beginning the year outside the top 300. The 18-year-old from Toronto has defeated five higher-ranked opponents en route to the semifinals, including top seed Coco Gauff in the fourth round. Tauson dedicated her victory to her grandfather, Peter, during an on-court interview at IGA Stadium. 'I really wanted to win for him today,' she told the crowd before breaking down in tears. 'I really wanted to come out here and show my best tennis for him, and hopefully he's watching.' Tauson said she only found out about her grandfather's death on Monday, a day after she eliminated Wimbledon champion and No. 3-ranked Iga Swiatek 7-6 (1), 6-3. She spoke of him as one of the biggest supporters of her career. 'He used to coach me a little bit playing tennis and drove me to almost every single practice from my school,' the 22-year-old native of Denmark said. 'It was tough news yesterday morning when I woke up, but I think it's for the better. He was not feeling great for a while.' Tauson hasn't lost a set in the tournament. Keys failed to convert two break chances in the first game. After the American held serve, Tauson won the ensuing five games to take the first set. 'Not my best performance out there today,' said Keys, who won this year's Australian Open. 'She played amazing tonight. She played incredibly well, she served really well. It was just one of those things where I felt like I kept trying different things, and she was just beating me. 'When she's serving like that, it's going to be really hard to break her.'
Canada News.Net
44 minutes ago
- Canada News.Net
Naomi Osaka, Clara Tauson spring upsets to reach Montreal semifinals
(Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images) Not even the greatest women's tennis aficionados could have predicted this final four at the National Bank Open in Montreal. On Tuesday, unseeded Naomi Osaka of Japan and No. 16 Clara Tauson of Denmark punched their tickets to the semifinals of the WTA 1000 event. Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion knocked off No. 10 Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, 6-2, 6-2, while Tauson started brightly and held off No. 6 Madison Keys, 6-1, 6-4. The two will meet in the second semifinal match on Wednesday. The earlier match will feature 18-year old Canadian upstart Victoria Mboko and the highest seed remaining, No. 9 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan. Svitolina struggled with her serve in the first set, getting less than 43 percent of her first serves in and losing 9-of-12 second serve points. Osaka took advantage, converting 3-of-4 break point opportunities, while saving 4-of-5 of her own troubled service games. In her best showing since in a WTA 100 event since reaching the finals at the Miami Open in 2022, Osaka won 16-of-18 points in efficient serving games and did not face a break point to advance. She will move up from No. 49 to at least No. 34, her highest ranking since returning to the tour 20 months ago. Osaka credits new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski with her recent success. 'Honestly, I think for me what's working well is I am very confident in my fitness. I'm really comfortable just getting balls back now, and I really enjoy Tomasz,' said Osaka. But I enjoy his coaching style. He's very direct and to the point. For someone like me, who my thoughts scatter around often, it's very helpful,' Tauson never trailed in her match vs. the 2025 Australian Open champion. She broke Keys' serve in the fourth and sixth games of the set and opened the second set with a break. Tauson, who defeated 2025 Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek in the previous round, won a robust 72.9 percent of the points on her serve. Tauson was playing with a heavy heart, revealing after the match that her grandfather had passed away on Sunday. 'I really wanted to win for him today,' said Tauson. 'I really wanted to come out here and show my best tennis for him, and hopefully he's watching.' Osaka and Tauson did square off in the finals of the 2025 Auckland Open. Osaka won the first set, but had to retire, gifting the Dane her third career title.
Ottawa Citizen
2 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Why the Ottawa Redblacks' next game, against the Toronto Argos, is the biggest of their season
They'll have to reverse some disturbing trends to do it, but the 2-6 Ottawa Redblacks could be sitting in a playoff spot this weekend, the midway point of their CFL schedule. Article content That will be the case if the Hamilton Tiger-Cats extend their winning streak to seven games in a home tilt against the B.C. Lions on Thursday night and the Redblacks defeat the Toronto Argos at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon. Article content Article content Article content The West Division's fourth-place Lions, who dropped two games heading into last week's bye, sit at 3-5 and would cross over by having more points than — not tied with — the third-place team in the East if the playoffs started today. Article content Of course, the Lions would retain the last playoff spot in the East even with a loss to the Tabbies, should the Redblacks and Argos play to a draw. Article content While being in a playoff position halfway through the season doesn't mean much, this game will carry much importance for head coach Bob Dyce's team. Article content It should be an indication of whether the Redblacks can become contenders or are pretenders this season. Article content Article content Ottawa will be looking to win back-to-back games for the first time in almost a full year — since a 31-29 triumph in Calgary last Aug. 15 was followed by a 34-27 home victory over the Lions nine days later. Article content Article content Oh yes, and then there's the stretch of futility against Toronto. Article content Article content Including the 18-17 victory in their very first home game on July 18, 2014, the Redblacks have won just six of 27 meetings with the Argos. Article content That includes just one win in their last nine, a 3-16 record in their last 19, a 2-12 mark in Toronto and more than a 24 converted touchdowns deficit (818-647) on the all-time scoreboard. Article content It also includes a 29-16 loss at TD Place this season, a game in which the Redblacks didn't have their No. 1 quarterback, and a 58-38 pasting in last November's East Division semifinal at BMO Field, a game Dru Brown played but would probably rather forget. Article content Article content Asked after Monday's practice if the first visit back to Toronto since that playoff humiliation will put some extra fuel in the Redblacks' tanks Saturday afternoon, Brown didn't dwell on the past. Article content 'I don't think that many of us need motivation,' he said. 'It's our job. We get paid, for the most part, well to do this. As a man, you shouldn't need motivation to go out and compete.'
