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Hamilton Spectator
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Blue Jays vs. Royals: Trade deadline hangover hits Gausman, Varland and France debut
The Blue Jays were riding high following a couple of big moves at Thursday's trade deadline, but then the Kansas City Royals rolled into town and caused them to crash back down. A three-game homestand began on a sour note with right-hander Kevin Gausman allowing five runs on six hits, including two homers. The offence then did little to help him out against veteran righty Michael Wacha in a 9-3 loss on Friday night. The Jays have lost five of their last six games after storming out of the all-star break with an 8-1 record. They need to win Saturday and Sunday to avoid losing back-to-back series for the first time since the middle of May. Here's everything you need to know about what took place at the Rogers Centre: Gausman entered this game on a roll. He had allowed just one run on five hits while striking out 18 over his previous 13 innings. The 34-year-old dominated contenders in those outings — the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers — but wasn't nearly as effective against the now 55-55 Royals. In the second inning, Royals trade deadline acquisition Mike Yastrzemski hit a two-run homer to centre. The following inning, Gausman served up a three-run shot to star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. The Royals finished the night by tacking on three runs against lefty reliever Mason Fluharty. One of the only bright spots for the Jays occurred in the first when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a solo homer to left. Guerrero's 16th home run of the season was a no-doubter that travelled an estimated 428 feet. That gave the Jays an early lead, but the momentum was short lived as Gausman surrendered homers in the second and third. Wacha got through eight innings and allowed just the one run on three hits and zero walks. After he departed, Addison Barger hit a two-run homer in the ninth off former Jay Thomas Hatch. Star sports columnist Gregor Chisholm joins the 'Deep Left Field' podcast to review the Jays' Prior to the series opener, the Jays officially introduced starter Shane Bieber, reliever Louis Varland and utilityman Ty France to the media. All three were acquired prior to the deadline and arrived the following day to meet their new teammates. The Jays also welcomed back centre-fielder Daulton Varsho to the big-league roster. Varsho had been out since May 31 with a strained hamstring. France got the start at designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with two groundouts, a line out and a strikeout, while Varland required just 14 pitches to get through a scoreless seventh. The former Twin got the first two batters he faced to ground out before striking out Kyle Isbel on an 89-m.p.h. knuckle curve. Varsho went 0-for-3 with a pop-up and two strikeouts. 'I'm excited, this is a great baseball team,' France said when asked about joining the Jays. 'It's always nice coming into a winning environment, a winning atmosphere. You can't ask for more than playing meaningful baseball at this time of the year. I'm excited to be here and we'll see where things go.'
Toronto Star
28-07-2025
- Sport
- 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
Toronto Star
25-07-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Star
AL-leading Blue Jays take round one vs. Tigers by knockout: ‘We're gritty as hell'
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— The Blue Jays welcomed back an old pal on Thursday night. Having been stymied by Tigers starter Reese Olson on just three singles through five innings, the Jays went into the sixth down 1-0, but quickly tied the game when Vladimir Guerrero's double to left scored George Springer from first. Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
Toronto Star
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Myles Straw knows who he is as a player, and it's just what the Blue Jays have needed
July 19, 2025 3 min read Save By Mike WilnerBaseball 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 Myles Straw was already in love with Toronto when he got here. It just took Blue Jays fans a bit to feel the same way about him. Acquired in January for far more than was required in a badly misplayed attempt to land coveted free-agent starter Roki Sasaki, Straw — an elite speed-and-defence outfielder who had been waived through the league with no takers the year before — didn't even know if he would make the team. He just wanted to be a part of the puzzle. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details Related Stories Gregor Chisholm: Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins has been in charge of nine trade deadlines. A breakdown of his moves Mike Wilner: The Blue Jays have shown a knack for overcoming a blown save this season: 'You've got to counterpunch' Blue Jays take offensive shortstop in the first round, hoping he becomes 'the gem' of the draft The Blue Jays haven't hosted an MLB all-star game since 1991. That could soon change Report an error Journalistic Standards About The Star More from The Star & partners
Hamilton Spectator
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
There's a good coach behind every great defensive catcher. Ask the Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk
Alejandro Kirk is headed back to the all-star game after a two-year absence, having finally put every facet of his game together. He came to the Blue Jays as a raw, 21-year-old, bat-to-ball savant with a lot of work to do behind the plate and slugged his way to the midsummer classic in 2022, just his second full season in the majors. The next two years, though, the Mexican native transformed into a light-hitting defensive stud, the best catcher in the game at turning balls into strikes and adept at blocking pitches in the dirt. This year, he has added a killer throwing arm and the bat is back . The package is complete. But he needed help to get there. The Blue Jays confirmed Clancy's death in a social media post Monday. A cause of death was not After a last-place finish in 2024, a season in which Kirk posted full-season career lows in home runs, walks, on-base percentage and OPS, the catcher took six weeks off and then reported to the Jays' player development complex in Dunedin, Fla., in mid-November for an intense month of work with bullpen catcher and coach Luis Hurtado. 'We were working on defence,' Hurtado said in an interview that can be heard on the July 10 episode of 'Deep Left Field,' the Star's baseball podcast . 'We were working on hitting, we were doing a lot of stuff.' Hurtado won't take credit for Kirk's evolution into the game's best defensive catcher, but there's no question the former minor-league manager had a lot to do with it. '(Kirk is) a guy that I work with every day,' Hurtado said. 'I've been working with him since 2022 and, since then, he's been having great defensive seasons and he's one of the best catchers in Major League Baseball right now. He's really dedicated to his routines, he's really smart, he works hard and right now we're seeing the results of all the hard work that he's been putting in.' The transformation behind the plate has been astounding. 'I remember in 2020 him coming up,' said manager John Schneider, who was a major-league coach without portfolio at the time. 'We were literally writing down on his wristband what (pitches) the pitchers threw.' Working intensely with Hurtado, in season and out, the fast-learning Kik became great at framing pitches and blocking of balls in the dirt. But he knew he needed to improve his throwing. 'I worked on my arm, strengthening my arm (in the off-season),' Kirk said, through club translator Hector Lebron. 'That was one of the things I wanted to get better on. Of course, you've got to work with the timing, with the pitcher, holding the runners. You've got to get all that together. That allows me to get more runners.' Hurtado had a willing pupil. Toronto's former ace averaged 94.2 m.p.h. on his fastball, an increase from the 93.3 he averaged 'We put our attention on the little details behind the plate,' Hurtado said. 'How can we be better at framing? How can we develop his arm strength, which (has been) our main goal since 2023. You can see the results right now; he's one of the top catchers throwing guys out in the big leagues. 'It's just him dedicated to his work, dedicated to his routines and always positive. He's a fearless guy, a calm guy who always wants to get better and wants to help the team win.' The numbers back up the claim. Kirk is leading all major-league catchers in the Statcast defensive metrics of fielding run value, framing runs and blocks above average, and he is fourth in caught stealing above average. While Hurtado hasn't had as much of a hand in the breakout performance of another of the Jays' budding stars, he managed Addison Barger on his way up through the system, both in rookie ball in Bluefield, W.V., in 2019 and in Dunedin, which was then the Jays' high-A affiliate, in 2021. And even then, he saw this coming. 'No matter what was happening in an at-bat, he always had the mindset to swing hard,' said Hurtado, for whom Barger hit 20 home runs in 104 games over those two seasons. 'I saw some flashes in 2021, when he hit for the cycle.' It was more than just a cycle. Barger went 5-for-5 against the Tampa Tarpons, a Yankees affiliate, in a May 28 game, with a single, a double, a triple, two home runs and seven RBIs in a 14-7 Blue Jays win. Future big-leaguer Randy Vazquez started for Tampa. It's been 34 years since Toronto last hosted a Midsummer Classic, and a report suggests that the 'It was one of the best games I've ever seen in the minor leagues,' Hurtado said. 'And that was his first full season. He finished that year with 80 RBIs (in 91 games), so we know (it's in there) and I saw this kind of success was going to come sooner or later.' Hurtado might only be working with the pitchers and catchers now, but he's also getting to enjoy some of the kids he managed on the way up, like Davis Schneider and Leo Jimenez along with Barger, having success at the highest level. Kirk is going to his second all-star game, thanks in part to Hurtado's help. Barger may not be far behind.
