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NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
A year after they were (to a degree) deadline sellers, the Blue Jays are soaring
Even when they traded away a handful of established players at last year's deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays clearly believed a rebound was possible. A year later, they have a comfortable lead atop the AL East. It's hard to say that last year's deadline jump-started Toronto's turnaround, but the important thing is the Blue Jays didn't give up on their core despite being on their way to a last-place finish in 2024. They dealt players like Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Turner — but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette remained with Toronto. Keeping those two was something of a risk given that both could become free agents after this season. Bichette still can, but the Blue Jays were able to sign Guerrero to a 14-year, $500-million contract in April. Guerrero, Bichette and George Springer are part of a Toronto team that ranks third in the American League in OPS while leading the majors in batting average and on-base percentage. Even after a lopsided loss to Detroit, the Blue Jays have a 5 1/2-game lead over the second-place New York Yankees — although Toronto also has the second-worst run differential in the division. The Blue Jays have the best record in baseball by a half-game over the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. Toronto has won 21 of its last 27 games, and included in that stretch is a 6-1 record against the Yankees. The Blue Jays are 7-3 against New York, meaning they have clinched that season series should it become a tiebreaker. New York is just 11-18 against the AL East. Trivia time The Blue Jays last made the World Series in 1993. Who are the only other American League teams with longer droughts since their most recent pennants? Tumbling Tigers Detroit's 10-4 win over Toronto snapped a six-game skid for the Tigers — and that does not do justice to how poorly they were playing. Detroit had lost 12 of 13, being outscored 89-33 in the process. Ace Tarik Skubal can only do so much. The lone win during that stretch came in one of his starts — a 2-1 victory over Texas on July 20. When he took the mound six days later against Toronto, he threw six scoreless innings, only to have the Tigers go on to lose 6-1. Before Detroit fans panic too much, the Tigers had built up such a big lead that they still have an eight-game advantage over second-place Cleveland in the AL Central after the victory. FanGraphs gives them a 95.9% chance to make the playoffs. But their chances of earning a first-round bye — by having one of the top two records among AL division winners — is down to 52.6%. Line of the week More like line of the decade. Or perhaps the century. A's rookie Nick Kurtz went 6 for 6 with four home runs, eight RBIs and six runs in a 15-3 rout of Houston. Kurtz became the 20th player in major league history — and first rookie — with a four-homer game. He also doubled and singled, so he tied the single-game record for total bases with 19. Comeback of the week Minnesota had a one-run lead at Los Angeles in the bottom of the ninth — and Griffin Jax retired the first two batters for the Dodgers. Then it all unraveled for the Twins. Mookie Betts singled, Shohei Ohtani was walked intentionally, Esteury Ruiz drew another walk and then Freddie Freeman singled home two runs for a 4-3 win. The Twins had a win probability of 95.6% after the second out, according to Baseball Savant. Trivia answer The Orioles (1983), Athletics (1990), Twins (1991) and Mariners (never).
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
A year after they were (to a degree) deadline sellers, the Blue Jays are soaring
Even when they traded away a handful of established players at last year's deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays clearly believed a rebound was possible. A year later, they have a comfortable lead atop the AL East. It's hard to say that last year's deadline jump-started Toronto's turnaround, but the important thing is the Blue Jays didn't give up on their core despite being on their way to a last-place finish in 2024. They dealt players like Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Turner — but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette remained with Toronto. Keeping those two was something of a risk given that both could become free agents after this season. Bichette still can, but the Blue Jays were able to sign Guerrero to a $500-million, 14-year contract in April. Guerrero, Bichette and George Springer are part of a Toronto team that ranks third in the American League in OPS while leading the majors in batting average and on-base percentage. Even after a lopsided loss to Detroit on Sunday, the Blue Jays have a 5 1/2-game lead over the second-place New York Yankees — although Toronto also has the second-worst run differential in the division. The Blue Jays have the best record in baseball by a half-game over the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. Toronto has won 21 of its last 27 games, and included in that stretch is a 6-1 record against the Yankees. The Blue Jays are 7-3 against New York, meaning they have clinched that season series should it become a tiebreaker. New York is just 11-18 against the AL East. Trivia time The Blue Jays last made the World Series in 1993. Who are the only other American League teams with longer droughts since their most recent pennants? Tumbling Tigers Detroit's 10-4 win over Toronto on Sunday snapped a six-game skid for the Tigers — and that does not do justice to how poorly they were playing. Detroit had lost 12 of 13, being outscored 89-33 in the process. Ace Tarik Skubal can only do so much. The lone win during that stretch came in one of his starts — a 2-1 victory over Texas on July 20. When he took the mound six days later against Toronto, he threw six scoreless innings, only to have the Tigers go on to lose 6-1. Before Detroit fans panic too much, the Tigers had built up such a big lead that they still have an eight-game advantage over second-place Cleveland in the AL Central after Sunday's victory. FanGraphs gives them a 95.9% chance to make the playoffs. But their chances of earning a first-round bye — by having one of the top two records among AL division winners — is down to 52.6%. Line of the week More like line of the decade. Or perhaps the century. A's rookie Nick Kurtz went 6 for 6 with four home runs , eight RBIs and six runs in a 15-3 rout of Houston on Friday night. Kurtz became the 20th player in major league history — and first rookie — with a four-homer game. He also doubled and singled, so he tied the single-game record for total bases with 19. Comeback of the week Minnesota had a one-run lead at Los Angeles in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday — and Griffin Jax retired the first two batters for the Dodgers. Then it all unraveled for the Twins. Mookie Betts singled, Shohei Ohtani was walked intentionally, Esteury Ruiz drew another walk and then Freddie Freeman singled home two runs for a 4-3 win. The Twins had a win probability of 95.6% after the second out, according to Baseball Savant . Trivia answer The Orioles (1983), Athletics (1990), Twins (1991) and Mariners (never). ___ AP MLB:
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
A year after they were (to a degree) deadline sellers, the Blue Jays are soaring
Even when they traded away a handful of established players at last year's deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays clearly believed a rebound was possible. A year later, they have a comfortable lead atop the AL East. It's hard to say that last year's deadline jump-started Toronto's turnaround, but the important thing is the Blue Jays didn't give up on their core despite being on their way to a last-place finish in 2024. They dealt players like Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Turner — but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette remained with Toronto. Keeping those two was something of a risk given that both could become free agents after this season. Bichette still can, but the Blue Jays were able to sign Guerrero to a $500-million, 14-year contract in April. Guerrero, Bichette and George Springer are part of a Toronto team that ranks third in the American League in OPS while leading the majors in batting average and on-base percentage. Even after a lopsided loss to Detroit on Sunday, the Blue Jays have a 5 1/2-game lead over the second-place New York Yankees — although Toronto also has the second-worst run differential in the division. The Blue Jays have the best record in baseball by a half-game over the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. Toronto has won 21 of its last 27 games, and included in that stretch is a 6-1 record against the Yankees. The Blue Jays are 7-3 against New York, meaning they have clinched that season series should it become a tiebreaker. New York is just 11-18 against the AL East. Trivia time The Blue Jays last made the World Series in 1993. Who are the only other American League teams with longer droughts since their most recent pennants? Tumbling Tigers Detroit's 10-4 win over Toronto on Sunday snapped a six-game skid for the Tigers — and that does not do justice to how poorly they were playing. Detroit had lost 12 of 13, being outscored 89-33 in the process. Ace Tarik Skubal can only do so much. The lone win during that stretch came in one of his starts — a 2-1 victory over Texas on July 20. When he took the mound six days later against Toronto, he threw six scoreless innings, only to have the Tigers go on to lose 6-1. Before Detroit fans panic too much, the Tigers had built up such a big lead that they still have an eight-game advantage over second-place Cleveland in the AL Central after Sunday's victory. FanGraphs gives them a 95.9% chance to make the playoffs. But their chances of earning a first-round bye — by having one of the top two records among AL division winners — is down to 52.6%. Line of the week More like line of the decade. Or perhaps the century. A's rookie Nick Kurtz went 6 for 6 with four home runs, eight RBIs and six runs in a 15-3 rout of Houston on Friday night. Kurtz became the 20th player in major league history — and first rookie — with a four-homer game. He also doubled and singled, so he tied the single-game record for total bases with 19. Comeback of the week Minnesota had a one-run lead at Los Angeles in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday — and Griffin Jax retired the first two batters for the Dodgers. Then it all unraveled for the Twins. Mookie Betts singled, Shohei Ohtani was walked intentionally, Esteury Ruiz drew another walk and then Freddie Freeman singled home two runs for a 4-3 win. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The Twins had a win probability of 95.6% after the second out, according to Baseball Savant. Trivia answer The Orioles (1983), Athletics (1990), Twins (1991) and Mariners (never). ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Detroit Tigers flounder again in 6-2 loss to Blue Jays for 11th defeat in 12 games
Detroit Tigers TV voice Jason Benetti didn't hold back from telling the truth. "This is the kind of defense you can't win a ton of games with," Benetti said on the FanDuel Sports Network Detroit broadcast Friday, July 25, reacting to mistakes by the Tigers in the fourth inning, as left fielder Riley Greene failed to catch a fly ball and Javier Báez made a wild throw. Those mistakes led to two runs, and the Tigers lost 6-2 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday in the second of four games in the series at Comerica Park — their fifth loss in a row and 11th in 12 games. FRIDAY'S NOTEBOOK: Starting pitchers coming soon for Tigers? Injury updates: Alex Cobb, José Urquidy The Tigers (60-45) have a 7½-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central. Just 17 days ago, the Tigers had a 14-game division lead. In the fourth inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a ball off right-hander Keider Montero to the warning track in left field that Greene should've caught, but he mistimed his jump and failed to catch the ball, resulting in a double for Guerrero. Addison Barger then drove in Guerrero with a double to tie the game at 1-1. With two outs in the inning, Joey Loperfido hit a grounder to Báez at short for what should've been an easy conclusion to the fourth. Instead, Báez made a bad throw that first baseman Spencer Torkelson couldn't save, allowing Barger to score and give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. TRADE TALK: Big splash coming? Tigers expected to take conservative approach at trade deadline From there, the Blue Jays took command for the second straight night — scoring four runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by Guerrero's RBI double off Montero's curveball and Bo Bichette's two-RBI double off Montero's sinker. Both big swings were on the first pitch. "Let's go, Blue Jays" chants broke out after the extra-base hits. The Blue Jays extended their lead to 6-1 when Alejandro Kirk hit an RBI single against left-handed reliever Tyler Holton, who replaced Montero but inherited a runner, to cap the four-run fifth inning. Montero allowed six runs (five earned runs) on nine hits and zero walks with three strikeouts in four-plus innings, throwing 76 pitches. The 25-year-old has a 4.66 ERA in 15 games (nine starts) this season, along with a 4.72 ERA in his MLB career, spanning 34 games (25 starts). [ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] Spencer Torkelson homers again It was too little, too late. But Torkelson hit a solo home run — his second in as many games — in the sixth inning, tagging a middle-middle 92.3 mph sinker from right-hander José Berríos. His 23rd homer in 99 games cut the Tigers' deficit to 6-2. The Tigers scored the first run of the game for a 1-0 lead in the second inning, thanks to Dillon Dingler's RBI double. Greene — the Tigers' best position player — went 0-for-3 with one walk and three strikeouts. The two-time All-Star outfielder has a .192 batting average, four walks and 34 strikeouts across 19 games in July, with 12 multi-strikeout games. Celebrate the Tigers' 125 epic seasons with our new book! Brothers-in-law Báez and Berríos are brothers-in-law. Báez is a .067 hitter (1-for-15) with one home run, one walk and four strikeouts in 16 plate appearances in the all-time matchup, including an 0-for-2 performance with two strikeouts in Friday's game. In the second inning, Báez — a right-handed hitter — struck out swinging on a breaking ball that was located in the left-handed batter's box, stranding a runner on second base. In the fifth inning, Báez struck out swinging on a down-and-in changeup with a runner on first base for the first out. Berríos allowed two runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts across six innings, throwing 85 pitches. He generated 10 whiffs, with two of them occurring in his battles with Báez. Berríos has a 3.83 ERA in 22 starts. Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@ or follow him @EvanPetzold. Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Tigers!' by the Free Press at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers lose fifth straight, 6-2 to Toronto Blue Jays
Canada News.Net
5 days ago
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Blue Jays parlay fifth-inning outburst into second win over Tigers
(Photo credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images) Bo Bichette had a two-run double during a four-run fifth as the American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays downed the slumping Detroit Tigers, 6-2, on Friday night. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. supplied two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who have won seven of eight games since the All-Star break. George Springer had three hits and scored a run, while Addison Barger and Alejandro Kirk drove in the other Toronto runs. Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios (7-4) gave up two runs and five hits with six strikeouts in six innings. A trio of relievers pitched a perfect inning apiece for Toronto, which has taken the first two games of the four-game series. Spencer Torkelson homered for the second time in as many days for the Tigers, who have lost five straight and 11 of their last 12. Dillon Dingler drove in the other Tigers run. Detroit starter Keider Montero (4-3) was charged with six runs (five earned) and nine hits in four-plus innings. The Tigers took the lead in the second. Wenceel Perez slapped a single, stole second and scored on Dingler's one-out double. Dingler was stranded at second as Parker Meadows popped out and Javier Baez struck out. Guerrero led off the top of the fourth with a double and scored on Barger's one-out double to center. With two outs, Barger scored when shortstop Baez made a throwing error on a Joey Loperfido grounder. The Blue Jays extended their lead to 6-1 in the fifth. Nathan Lukes led off with a single and moved to third on Springer's single. Guerrero's second double of the contest brought home Lukes. Bichette's double to right knocked in both Springer and Guerrero. That ended Montero's night. The Blue Jays continued to score with Tyler Holton on the mound. Kirk brought home Bichette with a single. Torkelson made it 6-2 with one out in the sixth when he lifted a Berrios sinker over the left-center field wall for his 23rd homer.
