Tag: Toronto Blue Jays

MLB Power Rankings: Mariners, Giants ride the wave, Mets can’t quite hang on

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By Zach Buchanan, Nick Groke and Stephen Nesbitt At this time each year, we cross an imaginary line in the baseball calendar whereupon fans and front-office folks finally agree: we now know some things to be true. The takeaways about each team may differ, but the consensus is that at this point in the season, we’ve seen a large enough sample of games to start trusting statistical trends. Bad starts. Breakouts. Contenders. Pretenders. It’s real now. Grant Brisbee recently took stock of the San Francisco Giants by analyzing statistical categories…

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The Blue Jays’ confidence did not waver despite the rough stretch against Al East

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TORONTO — During a Season 11 Summit with the Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles tied 3-3, Sportsnet television cameras caught starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi scrambling to find his hitting helmet in case he was needed as a pinch runner. At the end of the inning, after the Orioles had scored five, it was Alejandro Kirk, not a famous fastback, who came out of the dugout to take his spot at second base to start the bottom of the extra inning. Scoring one run wouldn’t make a difference because the Blue…

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Too many fellow Blue Jays sinking in to face the Red Sox and more junk food

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Boston – The Blue Jays were the other Toronto team to play on Tuesday. They lost as well, falling 7-6 to the Boston Red Sox. After winning six straight games, the Blue Jays have now lost three straight games for the first time since week one of the season. It was another Fenway Park special, with lead changes, quirky bounces and freak plays. Like they did on Monday, the Blue Jays fell behind early, trailing 3-0 after four innings, but managed to rally again after a six-run fifth inning. But…

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MLB All-30: Each team’s biggest surprise (pleasant or not-so-great) so far

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It would probably take you about five seconds to name the biggest surprises from this season’s first month, and all it would take is a look at the National League Central standings. Even the Pirates themselves have to be shocked by how this season has progressed (especially after losing Oneil Cruz for several months), and good luck trying to remember the last time the Cardinals — perhaps the steadiest franchise of the century thus far — looked this bad and this disjointed. We’re going to go a little deeper than…

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Vlad Guerrero Jr. doubles down on comments he said he would never sign with the Yankees: “I would never change that.”

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Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled down on his offseason comments that he would “never play” for the Yankees, saying on Friday, “I would never change that.” Here’s what you need to know: Guerrero said through an interpreter, “It’s a personal thing. She’s coming back with my family. That’s my decision.” In November, Guerrero—the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr.—told radio host El Dotol Nastra: “I love playing New York, I love killing Yankees. I would never sign with the Yankees, not even dead.” The Blue…

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Matt Chapman’s free-agent market, Dodgers’ SS solutions, Braves’ SP options: Bowden’s MLB mailbag

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We had so many good questions remaining after publishing a trade-focused mailbag earlier this week, we’re back at it again. In part two of the mailbag, I answered 22 more questions from subscribers, covering everything from trade scenarios to early season takeaways to rookie standouts and top prospects. But we start with an early look at an impending free agent who could be playing his way into a big contract. Questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.  If Matt Chapman continues his strong play, will he have effectively priced…

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The Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. promised a more eclectic approach. So far, he has delivered

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KANSAS CITY – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tossed his racquet aside and took the ball he had just hit into the fountains on the left-center field at Kaufman Stadium – they shouted to the fan who got up from his seat and grabbed the ball. He snapped at 107.5 mph with the relaxed ease of a veteran while batting practice – and then started a jaunt around the bags. Guerrero raised his arm in the air as he reached first base, then signaled the Blue Jays bullpen as he made his…

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Yosei Kikuchi plays meaningfully, ending the rut of the Blue Jays’ rotation for the win

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Kansas City – Yosei Kikuchi was teaching fellow rotation Kevin Gossman some Japanese and the pair discussed the term ikigai, which roughly translates to your purpose in life. “We were finding out what we had ikigai said Gusman on Tuesday, before the start of Kikuchi’s first season. “We both decided that when we’re on the baseball field, we have ikigai He’s trying to hit men.” In his first start of the year, Kikuchi delivered a GOAL-PURPOSE. He struck out twice and hit territory over five innings, allowing only one run—a…

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Why Sportsnet canceled “Tim & Friends,” and what happens next for Tim Micallef

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On Monday afternoon, Tim Micallef took his usual spot in a familiar location and told the viewing audience that he was moving on to an “exciting new project” without seeming too excited about it. His show, which had existed in some form for much of his adult life, was cancelled. Sportsnet will pull “Tim & Friends” from the air April 11th, just two years after its release following the exit of longtime host Sid Seixeiro. Micallef looked at the camera and said he “knew from the jump that all good…

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Shuhei Ohtani for the Dodgers? Juan Soto extended? 23 Bowden Predictions for the 2023 MLB Season

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With the opening date only a few days away, it’s time to score again with predictions for the 2023 season and beyond in the off-season. While we wait for the season to kick off, here are 23 bold (and not so bold) predictions for the year. Like all preseason predictions, some will come out and others will flop. Let me know what you think, and share your predictions, in the comments section. 1. Juan Soto, who turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals before he was traded…

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