NCAA playoff update, Tverberg turns pro, Hirvonen comes up clutch: Leafs Prospect Roundup

The Leafs had a handful of prospects competing for conference titles in the NCAA this past weekend, including Matt Knies and Mike Koster of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. After losing last year’s B1G10 Championship against Michigan, the Gophers were looking for a measure of revenge against the Wolverines this time around.
As he has done so often in big games throughout his collegiate career, Knies came to play with the title on the line against a familiar foe. He helped to pull the Gophers even in the second period with a great defensive play that sent Jimmy Snuggerud and Logan Cooley in all alone, and the pair of star prospects from the 2022 draft made no mistake.

Great defensive play by Matt Knies springs Jimmy Snuggerud and Logan Cooley on a 2-on-0 and Minnesota pulls even with Michigan#LeafsForever #Yotes #STLBlues pic.twitter.com/et5SMWXEJL
— Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) March 19, 2023

His most impressive play of the night came just moments later, as he gloved down a puck in the neutral zone and fended off a couple of checks before bursting around a defender and taking the puck to the net for a great scoring chance that forced Michigan to take a penalty. Minnesota probably has a case that the goal should have counted, too.

Holy 💩 Matthew Knies pic.twitter.com/esETzcOnWA
— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) March 19, 2023

Knies showed off his repertoire of skills throughout the contest, making skilled plays with the puck and using his body to protect pucks and sustain possessions, but it wasn’t enough. After Knies found himself on the wrong side of a couple of fortuitous bounces in the third period, Michigan came away with their second consecutive B1G10 title.
It was a bitter …

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Author: Nick Richard / The Leafs Nation

Raptors news: Scottie Barnes suffers wrist injury, OG Anunoby trying to break record

Raptors news: Scottie Barnes suffers wrist injury, OG Anunoby trying to break record

Scottie Barnes figures to be one of the main reasons that the Toronto Raptors have any shot at making some noise in the postseason. Even though his box score numbers may not be more impressive than what he put up last year, those who have been observing him with a very keen eye can see […]
Raptors news: Scottie Barnes suffers wrist injury, OG Anunoby trying to break record – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Ricky Tiedemann threw a bullpen session on Sunday after being shut down with shoulder soreness

Well, Blue Jays fans got some good news on Sunday!

According to MLB.com, Ricky Tiedemann threw a bullpen on Sunday and apparently felt good. Last week, it was reported that Tiedemann had soreness in his pitching shoulder, which had shut him down for a few days.

Left shoulder soreness for Ricky Tiedemann. Shut down for a couple of days but expects him to throw a side Wednesday per Schneider #BlueJays
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) March 13, 2023

It’s also worth noting that Tiedemann was cut in the first wave of cuts, meaning that the young pitcher will start his season in the minor leagues, likely with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
The 20-year-old left-handed pitcher is the Blue Jays’ consensus top prospect, with multiple publications such as MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, Fangraphs, Prospects Live, and several other sites awarding him the number one spot.

Here’s every single pitch from Ricky Tiedemann (@TiedemannRicky3)’s afternoon.
I’m going to say it right now. This man is going to win multiple Cy Young awards.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/lr4WKpab7j
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) February 28, 2023

And for good reason, pitching mainly as a 19-year-old in 2022, he had a 2.17 ERA in 78.2 innings pitched at Low-A, High-A, and Double-A. Here’s to another good season that could potentially propel him to a top-10 position on lists, and potentially make it to the big leagues.
Other notes from the article:
Mitch White hasn’t pitched yet this spring, but that looks likely to change this upcoming week. While it may not be in a spring training game, it will be a game scenario, unlike the bullpen sessions he has recently had.
It’s also worth noting that the Jays made their second wave of cuts on March 18. Pitchers Adrián Hernández and Casey Lawrence, as well as first baseman Rainer Núñez, were all sent to minor league game on Saturday afternoon.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Brennan_L_D.

POINTSBET IS LIVE IN ONTARIO
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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Murray and Jarnkrok shine in overtime win versus Ottawa: Game Highlights

The Leafs didn’t have their best on Saturday night yet they came out on top. Matt Murray made 48 saves, Calle Jarnkrok potted two and the most snake bitten player on the roster may have got off the schneid by scoring the game winner. Below are the highlights from the game.
Jake McCabe opened the scoring with his first goal as a Leaf. He made a nice stretch pass to John Tavares to start the play. Then he cleaned up a Mitch Marner rebound to make it 1-0….

🔵 HIS FIRST AS A BUD!! 🔵 pic.twitter.com/PBWGpYr0Pg
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 18, 2023

 
The Senators tied it up with a lucky one late in the first period. Erik Brannstrom’s point shot deflected twice and bounced over Murray. Julien Gauthier got credit for the goal…

The blooper bounce off the draw beats Murray 😯 pic.twitter.com/27xYB2tjr3
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 18, 2023

Murray kept the game tied with an athletic pad save on Shane Pinto. Gauthier set him up with a beauty cross ice pass but Murray shut the door…

Murray makes the toe save on Pinto pic.twitter.com/IGDeiiy39H
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 18, 2023

 
Tim Stutzle continued his breakout season with a shorthanded goal early in the second. The Sens’ superstar sniped one through the legs Timothy Liljegren and put Ottawa on top…

Tim Stützle shorty alert! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/mmNvNf386H
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 19, 2023

The Leafs weren’t behind for long. Marner tied it up before the penalty ended. He beat Mads Sogaard with a wrist shot short side to even it up 2-2…

A magical response 🪄 pic.twitter.com/anlDTfSfKN
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 19, 2023

Jarnkrok got on the board midway through the second. Auston Matthews teed one up for him and he blasted it past Sogaard. 3-2 Leafs…

HOLYYY CALLEEEEE!!! 🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/lYPY6gr4Lh
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 19, 2023

 
The Matthews to Jarnkrok connection did it again in the third period. Matthews feathered a pass through Thomas Chabot on the 2-on-1 and Jarnkrok buried his second of the night to put the Leafs up two…

STAY HOT, CALLE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EebnZxKqCX
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 19, 2023

The Senators would not quit though. J …

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Author: Scott Ony / The Leafs Nation

3 biggest flaws Raptors must overcome to make a playoff run

3 biggest flaws Raptors must overcome to make a playoff run

Nick Nurse and the Toronto Raptors are right in the thick of the play-in race. While winning should always be encouraged, and the team is in a much better position than they were earlier in the year, the fact that the Raptors are in this position after winning 48 games last year has to sting. […]
3 biggest flaws Raptors must overcome to make a playoff run – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Whit Merrifield hit his first home run of spring training, Bowden Francis pitched well, and more as the Blue Jays beat the Yankees 5-2

It’s always a good day when the Blue Jays beat the Yankees.

On Saturday afternoon, the Jays beat the Yankees in impressive fashion. Let’s look at the standouts, as well as some other things worth mentioning.
Blue Jays Nation’s player of the game: Whit Merrifield
Merrifield had a productive game on Saturday afternoon, hitting his first spring training home run and driving another insurance run in his next at bat.
The battle for second base continues to brew, with Merrifield’s slash line sitting at .360/.393/.640. This is better than Santiago Espinal’s slash line (.324/378/.500) and Cavan Biggio’s slash line (.270/.341/.351).
I have no idea who will be the starting second baseman, but this battle is fun.

Raking WHIT the bat 💪@WhitMerrifield is hitting .333 this spring! pic.twitter.com/gpHWrfjXoG
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 18, 2023

Things worth mentioning:
Bowden Francis looks damn good, doesn’t he? On Saturday afternoon, he pitched three innings, gave up three hits, two runs, and walked a batter. However, he also struck out a game-high five, generating a game-high nine whiffs. His role is yet to be determined, but I think there’s a good chance he will start the season as a starter with Buffalo.

Here’s Bowden Francis (@Bowdenpoint0)’s strikeout and whiff edit.
Very good fastball today, as it had a 43 whiff percentage (9 whiffs on 21 swings).
Could be a starter to look out for this season.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/WVOwV8GRel
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 18, 2023

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s knee is doing better. He hit his third home run of the spring in only 21 plate appearances. That home run tied him with George Springer for the most, but the latter has 36 …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Resting Leafs, line juggling and the salary cap: Leaflets

Less than a month until meaningful hockey. It shouldn’t have to be this way. It would be nice if there were something beyond avoiding injuries and roster optimization left to care about for the season, but that’s not how it works. I guess it could always be worse than being a team that has been locked into your playoff opponent since late December, you could be a team that hasn’t had a sniff of the playoffs all year, and then really, after the trade deadline what are you tuning in for? So rather than going completely negative on there still being 14 games left to play, I’ll embrace this wild ride through lineup card construction that will likely lead us back to something very familiar to us in time for the playoffs.
5 Player Units
While Sheldon Keefe is exploring what works and what doesn’t when it comes to his lineup card, I wouldn’t mind seeing him dust off the old Soviet tactic of having five player units that head out together rather than running forward lines and defense pairings separately. To some extent, the Leafs are already trying to do this as much as possible as there isn’t much point in putting Morgan Rielly on …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Raptors news: Norman Powell says Raptors got “lucky”, Christian Koloko’s status

Raptors news: Norman Powell says Raptors got “lucky”, Christian Koloko’s status

The Toronto Raptors would not have been able to take down the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals way back in 2019 without the contributions of expert 3-point marksman Norman Powell. He’s shown after leaving Toronto that he is still an elite shooter. After being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Gary Trent […]
Raptors news: Norman Powell says Raptors got “lucky”, Christian Koloko’s status – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Yusei Kikuchi’s spring training shutout streak comes to an end as Blue Jays drop both split-squad games to Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have finally gotten revenge for 1993.

They beat the Blue Jays by a score of 4-2 at home in Clearwater and they also pounded the Blue Jays by a score of 8-1 in Dunedin, earning themselves a Grapefruit League split-squad sweep. Flags fly forever!
Things worth mentioning…

Yusei Kikuchi had been perhaps the biggest story at camp for the Blue Jays, as he went 9 2/3 innings in his first four appearances of spring without allowing a run. Kikuchi’s spring shutout came to an end on Friday, unfortunately, as he walked the first two batters of the game, Brandon Marsh and Alec Bohm, and then allowed a double to Jake Cave. Kikuchi allowed one more run to score in the first frame on a sac fly but he settled down and found his groove after that. All told, he went three-and-one-third innings and allowed two earned runs on one hit and three walks while striking out three.

Kikuchi says he’s very happy with where he’s at right now, feeling free to let loose & attack hitters instead of thinking about mechanics.
Yusei did today’s post-game interview in English without an interpreter (after joking that I had to ask my questions in Japanese). #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 17, 2023

Following Kikuchi, Adrian Hernandez and Paul Fry both got knocked around and combine …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

4 Toronto Raptors who are playing for their future in Canada

4 Toronto Raptors who are playing for their future in Canada

Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors are officially in the middle of the most important stretch of the season. With a long homestand against beatable teams coming up, failing to perform well in these games could be enough to put the final nail in this team’s coffin as they chase a postseason spot. What has […]
4 Toronto Raptors who are playing for their future in Canada – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ