Jose Berrios tosses five innings in return from WBC, Daulton Varsho hits his first homer of spring, and more as the Blue Jays beat the O’s 2-1

I’m not going to lie, it’s incredibly difficult to go from last night’s World Baseball Classic finale back to following along with Grapefruit League games. Just one more week to go!

The Blue Jays sent what might be their Opening Day lineup to the field in Dunedin on Wednesday and beat the Orioles by a score of 2-1. Let’s go through the noteworthy things from the game…
Things worth mentioning…

Jose Berrios returned to the mound for his first start since the disastrous inning he tossed for Peurto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Berrios getting lit up by Venezuela generated some panic among those who follow the Blue Jays but Pete Walker wasn’t overly concerned about it, saying on Blair and Barker “I didn’t get to watch it live, so at first I was a bit concerned, but after I replayed the entire game I wasn’t concerned. The pitch selection and sequencing was nothing like what we’ve been working on all winter.”
Berrios went five innings against the Orioles and allowed one earned run on six hits and one walk while striking out five. It’s also worth pointing out that this was much like how a lot of his “good” starts went last season, as Berrios would look dominant at times but also had a lot of loud contact resulting in outs because of the play of the defence behind him.

José Berríos got up to 77 pi …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Raptors rumors: Chris Boucher could be traded to make salaries match

Raptors rumors: Chris Boucher could be traded to make salaries match

The Toronto Raptors are in a very difficult situation, as they need to decide which players from this roster should be around for the long haul and which names should be sent away in order to get some more productive players in town. Chris Boucher has found himself squarely in the crosshairs.  Boucher started the […]
Raptors rumors: Chris Boucher could be traded to make salaries match – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Amirov resumes treatment, Akhtyamov excelling, Lisowsky lighting it up: Leafs Prospect Roundup

Amirov resumes treatment, Akhtyamov excelling, Lisowsky lighting it up: Leafs Prospect Roundup

It has been an incredibly difficult year for the Leafs’ 2020 first-round pick, Rodion Amirov, after being diagnosed with a brain tumor last February. Through it all, he has been an inspiring source of strength and positivity, and it was great to see him around the Leafs’ players and staff in the early part of the season. It was an invaluable opportunity for him to familiarize himself with the organization and experience what life in the NHL could be like.
Unfortunately, Amirov’s agent Dan Milstein announced last week that he has returned home to his family as he undergoes further treatment and will be putting his training on hold. Amirov continued to train in the early stages of his treatment and had been eying a return to the ice sometime this year, but it appears that is on the back burner as the primary focus remains his overall health.

Update re: Rodion Amirov #WeAreGoldStar! pic.twitter.com/iZzbJR5aHh
— Dan Milstein-Hockey (@HockeyAgent1) November 8, 2022

We here at The Leafs Nation continue to send our best to Amirov and hope to see him fully healthy and back on the ice in the future.
Let’s get to this week’s Prospect Roundup.
Artur Akhtyamov | G | Neftyanik Almetievsk (VHL)
A fourth-round pick of the Leafs back in 2020, Akhtyamov has arguably been the best goaltender in the VHL so far this season. He is tied for the league lead in both wins and shutouts, and his .938 SV% is second among qualified goaltenders, though he has played in seven more games than the lone netminder ahead of him.
Akhtyamov played in his 17th and 18th games of the season l …

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Author: Nick Richard / The Leafs Nation

Raptors: 3 preseason revelations Nick Nurse must consider

Raptors: 3 preseason revelations Nick Nurse must consider

The preseason can be a difficult time to gauge. Toronto Raptors fans are well aware that at the end of the day, preseason games are just exhibitions and that the top-tier talent isn’t really going full speed. The ups and downs players display should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, we just […]
Raptors: 3 preseason revelations Nick Nurse must consider – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Avishai Sol / Raptors HQ