The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost four consecutive games against the Arizona Coyotes

The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost four consecutive games against the Arizona Coyotes

The Toronto Maple Leafs played four games against the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 calendar year. They lost all four.

With their 6–3 win over Toronto on Thursday, Arizona completed its second consecutive series sweep of the Maple Leafs. They defeated the Maple Leafs 2–1 and 5–4 in 2021–22 and previously won 4–2 in Toronto earlier this season.
The Coyotes didn’t even need their two top forwards to chip in to defeat the Maple Leafs last night. Despite both Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz being held off the board, the Coyotes battled back from 2–1 and 3–2 deficits to win by a 6–3 score.
Vince Vaughn and Michael Phelps were among the fans in the sellout crowd at Mullett Arena for the Maple Leafs’ first-ever game in Tempe, AZ. The Coyotes celebrated the occasion by handing out free jerseys to every fan in attendance. And both teams put on a good show.
The game marked the return of defenceman Morgan Rielly to the Maple Leafs’ lineup, and he showed both good and bad signs in his first game since late November. He was on the ice when Pontus Holmberg scored Toronto’s first goal of the game, but he was also caught pinching in a tough …

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Author: Mike Gould / The Leafs Nation

Looking at the depth pitching options left for the Blue Jays on the free-agent market

With the addition of Chris Bassitt, the first four spots in the Blue Jays’ starting rotation are set. But what about the fifth starter?

The battle for the final spot in Toronto’s rotation will likely be between Yusei Kikuchi and Mitch White, a pair of arms who didn’t inspire much confidence in 2022, unless the team goes out and adds somebody else through trade or free agency.
In this article, I’ll look at the arms available to the Blue Jays on the free-agent market, and then later on I’ll look at who could be acquired through a trade. Also, I’m going to be looking primarily at left-handed options as the Blue Jays pitching staff is comprised almost exclusively of right-handed pitchers.

Matt Moore – LHP
When looking at left-handed starters, I ran into some relievers that might be able to help the Jays in the bullpen as well. One of those names is Matt Moore, a 33-year-old who many around here might remember from his time with the Tampa Bay Rays. With only Tim Mayza and potentially Yusei Kikuchi in the bullpen, Moore could be a worthwhile addition as somebody who could work in multiple roles.
The journeyman had a solid season in 2022, in which he posted a 1.95 ERA and 2.98 FIP. Moore limited home runs really well at only 0.36 HR/9, and in a good sample size of 74 innings pitched, he had the second-highest K/9 of his career.
Taylor Rogers – LHP
One of my favourite players of this year’s free agent class who I don’t think gets enough respect is Mr. Rogers (a quality nickname, if you ask me). A lefty who owned a 31% K rate with an average BB% gets me excited about what he could add to the team’s bullpen.
While his ERA of 4.76 wasn’t incredible, Rogers’ xERA was much lower, which indicates that he was …

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Author: Ryan Snodgrass / Blue Jays Nation

What should the Maple Leafs’ next goal song be?

What should the Maple Leafs’ next goal song be?

It’s been four years since the Maple Leafs began using Hall and Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True” as their goal song and it’s finally time to send it to the stratosphere.
That means, it’s change Toronto’s goal song o’clock.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy “You Make My Dreams Come True” just as much as everyone else, but sometimes change can be good. Sometimes, change can make different outcomes possible — maybe even the opposite of a first round exit.
There is criteria, though, for a brand new song. It has to be fast, loud, and able to get the fans going when the Maple Leafs put the puck into the back of the net. It would also be a plus if the artist was Canadian, however it’s not required.
It doesn’t need to be perfect, nor should it be a song any NHL team has used in the past — it needs to be one of their own. One that fits the Maple Leafs’ brand.
So, here are my three picks:
My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) – Fall Out Boy

We begin with this song because, well, listening to it can get you incredibly hyped up first of all
Secondly, if you move the play cursor to the 50 second mark, you can hear them sing the “Light Em Up” portion, which is where the goal song would begin when the Maple Leafs score. “Light Em Up” also specifies that Toronto is scoring against the opposition, and that seems like the perfect fit.
Of all the songs on the list, this one might just be the perfect fit for the Maple Leafs.
 
Years In The Making …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Alek Manoah and Gerrit Cole beef as Yankees avoid sweep with 4-2 Sunday win

In an attempt to sweep a four game series in the Bronx just like the 2021 Jays did last September, the 2022 Jays fell a little short. The Yankees got the best of Toronto today 4-2 behind a late two-run home run from Andrew Benintendi. It was Benintendi’s first home run as Yankee (because of course), and only his fourth on the season.

Alek Manoah was the starting pitcher for the Blue Jays today in a ballpark where he has been very successful during his young career. While he was very good today, his defense surely did not help him through the early stages of the game.
In the first inning, with Anthony Rizzo on first, DJ LeMahieu shot a ball into left field for a single. Rizzo advanced to third on the play, but left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. tried to rush a throw to Matt Chapman at third base. Gurriel short hopped the throw, and Chapman was unable to get to it. The ball got away, and Rizzo scored. Gurriel was charged with the error, but Manoah wasn’t charged with the run.
Whit Merrifield would even things up at 1 in the top …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

3 realistic goals for Raptors’ second-year players in 2022-23

3 realistic goals for Raptors’ second-year players in 2022-23

The Toronto Raptors brought in four new players in the immediate aftermath of the NBA Draft, and it seems like most of the new additions are working out. Scottie Barnes won Rookie of the Year, Justin Champagnie became a fan favorite, and Dalano Banton (the first Canadian drafted by the Raptors) saw some rotation time. […]
3 realistic goals for Raptors’ second-year players in 2022-23 – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Meet the Sellers: Los Angeles Angels

Did you know that the Los Angeles Angels have four former Blue Jays on their current roster?

In fact, all three players featured today will all be former Blue Jays, one longer than the other two, so that’s pretty cool.
Let’s be real here, the Angels suck. Yes, Ohtani and Trout are two of the best players in the game, but my god, are they ever bad at developing players. Not just that, but the Angels hand out some really bad contracts (i.e Rendon)
Aaron Loup:
The first of the former three Jays, Aaron Loup gets swings and misses, despite having a “meh” season. Not just that, but it would be cool to have two submarine pitchers, one lefty and one righty. Bonus points if you remember who the Jays got in return when they traded Loup in 2018.
Statistics:
This season, Loup has a 4.40 ERA and a 4.02 FIP in 30.2 innings pitched. While this isn’t outstanding by any means, his K/9 of 10.57 is a career high, and he’s done a fine job of limiting the walks with his 3.52 BB/9
In his career, he has pitched 438.1 innings and has a 3.14 ERA and a 3.40 FIP. That includes a 8.60 K/9 and a 2.71 BB/9. All things combined, he has a rather impressive track record.

Aaron Loup, Wicked 86m …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation