Raptors news: Raptors 905 season ends, ex-Raps big man shares cancer diagnosis

Raptors news: Raptors 905 season ends, ex-Raps big man shares cancer diagnosis

The Toronto Raptors have placed a ton of energy in making their G League team the pride of the NBA’s minor leagues. Names like Ron Harper Jr. and David Johnson have been grinding in Mississauga for most of the season with Raptors 905, with additional NBA players like Christian Koloko and Dalano Banton have also […]
Raptors news: Raptors 905 season ends, ex-Raps big man shares cancer diagnosis – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

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

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

Raptors news: Nick Nurse says OG Anunoby should be DPOY, Jakob Poeltl speaks

Raptors news: Nick Nurse says OG Anunoby should be DPOY, Jakob Poeltl speaks

The Toronto Raptors have been begging OG Anunoby to get back on track after a very rough stretch on both ends and nonstop trade rumors, and he has responded by playing like an All-NBA defender that is trying to finish the season with a trophy he can put up in his mantle piece. While Nikola […]
Raptors news: Nick Nurse says OG Anunoby should be DPOY, Jakob Poeltl speaks – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

NHL needs to make right call on rule changes that could come out of GM meetings

The NHL General Managers meetings have begun in Florida, and already we’re discussing possible rule changes that might come from this get-together.
On Monday, the 32 GMs were put into four groups of eight, discussing a number of hot-button issues around the NHL. A few topics were talked about, one of which was expanding the coaches challenge for high sticks and puck over the glass penalties.
“They’re talking about it,” Darren Dreger said during TSN’s General Managers meetings segment on Monday. “Two specific areas. One is an ongoing look at high sticks. We know that for a double minor for high-sticking, there can be a call upon review and they can rescind the call down to a two-minute minor.
“Okay, well what about high-sticking in general? To make sure there isn’t a phantom high stick? Now, there can be as many as 700 high-sticking incidents over the course of a season, so there are some concerns. What would a coaches challenge look like?
“On top of that, what about puck over glass, right? Make sure it’s the right call opposed to assessing a penalty. Could that be a coaches challenge? Those are things being discussed, but nothing is etched in stone at this point.”
This obviously is a big issue and it’s definitely a good idea to make the right …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

7 players that the Toronto Raptors gave up on too soon

7 players that the Toronto Raptors gave up on too soon

The Toronto Raptors have one of the best front offices in the league. Masai Ujiri and his staff have uncovered a ton of hidden gems, including Pascal Siakam in the late first round and signing Fred VanVleet as an undrafted free agent. Toronto made the playoffs just five times in 18 years before Ujiri arrived, […]
7 players that the Toronto Raptors gave up on too soon – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Tyler Watts / Raptors HQ

The Blue Jays have reassigned Ricky Tiedemann and 11 other players, Addison Barger remains at big league camp

The Blue Jays have made some roster moves.

On Monday evening, the Blue Jays reassigned 12 players to the minor leagues, which you can see in the embedded tweet below.

The #BlueJays announce they’ve assigned these 12 players to Minor League camp.
They can still be brought back over for MLB spring games, so you’ll still see a few of them. pic.twitter.com/g4EPd8Mn1Z
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 13, 2023

The name that immediately jumps out is Ricky Tiedemann. The consensus Blue Jays; top prospect probably wasn’t in competition for a spot, but the exposure to big-league hitters could help his development. It’s also worth noting that the 20-year-old will be shut down for a few days, as he has shoulder soreness in his pitching arm.
The other six non-roster invitees reassigned to the minors are: OF Cam Eden, C Jamie Ritchie, LHP Jimmy Robbins, RHP Sem Robberse, RHP Hayden Juenger, and LHP Jimmy Burnette. The latter pitched in 3.1 innings, striking out five batters and allowing a single earned run.

Here’s Jimmy Burnette (@Burnette_Jimmy) strikeout and whiff thread.
A bunch of nice sliders here for his four whiffs.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/SY3QO0jJmX
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 11, 2023

The Blue Jays also optioned five 40-man roster players: INF Orelvis Martinez (two homers), INF Leonardo Jimenez (3 hit-by-pitch), INF/OF Spencer Horwitz (playing for Team Israel), RHP Hagen Danner (shut down for a few days with forearm pain), and RHP Yosver Zulueta. The former struck out the side in his appearance on Monday afternoon.

82.9 mph slider for his second strikeout of the game! pic.twitter.com/8Cg016ht9C
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 13, 2023

While these players aren’t officially at the big league camp anymore, there will still be plenty of opportunities to play in spring training games. For example, the Jays will have a split-squad day on Friday, with both games against the Phillies.
It’s also worth noting that Blue Jays Nation’s second-ranked prospect, Addison Barger, survived the first wave of cuts. Could he be in cont …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos struggles in outing against Venezuela

The Toronto Blue Jays have a handful of players in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, both from the active roster and within the Minor League depths.
Reliever Yimi García is with the Dominican Republic and had a solid outing yesterday in the loss to Venezuela, pitching a clean inning against the top of the order while Jays starter José Berríos is on Puerto Rico’s roster, joining former Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman in the rotation. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Dominican) and Alejandro Kirk (Mexico) were both slated to suit up in the tournament but Guerrero withdrew after a minor knee injury while Kirk’s spring warmup was delayed due to the birth of his daughter, with the club and player deciding to forego the tournament.
The Jays’ farm system is also heavily active across the World Baseball Classic including Luis Quiñones (Puerto Rico), Jaden Rudd (Great Britain), Spencer Horwitz (Israel), Jesús López (Nicaragua), Jiorgeny Casimiri (Netherlands), Otto Lopez (Canada), Damiano Palmegiani (Canada), and Dasan Brown (Canada).
Berríos Gets the Start for Game #2 Against Venezuela
Stroman made the start for Puerto Rico against Nicaragua yesterday, going 4.2 innings and allowing just one earned run in the contest. Puerto Rico would win the contest 9-1, collecting 11 hits with four players collecting two or more in the contest.
In a stacked Pool D that is made up of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Israel, and Venezuela, Berríos got the ball for Puerto Rico’s second game against a strong Venezuelan squad that pulled out a huge win the night before again …

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Author: Tyson Shushkewich / Blue Jays Nation

3 free agents Raptors should have signed over Otto Porter Jr.

3 free agents Raptors should have signed over Otto Porter Jr.

The Toronto Raptors have found themselves mired on the fringes of the play-in tournament rather than challenging for 50 wins. This came as a result of unreasonably betting on the team’s core and making Otto Porter Jr. the team’s marquee offseason addition. Porter was fresh off a season in which he helped the Golden State […]
3 free agents Raptors should have signed over Otto Porter Jr. – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ