The Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club broke out of a detestable six-game losing streak by destroying the Hamilton Cardinals 15-2 this afternoon at Christie Pits. Fifteen hits, fifteen runs scored. Total destruction, at last.
This is the team we observers have been pining for. A solid pitching, hard hitting, run scoring win machine. In the tail end of the first month of the season, the Leafs seemed to forget themselves and their bats fell silent. They lost their last six games and made life hard for this writer. You can only write so much fluff while dancing around the reality before you. But today it all got better. This show of total destruction was glorious.
The Leafs pounded out 15 hits against a shellshocked Hamilton club that could not respond to the barrage. Jon Waltenbury knocked in 4 runs and hit his league-leading 7th home run (photo above), validating the trade that brought him to Toronto a couple of days ago. Joining Waltenbury in the hit parade today were Glenn Jackson (3 hits, 2 RBIs), Damon Topolie (2 hits, 3 RBIs) and Raul Borjas (2 hits, 2 RBIs), with additional RBIs coming from Dan Marra and Rob Gillis.
New kid Rick Brooks got the start for Toronto today, and he pitched five shutout innings, giving up only two hits to a struggling Cardinals team. Brooks' win was preserved by four different relievers, but today's win came off another rejigged batting order that provided all the necessary firepower.
Jailbreak, slumpbuster, call it what you will. Rumours of the Maple Leafs' demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Recap:
Leadoff man Glenn Jackson got things going with a single off Cardinals stater Ryan Van Spronsen in the bottom of the 1st. The Maple Leafs' centerfielder moved to second on a ground out by second baseman Dan Marra, and was driven home by rightfielder Jon Waltenbury to give the Leafs an early 1-0 lead.
The lead was expanded in the 2nd inning. With one out, consecutive singles by first baseman Damon Topolie and DH Rob Gillis were followed by an error by Hamilton shortstop Michael Gottschalk. Instead of an inning-ending double play, the error allowed third baseman Sean Mattson to reach first and load the bases. Jackson came up again and doubled to score both Topolie and Gillis. Dan Marra followed with a single that scored Mattson. Jackson came home on a sacrifice fly by Raul Borjas and it was 5-0 Leafs after the 2nd.
The Leafs knocked Van Spronsen out of the game in the bottom of the 4th. Van Spronsen walked both Marra and Waltenbury, then gave up a single to Borjas that scored Marra and moved Waltenbury to second base. With the score now 6-0, Van Spronsen got the hook and was relieved by Brett van Pelt. To me, the next play symbolized the Maple Leafs breaking out of their losing streak. The next batter was first baseman Will Richards. Richards grounded to the shortstop in what appeared to be a GIDP. The runner from first, Borjas, was easily out at second. But Borjas slid hard and toppled Cardinals second baseman Jon Saporsantos, who threw wide to first. This allowed Richards to be safe, and hustle over to second safely. Waltenbury scored. Inning continued. Van Pelt then walked shortstop Cody Mombourquette and Topolie, and hit Gillis with a pitch, bringing Richards - who was supposed to have grounded into a double play - home with another run. 8-0 Leafs after 4 innings.
Jackson doubled to lead off the 5th inning and a double by Waltenbury brought him around to score. Waltenbury scored on an error by Saporsantos that allowed Borjas to reach first safely. 10-0 Leafs after 5 innings.
Maple Leafs starter Rick Brooks pitched 5 scoreless innings and was relieved by Cameron Grey to start the 6th. Grey pitched a scoreless inning and was relieved by Scott Kelly in the 7th. Kelly gave up two runs to make the score 10-2 going into the bottom of the 7th.
In the bottom of the 7th, Hamilton reliever Dustin Godden gave up a single to Waltenbury, hit Borjas with a pitch, and walked Richards to load the bases. Damon Topolie then cleared the bases with a double that scored all three runners ahead of him. 13-2 Leafs after the 7th.
Drew Taylor pitched a scoreless 8th for the Leafs, who scored two more runs in the bottom of the inning. Leftfielder Justin Gianfranceso doubled, and Waltenbury delivered the coup de grace with his league-leading seventh home run and 20th RBI to make it 15-2 for the Leafs. The Cardinals, who didn't have much to show all day, went down in the 9th to reliever Justin Cicatello and the losing streak was finally snapped.
The Maple Leafs are now 5-8, 6.5 games behind the league leading Brantford Red Sox. Their next game is at home on June 12 against the Barrie Baycats.
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