Ramping it Up

Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - August 8 to 14, 2022

Two wins by the Leafs saw them lock up 4th place, but a loss at Guelph cost them more than just a game. 

Johnathan Solazzo watches the shredded remains of a ball he just hit drift somewhere over Etobicoke during his two home run performance on Sunday. 

Imagine for a moment about what goes on inside the mind of a baseball manager.

The avalanche of information that bombards the brain.  The questions to be answered.  The instantaneous decision making.  The long-term strategizing.  The needy people who need addressing.  The nonstop analysis, the troubleshooting.  It never ends.

What's this weekend's lineup?

Who needs more at bats?  

Who can rest?

Who's starting Sunday?

Is this guy healthy enough to play?

Is this guy stepping up enough?

Who's my 8th inning guy?

Gotta get in some cardio.

Gotta get in some family time.

Gotta wash the car.

Here's the lawyer wanting to talk finances.  

Here's the league office wanting to throw wrenches.  

Here's the blogger guy with his questions.  Dude, I have no idea what was going through my mind during that play, I was probably thinking about tacos.

The demands of the job are 24-7-365.  Lesser mortals have no idea.

The 2022 IBL regular season is winding down, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are ramping it up.

Pitchers are getting their innings in.  Those players who need rest, get rest.

In Week 13, our heroes won two out of three games.  Manager Damon Topolie is sorting out his postseason roster.  The club is also dealing with unexpected roster drama that erupted on Friday.  Stay tuned for more on that front.

It can be said that a manager and his roster are never truly finalized.  Dan Marra returned to action this week, just as his replacement Grant Tamane suffered a serious injury in Guelph on Saturday night.  More thoughts to weigh down on a manager's mind.

But it's not all doom and gloom.  The Leafs won a pair of blowouts and narrowly lost their other game.  Read on for all the thrills and spills.

(And hopefully the manager will get some good nights' sleep before the mayhem of the postseason, now just over a week away.)

Friday, August 12, 2022 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Hamilton Cardinals

Marek Deska in action at Hamilton's Bernie Arbour Stadium in July 2018.  (file photo)

Marek Deska.  A name synonymous with Christie Pits and Maple Leafs baseball.

He's a pitcher and a beastly one.  Every summer for over a decade, we have watched him show opposing batters that the game is controlled by him, not them.  He pitches quickly and doggedly.  When he needs a sec, he stomps around the mound like a bulldog, then reasserts control of the proceedings.  Batters who try the same get a glare.

Pitching his game, his way at the Pits.

Slight change to the program this year.  Since making the opening day start at the Pits, Deska has been the Leafs' road warrior.  Living in Cambridge with two little ones, he's been the Leafs' starter at all the league's southern ballparks, closer to home.  He's made eight road appearances for the Leafs including six starts.  

The Leafs have visited Hamilton three times this season.  Deska has been the starter each time and the Leafs have won every game.  His 3.66 ERA is his lowest since 2016.

Friday night, he set the tone for a total team victory.  Over three innings pitched, he faced eleven batters and matched his season-high with six strikeouts.  The Cardinals managed to get just one single while he was on the mound.

The Leafs stormed out of the dugout and seized the game from the start.  Three runs in the first, another in the second, two more in the third.

With a 6-0 lead, Deska handed the ball to the bullpen, which handled the Redbirds the rest of the way.

Dan Marra made his return to the field as DH.  He went hitless but scored three runs, more than any of his teammates.

Centerfielder Connor Lewis led with four hits.  He drove in two runs, as did first baseman Damon Topolie, second baseman Grant Tamane and left fielder Gregory Carrington.

The Leafs added three runs in the 6th and four in the 7th, and piled up 15 hits on the night.

Sam Greene and Dylan Jacober combined to surrender just two runs over five innings.  Once again, Chris Nagorski locked the birdcage in the 9th to wrap up a 13-2 blowout FINAL.

Toronto 13 15 1

Hamilton 2 4 5

W - Greene (2-2, 4.90)

L - Salcedo (1-5, 10.12)

BOXSCORE

Saturday, August 13, 2022 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Guelph Royals

The Maple Leafs gather around injured teammate Grant Tamane during the fateful eighth inning at Hastings Stadium.  (Image: Guelph Royals YouTube)

The lasting image of Saturday night's game at Hastings Stadium is not a fun one.

Toronto Maple Leafs second baseman Grant Tamane lies on the ground at second base, tended to by trainer Pedro Silva.  His Leaf teammates gather around.  Umpires and Guelph Royals players watch from a distance.  Tamane appears to be in a lot of pain.

With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning, Tamane was fielding a grounder by Kyle Kush when he went down and separated his shoulder trying to make the play.

While Tamane was down, Connor Morro went all the way around from second to score the go-ahead run for the Royals.  They took a 4-3 lead and held on to win.

Prior to Tamane's injury, the two teams had waged a closely-fought battle.

Angel Castro started on the mound for the Mapes, facing Guelph's ace Claudio Custodio.

Custodio had a rough start.  He walked the first three batters he faced, but surrendered just one run off the bat of Marcus Knecht, who hit into a double-play.

Josh Garton put the Royals ahead in the bottom of the 2nd, hitting a two-run homer off Castro.

In the top of the 3rd the Leafs tied the score.  Left fielder Gregory Carrington doubled off Custodio, and scored on a single by third baseman Johnathan Solazzo.  That made it 2-2 through three.

The Leafs took the lead on a strange play in the top of the 5th.  With two out, Solazzo and Knecht both singled.  With DH Dan Marra at the plate, a pitch from Custodio dinged off the home plate umpire's mask and soared clear of the area.  By the time the ball was retrieved, Solazzo had raced around to score.  3-2 Leafs through four.

Castro and Custodio battled the entire game.  Dustin Richardson relieved Castro and pitched a scoreless 7th. 

The stage was set for the fateful 8th.  Dalton Pompey tied the game with a leadoff homer.  Morro walked and Sean Reilly was hit by a pitch.  Richardson retired the next two batters, bringing Kush to the plate.  After the grounder that brought Tamane down and Morro home, Andrew Case retired the Leafs in order in the 9th for a 4-3 FINAL. 

It was a tough way to lose both the game and a player of Tamane's stature.  In his eighth season with the club, he has been a dependable starter, playing outfield, infield, even behind the plate.  In 2016, he hit one of the most memorable home runs in Maple Leaf history, a game-winning, series-winning blast at Labatt Park that sent the team to the championship series.

Tamane is being evaluated on Monday and his status remains uncertain.  All of Leafs Nation wishes the driving force behind Hot Boy Summer a speedy recovery.

Toronto 3 4 1

Guelph 4 5 2

W - Custodio (10-0, 2.35)

L - Richardson (0-1, 5.19)

S - Case (3)

BOXSCORE

Sunday, August 14, 2022 - Brantford Red Sox at Toronto Maple Leafs

Zach Sloan warms up at Christie Pits, preparing to ruin the life of every man in the Brantford Red Sox batting order.

The 2022 Brantford Red Sox are in a rebuilding phase, no mistake.  The organization's challenges have been well-documented.  Week after week, most other IBL teams haven't been playing the Red Sox so much as they've been dunking on them, so piling on here would be a bit gauche.  

Despite that, Sunday was a great day for baseball at Christie Pits.

It was a hot and sunny afternoon and before the game, three championship-winning Leafs alumni were welcomed back to the park.  James Bisson, Dave Hatch and Hans Schnell were introduced and invited to toss ceremonial first pitches.

Once the pregame hoopla was concluded, the boys in white went to work.

It started with Zach Sloan on the mound.  In his fifth season with the Leafs, the southpaw has been having his best year in terms of ERA.  He's one win away from tying his career best, and also one strikeout away from doing the same there.  Over five innings on Sunday, Sloan gave up three runs on four hits while striking out three.

The Leafs began the scoring in the bottom of the 1st.  Justin Marra, playing first base today, drew a walk, went first-to-third on a single by third baseman Johnathan Solazzo, then came home on a sac fly by right fielder Marcus Knecht to make it 1-0 Leafs after one.

The Leafs added three runs in the bottom of the second.  Left fielder Gregory Carrington singled in a run.  Justin Marra drew a bases-loaded walk.  A sac fly by Solazzo brought Carrington home.  4-0 Leafs through two.

Brantford made things interesting in the top of the 4th.  Jamiel Orozco hit a three-run homer off Sloan to bring the Sox to within a run of tying the game.

Toronto pulled away for good in the bottom of the inning.  Knecht hit a two-run single.  Second baseman Dan Marra singled in a run.  Damon Topolie, making a rare start behind home plate, drove in another run with a sac fly and that made it 8-3 Leafs through four.

Brantford starter Kendri Salvador lasted four innings.  He was relieved by Brian Lui, who pitched into the sixth before handing the ball to Sean Hood-Tidman.  Things snowballed from there.  Hood-Tidman hit Topolie with a pitch to load the bases, then walked in a pair of runs.  That made it 10-3 Leafs through six.

The Red Sox scored a pair in the top of the 7th to make it 10-5.

Johnathan Solazzo then put on a brilliant show like you'd see on Disney Plus.  Solazzo is a kind of real-life Disney hero, a giant charismatic train conductor, always smiling.  Wherever he goes you can picture him being followed by a line of children and animals cheering and singing songs about him.  Leading off the 7th, the Conductor blasted a pitch that left the park faster than a bullet train.  Dan Marra then doubled in a run.  Topolie popped another RBI sac fly.  DH Dawson Parks doubled in a run.  The Leafs were doing all kinds of damage.  Then, with the bases loaded, Solazzo returned to the plate and... GOLAZZOOOOO!  GOL! GOL! GOL! GOL!  He hit his second homer of the inning, a grand slam that blew the lid off the Pits.  Five runs in one inning off Solazzo's bat.  Four unearned but still a mammoth display of power.  When the dust settled, the Leafs had put eight more runs on the board.

Franklin Hernandez pitched the final two innings of relief, striking out five and finishing off an 18-5 FINAL for the home side and their happy happy fans.

Brantford 5 7 3

Toronto 18 11 2

W - Sloan (5-2, 3.87)

L - Salvador (0-6, 10.80)

BOXSCORE

With the win on Sunday, the Maple Leafs have clinched 4th place in the IBL standings.  They will play the Barrie Baycats in the first round of the postseason and enjoy home field advantage.  

The Leafs have a 23-16 record with three games left on the regular season schedule:

Thursday, August 18 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Kitchener Panthers, 7:30 pm at Jack Couch Park

Friday, August 19 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Brantford Red Sox, 8:00 pm at Arnold Palmer Metrodome

Sunday, August 21 - London Majors vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 2:00 pm at Christie Pits

**END OF REGULAR SEASON**