Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - July 2 to 8, 2024
The Toronto Maple Leafs open the second half of the 2024 season sitting dead last in the IBL standings.
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| Fans and players alike are struggling to comprehend what's gone wrong with this Maple Leafs season. Jordan Castaldo is all of us. |
Item: Eight weeks into the season, the Leafs are sitting dead last in the IBL standings. Dead last, what even is this? The only thing enjoying a heyday at the Pits these days is alcoholism.
Item: Ontario is not entirely gripped by the LCBO strike that erupted last week, as booze buying options abound. For all your Leafs Lager needs, Left Field Brewery has locations in Leslieville and Liberty Village both open seven days a week, and home delivery options are also available.
How did we get here? I mean last place, not the strike.
Having asked around, there seems to be no answer. It is a mystery! (C'est un mystère!)
The roster is dealing with some nagging injuries, but it seems that bad breaks and underperformance are at the root of this poor season. When the pitching is on, the bats have gone cold. When the bats warm up, the pitching goes south. If the two could get together, the Leafs will finally battle of the hole in which they find themselves. The clubhouse is staying positive and doing whatever it can to change things up. Hopefully the turnaround happens soon.
Item: On Monday, July 8, the Leafs announced the release of pitcher Dean Christidis and the signing of pitcher Landon Leach, a native of Toronto and former draft pick of the Minnesota Twins.
Here now is a recap of Week 8 in Maple Leafs baseball.
Wednesday, July 3, 2024 - Kitchener Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs
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| Another rough start for Wilgenis Alvarado saw the ace of the 2023 season drop to 0-5 in starts this year. |
Back in late May, the Toronto Maple Leafs faced the Kitchener Panthers in a contest of last-place clubs. That night, the Leafs won "The Martini-Wong Game" and seemed poised to start climbing the standings.
Six weeks later, the Panthers returned to Christie Pits for, outrageously, another contest of last-place clubs. Neither side has enjoyed a good start to the season and here they were, battling to stay out of the basement.
In 2024, the 9th place team in the IBL will miss the postseason. So the stakes were unexpectedly high (or should that be low?) on Wednesday night.
Kitchener stepped up, Toronto did not.
The Leafs grabbed a couple of runs in the early innings, but were shut out the rest of the way as the Black Cats cruised to a 10-2 win.
On the mound it was the ghost of Leafs past, Pedro De Los Santos for Kitchener, against the ghost of Leafs present, Wilgenis Alvarado.
In the bottom of the first, left fielder Ryan Dos Santos hit an RBI single to give the Leafs a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers pounced immediately. In the top of the second, they raked Alvarado for five runs off five hits.
Toronto got a run back in the bottom of the second when a sac fly by shortstop Jose Vinicio made it a 5-2 ballgame.
From that point on, the Panthers kept pulling further away. Three more runs in the third. Another in the fifth and one more in the ninth to finish things off. Alvarado took his fifth loss of the season and De Los Santos got the win.
Kitchener 10 12 4
Toronto 2 7 0
W - De Los Santos (2-3, 3.72)
L - Alvarado (0-5, 8.55)
Thursday, July 4, 2024 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Barrie Baycats
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| Greg Carrington surrendered the winning run as the Barrie Baycats won a squeaker on Thursday night. (Image: Barrie Baycats TV) |
The Toronto Maple Leafs cannot catch a break.
On a night where their pitching corps held the Barrie Baycats to just two runs, those runs proved to be enough in a 2-1 victory at Vintage Throne Stadium.
Frank Garces and Sam Greene squared off on the mound and each man pitched three scoreless innings to start the game.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Leafs grabbed a run. With two out and centerfielder Lucas Alberti on third, a pair of singles cashed him in courtesy of third baseman Cole Murchison and catcher Dionysius Chialtas.
Julian Valdez relieved Greene to start the fifth, and he pitched a scoreless inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Baycats tied the game thanks to a solo home run hit by Adam Odd.
Barrie took the lead in the bottom of the seventh. Greg Carrington took the ball from Valdez and hit the first batter he faced, Noel McGarry-Doyle. A wild pitch and single moved McGarry-Doyle to third, and he scored when the Baycats hit into a double-play. That moved the home side ahead for good.
The Leafs were unable to respond in the eight or ninth innings and they went down in a 2-1 FINAL.
Toronto 1 8 1
Barrie 2 7 0
W - Hillier (1-1, 6.75)
L - Carrington (0-1, 6.00)
S - Grieveson (2)
Sunday, July 7, 2024 - Hamilton Cardinals vs Toronto Maple Leafs
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| Yes, the Leafs are trying everything to change things up and turn things around. This is the way. |
Sunday at Christie Pits was sweltering but there were great vibes at the start.
It was Alumni Day and the Butler brothers were in the house. Rob and Rich, both former Toronto Blue Jays and members of the 2002 IBL Champion Toronto Maple Leafs, threw ceremonial opening pitches.
The afternoon descended from there.
Angel Castro was on the mound for the home side to face the Hamilton Cardinals. With two outs, the Cards parlayed a walk to Luis Bernardo into a run, thanks to a walk, a single and an error in right. 1-0 visitors after one inning.
The Leafs rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fourth. It began with a solo bomb hit by the club's home run leader, third baseman Johnathan Solazzo. Left fielder Ryan Dos Santos singled, advanced on a single by second baseman Dan Marra and a fielder's choice, then slid home on a wild pitch. Shortstop Charlie Towers brought in another run with an RBI single and the Leafs went ahead 3-1.
Castro pitched into the sixth inning when the wheels fell off. Six Hamilton runs crossed the plate off of seven hits. Adam Marra finished the inning but the damage was done.
The Leafs grabbed a couple of runs back in the bottom of the sixth, but the Redbirds added three more to end the game with a 10-5 FINAL score.
Hamilton 10 16 1
Toronto 5 10 2
W - Kozak (1-0, 5.40)
L - Castro (1-3, 6.90)
Eight weeks into the season, the Maple Leafs are in ninth place, 12 1/2 games behind the Welland Jackfish, and two games deep into the cellar.
The week ahead:
Saturday, July 13 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Guelph Royals, 7:30 PM at Hastings Stadium
Sunday, July 14 - Brantford Red Sox vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 2:00 PM at Christie Pits
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