The Week From Hell Continues

Game 15 (rescheduled): Toronto Maple Leafs at London Majors - July 22, 2015

Majors win 7-4

What a difference a week makes.

Two Sundays ago at Christie Pits, the Toronto Maple Leafs staged a fantastic comeback to beat the London Majors in walkoff style.  It looked like they were starting to peak just as the regular season was wrapping up.  Based on the standings, it also looked like they'd face the Majors in round one of the playoffs riding a wave of momentum.

A week later, that's all gone out the window.  The Leafs' big mo has been stalled.  They've been bit by the injury bug at the worst time.  The club fell victim to three straight walkoffs and has lost six in a row.  The boys in blue have slipped a place in the standings and would no longer be facing the Majors if the playoffs started today.

The slide continued tonight at Labatt Park, as these two teams played a rescheduled rainout from June. 

As has often been the case this season, the Leafs played hard and put in solid efforts on all sides, but they fell just short and lost again, 7-4.  Calls, bounces, every little thing - none of it is going their way at the moment.  Wouldn't be surprised if the boys felt the need to decimate a few trash cans with a few unloved bats.  Maybe grab some lighter fluid and torch a few buildings. 

Okay, no arson.  Bad idea.  Maybe wear your socks high.  It's been known to work.


Game Recap:

At Labatt Park in London, the Majors hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs in a rescheduled game.  Owen Boon and Brett Van Pelt were the starting pitchers.

The Leafs jumped out to a quick lead, as leftfielder Grant Tamane doubled, advanced to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a groundout by DH Jon Waltenbury.  1-0 Leafs after a half inning of play.

In the bottom of the second, the Majors rallied for a big inning.  A fielding error by second baseman Dan Marra allowed leadoff man DH Sean Refflinghaus to reach first.  Catcher Larry Gonzalez singled to put two men aboard.  Centerfielder Deryn Henry followed with a single to load the bases.  Van Pelt then walked second baseman Chris McQueen to let a run walk home.  A single by rightfielder Humberto Ruiz then scored Gonzalez and Henry.  Then, a botched pickoff attempt from Van Pelt to first baseman Will Richards allowed Ruiz to move up a base as McQueen dashed home to score.  Ruiz scored on a single by first baseman Cleveland Brownlee and when the dust settled the Majors had jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two innings.

London added a run in the bottom of the third.  Refflinghaus walked and moved to second on a sac bunt.  A single to center-right by Gonzalez drove him in to make it 6-1 Majors.

The Leafs battled back in the top of the 4th.  Boon walked Waltenbury to start the inning, then gave up a double to Marra that moved Waltenbury to third.  A high flyball by third baseman Johnathan Solazzo was dropped by Henry in centerfield, allowing Waltenbury to score.  Marra followed him across the plate on a groundout by rightfielder Kyle Redinger, and it was 6-3 Majors after the 4th inning.

In the bottom of the 6th, Ruiz led off with a triple, and scored on a sac fly by shortstop Paul Lytwynec.  7-3 Majors through six innings.

In the top of the 8th, shortstop Connor Lewis singled, then stole second with an acrobatic headfirst slide that fooled Lytwynec.  He moved to third on a putout by Tamane, then trotted home on a sac fly by centerfielder Tyler Mitchell.  7-4 Majors midway through the 8th inning.

Van Pelt was relieved by Cam Gray in the bottom of the 8th.  Gray gave up a leadoff walk to Henry, who quickly stole second.  Gray then struck out McQueen, and got out of the inning when Ruiz flew out to Mitchell, and Mitchell fired a laser to second, catching Henry for the double play.  Got heem!  Still 7-4 Majors through eight.

Top of the 9th, Taylor Carr relieved Boon.  Solazzo lined out to Lytwynec, Redinger grounded to Lytwynec, and Richards hit a high hopper that Lytwynec bobbled for an error.  But a groundout by Keys to someone other than Lytwynec ended the game and locked down the 7-4 final for London.


Toronto 4-6-3
London 7-9-2

W - Boon (1-2, 1.80)
L - Van Pelt (3-4, 3.43)

BOXSCORE


The Maple Leafs are now 13-18 and in 6th place, 12 games behind the Barrie Baycats.  They will try to break out of their 6-game losing streak tomorrow night in Kitchener against the hard hitting, loud roary noise making Panthers.

Schedule Update: Wrapping Up the Regular Season

The Toronto Maple Leafs confirmed the final bunch of rescheduled games that will see their 2015 regular season wrap up next week.

The Leafs' final six games will play out like this:

Wednesday July 22 - Toronto at London (rescheduled game)
Thursday July 23 - Toronto at Kitchener
Saturday July 25 - Toronto at Guelph
Sunday July 26 - London at Toronto
Monday July 27 - Burlington at Toronto (rescheduled game)
Tuesday July 28 - Toronto at Hamilton (rescheduled game)

Guts, But No Glory

Game 33: Burlington Bandits at Toronto Maple Leafs - July 19, 2015

Bandits win 9-5

Justin Cicatello walked onto the mound at Christie Pits today charged with a hard task: pitch your guts out, son.

Cicatello is a man of hard tasks.  These pages are witness to the numerous long outings he has pitched for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the past three seasons.  Most heroic of all was his mind-blowing 192-pitch complete game win against the Burlington Bandits in 2013.

So many times, "Cic" has proven himself a gamer, willing to throw his arm off for the Mapes.  He's done it earlier this season and he did it again today, pitching in hot-as-hell humidity against those same Bandits.  Once again, our hero went the distance this afternoon, throwing 132 pitches for another complete game.  And in the process, he got whipped like a mule.  Sometimes things don't work out.

The Bandits rang up nine earned runs off our hero.  Cicatello took some lumps, but kept going back out there.  The Leafs' bats went cold.  The Leafs' bullpen barely stirred.  The cloudy skies grew darker.  Late in the game a quick, hard rain poured down on the Pits.  The sparse hillside crowd took cover from the cold and wet.  Most didn't return. 

Then the rain stopped, and the hero went out there to finish his task like some character out of a Johnny Cash song.  No glory today, but tons of guts.


Game Recap:

A weekend of brutal humidity continued this afternoon at Christie Pits, as the Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the Burlington Bandits in the final game of a home-and-home series.

Justin Cicatello made the start for the home side, against Matthew Pillarczyk.

The Bandits have gotten on a roll this week and wasted no time jumping on Cicatello.  They knocked him for six hits and scored five runs to take an early commanding lead.

Burlington added another run to make it 6-0 for the visitors after two innings of play.  The Leafs had yet to record a hit at this point.

In the bottom of the 5th inning, the Leafs finally got on the board, when second baseman Dan Marra hit a solo home run off of Pillarczyk.  6-1 Bandits after five.

The Leafs staged a comeback rally in the next inning.  Matthew Paculan relieved Pillarczyk.  He delivered a leadoff walk to leftfielder Grant Tamane.  First baseman Johnathan Solazzo then reached first on an error.  Third baseman Sean Mattson hit one to second base that was misplayed for an error, allowing him to reach base safely as Tamane and Solazzo scored.  The Bandits' sloppy inning continued as DH Gianfranco Morello reached first on an error.  Marra was then walked to load the bases.  Centerfielder Tyler Mitchell stepped up to the plate and got hit by a pitch, bringing Mattson in to score.  With just one out, catcher Brendan Keys grounded out and Morello scored on the play.  When the inning finally ended, the Leafs had pulled to within one run, and the score was 6-5 through six.

The Bandits are a scrappy bunch and they kept at it.  Centerfielder Shaun Cooper hit a two run home run in the top of the 7th that extended the visitors' lead to 8-5.

A brief shower in the 8th inning caused a short rain delay.

Cicatello went back out to pitch the 9th inning.  He gave up one more run on a sac fly by first baseman Kevin Hussey that made it 9-5 Bandits and that was how the game ended.  The Leafs were able to get only four hits on the day, while striking out eight times.


Burlington 9-15-4
Toronto 5-4-3

W - Pillarczyk (1-0, 2.25)
L - Cicatello (2-3, 5.27)
S - Slemko (1)

BOXSCORE


The Maple Leafs are now 13-17 and have dropped down to sixth place, 11 games behind the Barrie Baycats.  They are on a five-game losing streak, with a chance to break out of it in London on Wednesday night when they will play a rescheduled rainout game against the Majors.

Leafs Not Fit to be Tied (Doubleheader Game 2)

Game 32: Toronto Maple Leafs at Burlington Bandits - July 18, 2015

Bandits win 8-7

One of the eternal rules of baseball: don't play for a tie on the road.

The Toronto Maple Leafs found themselves in that situation in both games of a doubleheader in Burlington today.  Both times, they tied the game in the top of the 7th inning, but they couldn't get that all-important extra run across the plate.*  Both times, the home side walked off with a win.

The second game of today's doubleheader at Nelson Park started off as a home run derby for the Bandits.  They klouted three homers in the first three innings to take a 4-0 lead.

The Leafs rallied in the 5th inning, sending nine men to the plate and scoring four runs to tie the game.

The Bandits belted another long ball to retake the lead in the 6th.

The Leafs rallied again in the 7th, scoring three runs to tie the game at seven-apiece.  But they had left the door open for the Bandits to sneak off with another walkoff win, and it came off their fifth homer of the afternoon.

By then, I'd spent over five hours melting in the humidity.  My photos from game two are laughably bad.  My brain was on fire like the day-glo flames that blaze across Johnathan Solazzo's new shoe tops.  

* IBL doubleheaders are seven innings long.


Game Recap:

The second game of this doubleheader saw Brandon Nemeti make the start for the Burlington Bandits against Kyle Redinger of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In the bottom of the first inning, centerfielder Shaun Cooper hit a solo home run to give Burlington a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the second inning, second baseman George Halim hit a solo home run to give Burlington a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the third inning, leftfielder Justin Gideon hit a two-run homer to give Burlington a 4-0 lead.

Nemeti pitched into the top of the 5th, when the Leafs scored a flurry of runs off him to tie the game.  DH Gianfranco Morello led off with a triple to deep centerfield.  Nemeti struck the next two batters out, but then he walked third baseman Sean Mattson.  First baseman Johnathan Solazzo then doubled to drive them both in.  An RBI single by leftfielder Raul Borjas scored Solazzo.  Borjas moved to second base on a wild pitch, then scored on an RBI single by second baseman Dan Marra.  4-4 midway through the 5th inning.

In the bottom of the 5th, Gideon hit his second two-run home run of the afternoon, to make it 6-4 Burlington.

The Bandits added a run in the bottom of the 6th.  DH Jordan Boston singled to lead off.  He was out on a fielder's choice that placed first baseman Jim Martin at first base.  Martin then moved to third on a double by catcher Kevin Hussey.  An RBI single by second baseman George Halim brought Martin in to score and make it 7-4 after six innings.

The Leafs mounted another comeback in their final at bats of the game.  Solazzo led off the seventh with a single off reliever Tyler Simmons.  Borjas followed with a single, as did centerfielder Tyler Mitchell, driving in Solazzo.  An RBI single by Brendan Keys drove in Borjas.  Pinch hitter Damon Topolie hit a sac fly that scored Mitchell and the game was tied 7-7 going into the bottom of the 7th.

After striking off the leadoff batter, Christian Botnick gave up a solo home run to shortstop Keith Kandel, and the Bandits walked off with an 8-7 final.


Toronto 7-12-0
Burlington 8-10-0

W - Simmons (2-0, 8.73)
L - Botnick (2-2, 5.02)

BOXSCORE


The Leafs are caught in a 4-game losing streak, and their record is now 13-16.  They are 10 games behind the Barrie Baycats and now just a half game ahead of the Bandits, who are riding a 4-game winning streak.  These two clubs will meet again tomorrow at Christie Pits.

Bandits Gonna Bandit (Doubleheader Game 1)

Game 22 (Rescheduled): Toronto Maple Leafs at Burlington Bandits - July 18, 2015

Bandits win 5-4

Holy hell, what a day.

The Burlington baseball club lived up to its nickname at Nelson Park this afternoon.  The Bandits stole a couple of games from the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, both times in walkoff fashion.

In the first game, a pitchers' duel morphed into a battle of the bullpens, as the Leafs and Bandits combined to score nine runs in the final three innings of the game.*

Adam Garner pitched five strong for the visitors.  Through five, he enjoyed a 3-0 lead thanks to two RBIs off the bat of Jon Waltenbury, and another from Tyler Mitchell.  When Garner gave up a leadoff home run to Keith Kandel in the bottom of the 6th inning, manager Perry Mader came out to take the ball and hand it to closer Christian Botnick.

...only, Botnick's name was not on the scorecard, and he was not able to enter the game.  Dave Ertl came on instead, but the clerical error seemed to have a ripple effect.  Ertl was unable to record an out.  His replacement, Cam Gray, allowed the tying run to score.  His replacement, Dan Zlotnick, allowed the Bandits to take the lead.

The Leafs tied the game in the top of the 7th, but Burlington walked it off in their half of inning.  Jordan Boston hit a single off Johnathan Solazzo and Kandel scored the winning run to complete the unlikely smash-and-grab job.

* IBL doubleheader games are seven innings long.


Game Recap:

The Toronto Maple Leafs visited the Burlington Bandits for a doubleheader at Nelson Park today.  Game 1 was a rescheduled rainout from last month. 

Hometown boy Steven Dressler took the mound against Adam Garner for the Torontonians.

Dressler and Garner exchanged four scoreless innings under the hot sun, scattering a handful of hits between them.

The Leafs finally got to Dressler in the top of the 5th inning.  He walked second baseman Dan Marra to lead off, then recorded two outs as Marra advanced.  A single by centerfielder Tyler Mitchell plated Marra.  Mitchell then stole second, and Dressler walked the next two men up: shortstop Connor Lewis and catcher Grant Tamane.  DH Jon Waltenbury then hit a bases-loaded single to score both Mitchell and Lewis, who collided with catcher Tyler Hardie at the plate.  Hardie was shaken up on the play, but he finished the inning before coming out of the game.  3-0 Leafs after five innings. 

In the bottom of the 6th, Garner gave up a lead off home run to shortstop Keith Kandel.  Manager Perry Mader came out to bring in Christian Botnick, but Botnick had been left off the scorecard and Dave Ertl came on instead.  Ertl hit the first batter he faced, leftfielder Justin Gideon.  He then walked centerfielder Shaun Cooper.  Mader brought in Cam Gray.  DH Jordan Boston hit into a groundout that advanced both runners, and then first baseman Jim Martin drove them both in with a single to tie the game.  Martin advanced to second on the play.  Mader brought in Dan Zlotnick.  He struck out the first batter he faced, but allowed pinch runner Nolan Pettipiece to advance to third base on a wild pitch.  A single by pinch hitter George Salim scored Pettipiece and gave the Bandits a 4-3 lead after six innings.

Mitchell drew a leadoff walk to start the Leafs' half of the 7th and final inning.  He then stole second and scored on an RBI single by Tamane.  The Leafs managed to load the bases after that, but they couldn't get another run across the plate and it was a 4-4 game midway through the 7th.

Johnathan Solazzo came on to pitch the bottom of the 7th for Toronto.  He gave up a leadoff single to rightfielder Dan Franceschetti.  Kandel then reached first on a fielder's choice that eliminated Franceschetti.  Gideon singled and Cooper walked to load the bases.  Boston then rapped a single that scored Kandel and won the game 5-4 for Burlington.


Toronto 4-6-0
Burlington 5-10-0

W - Weston (1-2, 9.75)
L - Solazzo (0-1, 6.75)

BOXSCORE


During the half hour break between games, fans and players alike wolfed down hot dogs, sausages and burgers from Nelson Park's BBQ tent.  I also slammed down a Muskoka Cream Ale, another cream ale from one of Ontario's quality craft breweries.  Not bad.