Baseball Islanders host Chatham
Toronto Blue Jays’ struggles continue under John Schneider
The Charlottetown Gaudet’s Auto Body Islanders, the defending New Brunswick Senior Baseball League (NBSBL) champions, entertain the Chatham Ironmen in a doubleheader at Memorial Field on May 25 beginning at 2 p.m.
Chatham opened its season at Moncton on May 19, losing a 10-inning thriller 3-2. Charlottetown got off on the right foot, beating Moncton 8-5 here May 21 before a big crowd.
In the Islanders’ win, ace right-hander Jordan Stevenson was sharp going five solid innings while Ryne MacIsaac, Logan Gallant and Jonathan Arsenault combined for seven hits against a revamped Moncton line-up from last season. Tyler Taylor, Scott Harper, Tyson MacInnis, Duncan Picketts and Nick MacPhail picked up hits for the Islanders, who played solid defence.
The game also marked the debut of ex-pro catcher Cole MacLaren, who impressed behind the plate receiving and throwing. He has a cannon.
Islanders’ lefty Brody MacDonald and clever righty Jake Beck will likely start versus Chatham. It’s very likely most of the pitching staff will see action.
Let’s get out and support our senior club!
MLB
In Major League Baseball (MLB), If you’ve been following the sad-sack Toronto Blue Jays as I have, you must be shaking your heads with more bone-head decisions by manager John Schneider.
In his first start in a while, DH Daniel Vogelbach clobbered a home run, double and single against a right-handed pitcher in a rare Jays’ show of offence earlier this week.
The next game, with another right-handed pitcher on the opposing mound, Schneider decided to rest the left-handed-hitting Vogelbach and start right-handed-hitter Justin Turner, who was working on a 0-for-28 slump.
This was not a matchup that favoured the slumping Turner, but our boy Schneider felt otherwise. Earlier in the year, Schneider benched Daulton Varsho, who had hit home runs in three consecutive games. With the offence struggling, Schneider felt Varsho needed a rest.
Meanwhile, in Toronto recently, GM Ross Atkins and his partner Mark Shapiro informed the Toronto media they had extended a vote of confidence in manager Schneider.
The Three Stooges of Major League Baseball – Schneider, Atkins and Shapiro, the men responsible for the collapse of the Jays – continue to chart the course for the Toronto club. So sad!
The Blue Jays have tried half a dozen players at the leadoff position, all except the ideal candidate Ernie Clement. Clement is a fastball hitter, has speed and is a smart base-runner. I’d have Clement at second base, Isiah Kiner-Falefa at third and Davis Schneider in left field; Varsho in centre field and keep Kiermaier and Cavan Biggio on the bench where they belong.
The Jays get a chance to improve on their record over the next 10 days with games against Detroit, Chicago and Pittsburgh and they should… but I wouldn’t bet on it.
This is a fair, mediocre team – not a serious World Series contender.
NHL
The Stanley Cup playoffs are down to four teams and both