Flying High: First-place Blue Jays return home
TORONTO – It was feast or famine for the Toronto Blue Jays on their recent road trip that included a record-breaking beatdown of the Colorado Rockies and a series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The first-place team is back home for a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs starting Tuesday night at Rogers Centre ahead of a three-game weekend set against the Texas Rangers.
Toronto leads the American League standings at 69-50 and has a four-game lead on the Boston Red Sox entering play Monday night.
Here’s a look at five Blue Jays storylines to watch with about one-quarter of the season remaining:
BIEBER FEVER
The resurgence of veteran right-hander Max Scherzer and the emergence of southpaw Eric Lauer have given Toronto’s starting rotation more stability.
The team’s five-man crew – which also includes Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt – could soon become a six-man group as Shane Bieber nears a return.
The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner, who was acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline, has impressed in his Triple-A rehab appearances.
Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery last year. He has a career record of 62-32 with a 3.22 earned-run average over parts of seven big-league seasons.
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OFFENCE CLICKING
Toronto leads the major leagues in several offensive categories thanks in part to back-to-back-to-back routs of the Rockies last week.
The Blue Jays set a modern-era big-league record with a whopping 63 hits over the three games in Colorado. Toronto also set a franchise record with 45 runs scored.
After dropping two of three games in Los Angeles over the weekend, the Blue Jays still lead the big leagues in hits (1,099), batting average (.269) and on-base percentage (.339). Toronto is also third in OPS (.767).
TOUGH DECISIONS
The Blue Jays will have some tough decisions to make this month as some big-name players get set to return to the lineup.
Second baseman Andres Gimenez will soon be activated after spending five weeks on the injured list with a left ankle sprain.
Outfielder/designated hitter George Springer, who has been out for two weeks due to a concussion, could also soon return.
Recent call-up Buddy Kennedy is the most likely player to be sent down. A second roster move is expected to be a much tougher call, given it will likely involve a player who sees more regular playing time.
ARMS RACE
A couple of hard-throwing right-handers could make their mark at the big-league level for the Blue Jays over the coming weeks.
Alek Manoah has impressed in his minor-league starts as he continues to build up after undergoing elbow surgery last year.
Manoah finished third in Cy Young Award voting in 2022 and is 29-20 with a 3.34 ERA over 75 career starts for the Blue Jays.
Normally a starter, top pitching prospect Trey Yesavage threw in relief for Double-A New Hampshire last week for the first time since being drafted last year in the first round.
He had nine strikeouts over five innings.
STRETCH DRIVE
A playoff berth appears to be a slam dunk for Canada’s lone big-league baseball team.
Entering Monday’s games, Toronto has a 98.3-per-cent chance of qualifying for the post-season, per FanGraphs projections.
The website lists the Blue Jays at 78.1 per cent to win the East Division and at 65.8 per cent to earn a first-round bye to the division series.
After this homestand, Toronto visits the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins before returning to Rogers Centre to play the Minnesota Twins and MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2025.
Spirits maker Diageo will cease operations at its bottling facility in Amherstburg, Ont., early next year, as it shifts some bottling volume to the U.S., the company announced on Thursday.
The facility, which bottles Crown Royal products, will close in February in a move aimed at improving its North American supply chain.
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About 200 jobs will be affected.
“This was a difficult decision, but one that is crucial to improving the efficiency and resiliency of our supply chain network,” Marsha McIntosh, Diageo’s president of North America supply, said in a statement.
Diageo said it will engage with the community and find ways to support its employees through the transition, and work alongside Unifor to assist unionized workers.
The company said it will still maintain a “significant” footprint in Canada — including its headquarters and warehouse operations in the Greater Toronto Area, and bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec.
McIntosh added the company’s Crown Royal products will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged at its Canadian facilities.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Toronto police say a 33-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly striking two men with his car Wednesday evening.
Officers say they responded to reports of a collision in the area of Don Mills Road and Gateway Boulevard in the city’s North York neighbourhood just before 10:30 p.m.
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Police say two men got into an argument, leading to one man getting into his car and hitting the other man with it.
They say the man then put his car into reverse, striking a second man.
A man in his 50s was transported to hospital with serious injuries and the second man, in his 20s, had minor injuries.
Police say the suspect from Markham, Ont., faces several other charges as well, including two counts of assault with a weapon, uttering threats and dangerous driving.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
A court document shows a Lindsay, Ont., man facing charges for allegedly breaking into an apartment was carrying a crossbow when he was confronted by a tenant.
The resident, Jeremy David McDonald, is also facing assault charges in the incident on Aug. 18 — a fact that has generated widespread interest in the case.
Police information filed in court alleges that Michael Kyle Breen damaged a window and screen at McDonald’s home and carried a crossbow.
The court document says the 41-year-old Breen is charged with break and enter, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, mischief under $5,000 and failing to comply with a probation order.
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Police have said that Breen, who is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing next week, was already wanted for unrelated offences.
McDonald, the 44-year-old resident, was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon after he allegedly “did endanger the life” of Breen.
Premier Doug Ford blasted the decision to charge the apartment resident, saying last week that it shows “something is broken.”
Kawartha Lakes Police Chief Kirk Robertson wrote in a statement Wednesday that he recognizes the incident has generated significant public interest and “emotional” responses, but called some of the reaction “unjust and inaccurate.”
Robertson wrote that individuals have the right to defend themselves and their property, but the law requires that any defensive action be proportionate to the threat faced.
“This means that while homeowners do have the right to protect themselves and their property, the use of force must be reasonable given the circumstances,” he wrote.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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