Leafs’ Bullpen Breakdown Extends Home Losing Streak

By Noam Streiffer

The Leafs' struggles continued in a 9–5 home loss against the Chatham Kent Barnstormers. It’s their ninth straight loss at home, and they ride a five-game losing streak heading into the back half of the season.

It was Franklin Hernandez on the mound for the Leafs, and he was sharp—throwing six innings of two-run ball while striking out six Barnstormers. But the bullpen would surrender the lead in the late innings of this game.

Mizuki Akatsuka got the ball for Chatham Kent and provided some much-needed length for their depleted bullpen. Akatsuka threw eight innings, allowing four runs and striking out seven in a 120-pitch effort.

Toronto got on the board in the first with a Dennis Dei Baning two-run home run. With his performance tonight, Dei Baning has raised his season average to .333 while racking up tons of extra-base hits for the Leafs.

Toronto followed that up in the fifth inning with another two-run homer—this time it was Ryan Dos Santos who put the Leafs ahead by four.

The Barnstormers wouldn’t go away easy, as a combination of timely hits, throwing errors, and passed balls allowed them to score two in the sixth, five in the seventh, and another two in the eighth to give them a 9–4 lead heading into the ninth.

Garret Day came on to shut things down for the Barnstormers but ran into a bit of trouble, allowing an RBI single to Jordan Castaldo. He settled down, however, with two strikeouts and a flyout to secure the win for Chatham Kent.

Up Next: Toronto heads to Barrie tomorrow to take on the Baycats, for the Maple Leafs' second of four games in four days. First pitch is set for 7:35 PM.