Justin Smoak isn’t a fan of extra innings, so he was doubly happy about his game-winning homer against the slumping Detroit Tigers.
Smoak led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Detroit 4-3 on Saturday, handing the Tigers their 11th straight loss.
Smoak, who hit a two-run homer in Friday’s 3-2 win, has gone deep in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
I’m just trying to be aggressive and it’s been better as of late, he said.
Seunghwan Oh (4-2) worked one inning for the win. Randal Grichuk also homered for the Blue Jays, who have won 10 of 11 at home.
With the ability to guard all five positions, Jackson should quickly become a starter.
Will a team trade up for Mo Bamba?
We’ve been reporting for a while now that several teams love Mo Bamba, and why shouldn’t they? Not only does he has a 7-10 wingspan, but he is an engaging young man who also happens to love his mother — he moved her out of Harlem this week, I am told, and into a new apartment in Midtown Manhattan.
Who wouldn’t love a guy who takes care of his mom like that? Also, who wouldn’t love a guy who spent the last couple of months working with Kevin Garnett, Joel Embiid and trainer extraordinaire Drew Hanlen?
Back in Milwaukee, Ilyasova figures to fill the role Mirza Teletovic was expected to play before a recurrence of blood clots sidelined him and ultimately led to his release. One interesting development last season was Ilyasova playing center as part of the Philadelphia 76ers’ small lineups in Joel Embiid’s absence, and Ilyasova-Giannis Antetokounmpo frontcourts could be potent offensively.
The big concern with Ilyasova is whether he’ll fall off at some point in his mid-30s. According to reporting by ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the final season of Ilyasova’s contract is non-guaranteed, providing the Bucks cover.