TORONTO — Gavin McKenna adapts as fast as he shifts directions.

The leap in performance from the teenager’s first pre-season game to his second was so loud, you could hear it in the gasps from Wednesday’s Scotiabank Arena crowd, an impressive portion of which were already decked out in straight-off-the-rack No. 92 sweaters.

Be it speed or confidence, rewind-worthy dangles or clever reads, McKenna’s improvement from Saturday to Wednesday was the talk of the barn.

“I think we all saw that, didn’t we?” Toronto Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller said. “It’s going to be a process for him to understand and adapt. But that was pretty encouraging to be able to come back from Game 1 and show us what he did tonight.”

What he did was deftly chip a D-zone puck along the wall to a rushing William Nylander, who buttered one cross-ice to John Tavares. Billet Dad scored on McKenna’s first assist in a Leafs uni.

What he did was feign an O-zone retreat before slicing through two Ottawa defenders and drawing a hooking penalty that quickly led to a Jack Roslovic power-play goal.

What he did was bring a growingly optimistic fan base out of its seats with spins and passes and prolonged head-up carries through traffic.

“He’s a hard guy to contain, right?” Hiller continued. “If you ask me, ‘What’s the one part of his game that has caught you off-guard?’ I would say it’s his skating. It’s his speed. I don’t know if he was talked about that way. Skating and straightaway speed has been really good.”

Knowing he was joining a league that can run laps around the NCAA, McKenna emphasized skating work over the summer. Not only straight-line pace for rush attacks and backchecking, but switching gears to deceive his checks and earn space to create.

“He really settled in tonight. Had the puck on his stick a lot, a lot of quick plays to a lot of guys out there, give-and-goes and buying his ice and creating space for himself and his teammates,” Jake McCabe said. “Lots of great flashes.”

You’ve probably seen those flashes making the rounds on social media already.

But the coach also saw fewer turnovers like the one McKenna committed against Montreal Saturday, a debut in which the No. 1 pick admitted he felt “a bit timid.” 

No timidity could be spotted Wednesday. 

McKenna tilted the ice something fierce. The Leafs outscored the Sens 3-0, outshot them 13-2, and outchanced them 13-2 when McKenna hit the ice at five-on-five.

No wonder Hiller promoted the rookie to Auston Matthews’ top line mid-game. More flashes. More quick chemistry.

“That was the encouraging part. Game over game, he was able to create a little bit more space for himself. It was almost like he made that adjustment naturally. I know he lives with John Tavares. They talked quite a bit on the way home after the last game about what it was like. So, I would say he’s got a great mentor there in John. But I know he talks to Willy too. He talks to Auston,” Hiller said.

“He wasn’t really in the O-zone much last game. He was on the forecheck tonight. He was on the (back)track again. So, it seems to me that he’s adjusting pretty well to the game without the puck, too.”

McKenna’s self-assessment?

“I felt good out there,” he said. “It gives us all a big confidence boost, having a game like this where you win 6-1, don’t give a whole lot up defensively. 

“That’s huge for our team, huge for myself, and that’s how you want to end a preseason game. So, it’s a lot good going into Game 1.”

Hiller wants more from Knies

If any top-six forward’s stock dipped a notch during this sprint of a pre-season, it is power forward Matthew Knies. 

Not only did Knies lose his net-front spot on the top power-play unit out of the gate, but the left wing sat on the bench while McKenna and Easton Cowan each got a shift or two alongside Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic on the left side of Line 1.

While fully recovered from a knee injury that nagged him last season, Knies has yet to pop off the page as strongly as the other five members of the top six.

“Wasn’t that dangerous. I think he only had one shot on goal, took one to the net. So, I think he’s been OK. I wouldn’t say strongly one way or the other,” Hiller assessed. 

“I think there’s more there, for sure.”

Marshall Rifai won’t make the Leafs out of camp, as was the Calder Cup champ’s aim, but his willingness to fight Florian Xhekaj Saturday did not go unnoticed by Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and the rest of the organization.

“It’s just setting the tone right away from a culture standpoint,” Rifai told reporters. “If you saw where the Marlies were when I got here and where we’re at today, I think it’s a lot different. 

“This part of the year is about gelling and knowing we have each other’s backs.”

This is a team eager to scrub the stain of Radko Gudas’s greasy kneeing of Matthews last season going unpunished in the moment.

Teddy Blueger also jumped in to fight Ethan Samson Saturday after the Montreal blue-liner levelled Vinni Lettieri.

And recently hired muscle Zack MacEwan dropped ’em with Hayden Hodgson Wednesday, igniting Scotiabank Arena. Matthews scored 42 seconds later.

“You look back to the Marlies and why we won a championship, it was that kind of mentality,” scrapper Michael Pezzetta said. “If someone goes down, you’re getting right in there and every single guy would stand up for each other. And when you have that feeling in the room, it’s special. And it’s something you build one day at a time and that was a good start.”

A little insight into why John Chayka went out and signed so many fourth-line wingers in July: Dakota Joshua has been dealing with a core injury since the new GM took the job in May and, although he practises regularly, has not been cleared for game action.

Injuries and inconsistency limited Joshua, 30, to 55 games last season, his first in Toronto. The forward, who overcame testicular cancer prior to joining the team, suffered a lacerated kidney in late December but did finish the season.

“Just as he ramps up, it’s been hard to get into game shape and be ready to play,” Chayka said. “He’s still day-to-day, and we’re hoping that it progresses. But it’s been a while now.”

In other roster news, the Leafs placed Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis on waivers for the purpose of AHL reassignment. 

While Daniel Alfredsson travelled to head coach Toronto’s B squad at Bell Centre Saturday, the Leafs’ new associate head coach did not assume the same responsibility Wednesday in Ottawa.

That task fell to John Gruden. And so, Alfredsson’s awkward homecoming will be pushed to Jan. 20, when the Leafs visit Canadian Tire Centre.

“The hard one for him will be going back into Ottawa,” Hiller said. “That’s what I think. He gave us some input this morning on some of the stuff that Ottawa does well. So, that’s a resource for us. But I think there’ll be a lot more questions about that once we go into Ottawa.”

It was a rough day for most teams in the playoff hunt across Major League Baseball.

In the American League, the Baltimore Orioles were Wednesday’s clear winners by sweeping a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays to keep their long odds of a post-season berth alive.

For the Blue Jays, the pair of losses officially eliminated them from playoff contention just one year after going to the World Series.

Helping Baltimore’s hopes stay alive was both AL Central contenders having their respective win streaks snapped as the Cleveland Guardians lost to the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox to the Kansas City Royals.

It also meant that Cleveland kept its one-game lead atop the division.

In the AL West, the Texas Rangers also lost to the New York Mets, meaning that they are at risk of falling further behind the Houston Astros — who were facing the Seattle Mariners later Wednesday night.

Had they managed to win, both the Guardians and White Sox would have clinched a post-season berth with the Rangers’ loss.

Speaking of missed clinch opportunities, the three National League wild-card leaders missed their chance on Wednesday.

The Chicago Cubs needed either a win over the Miami Marlins or an Arizona Diamondbacks loss to the Colorado Rockies to clinch, and neither scenario unfolded.

The Philadelphia Phillies needed a win over the Milwaukee Brewers to set in motion their clinching scenarios, but ultimately lost as well.

And finally, the San Diego Padres cannot clinch even if they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers later Wednesday, as Arizona’s triumph eliminated that possibility.

Here’s a full look at MLB’s standings after Wednesday’s results:

Houston: at Athletics, 9:40 p.m. (Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet+)
Cleveland: at Boston, 6:45 p.m. (Sportsnet Ontario)
Chicago White Sox: at Kansas City, 2:10 p.m.
Texas: vs. NY Mets, 2:35 p.m. (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)
Baltimore: Off

San Diego: at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.
Chicago Cubs: vs. Marlins, 2:20 p.m.
Philadelphia: vs. Brewers, 6:05 p.m.
Arizona: at Rockies, 3:10 p.m.

ORIOLES 4, BLUE JAYS 2, GAME 1

BALTIMORE — Pete Alonso hit his 41st home run of the season, Chris Bassitt took a shutout into the sixth inning and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday, eliminating the defending American League champions from the post-season race.

The Orioles and Blue Jays both entered this twin bill one loss from elimination. The best the Blue Jays (77-81) can do now is finish .500 — a season after they pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series.

Max Scherzer (3-9) allowed four runs and four hits in five innings in the 500th appearance — and 491st start — of his career. He struck out seven and walked three. The 42-year-old right-hander said he hopes he can come back on short rest to pitch again Sunday in the season finale — and he’ll likely have something to say in the next couple days about his future.

The 37-year-old Bassitt (9-5) allowed two runs and seven hits in five-plus innings. He was pulled with two on in the sixth and both runners scored on second baseman Jeremiah Jackson’s throwing error.

ORIOLES 4, BLUE JAYS 2, GAME 2

BALTIMORE — Trey Gibson pitched brilliantly into the seventh inning and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Wednesday night to sweep a doubleheader and at least temporarily stay alive in the American League playoff race.

One more loss by the Orioles — or a win by the Chicago White Sox — would eliminate Baltimore. The Orioles also won the opener 4-2 against Toronto, then the 24-year-old Gibson (2-3) was outstanding in the nightcap.

He would have completed at least seven innings if not for a rare defensive positioning violation that kept the top of the seventh going. Sean Keys grounded out to second for the third out, players left the field, and the Orioles were already playing “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” — which comes after “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh-inning stretch — when an umpire interrupted the song to say the Blue Jays were challenging.

A replay appeared to show second baseman Jeremiah Jackson’s heel on the outfield grass before the grounder, so Keys was awarded first. The play was scored an error on Jackson, but no at-bat was charged to Keys. Gibson walked the next hitter and was pulled. Yennier Cano then issued a walk before striking out Myles Straw with the bases loaded to end the inning for real.

In his eighth career start, Gibson allowed three hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered and drove in three runs.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Miguel Garcia had three hits and three RBIs, including a tie-breaking, run-scoring double in the seventh inning, as the Kansas City Royals beat the White Sox 5-4 Wednesday night and delayed Chicago’s bid for a post-season berth.

Chicago could have secured its first playoff berth since 2021 with a win over the Royals and a Texas loss to the New York Mets.

Instead, Garcia and the Royals played the role of spoiler.

Connor Thomas (2-1) struck out one and allowed one hit in two scoreless innings for the win. Steven Cruz struck out two in the ninth and earned his eighth save.

BOSTON — Sonny Gray pitched six innings to tie Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez for the major league lead with his 18th victory, Andruw Monasterio drove in the only run with a sixth-inning single, and the Boston Red Sox edged Cleveland 1-0 on Wednesday night to snap the Guardians’ six-game winning streak.

It was just the fifth win in 13 games for the Red Sox, who clinched a playoff spot on Sunday.

The 36-year-old Gray (18-5) is in line to become the fourth Red Sox pitcher since 2000 to lead the AL in victories, joining Rick Porcello (2016), Josh Beckett (’07) and Curt Schilling (’04).

Gray allowed four singles, struck out three, walked one and lowered his ERA to 2.72.

Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth for his 35th save of the season.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Marcus Semien hit a tie-breaking homer in the eighth inning against his former team and Brett Baty added a pinch-hit grand slam in the ninth as the New York Mets beat the Texas Rangers 7-2 on Wednesday night.

Rookie right-hander Nolan McLean (12-10) allowed two runs and three hits over seven innings for the last-place Mets (73-85), who have won both games in Texas since ex-interim manager Andy Green was given the full-time position Tuesday.

The Rangers (78-80) have lost three consecutive games and trail first-place Houston by a half-game in the AL West, with the Astros playing later in Seattle. They own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas if the teams finish with the same record.

Semien, traded by the Rangers to the Mets last November for Brandon Nimmo, launched his 15th homer this season off all-star closer Jacob Latz (3-4) to give New York a 3-2 lead. Semien’s first homer since Aug. 7 snapped an 0-for-13 slump

CHICAGO — Kyle Stowers homered and the Miami Marlins denied the Chicago Cubs a chance to clinch a playoff berth for the second straight night with a 3-2 victory Wednesday.

Dansby Swanson drove in both runs for the Cubs, who needed a win or an Arizona loss to Colorado to secure an NL wild-card berth.

Joe Mack’s groundout brought home Augustin Ramirez with the go-ahead run in the seventh and the Marlins retired the next nine Chicago batters to win their second straight game after dropping three in San Diego.

Stowers hit his 21st homer, a two-run shot, off Kevin Gausman in the top of the sixth to break a scoreless tie. The Cubs evened things in the bottom of the inning when Swanson laced a broken-bat single into left field to bring home a pair of runs.

Cade Gibson (6-2), the second of four Miami relievers, struck out two in the seventh and Sandy Alcantara worked the ninth for his second save.

PHILADELPHIA — Christian Yelich and Brice Turang hit solo home runs, and the Milwaukee Brewers delayed Philadelphia’s potential post-season clinch with a 4-1 win over the Phillies on Wednesday night.

The Phillies needed both a win over the Brewers and a loss later Wednesday night by either Arizona or San Diego to secure their fifth straight trip to the National League playoffs. The Phillies started their run with a trip to the World Series in 2022, reached the NL Championship Series the next season and are coming off consecutive NL East titles.

The Phillies have to settle for a wild-card berth this season and are likely to open the playoffs next week on the road. The Phillies, Chicago and San Diego hold the three NL wild cards headed into the final games of the season.

The Phillies went 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position against the Brewers and left 10 runners on base.

Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said ahead of the game the team was willing to wait at Citizens Bank Park until after the Padres game ended, if necessary, to celebrate. No need to hang around.

DIAMONDBACKS 5, ROCKIES 3

DENVER — Corbin Carroll had a two-run triple to cap a four-run first inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks kept their playoff hopes alive with a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.

Gabriel Moreno drove in the first run and finished with three hits to help Arizona (84-74) close within three games of the Phillies and Cubs for an NL wild card.

Moreno, with a .310 batting average, trails the Phillies’ Luis Arraez at .312 for the NL batting title with four games remaining.

Merrill Kelly (10-14) allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings to improve to 6-0 in nine starts at Coors Field since 2022. Jonathan Loáisiga earned his second save when he retired Ezequiel Tovar on a foul pop that first baseman Ildemaro Vargas caught at the railing with runners on second and third.

DETROIT — Yohandy Morales homered for the second time in three games and the Washington Nationals beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2 on Wednesday.

Washington has won eight of its last 11 games. Detroit has lost six of eight.

Will Dion (2-2) picked up the win despite giving up three hits and one run in two innings of relief. Yovanny Cruz got the final four outs for his first save.

Framber Valdez (10-12) took the loss, allowing two runs in 5 1/3 innings.

The Nationals ended the scoreless tie with three straight singles to start the sixth. Base hits by Andres Chaparro and Brady House put runners on first and second, and CJ Abrams made it 1-0 with a line drive to right.

SAN FRANCISCO — Pinch-hitter Walker Jenkins hit an RBI single in the seventh inning that put Minnesota ahead and the Twins won their second straight over the San Francisco Giants with a 4-2 victory on Wednesday.

The score was 2-all with Kody Clemens at second and one out in the seventh. Jenkins delivered a base hit to right off Dylan Smith (0-6) that scored Clemens for a 3-2 Minnesota lead. With two outs, Josh Bell added an RBI single off Sam Hentges to increase the Twins’ edge to 4-2.

Yoendrys Gomez (3-4) retired all five hitters he faced to earn the win. Andrew Morris worked a scoreless ninth for his fifth save. He struck out Shay Whitcomb with runners at first and second to end the game.

Minnesota got on the board first when Luke Keaschall took Cesar Perdomo deep to left for a solo homer in the third inning. It was Keaschall’s 10th homer of the season.

PITTSBURGH — Matthew Liberatore ended an 11-start winless stretch and Alec Burleson got his major league-best 112th RBI as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Wednesday night.

Liberatore (6-14) gave up one run and six hits in 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and no walks. His previous win came on July 11 against Atlanta in the left-hander’s last start before the All-Star break. Liberatore had lost eight straight decisions.

Burleson singled in the first run in a three-run third that put the Cardinals ahead 3-1. Iván Herrera scored on a wild pitch and Leo Bernal hit an RBI single.

Masyn Winn doubled home a run and scored on JJ Wetherholt’s single in the fourth to stretch the lead to 5-1. Wetherholt had three hits and José Fermín added two.

The Pirates’ five-game winning streak ended. It matched their longest of the season.

NEW YORK — Ben Rice hit his 40th and 41st home runs, Ryan McMahon added a grand slam while matching his career high with five RBIs and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2 on Wednesday night.

Gerrit Cole (10-9) allowed two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings and a season-high 105 pitches with eight strikeouts and three walks. The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner had a 3.61 ERA and 131 strikeouts over 22 starts and 127 innings following his return in May from Tommy John surgery.

A day after Tampa Bay clinched the AL East title, Rice hit the first pitch of the first inning from Mason Englert (0-4) into the right-field second deck for his fourth career leadoff homer and second this season.

Rice added a solo drive in the fourth for his fifth career multihomer game and finished with three hits. He is tied for the AL home run lead with Baltimore’s Pete Alonso, the Rays’ Junior Caminero and Houston’s Yordan Alvarez.

BRAVES 3, REDS 2, 10 INNINGS

ATLANTA — Chris Sale struck out 10 and reached 200 Ks for the season, Mauricio Dubón delivered a winning RBI single in the 10th inning, and the Atlanta Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Matt Olson and Austin Riley hit solo homers for the Braves. Brent Suter (3-2) worked a scoreless 10th inning and earned the win.

Sale went 5 2/3 innings and was removed after recording his third strikeout of the game of Reds rookie Sal Stewart. The 37-year-old left-hander has reached 200 strikeouts nine times, which is the most of any pitcher since 2013. In his final start before the post-season, he allowed one run on four hits. Sale hit at least 99 mph on the radar gun on 12 of his 97 pitches.

Olson’s home run was his 41st of the season and tied the game at 1 in the sixth. Riley’s homer tied the game at 2 in the seventh. Dubón was 2 for 4 with a walk and extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Donovan Walton hit a three-run homer and rookie Henry Bolte had his first four-hit game to help the Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 on Wednesday night.

Lawrence Butler had an RBI single and Walton hit his ninth home run, a two-out shot off rookie Walbert Ureña (9-11) for a 4-0 lead in the first inning.

Bolte went 4 for 5, scored two runs and had an RBI double in the second that put the Athletics (63-95) up 5-0.

Mike Trout and Vaughn Grissom hit back-to-back homers off Jeffrey Springs in the fourth to make it 5-2. It was the 22nd homer this season for Trout the 426th of his career.

Grissom followed his 13th homer with an RBI single in the fifth to cut it to 5-3 and chase Springs.

LOS ANGELES — Manny Machado homered and drove in three runs as the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 on Wednesday night to take sole possession of the top spot in the National League wild-card standings.

The loss snapped the NL West champions’ 11-game home winning streak and kept the Dodgers (97-61) from clinching at least the No. 2 seed in the National League and a first-round playoff bye. To secure that, they still need one win or an Atlanta loss.

The Padres (88-70) were prevented from clinching their franchise-record third consecutive playoff berth when Arizona beat Colorado 5-3. But they need just one win or a Diamondbacks loss to punch their ticket to the postseason.

San Diego leads Chicago (87-71) and Philadelphia (87-71) by one game for the first National League wild card, a spot that would bring home-field advantage throughout a best-of-three series.

In his return from the injured list, Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 4 with a single, a walk and two strikeouts for Los Angeles. He went down swinging with the bases loaded to end the fourth inning. His long drive to center field was caught near the wall leading off the eighth.