Blue Jays Talk

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-0 win over the Yankees at the Rogers Centre! They take your calls, and get right to the start from Chris Bassitt, who notched 12 Ks over 7.2 IP, as he hit 200 IP for the first time in his career. How good has he been in 2023? Does he deserve a Game 2 playoff start in a potential Wild Card series? Plus, they chat about the revamped lineup, including Bo Bichette batting cleanup, and both Daulton Varsho and Matt Chapman going yard at the bottom of the order. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jays Talk Plus with Blake Murphy kicks off with his summary of the team’s second consecutive shutout loss to the New York Yankees. He opens up the JTP Mailbag to address the audience's ‘feelings’, questions and comments about the team amid the final week of the season. In the latter part of the hour, TV play-by-play voice Dan Shulman dissects why the Blue Jays are adding complexity to their situation, deciphers the significance of certain players falling out of the 'circle of trust,' and explores why even a challenging week can still secure their postseason berth (27:04). As we step into the second hour, Blake is joined by MLB.com's Mike Petriello to discuss the impact of the Rogers Centre's revised dimensions on hitting, while being conversely auspicious for pitching and defense, and explore the idea of shaping future team rosters to align with the ballpark's characteristics. Lastly, they examine how MLB's new rule changes have influenced the rise in stolen base activity (53:34). Wrapping up today's show is Alex Eisert of FanGraphs, who delves into his latest piece on the “Quiet Brilliance of Kevin Gausman’s Splitter,” before getting into the analytics of defensive fielding data and aggressive vs. patient hitting approaches (01:20:00). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-0 loss to the Yankees at the Rogers Centre. They take your calls, and get to Gerrit Cole - the likely AL Cy Young winner - shutting down the Jays once again. Why couldn't the bats take advantage of the pitches Cole gave them? They discuss the offence being completely absent over the last two games, and chat about the decisions to pitch to Aaron Judge - bad pitches or better swings from the reigning AL MVP? Plus, they chat the makeup of the roster, and get into how basically every player on this team has been underperforming all season long. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

The show kicks off with Blake Murphy summarizing last night’s 2-0 loss to the Yankees at Rogers Centre. He is joined by Ben Nicholson-Smith, Sportsnet's Senior MLB editor, to delve into the recent struggles of Jordan Romano over his last two relief appearances, the timeline for Brandon Belt's return to form, and the strategic usage tactics the Blue Jays might employ in the upcoming week. In the latter part of the hour, Jon Morosi from MLB Network discusses the American League playoff races, starting with the Mariners' bounce-back performance, Texas ‘just about’ securing the top seed in the West, and his insights into which team appears strongest leading into the next week (32:41). Transitioning into the second hour, Joe Siddall, Blue Jays Analyst at Sportsnet, joins the conversation to share his analysis of yesterday's loss to the Bronx Bombers, explore the idea of simply deploying the best player in high-pressure situations, and conclude with a quick projection of the Blue Jays' Wild Card roster (50:50). Wrapping up today's episode, Eno Sarris from The Athletic joins and briefly reviews their collective Fantasy Baseball seasons, before diving into potential standout candidates for the 2023 Cy Young Award and how teams might utilize their likely playoff-bound starting pitchers in the coming week (01:10:55). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 2-0 loss to the Yankees at Rogers Centre. They take your calls, and get right to Jordan Romano giving up two runs in three pitches in the top of the ninth inning - what's with his bizarre record in tied games? Should he no longer be the closer? Is there anything still lingering from Saturday's blown save, even with the extra day off? Plus, the offence was shutout of this one - how did they not take advantage of five Michael King walks, and what did they see from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with the bases loaded in the third inning? The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

To kick off the show, Blake Murphy opens the show with a recap of last night’s Major League Baseball action, sans the idle Blue Jays. Following this, he is joined by Buffalo Bisons Manager, Casey Candaele to get his measure on the team’s 2023 season, including how he managed regularly losing a glut of talent due to call-ups during the year, including Davis Schneider, Spencer Horwitz and Nathen Lukes. They close the segment with a discussion on the merits and drawbacks to the use of the automatic strike zone. In the second half of the hour, Blake is joined by Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher, José Berríos, who connected with him at his charity event in Toronto. Their conversation spans various topics, including Berríos' personal journey growing up playing baseball in Puerto Rico, the recent performance of the Blue Jays, and his La Gente del Barrio Home Run Derby and Celebrity Softball Game scheduled for December (30:57). During the final hour, Sportsnet Producer Chris Black makes an in-studio appearance for an extended discussion. They dive into the analytics behind the Blue Jays' recent run, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s impressive turnaround in September, the concerns about his injured knee, potential lineup changes pending Brandon Belt's return, and the discourse behind Jordan Romano's finger-related issues (50:07). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy kicks off Monday's episode recapping the team's successful weekend at Tropicana Field. He is then joined by Keegan Matheson, a writer for BlueJays.com, to dissect how the team might have finally overcome “The Trop Curse", before evaluating the team's overall health, rotation depth, and Davis Schneider, George Springer, and Chris Bassitt's weekends respectively. In the second segment, MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince stops by to break down the ups and downs of the Wild Card races in both leagues. They discuss how injuries could potentially disrupt the playoffs and celebrate the greatness of José Ramírez and Joey Votto (31:25). During the final hour, Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling joins Blake in-studio to share his thoughts on Jays' weekend series win, before diving into the team's playoff preparation and strategic considerations heading down the stretch (51:55). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sho Alli breaks down the Blue Jays' 9-5 win over the Rays to end the weekend with a series victory at Tropicana Field! He takes your calls and texts, and gets right to George Springer's big day - after launching an inside-the-park home run, and making highlight reel catches and throws, was that his best individual game as a Blue Jay? Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushes two home runs, including going back-to-back with Bo Bichette - how important is it to see the top three bats in this order come alive? Plus, the bullpen gets good outings from Trevor Richards, Erik Swanson and Jordan Hicks - what should Hicks' role look like going forward? The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sho Alli breaks down the Blue Jays' 7-6 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field. He takes your calls and texts, and gets right to the ninth inning in which Jordan Romano blew his fourth save of the year. John Schneider says he had a cracked fingernail - if it was bothering Romano, was that the right move? Why not use Tim Mayza? Plus, Sho gets to the Whit Merrifield send in the seventh - was it the right call to gamble on the fly ball? Afterwards, Sho discusses the offence staging the comeback down 5-0 early, and also gets to the outing from Hyun-jin Ryu, who got tagged for five earned runs over 4.1 IP. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-2 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field! They take your calls, and get right to that sixth inning in which Tyler Glasnow lost command of the strike zone - while there was some luck involved, how important was it for the Jays to take advantage of big opportunities when they presented themselves? Plus, they discuss the home run from Daulton Varsho, and the start from Chris Bassitt in which he only allowed two earned runs over 6.2 IP - has Bassitt worked himself into a start in the first two games of a potential Wild Card series? The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

It’s off to the Trop as the Blue Jays are not able to force a series sweep against the New York Yankees losing the game 5-3. Host of Jays Talk Plus Blake Murphy kicks off the show with Senior Editor of The Score Jonah Birenbaum to talk about Gerrit Cole’s dominant outing, the call for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to pinch hit and a historical view of the Blue Jays starting rotation. Next up, Julia Kreuz of MLB.com joins Blake (50:25) to discuss Vladdy’s inflammation injury and the curse of the Trop. Later, Jon Morosi joins the show (1:16:01) to give his take on Gerrit Cole being a Cy Young favourite and what the offseason will look like for the Yankees. Finally, Blake closes out the show with a preview of tonight’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliate.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 5-3 loss vs. the Yankees to wrap up the series in New York. They take your calls, and discuss the bats' efforts against Gerrit Cole - what are the team's prospects against good pitching both for the rest of the regular season and potentially for the playoffs as well? They discuss the decision to bring in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning, and whether or not some (or a lot) of the shine has come off Davis Schneider. Plus, they discuss the overall staff and bullpen the Blue Jays have from top to bottom - is it one of the franchise's best ever? The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

The Blue Jays playoff push continues after a win last night against the New York Yankees making the series 2-0. Can they cap off with a series sweep in the Bronx. Host Blake Murphy recaps last night's 6-1 win and is joined by Kaitlyn McGrath (29:58) from The Athletic to discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr. being scratched from last night's game and if there should be any concerns for him going down the final stretch. Next up, Blake is joined by Senior MLB writer of ESPN David Schoenfield (51:33) to discuss the mess of the AL West and who is a better team to play in the postseason. Next up Sportsnet's own Arden Zwelling joins the show (1:19:18) to discuss the potential use of Cam Eden, Davis Schneider's bad stretch and the lights out performance from Kevin Gausman. Finally, both Blake and Arden close out the show with tonight's preview with Jose Berrios on the mound. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-1 win over the Yankees! They take your calls, and get to the eighth inning in which the Yankees bullpen couldn't stop walking Blue Jays batters - how important is that when it comes to the overall team approach? They discuss the outings from Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, and Spencer Horwitz, the latter of which knocked in a two-run single to blow the game open late. Plus, they discuss Kevin Gausman's 10 K game in which he notched a new career-high in Ks with 232. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

The Blue Jays' playoff push stayed on track Tuesday night, winning the first game of their series in the Bronx. Host Blake Murphy recaps the 7-1 win with Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, who zeroes in on George Springer lead-off home run, Yusei Kikuchi leaving the game early, and the Jays' prime position to control their own destiny. Next, Blake checks in with Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes fills us in on how the season wrapped up for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (34:51). To start the second hour, Blake looks to the Big Apple to analyze what's gone wrong for the Yankees this season with the help of WFAN's Keith McPherson (56:37). FanGraphs’ Ben Clemens wraps things up today with his view on the American League Wild Card, how the Jays measure up to their competition, and who they might match up against (01:14:30). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sho Alli and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 7-1 win over the Yankees to open the season's final road trip! They take your calls and texts, and get into the offence blasting three home runs - Bichette, Springer, Kirk - was there something different in Bo's swing after the Red Sox series? They chat Springer going yard on his 34th birthday, and the continued elevated play of Cavan Biggio - is the cleanup spot the right place for him? Plus, they discuss Yusei Kikuchi's outing in which he suffered a muscle cramp, and the play of the bullpen who did the heavy lifting to wrap up the game. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

After a day off, host Blake Murphy is back to set the table for final two weeks of the MLB season. He quickly revisits the Blue Jays' weekend sweep of the Red Sox, before looking ahead to the remaining schedule for all teams in the hunt for the American League Wild Card. Next, we turn out attention to a positive story within the Blue Jays organization, recognizing the Vancouver Canadians, who for the fifth time in franchise history and the first time in High-A, are champions of the Northwest League. Blake catches up with the C’s manager, Brent Lavallee, to talk about the team’s remarkable 2023 season (14:43). We shift focus back to the big leagues ahead of this week's series in New York with Bob Lorenz, YES Network studio host, for some insight on the Bronx Bombers and their recent success (35:34). In the second hour, Sportsnet Blue Jays producer and numbers specialist, Chris Black joins Blake in-studio to dive into some recent new data around the Blue Jays, specifically at the plate, and identifies which "fringe guys" deserve to be in the lineup more frequently (50:40). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

With Blake Murphy off for today, Jays Talk veterans Ben Shulman and Sho Alli hop aboard to host following a weekend sweep of the Boston Red Sox! The pair look into what went into the Blue Jays' turnaround, what these victories mean for the morale surrounding the team and their fanbase, and what to expect heading into a series in the Bronx. They open up the JTP Mailbag to gauge listeners' confidence in the team, before breaking down the remaining schedule for all American League Wild Card teams in the hunt (35:57). In the second hour, The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath stops by to share her thoughts on the wacky week that was, before looking ahead to project the Jays' home stretch of the season (54:20). Later on, WFAN’s Emmanuel Berbari joins the program fresh off of calling the Yankees weekend series, to help tee up Toronto's upcoming trip to New York (01:22:33). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sho Alli and Ben Shulman break down the Blue Jays' 3-2 walk-off win over the Red Sox at the Rogers Centre to complete the sweep! They take your calls and texts, and get right to the Matt Chapman RBI triple to win it in the bottom of the ninth inning - how important was that for Chapman after his season to-date? They discuss the contributions of Cavan Biggio as of late, both on offence and defence, and get to the bullpen turning in some great work. How big is it for the relievers that Chad Green looks as good as he does? Plus, they chat about the idea of 'deserving a playoff spot'. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sho Alli and Ben Shulman break down the Blue Jays' 4-3 extra-innings win over the Red Sox at the Rogers Centre! They take your calls and texts, and get right to the Whit Merrifield swinging bunt - is that something that Merrifield can build on going forward after a tough month? They discuss the phenomenal stuff from the bullpen to hold the score going into the 13th inning, especially from Jordan Romano who shoved for two innings, and Chad Green who continues to look sharper. They debate the baserunning efforts and pinch-hit decisions, and also shower some praise on Chris Bassitt, who set a new career-high in innings pitched following his seven innings of work. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.