Blue Jays Talk

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker have a double-dip edition of Jays Talk following a pair of Blue Jays wins over the White Sox in Chicago! They take your calls, and start off by discussing the José Berríos start in a 6-2 win, and whether or not he was pulled too quickly. They also get to the Trevor Richards innings of relief, and chat about the offence finally breaking through in the 11th inning. After the 5-4 win to complete the sweep, they discuss more bullpen usage including Tim Mayza's appearance, Nate Pearson picking up his first career save, Whit Merrifield blasting two home runs, and chat about the importance of heading into Detroit with a series win.

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 rainout last night in Chicago, the Blue Jays will take the field twice today for a double-header one day before Alek Manoah's scheduled return to the mound. Looking ahead, the MLB Draft, All-Star Game, Futures Game, and of course Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s participation in the Home Run Derby are all fast approaching! With so much to talk about, Blake enlists the help of a few friends: MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson (01:49), The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath (33:41), and Sportsnet’s own MLB Insider Shi Davidi (50:15) to run through the gauntlet of topics. The Cincinnati Reds have become one of the hottest teams in baseball, so Blake checks in with their Canadian first baseman and 2010 NL MVP, Joey Votto on what this recent run has been like and how he gelled with the team since returning from injury (01:11:54). To close, Blake checks in with Nathan Lukes, outfielder currently with the Buffalo Bisons and one of the hottest hitters in MiLB, about his season and approach this year, especially after starting the season with in the majors with the Blue Jays (01:27:22).

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.

Yesterday saw the Blue Jays edge out a tight win in Chicago fueled by a late home run from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - but perhaps the bigger news is that Alek Manoah will start for the team on Friday in Detroit. Host Blake breaks down both with former Major League catcher, Sportsnet and Windsor’s own Joe Siddall, to kick off today’s show. After that, Jays Talk Plus keeps it in Chicago as Blake talks to Julia Steiner, voice of American indie band Ratboys, who will be at tonight’s game, about her White Sox and baseball fandom (26:49). Next, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet and the At The Letters podcast, joins Blake to take a deep dive into the Blue Jays' numbers, the trickle down effect of Manoah's return depending on his results, and what the team should be targeting ahead of the trade deadline (50:00). To close today, Blake opens up our JTP mailbag to read out and answer some listener texts and questions (01:25:14).

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' 4-3 win over the White Sox in Chicago! They take your calls, and get right to the play of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launching some July 4th fireworks of his own, a two-run bomb in the eighth inning. Has both his swing and approach turned a corner? They get to the start from Chris Bassitt, the play of Erik Swanson, Jordan Romano slamming the door, Bo Bichette's defence, and the odd George Springer fair-or-foul play towards the end of 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.

Blake Murphy kicks off the show by summarizing the events of the weekend, emphasizing the Boston Red Sox' successful sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre while maintaining a positive perspective. He welcomes on Jon Morosi from the MLB Network to deconstruct the homestand, what's being cultivated in the Jays' farm system, the approaching trade deadline, and Alek Manoah's progress south of the border. James Fegan of the Chicago Sun Times shares his thoughts on both of Chi-town's MLB teams ahead of the Jays' series against the White Sox, and offers a comprehensive look at former Jay, newly minted All-Star, and potentially tradable target, Marcus Stroman (28:26). The second half of the show features Sportsnet Blue Jays Producer Chris Black, who shares the numbers behind Toronto's baserunning woes, before zooming out to chat about a potential batting order shuffle, his confidence in Jordan Romano, and Chris Bassitt's sustainability (50:00). In the final segment, ESPN's Clinton Yates delves into Shohei Ohtani's potential MVP season in 2023, the positive impact of the World Baseball Classic and the College World Series, the upcoming All-Star Game, and, of course, their predictions for the winner of the home run derby (01:20:51).

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' 5-4 loss that completes a series sweep at the hand of the Red Sox. They take your calls and texts - with no easy answers for what to do with this team, what can the team do? They have a discussion on selling, standing pat, or buying at the trade deadline, and the impact a manager has on a lineup. They also chat about the offence failing to get much going after an emergency bullpen day for the Red Sox, and the overworked bullpen being caught off-guard in another loss.

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' 7-6 loss to the Red Sox on Canada Day at Rogers Centre. They take your calls and texts, and get to the play at the plate: does Bo Bichette shoulder the blame for blowing through a stop sign, or did third base coach Luis Rivera throw up the sign too late? They chat about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. still delivering a bottom of the ninth RBI knock - good to see Vladdy Jr. improving? Plus, a discussion on Yusei Kikuchi's start, and Brandon Belt's place in the batting 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.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 5-0 shutout loss to the Red Sox at Rogers Centre. They take your calls and discuss the continuing problem of the Jays losing within the AL East. How does this get fixed when the games are more important with a balanced schedule? They chat about the start from José Berríos, and what went both right and wrong for him vs. Boston. Plus, a discussion on the offence and whether or not the batting order still needs a reshuffle.

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 fought back to win the series against the Giants on the back of Chris Bassitt's career-high 12 strikeouts and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s game-winning blast. Host Blake Murphy dissects the game for Toronto with Julia Kreuz of MLB.com! The pair discuss the disappointing news that no Jays will start the MLB All-Star Game, before diving into the team's current homestand and Vlad's recent resurgence at the plate. Next, Blake turns to FanGraph’s Jay Jaffe to break down his recent article "A Look at the Best Team Defenses Thus Far" and share why the Jays grade near the top of the pack (30:15). On the back nine of today's show, we take a look ahead to Canada Day weekend with the Boston Red Sox in town and tee it up from both team's perspectives with The Athletic's Kaitlyn McGrath (50:13) and Jen McCaffrey (01:19:03)!

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' 2-1 win over the Giants to win the series! They take your calls, and discuss the 12 Ks from Chris Bassitt to hold down the Giants offence - how important was that for him after the last few starts? They chat Vladimir Guerrero Jr's third homer of the year at home to provide all the team's offence (and his participation in this year's Home Run Derby), Jordan Romano's adventurous save to wrap things up, and the throw from Alejandro Kirk to Santiago Espinal.

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.