Blue Jays Talk

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' rain-shortened 5-1 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards! They take your calls and texts, and discuss the play of Whit Merrifield, who Barker thinks should be the everyday second baseman going forward. They get to the waterlogged start from José Berríos, who ground through six rainy innings of work for his final start of the regular season. They also discuss the optimal batting order for the playoffs, and how the bottom of the order has been coming through more consistently.

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.

Drew Fairservice of the "Spin Rate" podcast jumps on with Blake Murphy to share why he's bullish on the Blue Jays heading into the post-season and looks into the path to success in a Wild Card series against the Mariners, before Blake asks if Drew remembers which position players made a pitching appearance this year (01:09). Oren Weisfeld, a freelance writer with a recent piece in the Toronto Star, stops by to discuss what sparked his interest for his latest feature on Alek Manoah, the connection between the big righty and the city, why he's one of the most interesting athletes in Canada, and the influence he has on the sport of baseball towards a younger audience (28:46). Afterward, MLB.com's Julia Kreuz chats about the moment the Jays celebrated clinching the playoffs, how the final series against Baltimore will dictate Toronto's post-season roster, which matchup she prefers between Seattle and Tampa, and the expectations for interim manager John Schneider in his first Wild Card series (50:30)

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.

Blake Murphy is joined by Sportsnet.ca's Ben Nicholson-Smith to discuss Kevin Gausman's finger issue, if this changes the team's pitching rotation in a Wild Card series, what he's paying attention to in the final series of the season against Baltimore, and which pitchers from the bullpen could be effective against a potential matchup against Seattle (02:20). Then, the guys fill out their Wild Card roster for the Jays while debating which catcher should be in the lineup every day, Ramiel Tapia's role into the playoffs, the reasoning behind keeping Gabriel Moreno on the roster, and whether they would prefer Gausman or Ross Stripling to pitch in Game 2 (24:14). 

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' 6-3 win over the Red Sox to wrap up the home finale and the sweep at Rogers Centre! They take your calls and texts, and discuss the Kevin Gausman finger injury that saw him depart after just three innings of work. Should that suggest a change in the order of the starting rotation come playoff time? They get to the two monster home runs from Teoscar Hernandez, and Whit Merrifield's solo homer - is Merrifield the everyday second baseman going forward? Plus, who would they rather the Jays play in the postseason?

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 Julia Kreuz break down the Blue Jays' 10-0 win over the Red Sox at Rogers Centre! They take your calls and texts, and discuss the five RBI from Danny Jansen - do the Jays have the best kind of problem in trying to deploy both Alejandro Kirk and Jansen come playoff time? They discuss another superb outing from Ross Stripling, and get to the tune-up day for the bullpen after some time off. Plus, they take a look at a lot of the looming playoff roster decisions, including Bradley Zimmer vs. Jackie Bradley Jr., and whether or not both of Mitch White and Yusei Kikuchi could be left off entirely.

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 Julia Kreuz break down the Blue Jays' 9-0 win over the Red Sox as they celebrate clinching a spot in the 2022 MLB postseason! They take your texts, and get to the outing from Alek Manoah, who continues moving up some spots in the franchise record books. Was that the last time we see him pitch in the 2022 regular season? They discuss how Manoah is still in the AL Cy Young conversation, Whit Merrifield's play at second base since taking over the position, and whether or not Bo Bichette can stay hot in the playoffs. Plus, we go inside the clubhouse and hear Hazel Mae's interviews with a number of champagne-soaked players.

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.

MLB.com's Keegan Matheson joined Blake Murphy to discuss the impact of homefield advantage from a beat writer's and player's perspectives, why he would prefer to face the Seattle Mariners in the post-season, and if we'll see Danny Jansen in more DH spots into October (06:21). The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey puts a bow on the Red Sox's season with the organization missing the playoffs, Nick Pivetta's down year, and an outlook on Boston's future (26:44). Afterward, The FAN Drive Time's Ben Ennis shares his thoughts on the number of scenarios the Jays can secure homefield, what he's looking forward to in the final home series of the regular season, how he would line up the starting rotation for a 3-game Wild Card series, and which pitchers he would like to see coming out of the bullpen during the post-season (50:41). 

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.

Sportsnet.ca's Arden Zwelling joins Blake Murphy to discuss what has impressed him the most about Aaron Judge's historic season, Tim Mayza's pitch to Judge, and where the Jays should focus in the final 6 games of the regular season (04:22). Blue Jays Central production coordinator and host of the "My POV" podcast Emelie Savard shares her story on getting into sports media, now working for the team's broadcast alongside Jamie Campbell and the atmosphere at Rogers Centre with the playoffs around the corner (29:11). Then, FanGraphs' Dan Szymborski weighs in on if fans are underappreciating Judge's stellar year, how would he construct a pitching rotation for a Wild Card series, and which team stands out coming out of the American League (50:43). West End Phoenix Photo Director Jalani Morgan stops by to chat about capturing Aaron Judge's 61st home run and how he prepared leading up to shooting the now iconic picture (01:15:03). Finally, Blake looks ahead to who the Jays could face in the post-season after the team clinched a playoff spot with the Red Sox' win over the Orioles (01:26:51). 

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.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 8-3 loss to the Yankees at Rogers Centre. They take your calls and texts, and discuss the decision to bring in Tim Mayza knowing he would face Aaron Judge, who ultimately crushed his 61st HR of the season to tie Roger Maris for most AL HRs hit in a single season. They discuss Judge's AB, and kick around some potential destinations for him if the Yankees don't lock him up long-term. Plus, a chat on Vladdy Jr. grounding out, and the crowd tonight at the Dome.

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 Athletic's Kaitlyn McGrath joins Blake Murphy to chat about the team's need to pay attention to detail as the post-season approaches, interim John Schneider's comments on Vlad Jr.'s baserunning, and her biggest question mark for the playoff roster (04:53). MLB.com's Sarah Langs jumps on to break down Statcast's new metric on "arm strength", Matt Chapman listed second among the third basemen on the new metric, and the importance of a team's baserunning abilities (33:32). Later on, MLB Network's Keith McPherson weighs in on how much it meant for the Yankees to clinch the division after an up and down regular season, what the team has learned in past playoff bounces, Aaron Judge's historic season and potential to add a Triple Crown to it, and how he views a potential matchup between the Yankees and Blue Jays in the playoffs (50:17).  

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.