Blue Jays Talk

Blake Murphy breaks down the Blue Jays' 10-2 loss to the Orioles to wrap up the four-game series at Rogers Centre. He takes your calls and texts, and gets to the rough start from Kevin Gausman, who got beaten up by his former team. He also gets to the offence getting largely shut out, the lineup (both at the beginning and end of the game) shaking out, and living to fight another day (especially with the Yankees coming to town). 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' 7-6 extra innings win over the Orioles at Rogers Centre! They take your calls and texts, and get right to the game-winning RBI single from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the tenth inning; they discuss whether or not Vladdy Jr. is finally getting hot and if we can expect more consistency from him. They also break down the start from José Berríos, get into the mammoth home runs from Teoscar Hernandez and Matt Chapman, and discuss the offerings from Chapman outside of his stellar defensive play. 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 Blue Jays radio voice Ben Wagner who shares his impressions on Gabriel Moreno, Yusei Kikuchi's continuing struggle to start strong, how Hyun-jin Ryu's injury affects the pitching staff, and how Jose Berrios can build off his last few starts (02:33). Next, Blake reads your mailbag questions and looks at the Ryu void to identify what options are available, if Ross Stripling is the answer, and if this changes any future plans for Nate Pearson (25:54). In the second hour, The Athletic's Keith Law reveals what he looks for in catching prospects progressing from the Minors to the Majors, what makes the jump so difficult, why he's not high on RHP prospect Max Castillo, and how Keith scouts the stat line for young players (48:17). Finally, former MLB pitcher and VSiN host Josh Towers joins to discuss the transition from being a player to a part of the media, how pitchers can retain the trust of their coaching staff following rough outings, and shares his perspective on Jose Berrios, the Orio

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-5 loss to the Orioles at Rogers Centre. They take your calls and texts, and get right into what they saw from Yusei Kikuchi - is it his mindset, is he too late to make adjustments on the fly, they discuss all the potential issues that continue to crop up when he starts for the Jays. They also get into Gabriel Moreno knocking in his first big league RBI, and the development they've seen from him in just a handful of games. 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 Producer Chris Black and former MLB pitcher Ricky Romero in the first hour to touch on Ricky's transition from playing the game to working in the media, his interactions with Alek Manoah, and the use of analytics vs. watching how pitchers pitch (02:27). Then, the guys chat about a potential change in the Jays' hitting strategy compared to their approach at the start of the season and being selectively aggressive in their at-bats (18:44). Afterward, Blake, Chris, and Ricky share their assessment of tonight's starter Yusei Kikuchi and when he's at his best on the mound, Romero's experience in throwing with a new, young catcher, and Ross Stripling's role on the team (31:59). Next, former MLB pitcher and 2022 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Francis stops by to discuss what it means to get the call to the Hall, his relationship with Justin Morneau, entering in same class as Duane Ward, representing team Canada at the WBC and Pan Am games, and his fandom of Seinfeld

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 11-1 win over the Orioles at Rogers Centre! They take your calls and texts, and get right to another terrific performance from Alek Manoah, who threw six innings of one-hit ball. They discuss the idea that perhaps he should be in the conversation with Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for a new mega-deal at some point in the not-too-distant future. Plus, they break down the double-digit offensive performance, including another towering home run from Vladdy Jr. 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's Arden Zwelling in the first hour to recap the weekend series against the Tigers, Gabriel Moreno's debut catching Kevin Gausman and Ross Stripling, and highlight Moreno's impressive pop time (01:35). Afterward, Blake and Arden discuss Stripling's growing confidence on the mound, his use of the slider in comparison to his fastball, and the trust level the Jays have in the righty, before sharing their expectations for rookie pitcher Matt Gage (31:05). Later on, MASN's Paul Mancano stops by to chat about "the process" in the Orioles organization, if this will be another year of selling at the trade deadline, and if the Baltimore starters are getting comfortable with catching prospect Adley Rutschman since his call-up (50:42). Cadence Weapon (a.k.a. Rollie Pemberton), the author of "Bedroom Rapper", joins the show to talk about his newest book, his upbringing as a Canadian rapper and musician, his Blue Jays fandom with this current generation of players, and the biggest questi

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-0 win over the Tigers to take the series in Detroit! They take your calls and texts, and get into the six innings of one hit, shutout ball from Ross Stripling. They discuss his role going forward, and also look back to the starts from José Berríos and Kevin Gausman from earlier in the weekend. Plus, they get into Cavan Biggio's play in the month of June, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. socking a home run off Tarik Skubal. 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' 3-1 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park. They take your calls and texts, and get into the big league debut of Gabriel Moreno, in which he threw out a runner at second base and collected his first hit off Gregory Soto in the ninth inning. They discuss a decent six-inning outing for Kevin Gausman, and also get to Cavan Biggio making some terrific defensive plays - what is Biggio's value as a 'super utility' player to this team? 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' 10-1 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park! He takes your texts, and gets into the stellar outing from José Berríos, who allowed just one run and five hits over eight innings of work, and gave the bullpen a much-needed reprieve. He also discusses the work of Alejandro Kirk - is he a top ten catcher across Major League Baseball? Sho debates that with the listeners, and also gets into the decision to pull George Springer from the game a triple shy of the cycle. 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 MLB.com's Keegan Matheson who shares what surprised him when learning about Gabriel Moreno's story growing up, and details Moreno's natural athleticism, how the Jays' front office views him, and why this was the right time to call him up to the Majors (08:22). Defector's Maitreyi Anantharaman discusses her fandom for Detroit sports including the Tigers, the ballclub's offensive woes and losing record, and the reasons for optimism for the team's future (26:30). Baseball Prospectus's Jeffrey Paternostro stops by to chat about Moreno's progression both with his bat and defensively, the difficulty of projecting catching prospects, where prospect Jordan Groshans would fit with the main team and his timeline to get called up (51:20). To wrap up the show, Blake previews the weekend series against the Tigers, Moreno pairing up with Kevin Gausman, and shares the scouting report for Detroit's starting pitcher Elvin Rodriguez (01:16:00).  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are tho

Blake Murphy reacts to the news of Blue Jays prospect Gabriel Moreno getting the call up to the Majors, looks into what he could bring to the team, and asks listeners which former prospect they fell in love with first. MLB.com's Julia Kreuz, who collaborated on a piece dating Moreno's roots from Venezuela to becoming one of the top prospects in baseball, shares why he almost stopped playing the sport, and the strides he's made in his defensive game (07:12). Also from MLB.com, Sarah Langs breaks down Alejandro Kirk slotting himself alongside some of the best hitters in the league this year, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s tendency to hit ground balls, and Matt Chapman's defense at third base (29:12). Later on, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi weighs in on how much workload we can expect from Moreno both behind the plate and in the batting lineup, how he'll be integrated among the coaching staff and pitchers, and if there are concerns with Yusei Kikuchi's up and down start to the season (53:36). FutureBlueJays.com's Doug Fox dis

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 8-4 loss to the Royals to wrap the series. They take your calls, and get to the shortest outing of Yusei Kikuchi's career in Kansas City. They discuss whether or not he can recapture a better form, the miscues from Raimel Tapia in the sun (despite cranking a massive home run), and also break down the lineup itself with some dangerous batters on the bench. 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' 7-0 win over the Royals, their second straight shutout. They take your calls,  and break down Alek Manoah's night that saw him complete six innings of work despite having to grind most of the game. They discuss Alejandro Kirk's four-hit night and how his defensive play has improved, Santiago Espinal's All-Star-level play, Bradley Zimmer's place on this roster, and Bo Bichette getting on base five times. 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.

On today's edition of Jays Talk Plus, Blake Murphy debuts “Explain it Black” with Blue Jays Producer Chris Black and analyst Joe Siddall! They look back on the signs that indicated Kevin Gausman could be tipping his splitter, and weigh-in on Alejandro Kirk’s red-hot bat and what to look for in tonight’s game against the Royals with Alek Manoah on the mound (03:08). FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens joins Blake to break down about some nifty stats, what they mean and how they apply to the Blue Jays, before discussing his latest piece on Adam Cimber's slider usage against lefties (27:45). Later on, Blake opens up his mailbag to answer your questions, and takes a closer look at the Angels' managerial situation with Joe Maddon out the door (51:59). Next up, the Athletic's Kaitlyn McGrath chats about Danny Jansen's season, the Jays' surplus at the catcher position, and helps get us set for Game 2 against the Royals tonight (01:15:49)! The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests an

Sho Alli breaks down the Blue Jays' 8-0 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium! He takes your texts, and gets into the five innings of one-hit ball from Ross Stripling as he rejoins the starting rotation. He discusses the value of having a player like Stripling be able to go from the bullpen to the rotation and back again, and Alejandro Kirk perhaps still being undervalued despite his recent contributions. Plus, a conversation on Santiago Espinal's continued climb up the list of favourite Blue Jays, and if Nate Pearson can return to the pitching room any time soon. 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.

On your Monday edition of Jays Talk Plus, Blake Murphy revisits the Blue Jays' weekend series with the Twins, Kevin Gausman's rough start yesterday, and George Springer's record setting season from the lead off spot (00:55). Ben Nicholson-Smith then joins to establish the Toronto Blue Jays Concern and Confidence Index, including Hyun-Jin Ryu's injury, the rotation going forward, Alejandro Kirk's All-Star case, and the need for an additional lefty bat (21:36). Later on, Senior writer from FanGraphs Dan Szymborski chats about the Royals' falloff since their World Series victory in 2012, the ongoing issues in the organization's re-building process, and the FanGraphs projections for this upcoming series (50:43). Finally, former Blue Jays catcher Caleb Joseph joins to talk break down Gausman's latest outing, before sharing his expectations for Ross Stripling on the mound tonight and thoughts on the Bo-Vladdy infield cross-up Sunday (01:14:46). Finally, Blake gets you set for tonight's game with the lineups and not

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 8-6 loss to the Twins at Rogers Centre to wrap up the series. They take your calls and texts, and ask the question: was Kevin Gausman tipping pitches or was it simply a bad game? They debate the idea that Gausman needs to rely more on some of his non-splitter pitches, discuss the lack of sunglasses and whether or not that contributed to the defensive miscues early on, and get to the offensive performances of George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, and 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.

Blake Murphy breaks down the Blue Jays' 12-3 win over the Twins at Rogers Centre! He takes your calls and texts, and gets into the terrific start from José Berríos, a seven-inning, 13-strikeout performance vs. his former team. He also discusses the bombs from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, and Bo Bichette, and also gets to the bullpen getting a break with the strong performance from Berríos. 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' 9-3 loss to the Twins at Rogers Centre, snapping the win streak at eight. He takes your calls and texts, gets into the short start from Yusei Kikuchi, and if there's cause for concern. He discusses the bullpen being stressed with no Tim Mayza, and whether or not there are some minor leaguers that could make their way to the majors before the end of the season. Plus, a conversation on some left-handed bats that could be available via trade, and whether or not Alejandro Kirk should be on the block. 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.