Blue Jays Talk

Blake Murphy is joined by Chris Black and Joe Siddall for another edition of "Explain It Black" as they touch on Alek Manoah's first bad start of the season to begin Toronto's West Coast trip, if a drop in Manoah's velocity is a concern, catchers framing pitches, and if Yusei Kikuchi should continue to throw cutters within his pitching arsenal (01:53). Next, FanGraphs' Dan Szymborski discusses the race in the AL East being dominated by the Yankees, how Hyun-jin Ryu's injury affects the Jays' playoff projections, and how he would handle carrying three catchers at a time (27:52). Then, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith stops by to give out grades for the team at the halfway point of the season, look back at Alejandro Kirk's emergence, and discuss Jose Berrios inconsistency (50:14). Finally, the guys share their wish lists for the second half, who could be the biggest swing piece for the rest of the season and the top targets the team should eye ahead of the trade deadline (01:13:34). The views and opinions expres