Blue Jays Talk

Sho Alli and Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 5-3 win over the Guardians to even the series at one game apiece! They take your calls and texts, and get to the second career save for Louis Varland, who (despite some traffic) slammed the door to wrap up the win - why is the ninth inning so different for relievers? They get into Kazuma Okamoto's big game, including a home run and a bases loaded walk - if he can look like this more consistently, what could that do for the offence? Plus, they discuss Kevin Gausman's 6.2 IP of two-run ball, Ernie Clement continuing to churn out hits, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s lack of home run production. 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 Daniele Franceschi break down the Blue Jays' 8-6 loss vs. the Guardians in the series opener. They take your calls and texts, and get right to Max Scherzer allowing seven earned runs over 2.1 IP - should he have been pulled sooner to give the waking bats a chance? What is his role going forward if he can't be a member of the starting rotation with Trey Yesavage and José Berríos on their way back, and has even Patrick Corbin earned a role over him? Plus, they debate the year Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is having when it comes to power expectations, discuss a long solo bomb from Kazuma Okamoto, and check in on Nathan Lukes who departed early with an injury. 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' 7-3 loss vs. the Angels to wrap up the road trip in California. They take your calls and texts, and get into the outing from Eric Lauer - was there anything to the tape that was on his neck amidst a low-velo start? What does the future look like for Lauer with reinforcements on their way for both the rotation and bullpen? They also discuss the offence, as Nathan Lukes and Ernie Clement both played starring roles in the seventh inning - can they keep this up? Plus, they discuss Braydon Fisher's late meltdown, the roles of both Louis Varland and Jeff Hoffman, and the ongoing development of Kazuma Okamoto. 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 Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 4-2 win over the Angels to win their second series of the year! They take your calls and texts, and get right to the end of the game, as Jeff Hoffman loads the bases and was lifted for Louis Varland, who notched his first major league save - what is Hoffman's role if it's not a high leverage one? They also discuss Patrick Corbin's five innings of one-run ball - could he see another start in the rotation going forward? Plus, they get into the offence, including Eloy Jiménez and Lenyn Sosa providing all the offence - what is their future with the team once reinforcements arrive? 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 Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 5-2 win over the Angels to open the three-game series in Anaheim! They take your calls and texts, and get to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s two-run bomb off Reid Detmers early on - how important is it for him to continue to lead the way offensively? They also chat about Nathan Lukes' pinch-hit RBI single, the baserunning from Myles Straw, and 12 Ks for Dylan Cease on 110 pitches over five innings of work. Plus, they get to the bullpen usage - is Jeff Hoffman still going to be in the mix for closer going forward after slamming the door for his third save of the year? 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 Kaitlyn McGrath break down the Blue Jays' 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks to wrap up the series in Arizona! They take your calls and texts, and get right to the eight runs scored in the top of the first inning - how important was it for Nathan Lukes and Kazuma Okamoto to have breakthrough games (especially with the bases loaded)? They discuss the outing for Kevin Gausman, who had some velo issues early on but still went six strong innings - was the velo fluctuation simply because he sat for so long after a long top of the first? Plus, they discuss the bullpen circle of trust, get into what a lineup could like against lefty Reid Detmers in Anaheim, and hear from Lukes himself on his recent diagnosis of vertigo. 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 Kaitlyn McGrath break down the Blue Jays' 6-2 loss vs. the Diamondbacks in Arizona to lose the series, their sixth straight series loss. They take your calls and texts, and get right to Jeff Hoffman loading the bases with none out in the eighth inning, only to promptly give up a grand slam to Corbin Carroll. After already being removed from the closer role, what else can be done? Is he completely out of the circle of trust, and what other leverage spots can he pitch in at this point? They also discuss the offence providing 12 hits but only one extra-base hit, and get to Max Scherzer delivering six innings of two-run ball on just 74 pitches. 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' 6-3 loss vs. the Diamondbacks to start the series in Arizona. He takes your texts, and gets right to the Daulton Varsho injury in the third inning - how has the team continued to sustain such a huge amount of injuries this early in the year? Is it time to panic? He also discusses the team's uncharacteristic errors, including a tough one from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the outing from Eric Lauer, the appearances from Spencer Miles and Joe Mantiply, the first home run of the season for Myles Straw, and another hard game for Kazuma Okamoto. 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 loss vs. the Brewers to lose the series, their fifth straight series loss. They take your calls and texts, and get right to the bats staying quiet for a second straight game. Was this Brandon Sproat looking good, or does this fall solely on the Jays offence? Should Vladimir Guerrero Jr. shoulder some more blame for not having as much power as expected so far amidst a variety of injuries? Plus, they get into the outing for Patrick Corbin, chat the bullpen's usage, and debate the brief dustup with Trevor Megill. 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 loss vs. the Brewers in Milwaukee to even this series at one game apiece. They take your calls and texts, and get right to the eighth inning - is that just a tough luck outcome with Tyler Rogers on the mound, or does Brandon Valenzuela wear some of that as well? The offence produced just one run and five hits - what was behind Nathan Lukes batting leadoff and Kazuma Okamoto at DH? Plus, they discuss Dylan Cease allowing no runs over six innings of work - if he manages to be more efficient with his pitch count going forward, could he continue to go deep into 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.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 9-7 win vs. the Brewers to kick off the three-game series in Milwaukee! They take your calls and texts, and get right to the job Louis Varland did to save the game in both the ninth and tenth - should he get a shot at the closer job over Jeff Hoffman? They get into the six runs scored in the last two innings, and discuss the heroics from Andrés Giménez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Myles Straw. Plus, Kazuma Okamoto both scored some runs and committed a late error - is he close to looking more consistent 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.

On the latest edition of Jays Talk: Field Access, Blue Jays radio play-by-play voice Ben Shulman chats with submariner Tyler Rogers (2:02) and former Blue Jays All-Star (now Dodgers utility player) Santiago Espinal (6:38). Afterwards, Sho Alli chats with Jays first base coach/outfield coach Mark Budzinski (10:37). 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 Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 8-2 loss vs. Twins, their fourth (not third) straight series loss. They take your calls and texts, and discuss the starters vs. the bullpen - can the team continue to sustain elite bullpen pitching when a good chunk of the rotation can't make it past the first few innings? They get into Max Scherzer specifically - were there any underlying results that looked good after allowing eight earned runs? Plus, they discuss Daulton Varsho, Ernie Clement and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. each with three hits, the continued struggles for Kazuma Okamoto and Nathan Lukes, and get into the season debut of Eloy Jiménez. 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 Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 7-4 loss vs. the Twins to even the series at one game apiece. They take your texts, and discuss the two Jays arms who pitched in this game, Eric Lauer and Spencer Miles. How much credit does Miles deserve for saving the entire bullpen in the loss, and did Eric Lauer deserve a better fate despite allowing all seven Twins runs in that fateful third inning? They also get into George Springer departing the game with a fractured left big toe - if he is forced to miss time, is Eloy Jiménez the natural callup? Plus, they chat both the good and bad from Daulton Varsho, the early season struggles for Nathan Lukes, and Jesús Sánchez clubbing a home run in the ninth. 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' 10-4 win vs. the Twins to kick off the three-game series in Toronto! They take your calls and texts, and get to the bats waking up, including Brandon Valenzuela going yard for the first time in his MLB career, and Daulton Varsho smoking a solo home run as well. They discuss the relievers looking solid - with guys like Joe Mantiply, does John Schneider have more options to go to the bullpen? Plus, they get into Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continuing to heat up, and Patrick Corbin making his Blue Jays debut. 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 Dodgers to wrap up the series in Toronto! They take your calls and texts, and get right to the bullpen holding it down after Dylan Cease departed with the bases loaded and nobody out - where do Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, and Jeff Hoffman exist within the circle of trust? They discuss the offence, including some late runs from George Springer and Daulton Varsho, and Davis Schneider scoring on a Dodgers eighth inning error. Plus, we hear from John Schneider and Dylan Cease himself. 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' 4-1 loss vs. the Dodgers as they lose their sixth straight game and third straight series. They take your calls and texts, and discuss the offence no-showing again, including zero runs with the bases loaded and nobody out - despite the opposing pitcher being Yoshinobu Yamamoto, what can the team do to snap out of this offensive funk? They get into some more uncharacteristic errors, discuss the bullpen's performance, and also chat about Kevin Gausman making his third start of the season. 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' 14-2 loss vs. the Dodgers in the series opener at the Rogers Centre. They take your calls and texts, and get right to the short outing for Max Scherzer - after hearing about the forearm tendonitis, what could that mean for the rotation going forward? They get into another listless outing for the offence as well - even with a bug going around the clubhouse, do the bats deserve some blame? 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 Daniele Franceschi break down the Blue Jays' 3-0 loss vs. the White Sox to wrap up a series sweep in Chicago. They take your calls and texts, and discuss the offence - even if it is still early, are there warning signs as the offence continues to sputter? They get into tough starts for Nathan Lukes and Addison Barger, who left the game due to injury, and also chat about Kazuma Okamoto's up-and-down start to the season - even with a high K rate, what is the level of confidence in Okamoto's game? Plus, they chat about the bullpen - does it still need more velo, and what is there to be made of Joe Mantiply? 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 Jesse Rubinoff break down the Blue Jays' 6-3 loss vs. the White Sox to cap a second straight series loss. They take your calls and texts, and get right to Tyler Heineman's mental errors - what will the playing time for him look like given the call-up of Brandon Valenzuela? They also discuss Brendon Little's meltdown in the sixth - with an option remaining, is it finally time for him to try and solve the issues in the minors? Why was he brought in on back-to-back days? Plus, they discuss the usage of Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hitting his first dinger of the year, and Lazaro Estrada providing the bullpen with four innings of relief 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.