Jays Talk Plus: Searching for Offence & the Real Alek Manoah

Jays Talk Plus: Moreno Palooza: 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 by Blue Jays Talk

98 min listen

Does Santiago Espinal Need More Playing Time?: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 4-1 win over the Athletics down at Rogers Centre! They take your calls, and get into the start from Ross Stripling, the dependability from Yimi Garcia, and another stellar performance from Jordan Romano. Plus, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits another home run, Santiago Espinal gets intentionally walked, and Zack Collins gets his first RBI as a Blue Jay. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate. by Blue Jays Talk

41 min listen

Manoah, Defence Shine in the Bronx: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 3-0 win over the Yankees in the Bronx! They take your calls, and discuss the terrific start by Alek Manoah, who returns to the site of his major league debut and tosses six shutout innings of one hit ball. They also get to the great defence on the infield, including from Bo Bichette, Santiago Espinal, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and break down the three runs coming off the bat of George Springer. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

72 min listen

Putting Away the Brooms in Houston: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 8-7 walk-off loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston. They take your calls, and break down the start from Yusei Kikuchi - which included five walks - and discuss how much of the final result can be laid at the feet of Jordan Romano. They also get into a discussion on Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hitting his first home run of the year, throwing out Brantley at third base, and Bo Bichette's defensive capabilities. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

22 min listen

The Bats Run Cold in New York: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 4-0 loss to the Yankees in New York. They take your calls, discuss Yusei Kikuchi's first start landing as a dud, and the starting rotation's potential as a whole. They also get into the catching situation with Danny Jansen on the IL, what Alejandro Kirk is made of, and what the next moves are there when Kirk isn't behind the plate. Plus, a conversation on Bo Bichette's struggles at the plate to start 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 Media Inc. or any affiliate. by Blue Jays Talk

34 min listen

The Offence Runs Dry vs. Red Sox: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 7-1 loss to the Red Sox at Rogers Centre. They take your calls, and they discuss the issue with runners in scoring position, and the bullpen being less effective as of late...are they being overtaxed? Plus, a discussion on Ross Stripling's place in this lineup and whether or not he should be a more regular part of the rotation going forward, even after Hyun-jin Ryu returns. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

38 min listen

Yankees Split Series vs. Blue Jays: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays 3-0 loss to the Yankees and touch on Teoscar Hernandez missing tonight's game, Matt Chapman's night off till his pinch-hit in the 9th, Kevin Gausman and Luis Severino start, and Alejandro Kirk filling in for Danny Jansen behind the plate. Plus, we take your calls to chat about the lineup juggling with the team dealing with injuries early in the season, and if there are any concerns with Cavan Biggio. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

32 min listen

Runs at a Premium on a Chilly Night at Fenway: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 2-1 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. They take your calls, and get into the start from Yusei Kikuchi, and discuss if his play has changed your mind on the lefty. They also chat about Bo Bichette's defence, the late game error, and the performance from the bullpen. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

26 min listen

Manoah Hurls Six Strong Innings: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 4-3 win over the Athletics to take the series! They take your calls, and discuss the six-inning performance from Alek Manoah along with his continued development as one of the Blue Jays top pitchers, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. getting comfortable in the cleanup spot. Plus, a discussion on the inconsistent strike zone and the (eventual) coming of robot umpires. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate. by Blue Jays Talk

35 min listen

Long Live the Plakata King: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-4 win over the Yankees in New York! They take your calls, and discuss the monster night from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who launched three home runs in the Bronx. They get into the plays from George Springer and Matt Chapman, the outing from Jose Berrios and the bullpen, and break down the injury to Teoscar Hernandez including the ripple effects in the outfield and 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 Media Inc. or any affiliate. by Blue Jays Talk

30 min listen

Runners in Scoring Position Woes Continue: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-5 loss to the Guardians at Progressive Field. They take your texts, get into the suboptimal (to say the least) start from José Berríos, and dive into the hitting issues with runners in scoring position. They break down the batting order, question if Teoscar Hernandez's potential return in a few days would help solve those problems, and discuss scheduled days off for players like George Springer. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

35 min listen

Gausman Spins a Gem to Wrap the Series: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 3-2 win over the Red Sox at Fenway to take the series! They (briefly) take your calls, and get into Kevin Gausman's start that took him into the ninth inning, including his nasty splitter. They also discuss the defence shown on the bases to keep the Red Sox off the boards for most of the game, and Bo Bichette knocking in a run. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

13 min listen

Bo My Goodness: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-2 win over the Red Sox at Rogers Centre. They take your calls, and discuss Bo Bichette's monster grand slam to break the game open in the eighth inning, and the terrific start from Jose Berrios that saw him cruise through seven innings. They break down the Bradley Zimmer bunt that helped to load the bases for Bo's grand salami, and how the bullpen needs more starts to give them some rest in a busy stretch 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. by Blue Jays Talk

26 min listen

A Springer Dinger Saturday: Sho Alli and Blake Murphy break down the Blue Jays' 2-1 win over the Astros at Rogers Centre! They take your calls and texts, and discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s show of frustration with some questionable strike calls, and Charlie Montoyo getting ejected to protect his star player. They also chat about Bo Bichette's struggles at the plate, whether or not there was a glimmer of light for Bo today, and break down the start from Jose Berrios who worked around trouble all game long. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

57 min listen

Are You Worried About Bo or Kikuchi?: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 11-7 loss to the Astros at Rogers Centre. They take your calls, and discuss the struggles for Yusei Kikuchi against the Astros lineup. They also get into the idea that it might be time to move Bo Bichette down the lineup, how the batting order might be shuffled if that does happen, and whether or not it would actually change anything. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

30 min listen

The Marvelous Manoah Dazzles Again: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays 1-0 win over the Red Sox at Rogers Centre! They take your calls, and discuss another sterling start from Alek Manoah, a seven-inning outing to wrap things vs. Boston. They break down the lone RBI coming off the bat of Alejandro Kirk, and debate who would get the ball for a must-win game between Manoah, Kevin Gausman, and Jose Berrios. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

31 min listen

Tapia Goes Deep in Boston: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-1 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park to even the series. They break down the home run from Raimel Tapia - his first as a Blue Jay - and get into Bo Bichette's 300th hit. Plus, a discussion on Trevor Richards' fastball, Jose Berrios going six strong, and George Springer avoiding a major injury after getting hit by a pitch on his forearm. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

32 min listen

Tapia, Springer Provide the Heroics: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-5 walk-off win vs. the Red Sox at Rogers Centre! They take your calls, and discuss the Raimel Tapia sacrifice fly to win it in extras alongside the George Springer game-tying home run in the ninth. Plus, a discussion on the bullpen's role in tonight's game, Jordan Romano slamming the door in the tenth, and Kevin Gausman having the nastiest pitch in baseball. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

33 min listen

Santia-Go Ahead!: Sho Alli and Julia Kreuz recap the Blue Jays 3-2 victory over the Astros and chat about Santiago Espinal's hot bat, his future in the infield, Alek Manoah's outing in Houston, the way Toronto is winning these 1-run games, Ryan Borucki's season debut, Charlie Montoyo hitting his 200th win as their manager and much more! 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. by Blue Jays Talk

44 min listen

Espinal and Zimmer Light It Up: Sho Alli and Julia Kreuz recap the Blue Jays 4-3 win over the Astros in their series opener and touch on Jordan Romano's performance as a closer, the bullpen's outing after Ross Stripling's start including Trent Thornton, Santiago Espinal's defensive plays, Justin Verlander's start, Bradley Zimmer's first hit and home run and much more! 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. by Blue Jays Talk

29 min listen

Kikuchi Bounces Back vs. Yankees: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 2-1 win over the Yankees at Rogers Centre! They take your texts, and get into the performance from Yusei Kikuchi, a six-inning start - his best as a Toronto Blue Jay. They also get into Matt Chapman and his glove, the bounce back game from Yimi Garcia, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doing the splits to wrap up the action. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

17 min listen

Another Shortened Outing for Ryu: Sho Alli breaks down the Blue Jays' 7-5 loss to the Athletics down at Rogers Centre. He gets into the short stint on the mound for Hyun-jin Ryu and whether or not that's something to be concerned about, plus a potential injury update on the lefty from Charlie Montoyo. Afterwards, he discusses Montoyo getting ejected and the reaction at the ballpark, the inconsistent strike zone, and what to make of Julian Merryweather. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate. by Blue Jays Talk

30 min listen

A Seventh Inning Meltdown at Rogers Centre: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 9-1 loss to the Yankees at Rogers Centre. They take your texts, and they get to the two controversial calls in the seventh inning, including the no-call on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the rundown on Marwin Gonzalez. They discuss the error from Bo Bichette, and the continuing issues with runners in scoring position. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

27 min listen

Stripling Saves the Day in the Ninth: Sho Alli and Ben Nicholson-Smith break down the Blue Jays' 6-5 win over the Angels! They take your calls and texts, get into the decision to pitch Jordan Romano for a third straight day, and Ross Stripling coming in to shut the door in the ninth inning. They discuss the luck of Matt Chapman, who finally had one fall his way in the eighth, and another deep flyout by Danny Jansen. Plus, Sho and Ben debate the call to use Julian Merryweather in a high leverage situation, and whether or not that should (or will) happen again 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. by Blue Jays Talk

25 min listen

Splitting the Doubleheader in Cleveland: Sho Alli and Julia Kreuz break down the Blue Jays doubleheader in Cleveland, a 8-3 win and a 8-2 loss. They take your calls and texts, discuss the starts from Kevin Gausman and Ross Stripling, and break down the return of Teoscar Hernandez. They also chat about whether or not the bottom-of-the-order production is sustainable, Bradley Zimmer's offensive issues, the base-running issues in Game 2, and the bullpen still being fresh to support Alek Manoah as he wraps things up in Cleveland. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

62 min listen

Bo Hitter > No Hitter: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 3-2 win over the Astros at Rogers Centre! They take your calls, and discuss another terrific start from Kevin Gausman, and break down Bo Bichette driving in a home run to break up the Houston no-hitter. Plus, a discussion on whether or not this team can reach 100 wins, George Springer's terrific catch to preserve the lead in the ninth, and Santiago Espinal bringing some pop to the bottom of the lineup. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

47 min listen

Pushing the Right Bench and Bullpen Buttons: Sho Alli and Ben Nicholson-Smith break down the Blue Jays' 4-3 win over the Angels! They take your texts, and discuss Charlie Montoyo pushing the right buttons with both pinch-hitters and the bullpen to grab the victory. They get to the performances of Yimi Garcia and Trevor Richards, and discuss the very impressive season that Alek Manoah continues to author. Plus, a discussion on Nate Pearson and whether or not he can be a good addition to the bullpen upon his eventual return. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

23 min listen

Manoah Busts Out the Brooms for a Sweep: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 8-3 win over the White Sox at Rogers Centre! They take your calls, and get into yet another terrific performance from Alek Manoah that saw him go deep once more - where does your confidence fall whenever Manoah is on the mound? They discuss the bats staying hot, Santiago Espinal providing some insurance late amidst a good game, and Matt Chapman's defensive prowess. Plus, could there be a trade in the starting rotation with Hyun-jin Ryu on the IL? 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. by Blue Jays Talk

32 min listen

Kikuchi Shoves vs. Former Team: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker breaks down the Blue Jays' 6-2 win over the Mariners down at Rogers Centre. They take your calls, and break down the terrific start from Yusei Kikuchi vs. his former team. They discuss Bo Bichette with a three hit night at the plate, including a home run, and Matt Chapman also clobbering a solo homer as well. Plus, a discussion on Jordan Romano being unavailable, Tim Mayza heading to the IL, and who gets the high leverage innings out of the bullpen. 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. by Blue Jays Talk

32 min listen

Berríos, Springer Power Jays to Shutout Win: Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 3-0 win over the Mariners at Rogers Centre. They take your calls, and discuss the José Berríos start that saw him go seven strong innings without allowing a run. They get into his fastball and whether or not this was the best start of the season for Berríos, and also chat the bats beginning to wake up, including the Springer triple (the first of the season for the entire 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. by Blue Jays Talk

35 min listen

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Jays Talk Plus: Searching for Offence & the Real Alek Manoah

Jays Talk Plus: Searching for Offence & the Real Alek Manoah

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