Jeff Blair & Kevin Barker react to the Blue Jays’ 9-2 blowout win against the Yankees. John Schneider discusses why he continues to believe in Springer and Ross Atkins giving him a vote of confidence. The guys empty out their voicemail in the latest edition of Friday’s Back Leg Line, Bryan Hoch discusses how Gerrit Cole has looked since his return and more on the Yankees.
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0:00 – Jays Rout Yankees
23:37 – John Schneider on George Springer & Ross Atkins’ Comments
49:15 – Back Leg Line!
1:15:36 – Bryan Hoch on Gerrit Cole, Gleyber Torres & Luis Gil
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#MLB #Baseball #BlueJays #Yankees
hey we’re back welcome back to Blen Barker s shocked no happy can well I’m just I mean I came in here there’s nobody in here today no you know almost think it was a long weekend something yeah punted tell you what good thing they got us us and the hockey guys the hockey guys Monday they got like 7even hours or something seven hours what’s wrong with that free agent signing yeah it’s crazy I mean it never ends doeses it it just doesn’t it’s a year round no you could literally turn it on Sportsnet and there’s hockey 24 hours seven days a week hockey and soccer never said soccer guys got like a week off and then they’re playing in the World Cup and then they’re going on a tour of of you know their team takes them on a tour someplace H same thing with hockey guys guys will go up to the cottage for a week and then they’ll be back doing their off iceam it’s crazy they earn their money good for them it’s crazy sort of like Get Well they need to get them a better unions they need that’s what they need uh hey my blue jays n92 winners over the Yankees last night how about that well is the one guy in this city who has stand who stood up for George Springer all along I am well other than the manager of the Blue Jays who joins us by the way later on in the show um I I am I think he took offense to you too by asking the question or or stating that he was the only individual that the interviews being well you’re going to tell him anyway what difference it make way to go they like they’re not going to know no they don’t need to know what goes on behind the curtain here oh dumbass I don’t think you can say that to me anyhow I don’t think you can George Springer had himself a uh month last night two that’s facts two home runs six RBI before the end of the second inning the Jay scored five runs before they got uh before they recorded an out against Carlos rad on the Yankees Marcus strowman to the night against kuchi the Yankees yeah look awful that lineup was woof woof yeah like it’s it’s other than the two Behemoth I there’s a lot of 126 and 163 batting averages you didn’t really you don’t really notice it I think when those two dudes are hitting but when they’re not like all the time hitting every pet and then there somebody else has to step up like on a travel day where you have a rain delay and you play late at night and you get in at 6:30 like that other other people are having to play it’s I mean Brian Cashman might have a little bit more to do on what people thought well you know I listen Sunday Garrett Cole scheduled start against Kevin Gosman I think will be will’ll be watched keenly uh keenly in New York I see the Yankees lineup isn’t out yet uh they’ll be watched keenly in New York you know it’s it’s I don’t think anybody’s going to panic but is coming back from an injury well I read that he was saying that he’s throwing every pitch Max effort which he’s not used to doing right normally it’s free and easy 9899 now he’s trying to Max effort in 9192 there it is right the that’s what he was last well you know as well as anybody most of the time when you try and do things a little harder yeah you don’t happen the way you want it to happen so yeah it’s a big deal like I’m not saying the Yankees are in trouble but man I mean I no it make it easier to say that the Orioles are the best team in the American League or the guardian the back leg line by the way is open 416 413 3959 it is a Friday we will be going to the back leg line we mentioned John Schneider joins us at 4:30 Brian hul who covers the Yankees for mlb.com will be along we’ll talk to Brian about uh about the state of the about the state of the Yankees um so George Springer we already we already talked about about George Springer no we didn’t really uh no but we mentioned what he did wanted to ask you uh and I know that well you’ve already given away I know the general man or the manager gets asked this as well I’m going to ask you as a guy who played all of a sudden he can handle vo yeah why well that’s that the obvious thing he’s looking for it I mean how many 165 against the breaking ball 150 against the off speed do you have to be before you go uh oh maybe I don’t like the offspeed pitch or the breaking ball right now maybe I simplify this thing always look fastball I mean he hadit a one-two fast ball for Homer I mean he’s he’s obviously looking for it and for me anyway do do you think George is capable of looking breaking ball adjusting to 96 or 97 not a chance is the answer it’s got to be the other way around so I just think how easy it looks how he’s got a little bit lean back right he’s going back l City on them things like right and that means the barrels got to be out in front of your body to be able to do that to get to that little uppercut finish that everybody wants to get to to get the ball on the air and to do it on 96 means you got to be looking for it and the only question I got to ask is what’s taking you so long like it’s obviously not the that you can’t obviously it was with what the way we’ve seen him look the last whatever many days would almost tell you that the approaches of whoever he’s trying to talk to and himself before he actually gets to the plate is awful like it’s just let’s just not lie about it like you see the that he took the in Boston and now he’s hitting these fast balls in the air to the P side like man like it just seems to me like in his approach thing and was 434 ft well we know he’s an educated guesser we know that for a fact like he goes up he tries to he tries to guess on a lot of things that’s why you see him chasing breaking balls that are not even close a lot of guys who guess breaking ball with going to swing at it no matter where it’s at and I think sometimes in those at bats that look awful and look like me and you at the plate that’s sort of the the approach and I just get back to that somebody walk up to him and go you’re hitting 165 and 150 like you right now you’re having trouble with something that spins or a change up or any other thing that’s not a fast ball how about we just simplify it be on time for velocity and then maybe you can adjust and hit a hanging slider to right field backspin for a homer it’s those kind of things so that’s the only question I have why is it taking two and a half months do you think that George is in the process of um understanding what he has to do at this point in his career look this is a guy who’s had a lot of success um this is a guy got the big contract this is a guy had a lot of expectations on him and I’m just wondering if maybe and and I think quite frankly I think he’s a prideful guy as I think most of these guys are I’m just wondering if maybe at some point it’s almost as if and this is a small sample size I I get this let’s you know let’s let this run for a bit sure but I’m just wondering if a guy kind of realizes you know I’m not what I was I don’t I don’t care what what you know the paychecks I’m not what I was this is what I have to do to contribute to a team on a day-to-day basis I got the defensive aspect handled like I’ve got that handled so what can I do to make myself some sort of offensive factor is that possible yeah let’s be honest I think there’s some unknowns for people that that when you see the guys leave from Houston that went away from the banging are they any good or not like that that’s the thing right I mean if I know what’s coming I can cheat a little bit and get the head out and use the Crawford box right I can do things to things that if I didn’t and have to be more mechanically perfect and the eyes directing the barrel to different quadrants what you know I’d have to earn those things I think sometimes it’s sort of is he as good as everybody says he is and I just think seeing this pull 96 and 97 in the air the way he has as you mentioned at the at the distance that he pulled him to I why would you overthink it Jeff like everybody in baseball throws hard damn near everybody like n i mean Basset might be the least hardest thrower in baseball and then there’s everybody else everybody else throws 96 97 why do I think I’m the only guy can go up and consistently educate guests on breaking balls are off speed pitches that are away and I think sometimes you just get to a certain age and you get to a certain batting average that tells you maybe we’ve been overthinking this thing and again I know it’s rocket science and every time we ask somebody that matters with the Blue Jays they won’t let the cat out of the bag about you know we seeing something that everybody else ain’t seeing okay and I even asked John that I mean do it just come down to being a simple as he throws hard I’m going to look for something hard and I’m going to get it ready to hit and it gives me a better chance to be successful maybe that’s what it is maybe you don’t need five hitting coaches or nine whatever how many hitting coaches they got so vlad’s on a heater y 11 RBI in his last four games that’s the most since guess who had 11 RBI Springer in six games nope RBI 11 RBI nope ryal Tapia yeah I never get that yeah I wouldn’t either but that’s the beauty of reading the game notes um you shot right there what you took a shot at me right there no no I’m saying I no no no I wouldn’t either I just I literally was reading the game notes that’s what I’m saying oh I no no no I think you did a little no that was not a shot sound just like you threw a grenade my way you know me know I like Ry read The Game notes no no no I said no no no not at all Friday I’m frisky today just telling you I got a little bit of a cold too I think yeah thanks for that well I’m I’m far away from you so you’re okay drinking tea what would you get did you get Joe Biden’s cold man did you see that last night holy the world the world’s in a the world is in a good spot let me tell you I’ll tell you what you know what if I was running a sports franchise right now I might go all in and winning my title this year cuz there may not be a 2025 regular season F that’s like that’s like things you you think it’s a joke like somebody’s gonna jump out and go I thought it was a Saturday night life SK what is Happ any what is and you thought I was the dimmest old man in the world tell you I got through about seven minutes of that I got I got through about uh you know I’m a I’m a what they were talking about their golf gam it’s like someone had someone had a great idea I know this is a this is a tangent but what the hell is Friday it’s not a tangent I think I think instead of having the world’s screwed I I think instead of having an election you should just let them play 18 holes maybe both maybe they’ll both get hit by lightning or something and then if you got through all two hours of that you should be paid watching that thing seven minutes I got John John Stewart came on you know John Stewart show I was watching it last night he said for God’s sake someone give both of these guys peeds anyhow enough about politics enough about politics uh Justin Turner uh 353 oh he’s you know a bit of a heater five I heater five right he’s 18 for 51 what I’m saying is Vlad Turner Springer like the the guy right now that really really needs to get up and get it going is the lead off hitter funny every name that you mentioned there is hitting the fastball I mean it is it is really it is really that you could sit around in a room full of khakis and everybody trying to spew 75 different answers on how to hit a baseball when it’s real simple I got a bunch of guys throwing a bazillion let’s turn this into a negative it’s not a negative I’m just saying took shot I’m saying you just mentioned three names that everybody’s been begging for to be hot all at the same time and they’re all doing the same thing Jeff at the same time that’s that’s all it was it was an unnecessary shot at the I’m with you I’m with you the B the B is very interesting because again it seems to me like now I can’t speak to his what where he’s at mentally I have no idea you surprised that he was that open when he the last him no I think Bo is what Bo is you know I it just doesn’t seem like B’s happy to me I again I’m not going to speak for Bo because I have no idea just I know by a swing that some something’s up mechanically he’s not buying into some some kind of approach we all know he’s very aggressive but it’s very rare that we see Bo Miss as many good pitches as we’ve seen in Miss yeah that’s true right it’s it’s so something’s up there whether it’s again now we all know he kicks it to his ear and he wraps it and like there’s a lot has to happen for him to find the barrel to the baseball like a lot has to go on there we have no idea why it’s not going on the way it’s supposed to be going on we just know it ain’t how do you fix it I don’t think you can move him around in the order anymore like sooner or later it’s got to have to be one of those moments where he’s one of our guys we’re goingon to leave him here uh this is the Yankees lineup by the way vulp stto judge Davis at first base Torres Verdugo lahu Travino and Jones yeah you say he going to have to make good pitches command’s going to have to be good and the spin on that secondary stuff’s going to have to be better don’t throw down the midddle yeah yeah look I I think Bo can only figure out what’s going on with Bo but Bo’s very hard to talk about because all the mechanical things that are happening for him to be successful right I mean he’s a free swinger most people can’t swing at what he does and be successful he has been but can he be when he’s going like this that’s the question like normally when you’re going bad mechanically and mentally you got one a swing you ain’t got five or six in one at bat you got one most people that’s why I everybody says when you’re struggling hone in make that little tiny box that you want to swing at really super small that forces you to be on time with everything right to allow you to hit the baseball hard and have it go where you ultimately want it to go or end up I just don’t know if he’s that kind of guy so I think only time will tell with him right and there might be something too that Chang the scenery thing I have no idea again I’m I’m not going to speak to that because I don’t talk to Bo enough to know where he’s at mentally and I don’t even know if I care but I I the swing is is something that is I don’t know if a lot of hitting coaches could even teach or talk or like what’s the what’s the what’s the plan with him going in does the plan ever look like a changes that’s the thing you got to ask yourself right I would like to try something different try not swinging at everything I’d like to know who and I I mean this with all due respect to Bo but I’d like to know who he talks to on that staff like I you know I got a pretty good idea but I think I think it’s more than one person like they get passed around I think I think there’s I think when it’s not working you go to another one when it ain’t working you go to another one what if it doesn’t work with any of them it looks like Bo looks now Bo Bo’s led the American League in hits Jeff two two years he knows what he’s very aggressive hitter it seems like he’s not willing to go away from that so if that’s the case it’s those ones that you get down the middle he is he has been getting those he’s either late or he’s out in front of them that’s probably the scariest thing is he’s been getting his pitch absolutely he’ll get them he’ll get them all those pit all those pitchers it’s it’s sort of combating itself by leading him off right because a pitcher now knows you know you trying I understand what John trying to do is forcing a good pitcher to have to make a better pitch early or you will get bridged by a good hitter well they know exactly what we know we don’t have to throw him a strike just don’t throw him one make it look like a strike so it’s it’s going to be interesting to see how he handles this and you know I mean sooner than later something’s got to give with that it’s a pretty big sample of missing stuff and chasing stuff let me uh let me give you some numbers on tonight’s starter for the Yankees Marcus strowman um you know 73’s got a 315 ER 16 starts he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer and 11 of his 16 starts two or fewer in nine of those starts one or fewer in eight of those starts these are earned runs on the road this year he’s 5- one with a 2.18 ER that’s the fourth lowest in the majors the Yankees are seven- one in his Road starts and uh he started twice against the Blue Jays this year with a 159 ER now I talked about this a little bit yesterday with strowman and and I’ve said that I I think this was lowkey one of the best offseason moves any team in baseball made yeah I mean why what is it about what is it about Marcus Strow like that that road record I understand it it depends on your opponents but what do you think it is about Marcus strowman that allows him to have that type of a road record cuz those are in different Parks when a guy has a a great home record sometimes go well one he’s probably playing in a good team that gets a last at bat I’m sure or two he’s very comfortable in the now you got now you got to remember too that little short porch in right field Yankee Stadium you would think because he wants to go to away to righties that would not not that might not be the easiest thing mentally to buy into you turn around and you look at it right it’s you know you make a decent pitch a guy don’t have to have a quality mechanically sound swing to be rewarded for it because of that you may change things up and then you go on the road and you’re like boy it just opened up a plethora of you know quadrants that now I can throw to because if I give up hard contact in the air to Line to Line at this field it’s not going to hurt me as much so I think that and you know again Marcus is a good pitcher I think that too is a big deal right he’s a he’s a pitch down guy right the Sinker the cutter he’s got a little something for both second thej sides second in the majors in ground ball percentage since he’s come into the game not afraid to pitch the contact which is a big deal right his secondary stuff his misses are really good I think the catcher is really good about setting up making sure that he misses where he needs to miss he ain’t a hard thrower hard throwers can’t miss middle of the plate right they can’t get away with that the big league level consistently so you have to be almost perfect with the misses I think that’s it so you know I think that probably Road records a little bit of luck MH but I do think that short portion R has something to do with it tonight he’s going to feed him right as a bunch of stuff away and it’s going to be down I mean he’ll show it to him in occasionally standing him up because he’s a pitcher but he going to try and get you out of way or let you get yourself out away what are the Blue Jays going to do I mean the Blue Jays are coming in here the main guys that matter are hot for the most part do you think they can continue to look fast ball I mean throws three different ones why would I you know it’s why would I look for the split finger why would I look for the slide like everybody else has trouble hitting those so going in until I get to two strikes I’m buying into something straight and I’m going to try and stay in the big part of the field and I’m going to try and catch it out front you can’t see most of these a veteran guy like this who is a ground ball Sinker ball pitcher seeing it up most of the time is not an option option because of his the stats as long as he’s been around it’s rare that he will miss up so I have to beat that pitch to the spot and I got to get length and to my uppercut finish M if I can do that that’s why they say against Seeker ball guys stay in the big part of the field it keeps you square it adds length to your Barrel it keeps the Barrel in The Hitting Zone a long time and then you could release to that uppercut finish will get the ball off the ground into the air which will give you a better chance of having success so I think it’s basically the sort of the recipe that it’s been blooping a bum I mean they got lucky last night with the double that vlat hit down the right field line that little swinging thing that that Turner got the bouncer down sometimes you’d rather be lucky and good but you swing your way into hard Ben rice was at first base last how hard to play is that for first base it’s hard but you got to come get it you can’t you got to come and get it let me ask you I know we’re up against the clock here the play we’re talking about was the bounce literally just kind of rolled down the first basine Let It Go he let it go is there a point where you’ve got to decide to come in and get it the the runner the speed of the runner will tell you what you do with this okay explain that well Turner’s I mean he’s you’re slow yeah he ain’t fast I mean yeah yeah so you can almost let it come to you but once you start seeing it not having the big Hops and know that it’s going to hop over that bag then you got to be aggressive and come and get it so it’s all about like you got to have one eye on the runner and one eye on the ball watching the ball bounce seeing where the runner’s at will tell you what you need to do that again is just when it’s rolling bigger the Hop how fast the runner is yeah that will tell you whether I’m waiting on it or I’m coming to get it most good first baseman will go stand on the bag and just sort of scoop it in front of the bag they won’t let it get to the bag but when you haven’t played there a lot at the big league level that’s good that’s that’s good stuff because I I actually wanted to talk about that on Blue Jay’s talk last night but we had a lot of other stuff to talk about and I was thinking okay when I saw that play Barker’s a perfect guy to talk about CU cuz and and you could tell you can tell when the play was over that he I mean it wasn’t one of those throwing my hands up in the air or anything like that you just it was almost like a learning experience you can see even his teammates nobody was like see I always like putting my my left foot on the bag and sort of scooping it like I would scoop it from a throw from an infielder because I wore my glove on my right hand if I tried to get around that ball that ball would play me and have a tendency to sort of roll around my glove roll up my arm and I’d look silly looked like I never filled a ground ball before so I always like to go over and actually made me think that I was foot on bag stretching to scoop a throw from an infielder just because I wanted to be aggressive with it I wanted to get after that thing from the ground up play the ball be very very aggressive Cecil Cooper used to always tell me the slower it is the more aggressive you want to be towards the baseball you can never go wrong being aggressive it’s good stuff John Schneider is manager of the blue J he’ll join us next again the back leg line is open 416 413 3959 it’s Blair and Barker on sportset 590 the fan on sportset all right 707 will be the first pitch tonight as the Jays and Yankees resume this four game series with our dear friend Marcus strowman on the mound for the Yankees and what yeah and you say kuchi on the mound see how much happier you are when the Jays are hitting homers well yeah I mean oh man 92 wi over the Yan happy that’s the homers even if they were losing still if you’re hitting homers at least you want to tune in and watch your favorite player because he’s hitting bombs yeah it was it was a way more fun was a good game last night but him over nobody wants that I want a back leg City some back leg cities there it is lots of them there go a whole team full always take a trip to back leg Yeah uh John Schneider is manager of the Toronto Blue Jays is he thanks so when did that happen I was going to come on and say still manager of the Toronto Blue J we already cleared that up we did clear that we we did clear that up John Schneider’s manager of the Toronto Blue Jays and he graciously gave us time today and reveled in the fact that he told us a long time ago well four days ago that George Springer was back very pleased to be joined as always on a Friday by John Schneider the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays John uh congratulations on being the only person in the city who had faith in George Springer now you got to tell me what what you were seeing that we weren’t seeing man you guys oh man uh well thank you for one and I’m going to continue to to support him um you know it I’ve said the last couple days even the last week or so it’s just you know numbers are what they are and George understands how his season has gone so far I think you know not everyone um that’s not in the building every day gets to see what he’s doing what he’s working on with the hidden with the hidden group and uh the conversations that are had with myself and the rest of the staff so again um I’m going to continue to have faith in him and every single guy on the roster and last night was a great night for him John it looks to me like it’s very simple he’s looking fastball I mean I look I know you’re not going to tell us and and you shouldn’t but it looks to me like it’s real simple he’s not overthinking this if you’re if John if you’re going to hit 96 and 97 in my mind you got to look for it I think at least the last week or so one through nine looks to me like they made an adjustment they’re looking fastball I don’t know uh yeah I think you know pretty I mean yesterday obviously very very apparent that was our approach against Ron and um that’s been similar to other teams around the league really uh and I thought we did a great job of kind of taking you know being ready for that pitch and kind of taking it away from him and you could see him kind of you know navigate to some cutter slider change UPS as the game went on um but yeah I think George and everyone that’s that’s been an area of focus for us you know for a while just you everyone can sit and look at the numbers of what we were doing against fast balls too and um I think yesterday was a really good example of not only him but a lot of other guys being on time for the fastball and and making some adjustments if you need to uh both missing the good good one swinging at the bad one what are you seeing from him and why do you like him in the leadoff spot I think from him yeah from him um you know layoff is not ideal you know I think it’s tough to get thrown right back into into Big League action without seeing some last pitching for about a week and I think in terms of the of the leadoff spot it it’s obviously it’s been a spot that’s kind of been in flux throughout the year and um you know when again banking on Bo being you know the normal version of himself and I think think he is a a pretty unique example of a guy that can do that without a whole lot of reps so a spot that he’s been in before and comfortable in and I think as he continues to see more pitches and get more ABS under his belt coming off the ilil he’s a guy you want up you know as many times as you can he’s definitely a guy you want up against you know backend pitching and he’s he’s had the ability and obviously still has the ability to hit really good pitching so that’s kind of the think of behind him in the uh in the one hole John uh you know in addition to the nine runs you scored against the Yankees uh last night you’ve now scored five runs in four five or more runs sorry in four consecutive games for the first time since September uh when you had five um is it safe to say that you think this lineup is a little more balanced as well as what you talked about when you know you talked about the approach against rhon do you just see this lineup as it’s constructed as being a little more balanced I think so you know I think that you know guys like Spence and and Barge have come up and and done a nice job of just having pretty consistent at bats you know I think Spence is doing a really good job of getting on base hitting the ball where it’s where it’s pitched and adjusting to where he’s being pitched and you I mean it’s no secret I think over the you know the last handful of days you know you see what George’s done you see what vat’s done and um and you kind of see JT back to his normal self for the most part too so that kind of um allows everyone to do their thing so I think the balance um the balance is good and I think guys are are getting a little you know whether it’s young guys getting more comfortable or guys that have been here and that have been established kind of turning the corner a little bit I think that’s that’s kind of a combination of it and I said you know three weeks ago when these guys came up we’re not asking them to carry us we’re not asking them to do anything you know super human to turn our season around we’re asking those guys to have productive adats and for the guys that we have faith in and that have been really good in this league for a long time to to kind of get back to Norm John how do you get Danny back on track I think with him I mean he’s he’s um he’s such a good fast ball hitter and I think that you know over the past week week and a half facing the same teams in Cleveland and Boston um two teams that don’t throw a lot of fast balls as an organization kind of philosophy wise um being pitched tough and you know not really clicking on the pitches that he should hit whether it’s a fast ball or a breaking ball in his zone so uh with Jan he I mean he knows this and he has to just stick to his strengths he needs to get the ball in the right area he’s going to try to pull it he’s going to try to get it in the air and I think just the last 10 days or so haven’t really he hasn’t really a gotten many pitches to do that with and B if he has um not quite clicking on him so um just want him to be real stubborn with his with his approach that he’s had the last two and a half years or so uh you say he’s coming off of a couple of tough starts how do you get him back with the good fastball command and the good consistent spin yeah I think I think first and foremost it’s got to be consistent spin you know when I think of cooch you know it’s not I mean he yeah his fast ball has been so much better um I don’t think he’s going to be a Greg Maddox type with his fastball command um so I I think it’s it’s Landing the other ones in the right spot you know when he runs into trouble it’s it’s usually breaking balls that are kind of strike to strike as opposed to strike to ball and it’s fast balls that are just middle you know so the fastball command does need to get tightened up a bit but I think um more importantly the slider and the curveball need to be located um especially especially against this top of the order they need to be located properly John uh where are we right now in terms of the the rehab or the recovery for Jimmy Garcia and Jordan Romano I know they were playing they were playing catch today they were seem to be throwing fairly hard um where are we in that in you know in in in the path to their recovery yeah um they’re both it was kind of a lighter day for them yesterday um built into their program today they’re kind of getting back after it they’re throwing um with good intensity out to about 120 ft they’re both throwing flat grounds um after that and you know there’s no time table on them getting off the mount hopefully it’s within the next day or so the next couple days and then from that as long as they feel good keep progressing off the mound and and start getting into some games uh after that but I think that they’re they’re definitely trending in the right direction and uh we’ll know more when they do get off the mountain like I said hopefully hopefully here in a couple days John the second time through with yario Rodriguez what are you seeing that you like what are you seeing that you think maybe if he made this change would make him a little bit more competitive that’s the thing right it’s the non-competitive pitch and the pitch count goes up and you know that’s when you have to make some changes is there anything you like and what’s something you think you you could change to make him a little better yeah I mean kind of hit the nail on the head I think you know command just kind of he lost his command in Cleveland um in the second inning there and um led to high pitch count and drove him out of the game and that was a big area Focus before the rain hit in Boston was you know he’s he’s such he’s such a Savvy pitcher you know he he knows how to pitch and he knows how to mix his pitches I think his split is um really come along well and is it’s turned into a really good pitch for him versus lefties and righties both of them and you know when you think of him you think heater slider um but I think he has when he’s good he has the ability to kind of manipulate both of those pitches whether it’s delivery arm angle um and a little bit of deception and he’s he’s learned it on the Fly and pretty quickly here that um Big League hitters are they’re pretty disciplined you know and they’re they’re not going to they’re not going to budge um non-competitive pitches for sure and then on the ones that are kind of closer to the Zone um you know it’s a little bit tougher to get some Chase when you’re behind in the count so I think getting ahead for one is something we talk about with him and then just filling up the Zone a little bit more because we trust his stuff his stuff is good and he knows how to pitch and he’s not afraid of any situation so getting ahead is is the biggest thing for him and then allowing him to kind of use his his mix and his Savvy to get guys out because balon’s Lanes with the fast barall much better the last couple outings that we’ve seen him is it getting to be a tougher call on who starts those games between him and yl not not at this point you know I think that we’re you know the way we view yel is as a starter you know and I think that with where he you know the time he missed and still trying to build out his Innings and and trying to control not trying to control him a little bit you know I think now he’s going to end up kind of where we had hoped anyway as long as he stays healthy but um having a guy like Bowen who’s able to you know throw an inning last night he’s available for multiple Innings today he’s available to come in you know the game in Cleveland and throw 73 pitches out of the pen that’s really really valuable um and you know the fact that he is locating his pitches better um mixing the split in a lot more as opposed to just fast ball curveball I think has allowed him to to kind of navigate a little bit deeper needs to with his pitch count um but we like keeping yiel kind of on a regular turn and don’t think that it’s beneficial for him to kind of go back and forth and um you know Bowen again he’s kind of like Trevor where he has the ability to do a variety of things and um that’s just really really valuable for us John why does you say have so much success against the Yankees and having said that I hope I just didn’t jinx them yeah me yeah me too I mean I again I think um certain pitchers you know match up well against certain lineups for reasons that are um sometimes by Design and sometimes by luck and when you look at when you look at his stuff and kind of you know how these guys handle certain pitches um you know he’s I think he matches up fairly well when he’s on his game against them and it’s just um a veteran pitcher going against a veteran lineup really and and how you make adjustments I I do think that he he likes these these challenges when you’re you’re facing a team like this in the division who’s who’s pretty damn good and they have arguably two of the best hitters in the game sitting there at the top so he he likes that and um he doesn’t back down you know so I think he’s done a really good job of of limiting mistakes against this team and um you know hopefully he can he can continue to do that tonight John it’s rare that we talk about Trevor Richards you mentioned his name and and for whatever reason every time I talk to you I never write his name down to mention him I think it’s because every time that we see him pitch he’s really really really good why is he so good John and tell us how hard that hybrid thing is we’ve seen it’s every inning for him that can’t be the easiest routine thing and then come out the way he does and do it with two different pitches yeah it’s um it’s pretty unique to have a guy like that who can throw three Innings who can open a game who can come in and Pitch an eighth inning um it it’s uh he’s kind of just you know Bullpen guys that are’t closers often times get kind of you know lost in the shuffle a little bit just around the game and I think having a guy that can do a variety of things um is is so underrated so you kind of couple him and and bout into that same that same bucket um but with Trev he he’s gotten to the point to where he he understands how each one of those pitches plays and um you know it’s it’s not it’s not easy to sit on that change up because it is so unique and you know the way that it it Dives um I think what’s really been the improvement with Trev is he’s able to locate it he’s throwing it for strikes when he needs to he’s throwing it for Chase when he needs to and then is able to read hitter swings and use his fast ball effectively whether it’s up in the zone or down in the zone so kind of the evolution of a pitcher a little bit and understanding his stuff but the the action on the change up is really really unique and um it’s a it’s a tough look for hitters John uh of course yesterday Ross Atkins came out and uh spoke did a media availability I know you were asked after the game about uh Bose’s comments to Hazel May about um you know would would it be would it surprise you if you were traded at uh at the trade deadline one of the things Ross said that I found interesting yesterday was he was talking about you and he said you’ve done a good job you have the clubhouse he said how hard is it for a manager to maintain that sense of discipline uh but you know also be also be positive at the same time and not pile on yeah it’s it’s you know I I appreciated those comments and it’s a um it’s something that you have to be very um aware of for one I think that over the course of my time in this spot you you learn from past experiences and you try to make the proper adjustments positivity is something that I’m I’m never going to lose you know as long as I’m in this game and I make it known to the staff every every single day that I will not tolerate anything but that and the staff has done a great job of following suit and then you got to have conversations with guys you know I think that when you’re when you’re in a situation like we’re in right now um we’ve obviously put ourselves here through our performance and through our play I think the more guys um realize that and are accountable to that the easier it is to um a have faith in them and B have conversations that may be a little bit uncomfortable with them you know so we again we get where we’re at from top to bottom whether it’s myself Ross uh players and staff you know we get that and I think you know the focus every day is is just today right now um we’ve definitely made the window a lot a lot smaller than what we had hoped it to be at this point in the year and every guy in the room um is trying to figure out a way to win tonight and trying to get better before the game whether it’s their work or their prep you know and once the game starts you got to try to figure out a way to win and I think just staying positive and staying strong that’s something I’m I’m always going to do you know having relationships with the guys and knowing these guys for a long time being through good times and bad um it just allows me and the staff to have those conversations understand the reality of the business that we are in and um and and worry about today and you know today is the most important day of the season and when today’s done so will tomorrow and that’s the only way we can go about it John uh we appreciate your time as always uh go get him tonight thanks for this yeah kick butt buddy all right thanks guys appreciate it johnon Rider manager of the Blue Jays yeah Barker told me I didn’t read out the Blue Jays lineup he did I read the Yankees lineup the Blue Jays lineup is as follows bashet Horwitz Guerrero Turner Springer varo Jansen Barger and ikf Kevin kerm is not in the lineup despite the fact that he hits a bazillion against uh Marcus strowman anyhow I I’m not complaining about just just just just pointing it out of course you say Kikuchi on the mound for the Blue Jays against Marcus strowman 707 first pitch right here on sportset 590 the fan in Sportsnet the back leg line she is open mhm I can hear it 416 413 3959 your chance to leave questions comments directions recipes I don’t need directions for Kevin B I’ll take the train or myself or me I guess it’s me not myself or me Barker of me anyhow uh 416 413 3959 we’re going to dip into the back leg line uh in a few minutes all right we are at that point of the Season Kevin Barker where we’re roughly about halfway through I guess right pretty much halfway through y roughly halfway through the season uh and I got to find this thing they had the uh playoff bracket setup if the playoffs started today and of course I can’t find it so so much for that idea um as you look at the standings though as you look at the standings right now I know we talked a little bit about this yesterday but as you look at the standings right now and I’ll just kind of run through I’ll run through the the divisions for everybody because we are at that point of course the American League East the Orioles Yankees Red Sox rays and Jays in that order the Jays are 13 A2 back 6 and a half out of the Wild Card Central is the Guardians twins Royals Tigers White Socks and the Guardians have a seven game lead in the twins the West is the Mariners Houston Texas La Oakland the NL East the Phillies boy did they have a tough game last night losing Kyle schwarber and Bryce Harper y 10 days precautionary I think more yeah hammy looked like for yeah uh Phillies they’ve got an eight game bulge on the Braves met Nationals Marlins the central Brewers Cardinals Pirates Reds I keep thinking the reds are going to be better than the r Cubs and then the NL West Dodgers San Diego Arizona so the the division leaders right now Dodgers Brewers Phillies Mariners Guardians and the Orioles the Orioles are are just percentage points ahead with the Yanke uh ahead of the Yankees right now mhm which of those division leaders are you most confident in retaining their division lead Kevin and which are you least confident is it obvious to say from your point of view the Dodgers eight and a half up in the Padres yeah yeah think so I think the Dodgers have enough of everything yeah I think the Phillies with what the Braves are not doing offensively you know some of the injuries that they’ve had with some key rotational pieces I think it’s going to be very hard to catch the Phillies I think the the American League West is the one the Mariners and the Astros yep you know it’s just like I think everybody with the Astros organization is pulling all on the same rope the same direction and that’s never a good thing I think when you got an owner bought in and you got a you know a GM a president like everybody is saying no we’re all in in this thing it was a hiccup like now we figured out who we do have here to make some a few adjustments of what they’re trying to throw get them deeper in games because we got the lineup we’re getting back and we’re getting Tucker back soon and they’ll go out and add some pieces that they need to add that I think that’s that for me anyway in the American League is the one the American League EES the Yankees or or The Orioles I mean you could you could argue either one mhm M uh the Brewers I think the National League central I think the Brewers seem like the the better team just the allaround team when it comes to the offense manufacturing runs with the speed uh you know the the the back end of the bullpen that they will have when everybody’s healthy I do like the Brewers so I think that that National League central so yeah I think look I think a lot of these teams are sort of cut and dry right baseball now is topheavy it’s topheavy you got you know some behem and then there’s everybody else and I think right now if you could look at all these standings and who’s in first place other than that a West yeah I think you could probably say it’s lined the way it should be lined I think yeah it’s uh it’s funny one thing I do know you know looking at the just looking at the way the brackets would be set up right now I think this is all kind of funny it would be the Yankees and the twins again in the first round which is you know it’s it’s always it’s always it it’s always worked out that way it seems It’s always worked out that way you know the team that I that I really have my eye on and and I don’t know what are they now wild card game out wow there’s seven wild card there’s seven games out on the wild card as the Texas Rangers the defending World Series champions yeah hard to repeat they’re eight back in the division race and seven out in the wild card yeah that’s well I think when you win a division the way they did last year they went on their run to win the World Series you know they got lucky playing who they played in the in the World Series let’s be honest I mean if that was the feeling that might go a different way uh yeah again I it’s just it’s very hard for everybody to live up to the back of their baseball card row they’re farther the row than the blue J than the Blue Jays yeah it’s just like I you know maybe they thought last year they were they were a year ahead of time too right so you know so then then you have the injuries and the rotation you had you know you have the the problems that the ownership is having in the off season like there’s just some things going on with that organization now so I think they’re very fortunate again with the Run they went on with the manager that they have uh with who they played in the World Series like every again you know sometimes you might be lucky and good Jeff well there you go I’ll tell you what with the you know the regional TV situation which was a real issue for them this offseason they’re damn lucky they got Cory Seager and Mark Cleo yeah boy how good sem look on this te I don’t even you know we talked about we’ talked about that was Shai and and and to me I Shai was the first person to mention I kind of you know whatever but you know he’s talked about and I think he’s right I think 2021 may have been the year for these guys that’s when vlat was good and you had you had that whole team that may have been the best it’s going to get for this team was 2021 of course they missed it by what was it a game that was when yeah Boston won the final day of the Season uh and you look back at that now and you go man you know if they could have just added another Bullpen arm or earlier in the year to avoid as Shai pointed out that that tire fire they had in the bullpen wow that was a team I think that was a Miss yeah maybe I you know I I think again you can walk away from those Seasons this season here and know what the blueprint is to win in the league and the American League East right you have to have both sides of the balls doing things right I mean just the rotation and you catching the ball in the Outfield yeah it’s nice but it all it ain’t enough all the time every once in a while you need those weeks at a time where you got to thump and carry a team and I think they got a blueprint now jff we’ve got Jay’s tickets to give away your chance to see the Jays take on the Houston Astros at Roger Center Brian hul is a New York Yankees reporter with mlb.com always good to talk to Brian always good to see him in town he’ll join us at 5:30 when we come back we’ll go to the back leg line 416 413 3959 do over under on Ross Atkins question we shall find out Blen Barker on sportset 590 Defan at sportset hey welcome back to Blair and Barker on sportset 590 Defan it is a Friday edition dayong weekend uh it’s the NHL draft weekend free agency all sorts of good stuff and we’ll be on Monday following the Blue Jays game against the Houston Astros with blue jay’s talk and uh speaking of the Astros we’re going to give away tickets to see the Astros oh in just a few moments but for now because it is Friday we are going to go to the back leg line 416 413 3959 uh you call the back leg line you’ll hear Barker’s voice he’ll make an insult take a shot at me and then after the beep you can leave a message that’s what Rob in West Colona did not East Colona oh not Rob lives in West Colona BC Kev you put do a great job putting up with Jeff former winnipegger here so kudos for that y years ago the Vancouver Canucks have the best score in the NHL a guy named pavl buray the fans pissed him off so badly that he finally just left he got tired of it he didn’t need it you’re a baseball Guy what’s the danger of bow and vlat these are still young guys of just saying I’m tired of all the sniping from the fans and everything and just walking love your show boy doing great have a great summertime Robin West Colona by the way any you you if you ever go to BC yeah you know what you’ll notice what’s that 95% of the population moved there from Manitoba oh they did yeah shut up Jeff it’s true the hell do you know brandale well that’s perfect it’s true yeah yeah like that to Rob’s question yeah uh I’m I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that I think neither one of those guys care what anybody says that that’s really what I think I I think that that fans would like to think that you know they they are now they do listen to this show quite often I do know that for a fact but other than that I don’t think they’re going on TW or whatever the heck it’s called or listening to wherever they need to listen to and throwing their hands in the air and going how dare those fans say that I ain’t doing yeah I don’t think either one of them guys care no and I’m going to say this as well um Jay’s fans this year have I think they’ve been booing the circumstance more than the player and what I mean by that is Bases Loaded ground out or double play George Springer boo uh George Springer comes up the next time they’re not boo him it it I don’t get the sense I don’t get the sense that it’s personal which to me is one of the real the things I like about this Market when it comes to Baseball fans in hockey it can get personal just ask Dion Fu but by and large in baseball I think the fans in this city react to the moment and look I I just I’m sure vlat and Bo hear it when they’re boo after they after they ground out or something like that best I understand it’s more about family members and you know we’ve had Josh Donaldson’s family tun entire show and and JD’s actually said you know I heard you say that I was old Kevin well you are old it’s like you know it’s like I think it’s more of that it’s not so much the players themselves that are actually tuning in and listening to every single thing that everybody saying it’s more listen I I think I’m I’m with Kevin I I think I I don’t want to put words in Bo’s mouth but I’ve been around long enough to read the tea leaves I I think there’s a greater chance of signing V to a longterm contract than I don’t think it’s going to get done in either case but if you said to me right now which guy do you think is here three years down the road frankly I’d say I’d say vlat and and if I would have said that I would have said that four years ago too even though both signed this cont if there was ever going to be a time it’d be now if he could if he was going to sign blatty I you don’t think it’s going to cost you bazillion dollars you know I think he wants to be here the best I understand I’ll tell you what though you Bo may not be here so you don’t have to try and think about paying both of them you know you’re not going to tick off one of them if you pay this guy more like you don’t have to worry about that competition back and forth so I would think if not if anytime right now would be the time you got a chance to sign vlat I would think you we you don’t know how we don’t we don’t know how uh you know we we really don’t know how vlat and his people read the situation right now what was the case last year and think they were willing we we know they were willing to sign last year I’m sure they’d still be willing to sign now but you know what you get a year closer to free agency yeah you hear some other teams too with some interest right right arrested trust me people have spoken to V’s agents this idea that no no one says anything to you that’s that’s this my friend David Samson would say horse hockey trust me it’s horse hockey I would bet you right out dollars to Donuts that vlat and his agent know who the top three teams are that will be interested in them when he’s a free you ain’t doing your job as an as an agent if you don’t know you know somewhat of what that could be Dougan Vancouver vladia looks like he’s going to an All-Star game what are the chances of him being in the derby again and if that’s the case what would be the chances that Schneider would toss to him just a goofball question on a Friday have a good one guys have a great long weekend I like I like that question Doug you know I I I hope he does go in the Home Run Derby I think he will be in the home run derby um he enjoys it anything anything that gets vlat to hit more home runs I’m for I don’t have I don’t have a problem with it would Schneider pitch to him I I think if I think if vlat paid him he he’d pitch to him you know I think that’s a give and take right you you take me away from my family for however many hours you got to take me away it’s not the easiest thing mentally to do that I mean I’ve talked to John you know some pressure there I always throw the ball where vlat wants it that’s not the easiest thing so I’m sure that you’d have to make it worth his wild I don’t know how I feel about the vlat thing anymore hitting in the in the Home Run Derby does he have to does he need to like who’s it fun for I mean I it’s fun for the players obviously they enjoy I mean it was I don’t know I don’t know how I feel about vlat doing that anymore I mean you know it’s my concern I mean do well mean we talk about last year cuz he wasn’t hitting any maybe goes and does it and gets him in the flow gives him confident at work not a chance so I don’t know like it’s I mean you’re you’re you always tell me don’t overthink it don’t overthink this if he likes it and has fun doing it go ahead I had no problem with that as long as you don’t hurt yourself and he’s done it without hurting himself that’s and I know there’s that thing oh you go in the Home Run Derby and you can put you in a slump and you whatever just given the way this year has gone let vlat go to the Home Run Derby uh it’s a big deal for him players like it fans like it ratings are good don’t there’s there’s no to me there’s no downside to to vlat going vlat going in the Home Run Derby Louise but I I mean I’m sure there are people out there that’ll be saying well does he deserve to be in it you know what if they ask him to be in it he deserves to be in it Louise and monton after hearing Ross Atkins talk yesterday in his press conference um I was wondering how you guys felt about how sincere he really was because it seems like every question you guys asked he avoided it I mean he’s the general manager they’re always going to avoid it I always tell people um I know everybody in this city loves Alex anthopolos I love Alex anthopolos go back and listen to some of Alex’s interviews before 200 15 go back and listen to some of Alex’s interviews during the trade deadline the year they did nothing and Casey jansson pitched a fit in the clubhouse and Jose Batista did too all I ask and and I know the the fans I I don’t know what fans expectations are when a general he’s not going to tell you who he’s going to trade he’s not going to tell you who they’re going to sign he’s just not all you can do is ask the questions it’s performative you ask the questions you wait for the answer you like to hear a little bit of sincerity the guy took responsibility for what for what happened I haven’t heard anybody else in this organization take responsibility for what John John has he has uh but you know every time he’s been on our show took responsibility for it um I think I think fans need to hear from Mark shapy that’s just me but you know that’s that’s hardly that’s not necessarily my call um just don’t lie to me uh I you know you can BS me you can toss words salad at me which Ross can be good at that’s fine just don’t lie to me and um I don’t think you know there’s Ross gets wordy listen and and you know I know about being wordy cuz believe me it’s something I struggle with unsuccessfully 247 uh but yeah I I just yeah I I thought he was he was as honest as he’s always been I he was consistent as he’s always been and and it’s that consistency in that it’s his ability to say a lot and say nothing that drives people nuts yeah and that’s also the ability that’s going to carry him farther in in the industry popularity contest you know well as anybody going into that thing if you don’t like him you could he could tell you everything every trade secret that Jay’s got and you still wouldn’t like it you still wouldn’t like what he says so it’s it’s very hard for him to ever you know fulfill live up to exactly what you want him to live up to and say what you want to hear him say there are people there are people who can change your opinion of them by what they say there are situations where person can come on well folks do you remember how fast you wanted to run John Gibbons out of town the first time he was here things change it’s amazing what success does it’s amazing how people will listen to someone when they are successful but there are people who can change people’s minds by how they talk Ross isn’t one of them and Ross knows that I think again it’s just me don’t lie to me that’s all I ask don’t lie to me you know it’s same like people I I wish everybody could everybody should be required to spend a day as a media member because you see the same thing you know the Prime Minister does a news conference and uh oh well I mean you never answered anything Dodge duck dip dive and Dodge exactly they’re not going to answer why would you I mean if I pulled you dear listener brought you in here right now and said tell me your secrets what’s the worst thing you’ve done in your life what’s the worst thing you’re going to do tonight well have you ever cheated on your wife blah blah I PE people need to understand yeah that there is a give and take aspect of this and all you ask for it’s not even a matter of being honest just don’t lie you you can you can understand though why people that are listening to Ross on occasion we’ll listen to it and basically just see his lips moving because of what he said about the manager and you you know it’s not all the time it’s not the best of conversations when he talks right yeah I guarantee you you can understand a little bit of yeah but I guarantee you that when he did his job interview you know the first thing he say let’s get Ross in here man because he handles the media well he’s a great talker and I’m going to throw this out there again you know I love Alex and I know Alex going back as I said when he was running and stealing hot dogs in the Press Box at at Olympic Stadium when he was working downstairs you know in the for the Expos as an intern um Alex is a great communicator Alex had to learn how to be a great communicator Alex is really good at it but when he started to get higher profile jobs Alex was extremely honest one-on-one with you as a reporter he was a little more guarded when you when you got into a public setting and folks I mean you know I they’re they’re just different people are wired differently I think he’s a little bit more available too at times I think that’s one of the that’s one of the things too it’s you know up I mean it’s rare that you hear the front office for the Blue Jays now speak about what’s going on with the basball ask you this there already you’re hearing people you know you’re hearing people complain that Mark shyro hasn’t been heard from you I mean it’s it’s it’s a common complaint it’s a common complaint yeah um so it seems to me that Ross is just Ross is doing what his boss is doing yeah that’s I me you do what your Mentor generally you follow your Mentor yeah when when you don’t I think to the caller’s point when you don’t talk a lot when you do talk it’s got you got to be saying so you know that’s the thing right at least a little if see I thought Ross did a decent job we threw a bunch of stuff at him yesterday here the thing if that’s not your personality it doesn’t matter I guess it doesn’t matter but you still are the GM of a baseball team so that’s not your yeah I get that but that’s not your personality I guess it it’s I I did I find I think it’s a little more complicated than people think it is and I again I get back the politicians being asked questions in news conferences that’s why you know when I was a reporter you know what I never did never asked a question in a news conference most of the time you know why one why the hell am I doing other people’s work h two I’m never going to get the honest answer in a room full of a 100 people you know where I’m going to get the honest answer when I go up to the person afterwards and say okay like what was up with that there are people in the media who love hearing their own voice in a news conference I think the way you go about doing your job as a reporter it’s more important what you ask oneon-one than what you ask in a group setting and there are people look there are people in TV and radio you’ve got to ask in a news conference setting because that’s your only opportunity the cameras are there yeah that’s your only opportunity expectations are huge around the bluejz Jeff you got remember the way and the way baseball teams do business now you don’t have the opportunity to go up after a game for the most part go oneon-one to the catcher and say okay you know like Doc didn’t have his stuff tonight what did you see it’s okay it’s okay for fans to want answers it’s there’s nothing wrong with that expectations coming in the season we high prices around that Stadium have went up yeah but that like true they want they want yeah there’s it’s their opinion it’s nothing wrong with that it doesn’t M it doesn’t mean that a GM’s going to come on and and tell about every trade secret I mean how many times we asked about George Springer don’t yell at and they would never tell us don’t yell at me I’m not I’m not saying there’s anything I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with fans having opinions but do you expect you expect Ross Atkins or John Scher to say this is what George is doing mechanically wrong first of all most people would eyes would glaze over or you’d get analytically they could explain it in analytics I think I think it’s whenever you’ve said that for the last three weeks and he’s hitting a buck 90 that’s I just and now all of a sudden it’s working yeah I that was a you know what we were thank you Louise for that question because I didn’t know if I I didn’t know I was kind of going I really want to answer that but yeah it it it provoked disc it’s a fair question oh it is a fair question a fair question uh and you know I get getting back to it did he answer it sincerely he’s answered he answered it as sinc I think he answered it he answered it as sincerely as I would answer it if I was a general manager of a team that was in last place in the AL East I had a 23 $5 million payroll nothing was going well and I got a couple of years left in my contract and I’ve already fired a couple of managers yes I think all that included that was about as sincere as I would be Jamie from Austria Lake I probably mispronounced that in Nova Scotia Austria Lake I don’t know whatever in Nova Scotia never mind whether bashet and vlat sign here I think the question is why would free agans whether hitters or pitchers come to the blue JS given how M they would see how the team is run uh and the and the broader issues within it um and I believe that Bo and Vlad will go elsewhere and will uh will do very very well under new uh new teams new regimes anyway curious about what you have to say about that one thank you uh I say this one if I was a free agent pitcher who was 32 33 years old looking for one uh he’s making you say Kikuchi some commy mly well not only that yeah I mean I would I would seriously consider that absolutely look this is it’s very simple how do free agents view the Blue Jays organization it’s a place they would love to play if you pay him if you paid him more and gave them more years than anybody El which is what they did with George Springer K what they did with Kevin Gosman it’s what they did with Chris Basset um I mean that’s just that’s the Russ Martin Captain Canada I love Russ Martin me too Russ Martin will tell you I decided to sign with the Blue Jays they gave me five years instead of four and more money nothing wrong with that so yes yes if you’re willing to pay more for a player or pitcher and give them more term they will consider signing here um now be interesting this offseason if one of those two studs goes and there’s nothing else here and you got a bullpen that’s shredded I I mean it would be it would be a tough sell it would be a tough sell the other thing you always need to keep in mind with free agents is that the depth of the market is important there are going to be guys this year who do not want anything to do with the blue jays who are going to have a month before spring training go geez I don’t have a job yet maybe that blue jay’s offer wasn’t that bad after all MH but um yeah to to to the to the to the caller’s point I think a lot of guys now money is money MH for the most part everybody values I mean we we have a dollar value attached to war so people kind of know what good value is in the game um then you get into what’s the team going to be like is the team going to contend what what would really concern me here is if I’m a free agent and I’m one of the big money free agents I’m going to be talking to Mark shapy my agent’s going to be talking to Mark shapy he’s got a year left in his contract yep so I think that that may be a factor but on the other hand if Mark shapy said I’m only here for another year but here’s four years instead of five and $80 million a go okay sign that’s fine it comes down to money money and term uh for guys yeah again it may not be the information it may be the people that are walking to the plate trying to execute execute the information that may be what it is too we have no idea Jeff like we’re I’m not behind closed doors listen it is a it’s a it’s a great question no idea it is it is but if they pay them they will come Lindsay from Winnipeg Lindsay Lindsay Lindsay do we have Lindsay mind whether bashet and my question for you is if the Blue Jays uh are out of it and they uh I mean not like they’re not out of it now but worse than now and they sell players like uh you know Kikuchi and others does that make more room maybe for Joey vad to come up and uh play out the year and possibly retire I’m just curious if we’d want to see Joey VTO if everyone else is being sold off all right thanks guys and go Jay’s go nice yeah thank you yeah I mean what are the options robs Martinez isn’t here he’s been banged for ped Spencer horos is already there’s nobody else down there maybe Allen RH on fine yeah I still don’t understand the Joey vad thing I don’t understand it from his point of SP bazillion dollars I just don’t get it I mean only Joey knows this thing I mean if I were Joey already probably a Hall of Famer I’ve made a bazillion dollars why you going through all this I ask I would be asking I would be asking the Reds when do you want me to show up for my retirement ceremony stick my jersey up in the thing I would fish in every single day I don’t get somewhere warm but I mean if Joey V’s healthy and come up here I guess fine but there’s nobody else in the miners I’ll say this it’s not like he’s going to be stealing playing time from somebody I don’t think no I mean if they’re Turner you may trade him if if a veteran team wants a righty Off the Bench you know that would be a space open for Joey I it’s not like it’s not going to have any impact on anybody’s development so I I mean I mean this with all due respect to the Blue Jays and to Joe VTO I don’t care like I’d like to see him up here if he decides that he doesn’t want to come up here because he doesn’t feel that he’s that he can do what he wants to do and wants to call it quits that’s fine I I I would like to see it just because I think it’ be kind of a fun cool story to have the guy play in his in his hometown but you know is it going to change anybody’s opinion of Joey vad either you think he’s a Hall of Famer or you don’t think he’s a Hall of Famer Joey V’s a red to me he’s always going to be a red to me he could come up and play for the Blue Jays and hit 30 home runs in five games he’s always going to be Ain so um yeah I I just if he’s here great if he isn’t you know godspeed Joey V you’ve had a hell of a career and I’ll look forward to seeing you in Cooper town I mean that’s that’s where I am with Jo V good questions they are very good I was talking a little bit Yeah Yeah you got fired up little I was upset a little upset you were upset we’ve got Jay’s tickets to give away Derek should I do it now or in the other side of the break your call do it now do it now do it do it we got to vote all those in favor of Jeff Blair giving away Jay’s tickets right now say I do it do it all right we’ve been giving you the chance to win Blue Jays tickets all season long here in Blair and Barker all you have to do is text the correct answer did it right to Our Daily Baseball trivia question to 59590 yesterday’s question and answer was this position player spent a brief time with the Astros in 2012 and has played for every single team in the AL East now they also added a line his career highlight was with the Red Soxs oh they did okay so there was another line that I cut out but his career highlight was with the Red Sox the answer was Steve Pierce who won World Series MVP with the Red Sox traded by Kevin Barker’s Blue Jays for Santiago espanol today’s question is to win tickets to see the Jays and Astros at the Rogers Center in Thursday July 4th Fourth of July this player who shares his name with a longtime NBA guard played for both the Blue Jays and Astros in 2019 and according to a blue J Source quote had an elite run tool just telling you what the quote was again this player who shares his name with a longtime NBA guard played for both the Blue Jays and Astros in 2019 and had quote an elite run tool it’s my favorite Jay of all time it would be text the answer to 59590 for your shot to win rules at SPS Yanke reporter with mlb.com he is in town to watch the Yankees and blue jays continue their 4 game series he’ll join us next it’s Blair and Barker on sportset 590 the fan and sportset all right I don’t know where this is going to go but Barker and I just consumed handful of gummy i’ like three yeah we’re just kidding not those gummies just regular gummies although you know we’ll just have to see how the show goes maybe maybe I’m lying 707 is the first pitch tonight the room spinning 707 is the first pitch tonight on sportset 590 the fan in sportset Jay and Yankees playing the second game of a four game series at the Roger Center Blair and Barker will be along following the game winning Edition with a winning edition of blue jays talk uh we didn’t say that last night and they won did we I think I said it yeah anyhow that’s quite often when we say a winning addition it means they lose of course but I feel tonight I I I’ve got a positive I don’t think you say is gonna have three bad starts in a row so I’m with you I think he’s I think he’s going to be all right yeah and of course you know the other thing with us say as we always talk about with h well we’ve been talking about a fair amount this year I would think given you say kikuchi’s level of success or record of success against the Yankees if you’re a team in the American League that thinks you might be facing the Yankees in the playoffs you may want to be you may want to be watching this game well I mean pick a team any team twins Astros may want to be watching I don’t know what to make of the Yankees um well you know what and we’re going to bring in somebody who covers the Yankees in a daily basis Brian hul of mlb.com joins us Brian thanks for uh taking time to talk to us today this it’s very strange um I I will admit that you know I kind of watched the Yankees from a distance they been in first place and uh then I started watching them a little closer during the subway series and I started asking myself is this team really that good I I mean I you know I know look they’ve got they’ve got judge and and Soto obviously they’ve got some good players but um they’re flawed yeah they’re flawed aren’t they that’s probably the best way to put it they’re a flawed team aren’t they oh yeah I’ll tell you what yeah if you look at the standings in the American Link East right now you say say wow they got a pretty good record first team to 50 50 victories I think they got 52 right now but yeah if you’ve watched in the last two weeks here that is a completely different team and I think they’re uh they’re three and N in the last 12 I mean they they this team has uh is really hit a June Swoon a rough patch here and um you know part of it has been uh losing a couple of key veterans they’ve got John Carlos Stanton and Anthony Rizzo now on the injured list and uh they’re going to be out a while but really it’s been that this team has stopped pitching and that was really how they uh built that early Advantage there that the starting rotation was better than expected and we all thought that was going to be the issue not having garri Cole and I it strangely enough it’s since Cole came back that the rotation has kind of Hit the skids here it’s just coincidental I’m sure but uh the rotation the bullpen were all great the first two months of the season and now they’ve come back down to earth a little bit so there is definitely a question of which team was the real thing and and to me it reminds me a l of what we saw two years ago when the Yankees looked like they were going to win the World Series in the first half and then the whole second half of the year was basically tracking Aaron judge and his Chase for 62 home runs and kind of feels that way once again how do you think they use coal is it every five days are they going to adjust that are they going to give him a break they going to give him skip a start I mean he’s talking about Max effort every pitch I don’t think that’s him right it’s free and easy 9798 it’s not Max effort making sure the velocity’s there the break on the secondary stuff will be there what are you seeing and what are you hearing around Cole yeah exactly he he shouldn’t have to throw Max effort and he never has at this point in his career which tells you he’s still kind of in spring training mode right now and so he this is all building up and really in an ideal world you would have given him those two starts and the minor league level and he would have kept building up I think he threw 62 and then 70 something against the Mets so he’s probably next time out he’ll be at 80 pitches or thereabouts but um yeah in a perfect world you would have he wouldn’t have gotten hurt in spring training and then he would have had buil built up to 9500 for opening day but this is where they’re at and they figured you know if they need somebody to give them four Innings then his four innings were going to be better than anything they could have found elsewhere in the organization so I think you have to judge the results with a grain of salt there and realize that he’s not garri Cole the reigning sa Young Award winner right now he’s Garett Cole in spring training mode and you’ll take what you can get out of him clearly the first time out it was pretty good it was good enough and uh against the Mets it was just noncompetitive so I am curious to see what adjustments he makes next time out and how how he bounces back from that one Brian now I’m sure if they get the rotation taken care of sort of controlling the running game when they are in the playoffs won’t be such a big deal but I would think the teams that they might have to face in the twins the Guardians the Astros the Orioles like they know that you know Travino behind the plate we’re going to do a bunch of running do you think that’s even a thought for the big big bad Yankees like I don’t even know if they’re sitting around Brian cashman’s going I got all this to worry about and also we got to worry about controlling the running game has to be I mean they got straight out embarrassed and exposed that night at Fenway Park the Red Sox were running wild they stole nine bases and I know that’s part of Boston’s DNA right now they are a younger more athletic team but but they got exposed and I think that part of it was and that Marcus strowman had a slow time to home PL that night but they weren’t all on the pitcher and that a lot of them were on Travino not even being Mak being able to get off a throw I think he only made throws on two or three of them out of the nine stolen bases that night and so uh you know there been Whispers around here that trino is dealing with sore shoulder and he’s playing through it he and Aaron Boone have both said that he’s healthy he’s fine he’s out there but uh you know I I watched the Met steel twice on trino um you know there was another game on the home stand stand where he gave up a bunch of stolen Bas I think 16 out of the last 17 have been successful against him so if I was an opposing team like the Blue Jays like any other team here you know I’m I got a guy on first face the green light is on and so make him prove that he can throw you out because recently he has not been doing that yep now I know this guy’s numbers against the Jays are really good but Brian I would have to think that glabber Torres is one of the most frustrating Yankees um for one of the most frustrating players Aaron Boon’s had since he’s been there what is glaber Torres and and you know we know he didn’t he you know he didn’t didn’t run out that ground ball I mean that happens with guys every now and then but it wasn’t a particularly good look giving every given everything that that’s going on with that team um how frustrating has he been for the Yankees yeah frustrating is exactly the word I was going to use there because you know you look back a few years and you penciled this guy in for 30 something home runs 100 RBI you figure he’s going to be an allaround excellent second baseman he’s really a piece you could build around and here he is in a contract year no less where he really is playing for his next deal and he is flopping hard here and the I think that the running not running out the the ball in the eighth inning against the Mets obviously there’s a big Spotlight at the Subway Series game uh it’s happening in a game where the met the Yankees are playing awful uh clearly that raised some eyebrows and Drew attention but this goes back a few weeks now where he has been scuffling offensively where uh he’s had a few plays defensively that have really been glaring errors there was one where he kind of there was a shallow pop up in right center field and he kind of got under it nonchalant and tried to do a basket catch and it fell out of his glove and when you can’t do those things especially when you’re having a tough year and so uh you know one pop up or one missr ball here and there is not going to make or break your season but uh it’s the whole cumulative thing here where offensively defensively he has just not been able to put it together this year and it’s coming at the worst time for him and it’s also coming at a bad time for the Yankees because they really do need him as I mentioned Stanton’s out and he you know for all his fault is a threatening right-handed force in the battery box you can hit the ball out of the yard at any time and this team as they go up against us tonight they have struggled against left-handed pitching they need glaber Tes to be able to pick it up and be something of a presence here but uh it has defin definitely been a for him Brian listening to you talk it sounds like they may need if you’re Brian Cashman at the trade deadline to go out and get a starting pitcher and an offensive player am I on to something or is it one or the other it’s not both well you might have to do a little bit more than that too I mean that’s a tall order there I I I think that they’re more likely to focus on the bullpen than the rotation because they do have coal coming back here they do think that heel can figure it out and and continue to be uh what they need from him uh at some point they’re gonna have Clark Schmidt coming back too so the the rotation could get some help from within but their Bullpen has not had a lot of swing and Miss in it and I think that if you look over this stretch here where they really have scuffled they’ve been trying to plug in guys they’ve been waiver claims they’ve been signing guys they’ve been calling up people from the minor just trying to mix and match this buend and it’s got another Point here where I almost don’t recognize three or four of the guys in the the bend of the team I cover so uh that’s how much turnover there’s been here in the last last week or so so um I I think that that’s definitely an area where the Yankees are going to look to try and improve and as I mentioned Corner infield um I don’t think we’ve even mentioned DJ lameu here uh he does not have an extra base hit this season since coming off the injured list so uh you’re you’re not getting a whole lot of Pop from him there and um so you’re trying to figure out with you know you got Ben rice the rookie at first base they they just pulled JB Davis from the Athletics who are one of the worst teams in the majors and they they’ve got him starting in a clean up spot tonight so uh yeah this is a team here where for as good as the standings look and you say all right they they should still be a playoff team there are some real problems and real issues here that needs to get solved pretty quickly Brian I know in your uh in your recent a recent article on on mlb.com I hadn’t thought of this and you just referred to the bullpen now I’m looking at Lis heel um you know and you the last two starts have have been rough but i’ completely forgotten about this you point out though we’re talking about a guy with a career high of 18 and 2/3 Innings pitched he’s on Pace to throw roughly 160 Innings if he stays in the rotation and as you point out do you think there’s a chance that maybe in the second half he gets moved into the bullpen and could that at least alleviate some of the issue with the lack of swing and Miss stuff absolutely and if you put that arm down in the bullpen that is a strikeout arm so I think that is definitely a way they can go here and um I think that’s probably the smart move move I know that heel wants to stay in the rotation he prefers to be a starting pitcher but at some point the the organization is going to have to step in and say Hey you threw literally four Innings last year and uh we think you might be fatiguing here so we want to see more of you in a one or two inning spurt rather than trying to have you go deep in games and I think that that probably is the way they’re going to go here so uh as you continue to build up Garrick Cole you you can start to count on him for five innings six Innings seven Innings and then hopefully he he’s the ace that you had last year and he can kind of just pick up where he left off at the end of last season but uh so maybe it’s a situation where you have these two ships passing in the night where you have Garrett Cole building up and you have Luis heel kind of scaling back and he becomes that dominant reliever that they really do need Brian I want to ask you if to judge 30 homers is surprising but I I I’m just not sure that’s a legit a legitimate question but I do wonder if having SoDo coming in being the left-handed hitter that he is it’s sort of competition right it’s I see what you’re doing and I’m going to double that and I’m GNA have 30 homers in the first two and a half months of the season is there can you tell if there’s a little bit of competition back and forth between those two I tell you what yeah seeing them hit back to back there is kind of a an effect where they feed off each other and I think that that has definitely helped judge in a lot of ways being able to see stto and work the count he’s such a patient hitter you get to see those extra pitches when uh when Soto’s up there so uh but really with judge it’s just been remarkable because of how slow of a start he got off to I mean uh you looked up on I think it was April 27 or something like that the Yankees were in Baltimore and he was hitting under 200 and he I remember him standing at his locker there at camon yards and he said I’m gonna make some adjustments and I’m gonna figure it out and boy it was right about then that he just went on a tear and um so he has been remarkable he just got voted into the All-Star game yesterday and obviously welld deserved there and uh yeah he’s he’s actually on that same Pace that he had in uh 2022 which is amazing because um when he puts it all together and obviously his season was interrupted last year because of a freak injury where he ran into a wall in Los Angeles but um this is a continuation of right where he was in 20122 where I know you guys remember this is where judge hit 61 back uh in at the end of that season off Tim mea so uh he’s got some history here and um he started writing a new story very early this year he’s awesome Brian really good to do this man thanks so much yeah thanks Brian you got it guys take care enjoy the game absolutely Brian H mlb.com um interesting we were talking about Juan sto a little bit I don’t know if you had a chance to see last night but the back and fourth between SoDo and BOS was really like it was really kind of cool um buo sodos swung and missed at a couple of Brios pitches and he looked out at Brios and just not it it was actually it was fun watching watching them let let’s be honest if you’re an opposing player against SOA you could see how that you wouldn’t like him just the act that he presents at the plate I kind of got I don’t know I got the impression because those two know each other okay but I’m saying like when he turns around to an Umpire and basically you can you don’t know he’s saying this but you can basically understand that he’s saying if I’m taking it it’s a ball how dare you call a stri like you can just tell it’s right to be honest it’s like the I mean I I love I love Juan SoDo I love one so I would take obviously Captain Obvious here I would take I mean I’m not going to say it but I if I was a team that was running a sizable payroll next year I would be all over him I would be all over one SOA because I just think he just the stuff that he brings and again and we got to remember this man he’s he’s still young yeah I think he’s just coming into the I takes two to tango right I mean the Yankees are telling you that judge is not enough that’s why they had to go out and get soda right the Lefty righty you need to you know have the advat that he’s having so you’re on base a little bit more for that guy coming up can’t pitch around that guy to get to this guy thing sort of feeds off of each other I think one thing I did want to ask you about though have you watched him in right field yeah he’s not he’s not very good yeah sometimes like you know a lot of the times it’s you know catch the ball right at you he’s an offensive player first I agreed but it is remarkable when you I I find myself when I watch him it’s never a good sign when you come away thinking I wonder if he could have caught that like I wonder if someone else could have caught that yeah it’s like would you give a guy half a billion dollars just a hit I mean that’s I mean you know you gave a that kind of money cuz he’s doing both is he would would he gotten that much money just as a hitter I mean we’ll never know the answer to that but that I mean know I know I know what you’re saying saying like I want him to be everything I mean some of the times he’s not the best baseball IQ base runner like there’s a lot of things of his of his game that doesn’t live up to what he does offensively right so that’s the thing is is he worth the thing that that super agent’s going to be asking for cuz you know and it’s only a certain couple of cities that he’s going to be playing in yeah I got to say this about one of the things about Juan sto though is and he need even in this you know especially now given the way offense in this game is in this game there are fewer and fewer players we used to talk about a guy would come up to the plate and go man I expect something to happen here absolutely there are fewer and fewer of those guys yeah in the game right now he’s one of them yeah and and and the guy as you the big donkey behind him is another one but but seriously there it’s remarkable how many guys who were really good hitters m i I used to get that feeling all the time yeah and not even I mean I’m gonna pick a guy Eric Davis would come up and I’d go something’s gonna happen here like I’m not talking guys who were considered one of the I’m not talking bonds I’m I’m I’m I’m not talking Ricky Henderson guys who were first ballot Hall of fam or I’m just talking guys who were really good hitters Eric Davis had come up he’d go okay something’s gonna happen here yeah and um so do and vlat look good next year for the Blue Jays wouldn’t they righty Lefty vlat doesn’t have to do everything you got that attitude standing around you all the time yeah see that’s what I mean George Springer sort of at the end of it right he can play a little right he can play a little left he could would be I mean again it’s about what you want to pay and how close you think you are to really legitimately making a run at this thing you know you trade some pieces this year you back up to Brink’s truck to get that dude he’s the guy I don’t know look at this I don’t even know if he’d want to come here or not no but I’m saying I’m not talking about Toronto but I’m this is a guy if you give this guy a seven-year deal yeah he’s going to be 32 at the end of the year people forget how obscenely young this guy is yeah I think it’s performance driven right it’s about the what can he give you now stuck in between a bunch of other guys and yeah it’s just again it’s making it hard to pitch to your best hitter the Yankees best hitter is the donkey but how do you get in pitches when it matters the most you stick that dude around him who’s on base and can hit lefties and you know it’s sort of the same thing with the Blue Jays is right as the two-headed monster with the short stoping the first baseman now it hasn’t played out that way but I think Ross to his point in the off season and in spring training and anybody that wanted to listen to him talk that was his point was you need them two dudes carrying it and then hopefully we get the back of the baseball card for Springer and varo and you know where’s Kirk been I mean that biggest disappointment offensively for the Blue Jays in 2024 is both I mean I think it’s a tie for me because I wasn’t expecting Jack squat from Alejandro I think it’s a oh well I I wasn’t I and I mean you could throw you could throw all three of them names in there Bo Kirk and and Springer I wasn’t expecting anything from Springer I said I I was writing and I was saying after last year under Theo dude had his healthiest dude was as healthy as heever you didn’t take 200 come on he was as healthy as he has ever been last year and his numbers that’s not a good sign H so no I I and and to me Alejandro Kirk is Alejandro Kirk is your backup catcher maybe he’s on the team next year someone’s got to catch it if they’re not going to give Danny Johnson money there’s nobody in the mining well he ain’t catching every day so you can’t have that so you got to go and get you another catcher well there you go so he’s on the team next year you know how many how many how many good everyday catchers get moved in an off seon rare well why would you trade a good catcher I mean I I I hate to say it but just go go through the roster look at dudes who are going to be free agent I mean there’s going to be a whole hell of a lot of Yan Gomes happening they got a lot they got a lot to do in the offseason holy moly they do and rip that bandaid off do it well just depends on who do you want doing it that’s the thing yeah the catching situation is uh they need a whole new Bullpen they’re going to need a couple more starters they’re going to need a thumper in the middle of the order they’re probably going to need a new right fielder they’re going to need another catcher what you like to have that job Jeff I mean I would you would you could do it no but you said would I like to do it would you like to have the job you would it’d be tough it would not be my first uh it would be tough it’d be like being John Snider holy moly man Al like he can never do anything right maybe maybe it got to get started on it this year then if you’re going to be looking that but it is you could give Bruce Boi this lineup and it’ look the same yeah you got a like you have a lengthy shopping list for next year a lengthy it’s a big one like there ain’t no more excuses of Leaning On Core that come on now well yeah maybe half the core may not be here I was going to say the simp Le fact of the matter is you may not have a core well both of them aren going next year both of them aren going no one of the two will be yeah probably I’d say I’d say Vlad one of them I would think has to go that’s just me y I didn’t necessarily feel that way but uh I think we’re pushing that boat away from the dock buddy this time uh 707 is the first pitch at the Roger center tonight Blair and Barker will be wi Ed winning edition of Blue Jay’s talk following the game and uh Monday is Canada Day happy cada day and uh we will be on following the game with blue jays talk right here in the TV and the radio as well so enjoy your long weekend stay safe travel well we’ll talk on Monday
6 Comments
Le niveau de rigueur intellectuelle et de pensée critique des femmes d’ici est impressionnant.💝
The level of empathy and understanding shown here is truly heartwarming, fostering a sense of connection and solidarity.🍭
I know people are ripping on George these days but i like his leadership even if he's losing his hair
Great show lads
Bo can go. The Jays need to find a way to build around Vladdy as hes going to be leading the league in RBIs again in another year or two
Barker is trash.. anyone who would take hitting advice from him is insane