ben clemens

Blake Murphy kicks things off preparing for this afternoon's Wild Card matchup in Minneapolis. He is joined by Ben Nicholson-Smith, Senior MLB Editor at Sportsnet, to explore the expected pitching matchups, the unveiling of rosters, and potential omissions. Next up, Lance Brozdowski from Marquee Sports Network furthers the discussion with a deep dive into tonight's starters, which team has the bullpen advantage, and how the Jays stack up against the other playoff contenders (33:20). Moving into the second hour, Ben Clemens from FanGraphs joins the show to dissect his Wild Card preview piece for the Jays-Twins matchup (55:23). This includes discussions about the released rosters and the impact of injuries on both teams, with Ben also sharing his thoughts on which series around the league should generate the most interest. Wrapping up today's show is MLB.com's Do-Hyoung Park, who reviews the Twins' playoff roster and shares his take on Minnesota's 18-game playoff losing streak (01:15:09).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

The Blue Jays' playoff push stayed on track Tuesday night, winning the first game of their series in the Bronx. Host Blake Murphy recaps the 7-1 win with Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, who zeroes in on George Springer lead-off home run, Yusei Kikuchi leaving the game early, and the Jays' prime position to control their own destiny. Next, Blake checks in with Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes fills us in on how the season wrapped up for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (34:51). To start the second hour, Blake looks to the Big Apple to analyze what's gone wrong for the Yankees this season with the help of WFAN's Keith McPherson (56:37). FanGraphs’ Ben Clemens wraps things up today with his view on the American League Wild Card, how the Jays measure up to their competition, and who they might match up against (01:14:30).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy kicks things off with a brief recap of the Blue Jays' recent setback on Tuesday Night at Rogers Centre. Keegan Matheson from MLB.com helps dissect the team's current sense of urgency, examines instances of tactical 'mismanagement' on the field, plus the intriguing post-game media scrum with John Schneider. To conclude the first hour, Blake is joined by Mitchell Hooper from Longevity Nexum. The discussion explores Mitchell's background in Health and Nutritional Sciences, along with his remarkable achievement of being crowned the World's Strongest Man in 2023, before shifting towards the realm of strength and conditioning in baseball (32:00). Kicking off the second hour is Sportsnet’s Ben Wagner, who shares looks into some potential waiver targets following the Angels fire sale, and deliberate who should take the primary chunk of Bo Bichette’s reps at shortstop (53:40). In the final segment, Blake welcomes in Ben Clemens from FanGraphs, who delves into Arte Moreno's choice to cast out certain Angels, the teams best positioned to capitalize on Thursday’s waiver deadline, and which players could offer the greatest returns as a late-season investment (01:19:40).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy starts the show by providing a swift overview of the Blue Jays' victorious series opener in Baltimore. He’s then joined by Sportsnet’s Chris Black for an extended segment discussing the playoff atmosphere at Camden Yards, the divergent trajectories of Varsho and Chapman, and what they expect from Kevin Gausman tonight. Next, Blake opens up the JTP Mailbag to address your questions and comments (34:55). Moving into the second hour, Blake is joined by Sportsnet’s Madison Shipman. Together, they explore the Blue Jays' "hyper-aggressive" approach on both offence and defence last night, Brandon Belt’s confidence, and speculate if Kevin Gausman's Splitter will mirror the well-known tale of Jekyll and Hyde in tonight’s start (51:20). In the final segment, Ben Clemens from FanGraphs makes an appearance, immediately diving into the realm of analytics, specifically the intricacies of leverage execution and the influential factors during clutch moments, statistical indicators that sway the Cy Young award voting process, as well as the recent significant front office maneuvers in the south-side of Chicago (01:13:08).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

The Blue Jays offence seems to have disappeared again as the Padres' pitching staff shutout Toronto in Game 2 of their series. To see where the bats have gone, Sportsnet’s own Ben Nicholson-Smith joins Blake Murphy in-studio to break down last night’s defeat, before turning their attention to the quickly approaching MLB trade deadline. The SN duo dissect some of the comments made by Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins yesterday, and take a look around the league to identify some potential targets for Toronto’s blue birds (22:20). In the second hour, Blake welcomes Johnny Giunta of the Gate 14 Podcast to chat about their continued frustrations with this team, highlighting Vlad Guerrero Jr., Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk's production, before diving into the Jays' top priorities ahead of August 1st (52:12). Continuing down that path, Blake welcomes Ben Clemens of FanGraphs to discuss his "Trade Value" series, and takes us behind the scenes of how he makes sense of the data (01:11:58).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Host Blake Murphy is back to give his take on the Blue Jays' weekend series win over Oakland! He brings on Sportsnet Blue Jays producer Chris Black to look at the numbers from it, specifically the resurgences of both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Yusei Kikuchi, before teeing up Kevin Gausman's start tonight. Next, MLB Network’s Anthony Castrovince joins Blake to break down the process of the MLB Draft Combine and share some insight into some of the most notable players, including a highly rated Canadian (31:30)! Hour two kicks off with Sportsnet’s own Ben Nicholson-Smith, who digs into the Jays' upcoming schedule, when they should utilize a bullpen day, the team's interesting catching situation, and some early trade deadline buyers and sellers (51:10). To close, Ben Clemens of FanGraphs delves into the numbers behind the Giants' strong first half of the season ahead of their upcoming series in Toronto (01:21:30).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy is joined by host of The JD Bunkis Podcast, JD Bunkis, to discuss the trust and excitement levels for Alek Manoah's first playoff start in the Wild Card series opener, the correlation between the faith in David Price's first playoff start for Toronto and Manoah's, and the concerns with Kevin Gausman's finger issues, before revisiting the debate between Robbie Ray and Gausman this past offseason (01:17). Then, the guys take a look at the betting odds heading into the 3-game series, and focus in on why centerfielders George Springer and Julio Rodríguez can be the x-factors this weekend (28:06). Afterward, FanGraphs' Ben Clemens chats about how he'll consume the first few series of the 2022 playoffs, why Seattle isn't benefiting from a matchup against Toronto, the strength of the Mariners' bullpen, Bo Bichette's ceiling as a hitter, and the other focal points of the series (54:25). Finally, former analyst for the Maple Leafs and current contributor at The Athletic Cam Charron jumps on to share where his fandom lies between the Mariners and Blue Jays, what stands out between baseball and hockey analytics, and why Robbie Ray scares him the most heading into this series (01:15:00).  

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blue Jays radio voice Ben Wagner joins Blake Murphy to discuss the upcoming pitching matchups against the Guardians, if he's spotted a difference between José Berríos pitching on the road vs. at Rogers Centre, why he prefers his curveball to be a secondary pitch rather than the primary, and his assessment batting lineup juggling (04:33). Jim Rosenhaus of the Guardians Radio Network drops by to chat about the team's approach to the past trade deadline, their chances in a deep playoff run, and how former Blue Jay and current Guardians catcher Luke Maile has handled their young and talented starting rotation is (26:56). Then, FanGraphs' Ben Clemens breaks down his increased coverage on the Jays, what has stood out from Teoscar Hernandez's approach at the plate, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s similarities with his older brother Yuli Gurriel (51:11). Afterward, Blake focuses in on the pitching matchups for the rest of the weekend series against the Guardians (01:18:49).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates

Blake Murphy opens the show looking back on some of the trades over the weekend including Luis Castillo to the Mariners and Scott Effross to the Yankees, before focusing on where the Blue Jays fit in the trade market and who fans want the team to target. FanGraphs' Ben Clemens jumps on to discuss his trade value rankings including four Jays players, the Mariners' shift from eyeing Juan Soto to the pitching market, and why he thinks starting and relief pitchers will become more expensive as the deadline nears (26:45).  Sportsnet's Shi Davidi shares his sense of the Jays' options in the rental and controllable pitcher markets, and how Toronto's previous business deal with Oakland for Matt Chapman could affect a potential deal for Frankie Montas (51:42). Finally, Baseball Prospectus' Mikey Ajeto weighs in on the impact Luis Castillo will have on the Mariners' rotation, the price Seattle paid for the righty, and the Wild Card race heating up between Toronto and Seattle (01:16:14).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy is joined by Blue Jays radio play-by-play voice Ben Wagner to chat about how Yusei Kikuchi's start against the Rays dictates the rest of the weekend series, if Jose Berrios can bounce back in his next outing, and how Toronto can take advantage of Tampa Bay's struggling bullpen (03:18). FanGraphs' Ben Clemens looks at the Rays' big bats heading to the IL, Tampa's roster depth both on the field and in their pitching staff, and what he makes of the Jays' pitching rotation (3:34). Blake then previews the 5-game series and focuses in on some of the starting pitchers Toronto will be facing (51:38). Finally, former Jays pitcher and MLB Network Radio's Ricky Romero stops by to discuss the response from the bench after Alejandro Kirk got hit by Boston Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta, his relationship with Sergio Romo and what he brings to the Jays' staff, his experience starting on Canada Day, and what he expects from Berrios' holiday start (01:13:26). 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

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

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.