Artificial Turf Wars

Greg, Josh, and Nick look at the state of the Blue Jays as the second half begins play. They discuss Marcus Stroman's rant, Kevin Pillar's injury and the impact on the roster going forward, Marco Estrada's potential return to the trade market, Justin Smoak putting together another very solid season, J.A. Happ's All-Star game weirdness, the Manny Machado/Brad Hand deals and what they mean for the Jays, and a look at some bullpen arms who could see some post-deadline opportunities. Finally, they answer listener questions, give out a Do-Over, a "Rob Manfred Hates ____" Award, and discuss what they expect to see from the team through the end of the year.

Mike Sonne of The Athletic stops by to discuss the Blue Jays pitchers. He breaks down the Stuff reports for trade candidates, J.A. Happ, John Axford, Seung-hwan Oh, and Tyler Clippard as well as starters Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman, before also discussing how John Gibbon's bullpen usage has affected the Fatigue Unit scores of the key relievers. Finally, Dr. Sonne goes in depth on the Blue Jays bucking the league-wide trend of throwing more breaking balls. Greg and Josh also discuss Happ's recent rough patch and its effect on his trade value, Justin Smoak's return to form, Yangervis Solarte's position on the market, Vlad Jr's pending call up, Oh's recent dominance, and Borucki's continued success. They also answer listener questions and give out a Do-Over. 

Greg and Josh dissect the Pearce trade and its future implications, then discuss Marco Estrada's injury and the impact on his value, Jose Bautista's return to Toronto, Roberto Osuna coming back as the closer and the team's handling of that issue, Kevin Pillar's incredible catch, Ryan Borucki's outlier dominance, and Marcus Stroman's issue with his pitch usage. Finally, they give out a Do Over and answer listener questions.

Greg and Josh go over the last week of news and games. They discuss the differences in Marcus Stroman's approach from his return, Ryan Borucki's solid debut outing, Josh Donaldson's crushing injury setback, Kevin Pillar's continued struggles, a magical night for Randal Grichuk, Roberto Osuna's suspension coming down, and the increasing trade stock of J.A. Happ, Seung-hwan Oh, and Marco Estrada. Finally, they answer listener questions, give out a Cliché of the Week, and play Stump the Josh. 

Greg, Josh, and Nick break down the latest Blue Jays news and games. They discuss the potential for trades coming from this roster as the team approached the deadline, the recent strong performance of Marco Estrada, Randal Grichuk's improved play since returning from the DL, potential roster logjams created by the returns of Steve Pearce and Marcus Stroman, and what the Jays will do with their catcher situation with the strong play in Buffalo of Danny Jansen. They finish by answering listener questions and giving out a new award.

Greg and Josh go over a week with nice highs and unpleasant lows. They discuss the very strong performance of the rotation the last two times through with specific looks at the success of J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada, the return of Randal Grichuk and its impact on Teoscar Hernández and the outfield as a whole, Solarte and Diaz struggling to fill in for Donaldson and Tulowitzki, the team's issues at the five run plateau and what it means for the likelihood of a sell off. Finally, they answer listener questions, give a combo Do Over and Gold Star, and play Stump the Josh.

Jeffrey Paternostro of Baseball Prospectus stops by to talk about the Blue Jays draft. He talks about how the first five picks need to be viewed collectively, instead of individually, reviews some of the players, and then compares Vlad Jr. to the rest of the league. Greg and Nick also discuss the strong pitching of Marco Estrada and Sam Gaviglio, struggles against the AL East, whether it's time to consider selling, and the injury to Guerrero Jr. Finally, they answer listener questions, give out a Gold Star, and look at reported changes to the baseball.

Greg and Josh discuss the disappointing May for the Blue Jays which includes some nearly historic bad records. They also talk about the ugly defending — which led to utility player Russell Martin — and the pending reinforcements in the form of Aledmys Diaz and Randal Grichuk, a solid stretch for Kendrys Morales, Kevin Pillar turning back into pumpkin, Sam Gaviglio's success, and causes for Marco Estrada's struggles, then they fawn over Vlad Jr. Finally, they answer listener questions, give out a Do-Over, and Greg tries to stump Josh.

Greg, Josh, and Nick go over an unpleasant week of Blue Jays baseball. They discuss the myriad ways the Jays managed to lose games, some of the pitching woes, Kendrys Morales solid stretch, good work from Sam Gaviglio and its impact on Joe Biagini, the return of Dalton Pompey, injury updates and their importance, and the lack of a shortstop on the roster. Finally, they answer listener questions and give MLB a Gold Star.

Ben Badler of Baseball America stops by to discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr and the other prospects he has seen for New Hampshire. He specifically goes into what he thought of Vlad as an amateur, his rare talent for his age, how a promotion to AAA might impact him, and his defending - both now and in the future - before quickly discussin Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio. Greg and Josh also discuss the unbalanced starting rotation, the constant roster shuffling, the continued success of Luke Maile and Teoscar Hernández, and Russel Martin: Super-Utility Player. Finally, they give a Gold Star for a troll job, answer listener questions, give out a Do Over, and discuss the Joey Votto comments.

Greg and Josh discuss the latest Jays news; including the Roberto Osuna assault charges, the depth at shortstop and in the outfield being tested, Yangervis Solarte's magical day, Stroman and Estrada's solid outings and what they mean going forward, and some notes from the farm. They also answer listener questions and give out a triple play of Do-Overs.

Greg and Josh discuss the latest developments for the Blue Jays including Lourdes Gurriel taking over for the demoted Devon Travis, injuries to Steve Pearce and Randal Grichuk clearing the playing time logjam in the outfield and at designated hitter, Teoscar Hernández' improved hitting and adventurous defending, the struggles in the rotation and its future impact on the surging bullpen, and the return of Josh Donaldson to the club and the lineup changes that will follow. Finally, the answer listener questions and give a Do-Over to Keith Hernandez.

Eno Sarris of The Athletic stops by to discuss his latest article that looks at the correlation between launch angle and strikeouts. He discusses the differences between practice testing vs live games, the dual importance of swing angle and plate discipline, the financial impact of the high home run/high strikeout era, and the potential future impact on the game as a whole. Greg and Josh also discuss the returning velocity of Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ's strikeout ways, Curtis Granderson turning back the clock, a couple of performing rookies, and the latest update on Troy Tulowitzki's health and what it means for the roster. Finally, they answer listener questions and look at Gregg Olson's written-down "unwritten" rules of the game.

Greg and Josh break down the latest week in Blue Jays land, with a specific look at the recent four game winning streak and the hot start to the year. They compare some of this season's stats to last years, then discuss the excellent numbers of Luke Maile and Teoscar Hernández, the Josh Donaldson DL stint and its effect on the roster, the early returns on Yangervis Solarte and Gift Ngoepe, Tim Mayza's bizarre start to the year, and the potential return of Joey Bats to the major leagues. Finally they answer listener questions and give MLB/Facebook a Do Over. 

With the minor league season also now in full swing, Lansing Lugnuts announer, Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, stops by to give listeners a preview of what to expect from some of the players in the system. He discusses the former Lansing duo of Vlad Jr. and Bo Bichette, the Blue Jays' habit of skipping top draft pick college players over Lansing and how that helps the organization, lists a few players in Lansing who are going to be on people's radar screens in the near future, and discusses some of the other players with big league bloodlines in the system. Greg and Josh also look at Aaron Sanchez' near no-no and changes he has made, Roberto Osuna's milestone, a swing-and-miss Happ and a wild Stroman, a top-heavy lineup, and continued late-game run scoring. Finally, they answer listener questions and discuss the latest bizarre Rob Manfred news.

Greg and Josh break down a very successful first week in Blue Jays land, with a 4-2 record. They discuss the strange dominance of opposing bullpens and keeping games close, the up and down starting rotation, extremely positive signs from Aledmys Diaz and Justin Smoak, a worrying sign from Seung-hwan Oh, and Josh Donaldson's "dead" arm. They also answer listener questions, give the Twins a Do-Over and debut the new segment, "How Not to Baseball with Gabe Kapler."

Greg, Josh, and Nick look ahead at the upcoming Toronto Blue Jays season with their annual "25 in 50" preview episode. The trio spend 2 minutes talking about each of the 25 players slated to make the opening day roster with a quick chat about a couple of players still on the roster bubble. Real baseball is back!

In the final episode of the AL East Preview Series, Stacey Gostulias of Baseball Prospectus looks ahead at the Yankees (15:17) and Matt Kory, also of BP, takes a look at the reigning division champion Boston Red Sox (45:23). Greg and Josh also talk about the signing of Danny Espinosa, the performance of the super duo of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, give injury updates on Steve Pearce, Randal Grichuk, and Anthony Alford, and discuss what the return of Marcus Stroman to health does and should mean for Joe Biagini. Finally, they answer listener questions and get upset with MLB for its role in Congress including a provision to limit minor league pay in the latest omnibus bill.

Greg, Josh, and Nick discuss the recent news from spring training. They take a look at the early returns from Aaron Sanchez and his recovery from blister issues, Anthony Alford's hot start to the spring before getting hurt, Marcus Stroman's return to mound work but losing the opening day starter nod, how areas of depth can or can't help mitigate certain specific injuries the club is dealing with, and a finish with a look at how some moves around the league affect the Blue Jays postseason chances. 

R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports stops by to preview the Tampa Bay Rays as part of the AL East Preview Series. He discusses the recent controversy caused by the club's latest moves, the grievance filed by the MLBPA against the club, and the outlook for the team after all the offseason changes. Greg and Josh also discuss Russell Martin's power surge and his importance to the club, the signing of Tyler Clippard, injury updates for Marcus Stroman and Steve Pearce, and Mark Shapiro's comments about the depth of the Blue Jays upper farm system. Finally, they answer listener questions and give out a Do Over to another former Sportsnet media personality.