Bat Flips and Maple Dips - A Blue Jays Podcast

Coming off of a weekend series win against the Twins, the Blue Jays find themselves 1.5 games clear of the New York Yankees for the 2nd Wild Card spot in the American League. They trail the Boston Red Sox by 1 game for the 1st Wild Card spot. 

Jose Berrios was dialed in against his former team on Sunday after the bats staked him to a 5 run lead. Vladdy has his average up to .321 with 46 HR and 105 RBI as he chases the Triple Crown and MVP. 

The Jays placed the struggling Hyun-jin Ryu on the...

Justin and Patrick are back to provide an update on the AL and NL Wild Card races. The Blue Jays are one of the hottest teams in baseball this month and are currently in a playoff spot. 

The guys go over the Fangraphs projections, scenarios in case of ties, and analyze the schedules of the remaining contenders. It's going to be a battle. 

Also in this episode: a spotlight on Danny Jansen and Alek Manoah who are two guys who could have a major impact down the stretch and in the postseason. <...

Justin and Patrick a back to break down a WILD weekend in Baltimore and to highlight Teoscar's magnificent season. 

On Friday night the Baltimore Orioles ended the Toronto Blue Jays 8-game winning streak. 

On Sunday the Jays left no doubt and racked up 22 runs in a 22-7 win of the first Sunday of the NFL season. 

In between was a WILD doubleheader the likes of which we may never see again. 

After the dust settled the Jays now find themselves in a tie for the first Wild...

Triple Crown Watch! Vladdy is now leading the AL in average and is only 3 HR and 5 RBI behind the leaders. 

Winners of 5 in a row your Toronto Blue Jays have closed to within 3.5 games of the 1st Wild Card spot. 

Justin & Patrick are here to break down the sweep against the A's and game 1 victory against the Yankees. 

George Springer is clearly playing hurt but does his presence still benefit the lineup? 

Nate Pearson is back with the club. Hear our reactions to that and to...

There are 30 games left in the season. The Toronto Blue Jays need at least 22 wins. That's going to be tough. 

Justin and Patrick talk about that, Robbie Ray being AL Pitcher of the Month, and provide roster and injury updates. 

The big topic on the day is Randal Grichuk vs Lourdes Gurriel Jr. They've both had consistent playing time over the past 75 games and their numbers are very different. 

Next up: 3 games vs the Oakland Athletics before a trip to the Bronx for 4. 

Make or break time...

The Toronto Blue Jays won the weekend series in Detroit against the Tigers and Justin & Patrick are here to tell you what it means for the playoff picture and for the rest of the season. 

Jose Berrios bounced back, Alek Manoah rolled, and Stephen Matz continued his string of strong starts. Combine that with strong performances out of the bullpen and the Jays allowed only 5 runs this weekend. 

The problem continues to be run production. Over the weekend the bats went 3-for-28 with runners in scoring position. In Sunday's 2-1 victory the...

After losing 4 of 5 to the Nationals and Tigers the Toronto Blue Jays find themselves 4.5 games back of the second Wild Card spot in the American League. 

Things won't be getting any easier as the Chicago White Sox come to town for 4 games this week. 

Justin and Patrick break down where it's all going wrong for the Jays and talk about why it isn't time to lose hope. 

There are 40 games left and those games include series against Oakland, New York and a bunch of teams with poor records. Assuming that...

It's BFMD 150! Thanks to all who have listened over the past 3+ years. You are all greatly appreciated. 

The Toronto Blue Jays went 4-5 on the west coast, and Justin and Patrick are hear to break down where it all went wrong. 

George Springer is day-to-day after suffering an ankle injury that looked scary. Cavan Biggio, Nate Pearson and Tim Mayza are all rehabbing in Buffalo, and Teoscar Hernandez won AL Player of the Week! 

The Jays are headed to D.C. for 2 games against the now rebuilding Nationals before starting...

The Toronto Blue Jays are in the midst of a long road trip through Anaheim, Seattle and Washington D.C. and have taken 2 of 3 so far against the Angels. With Jose Berrios set to face Shohei Ohtani, Justin and Patrick break down the first 3 games and also preview the upcoming weekend in Seattle. 

Also in this episode the guys talk injury list updates, Bo Bichette's shins, Gurriel Jr.'s last month, Manoah's dominance, and whether or not fans should worry about Vladdy. 

It's a big weekend ahead as the Jays look to gain...

On the back of a clutch George Springer the Toronto Blue Jays took 3 of 4 games from their rival Boston Red Sox to cap a 9-2 homestand. The team is fired up and now head out to Anaheim and Seattle to take on two of the teams they are battling in the Wild Card race. 

Justin and Patrick break down the Boston series, tee up the Angels, and give the Canadian Olympic team a shoutout after a record breaking games. 

Will the Jays be able to keep their momentum? Will Tampa Bay ever lose...

After the Toronto Blue Jays made a big trade to acquire Jose Berrios from the Twins for Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson they proceeded to sweep the Royals and take 3 of 4 against Cleveland. 

The rotation owns and AL best 2.66 ERA since the All-Star break, and the bullpen is much improved. This Jays team means business! 

The return to Toronto was emotional and players like George Springer have certainly enjoyed the Rogers Centre! Springer was named AL Player of the Week. 

The Jays host Boston for a critical 4-game series...

Justin and Patrick bring you the last episode of BFMD before the Blue Jays return to Toronto! The next time that we speak to you will be after the Blue Jays have played on home soil for the first time in 670 days. 

After a split in Boston, a series with Kansas City awaits. 

There have already been a plethora of trades so far with the likes of Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Joey Gallo, and Anthony Rizzo being moved. 

The Jays acquired Brad Hand for Riley Adams. Will they add Jose...

After a rough week of games against the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, Justin and Patrick break down what happened to the Toronto Blue Jays. 

With a big 4-game series at Fenway Park looming should the Blue Jays be buyers or sellers ahead of Friday's trade deadline? Will the Jays make a move for a big name like Jose Ramirez or Max Scherzer? Will top prospects be included in deals? 

The Jays shook up the batting order on Saturday and the top 5 all had a nice weekend. The bottom of the...

The Toronto Blue Jays are heading home on July 30th! After 670 days the team will finally play a game on Canadian soil. 

Justin and Patrick are back after a much deserved All-Star break to talk about this news, the MLB Draft, All-Star MVP performances, bounce back starts and offensive beat downs. 

Vladdy mashed a 468 foot bomb on route to winning the All-Star MVP. He continued his breakout year by also hitting 3 home runs against the Texas Rangers during a 3-game sweep. 

Robbie Ray, Hyun-jin Ryu and Steven Matz all delivered...

With Hurricane Elsa dropping rain storms all up and down the east coast the Blue Jays and Orioles were not able to play Thursday's series finale. The game will be made up as part of a double header on September 11th. 

Justin and Patrick break down the two games that were played which included duds from Steven Matz & Trent Thornton along with a nice rebound from Hyun-jin Ryu. The bats put up 15 runs over two games but the Jays were only able to walk away with a split. 

They now head south...

Justin and Patrick are back to break down another series of Toronto Blue Jays baseball. The Jays were able to win 2 of 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend on the heels of strong pitching from Alek Manoah, Ross Stripling and Robbie Ray. 

Bo Bichette was selected as an All-Star reserve and will join his teammates Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Marcus Semien and Teoscar Hernandez at the midsummer classic in Denver where his father Dante spent most of his MLB career. 

Manoah was electric in his start as he mowed down 10 Rays via...

After a tough series loss against the Seattle Mariners, Justin and Patrick break down what went wrong. Ryu and Matz were not good, Chatwood blew up again and the team left too many runners on base. 

The Blue Jays traded Joe Panik and a minor league pitcher to Miami for pitcher Adam Cimber and outfielder Corey Dickerson. The guys break down that trade and what it could mean for future moves.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Marcus Semien, and Teoscar Hernandez will all be starting for the American League in the All-Star game in Denver after...

Justin and Patrick are BACK to break down a 5-1 week for your Toronto Blue Jays. 

The guys recap the games, provide updates on injured players, preview the Seattle series and reveal their final All Star ballots! 

Tune in to see if we let our Blue Jays bias influence our votes, and here our thoughts on the bullpen's latest debacle. 

We will be back with a longer episode on Friday! 

Stay cool this week, and have a happy Canada Day! 

After a crazy series win in Baltimore the Jays find themselves back at the .500 mark. Justin and Patrick break the series down and take a look at the latest George Springer news, 100% capacity at Sahlen field, Vladdy skipping the home run derby, and a June who's hot who's not segment. 

The Jays are headed to Miami for a quick 2-game stop before hosting the Orioles for 4 in Buffalo. 

Will we see George Springer this week? Will Robbie Ray and Alek Manoah rebound? 

Well, that happened. The Blue Jays were swept by the Yankees and fell below the .500 mark. 

Justin and Patrick break down what went wrong in each of the 3 games that led to the sweep. 

The guys talk bullpen blow ups, offensive mishaps and TOOTBLANs. 

The Jays head to Baltimore for their first series with the Orioles and boy oh boy do they need a sweep. 

After a 3-4 road trip through Chicago's Southside and Fenway Park the Toronto Blue Jays return home face the Yankees in Buffalo. 

Justin and Patrick recap the week that was and provide updates on George Springer's rehab, Steven Matz's positive COVID test, Alek Manoah & Robbie Ray's quality starts, and of course the plethora of home runs hit over the weekend. 

Vladdy and Semien look like All Star game starters with Bo, Teo and Grich likely to join them. Remember to vote for the most deserving players! 

Will Vladdy participate...

Chris Henderson of Jays Journal returns to the show to join Justin and Patrick for a look back at our preseason thoughts. 

Take a listen to hear who was right about Steven Matz, Nate Pearson, Marcus Semien, Jordan Romano and more!

Who has been the biggest positive surprise? The biggest disappointment? 

The Jays are headed to Chicago to start a tough week against the White Sox before wrapping up the "Sox Trip" in Boston over the weekend. After that the schedule eases up heading into July. 

After a two-game mini sweep of the Miami Marlins the Toronto Blue Jays prepare to welcome the Houston Astros to Sahlen Field. 

Justin and Patrick break down the Marlins series including a rough start for Alek Manoah. Marcus Semien was named MLB Player of the Month for May and carried that into June. Vladdy and Grich Daddy both had monster games while the bullpen and Bo Bichette came up clutch. 

Shoutout to the fans in Buffalo who packed (35% capacity) the park to support the Jays! It was great to hear cheers again. <...

After a 4-2 road trip the Toronto Blue Jays head to Buffalo where they will play home games until the Canadian government lets them return to Toronto. Sahlen Field has been renovated and added to since last summer and promises to play and feel more like a big league park. 

Justin and Patrick recap the road trip through New York and Cleveland, talk bullpen management, offensive highlights, and look ahead to the 2-game mini series with Miami. 

The big segment is a spotlight on 2B Marcus Semien who had one of the best...

See you next spring Dunedin! Good riddance. 

Justin and Patrick are back to bring you up to speed after a depressing week of games. The Blue Jays seem to blow a lead in the 9th or give up a handful of extra inning runs in every game lately. 

The good news? Ryu has been dominant, Vladdy is playing MVP caliber baseball, and Teoscar Hernandez is a legit slugger. 

The bad news? The bullpen can't stop the bleeding, Springer is not close to action, and the bottom third of the order...

Almost everything is going according to plan for the Toronto Blue Jays. The top of the lineup is hot, the rotation is delivering quality outings, and many injured Jays are nearing their return. 

The heavily used bullpen is starting to show signs of wear and tear but Vladdy, Bo, Teoscar and Semien are doing what they can to shoulder the load. Gurriel is getting hot and Danny Jansen's batting average has slowly been creeping up over the past week. 

Baseball America now has 8 Blue Jays in their Top 100 Prospects, the most of any...

Justin and Patrick are back with another episode of BFMD. The Toronto Blue Jays swept the Atlanta Braves for the second time this season and head back to Dunedin with a 20-16 record after a long 10-game road trip. 

They guys provide injury updates on Springer, Merryweather, Hatch & others, recap the Braves series and provide some insight into why Robbie Ray has improved. 

Jack Fritz of the High Hopes Podcast joins the guys to preview this weekend's set with the Philadelphia Phillies at TD Ballpark. Jack tells us how he became a...

Justin and Patrick were joined by Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ross Stripling (20:25) to talk podcasting, having a baby during a winter storm, the young Blue Jays, pitchers hitting, and his thoughts on his season so far. We are very grateful that Ross took the time on an off day to sit down with us! 

Also in the episode, a movie discussion about The Revenant and Spotlight where the guys give their thoughts on the films. 

After the interview with Ross the guys got into the news, including Tanner Roark signing a minor league...

Marcus Semien and the Toronto Blue Jays split a four game series with the Oakland Athletics this week. The A's gave Semien a standing ovation and a tribute video in a ballpark the California native called home for 6 seasons. 

On the field it was Randal Grichuk leading the way for the Jays who won the final two games of the series. Grich Daddy drove in 7 runs while the bullpen allowed only one run in the series. 

Justin and Patrick break down Ryu's return, rough starts for Kay & Matz, and tell you what...

The Blue Jays got George Springer and Teoscar Hernandez back in the lineup and proceeded to sweep away the Atlanta Braves over the weekend. 

Justin and Patrick recap the series, tee up the four game set in Oakland, and tell you about the Roberto Alomar news that broke this week. 

Alejandro Kirk, Anthony Castro, and Tommy Milone all hit the IL, with Ross Stripling getting activated and Riley Adams getting the call up to the Show. 

George Springer is a Blue Jay. The largest free agent signing in team history made his debut on Thursday and boy oh boy does he look good in a Jays uniform. 

Justin and Patrick are back to take you through the Nationals mini series. The guys break down everything from Vladdy's monster 3 HR game to the bullpen continuing to shine. 

Is Cavan Biggio breaking out? Why did the Jays option Rowdy Tellez? 

The guys also highlight some notable minor league assignments including Alek Manoah at Triple-A Buffalo! #FreeManoah

...

The Blue Jays are heading back to Dunedin with a series win against the Rays at the Trop. A rare feat. 

Matz, Ray and Ryu all gave the Jays much needed stability and the bullpen combined for only 1 earned run allowed over 3 games!

Ryu left his start with a minor glute strain. It doesn't sound like he expects to miss much, if any, time. 

Semien and Grichuk had a nice series, and Espinal was the hero on Sunday. 

George Springer appears set to make his Jays debut on...

After a split in the two game series with Boston the Toronto Blue Jays return to Florida to take on the Rays at the Trop. Justin and Patrick break down the games at Fenway, dive into injury news, the A's win streak, and finally a preview of the Tampa Bay series. 

George Springer and Teoscar Hernandez should be back within a few days. Vladdy leads MLB in OBP, and Steven Matz looks to keep his stellar start going against Tyler Glasnow on Friday. 

There is a lot of negativity on Blue Jays Twitter...

What is going on with the Toronto Blue Jays offence?! 

Justin and Patrick talk about why the Jays dropped 3 of 4 to the Kansas City Royals and highlight why the pitching is not to blame. 

Vladdy continues to be one of the best hitters in baseball, and Steven Matz has won all 3 of his starts to start the season. 

Next up is a date with the Red Sox at Fenway. 

Help is on the way as George Springer, Teoscar Hernandez and Jordan Romano all near returns. 

After Bo Bichette's heroics got the Blue Jays back to .500 Justin and Patrick sat down to discuss the team's current position. 

The guys talked about the players who have impressed and disappointed them so far, and broke down the battle for bench positions and playing time. 

Teoscar Hernandez tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed on the 10-Day IL along with Julian Merryweather. Nate Pearson, George Springer and Thomas Hatch are rehabbing and Robbie Ray made his season debut. 

The Jays are off to Kansas City and Patrick provides a...

The Blue Jays lost to the Angels 7-5 in 11 innings last night and Justin and Patrick aren't happy about it. 

In the first Justin led rant, he takes you through every situation last night starting in the bottom of the 7th inning in a 5-5 tie. 

From the inability to move a runner from 2nd to 3rd base, to wasting 3 players for a 2-out walk and pick off, to questionable pitching changes the Jays had chances to win. 

Now at 3-4 on the year, and with Springer likely out another...

After a 3-1 start for the Toronto Blue Jays, Justin and Patrick break down the series win against the Yankees and the win in the Rangers home opener. 

Steven Matz was electric. Julian Merryweather is apparently the closer now, Jordan Romano and Ryan Borucki look scary good, and Rafael Dolis needs to get his sinker over for strikes. 

Ryu was great on Opening day, Stripling got away with mistakes, and T.J. Zeuch earned another turn. 

On offense, Vladdy and Grich Daddy are off to hot starts while Bo and...

Huge shout out to Bobby Kay who took the time on short notice to chat today. 

Justin and Bobby met up over Discord on Bobby's Twitch Stream to chat Jays vs Yankees, being a fake Mets fan, and of course Anthony Kay. 

Take a listen to find our predictions for the first series of the 2021 series!

Thanks again Bobby!

Chris Henderson of Jays Journal returns to the show to join Justin and Patrick for a Blue Jays season preview discussion. The guys get heated discussing Nate Pearson's role of the team, confidence level in the rotation, lineup construction, the closer role, and season predictions for the team's record. Which of us has the Jays missing the playoffs? 

Make sure to give Chris a follow @Baseball4Brains on Twitter and read his articles on jaysjournal.com. Thanks again Chris! 

Justin and Patrick put a bow on Spring Training by recapping the last handful...

After a horrifying 24 hours of Blue Jays injury news, Justin and Patrick sit down to dissect the situation and what it means for the team going forward. 

Without their closer, who fills the 9th inning void? Will Springer and Ray be out long term? What does this mean for a rotation that already lost Nate Pearson? 

With one week to go until Opening Day the guys give their opinions on who should earn the final roster spots. Has Josh Palacios passed Jonathan Davis, and will Trent Thornton snag a rotation spot?