Chapter 1: What was the outcome of the Blue Jays vs Pirates game?
Well, Jeff, that's a little more like it. It took a little bit of time for us to get there offensively, almost kind of like starting your car on a cold winter's night. But, you know, it got going in the end. Gosman looked terrific. Varlan, the two-inning save, and he looks damn good doing it as well. Some really aggressive bullpen management tonight, but I did like it.
A 6-2 win for the Jays to open this series against the Pirates here in Toronto. Jays now 24-27 on the season.
Yeah, I mean, I think you used the right word. Aggressive to me was kind of the watchword of this whole game, whether it was John Schneider's aggressive use of the bullpen, which makes sense. I mean, with all due respect, and as Ben Shulman pointed out, John's probably not going to say this, but... You're facing Paul Skeens tomorrow.
Chapter 2: How did Yohendrick Piñango contribute to the Blue Jays' victory?
If you win that game, it's found money. I think he emptied the tank tonight.
Chapter 3: What did Kevin Gausman achieve during the game?
And then you've got Dylan Seas on Sunday. And, you know, you go for the series win there. So, yeah, Louie Varland, aggressive use of the bullpen. Jay's really aggressive on the base pass tonight, too.
Chapter 4: How did the bullpen management affect the game strategy?
Like, really alert. Miles Straw, very alert on the base pass. Brandon Valenzuela, quietly a low-key game. That had bad in the eighth inning. A nine-pitch walk, then he ends up stealing second and comes home scoring on George Springer's double. It was really, yeah, that looked... More and more like the Blue Jays team we saw at times last year when they were having success.
Now, you know, what you want to see, you want to see Vladdy start to go on a roll. Everything else, George seems to be heating up. He's certainly not running the bases like a dude with a fractured toe.
First to third, running like that? My goodness.
Yeah. No, it was just a really aggressive, good game for the Blue Jays tonight. No doubt about it at all.
That's Jeff Blair. I'm Sho Ali. You're listening to Blue Jays Talk here on the Sportsnet Radio Network. We're also streaming on Sportsnet.ca and on the Sportsnet app. You can give us a call. Maybe you're on. Out of the ballpark, maybe you're already getting to your car, 416-870-0590, 1-AAA-666-0590, star 590 on your cell. You can text us as well, 590-590, name and location.
Like I say, the People's Text Line is always open. Standard data and messaging rates may apply. Before we go to the phones, Jeff, check out the text line and chat a little bit more about this game. Let's get to the player of the game, brought to you by Capital One. Capital One giving credit to over 4 million Canadians today.
And counting, I think on Nightlight Tonight, you could probably go a number of ways, but where are you going to go for player of the game tonight?
Yeah, I mean, I'm going to keep it pretty simple here. I think, you know, Hendrick Pignango's double in the third inning. That keys the three-run third inning off a guy who's got great stuff. Yeah, he was having trouble commanding the strike zone, but he still has great stuff. And we've talked in the past about the Jays having issues getting to starting pitchers.
So, you know, Hendrick Pignango's double. That is the third hardest hit ball. by a Blue Jays player this season. Vladdy has the other two. So for me, that hit kind of got the Jays going.
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Chapter 5: What role does Brandon Valenzuela play in the team's success?
Barger, Lucas, Sanchez, Varshow, Pignango, all who bat left. I mean, if you don't put aside Straw, who occupies kind of his own unique territory on this team as a defensive replacement most days, Schneider as well, who we have conversations about all the time. I mean, that's five left-handed outfielders. I don't think you're going to roll out all five of those guys.
Someone's got to go out, I would imagine.
Yeah, I mean, both Pignango and Schneider have options left. Here's the thing with Pignango. I mean, this may not even be a John Schneider decision. This may be an organizational decision. Because the question is, if this guy is as good as he seems, if he's as good as you think he is, how many at-bats is he going to get up here if you're going to have Nathan Lucas on the team?
Because Nathan Lucas, to me, becomes a starter right away. How many at-bats could you realistically expect him to get with all those left-handed bats in the lineup? I think it becomes a little more complicated when Addison Barger comes back. You could probably...
Uh, when, when Lucas comes back, you could probably go with, uh, sending out Sosa and keeping, you know, keeping Davis Schneider, but then it gets interesting. And, and I think that's, you know, maybe in a way that helps the blue Jays, it gives them a little more run to see what exactly Johan Rick Penango is, but.
Yeah, it's... I mean, look, it is not... It's not... I don't think it's as easy a decision as it was the first time. Because the first time you send him down, since then, Davis Schneider really hasn't done a great deal. Pignango's come back up, and it's like... And he's just... He's kept hitting.
You know, and if you look at him, he's in the middle of so much of the good stuff that has happened to this team in May. The games that they've won. Pignango is in... You know, he's in the middle there. I'm a little... I don't know about him defensively in left field, but, you know, I think you can probably get by with that. You know, I mean, it's kind of an old baseball thing anyhow.
I don't know how great your left fielder necessarily needs to be defensively if he's going to hit. But, yeah, listen, it's a, I mean, it's a question. It's absolutely a question. And more nights like tonight, it's going to make the decision even harder.
I do wonder, too. I mean, I know he had a pretty good game the other night, and certainly again tonight he gives you the insurance run for the Blue Jays. But Jesus Sanchez, I wonder what his place is. And again, he makes $6.8 million. The money is obviously going to be a part of it, and the way they manage assets.
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Chapter 6: How are injuries impacting the Blue Jays' roster decisions?
Also, Louis Verland, six-out save. I love Louis Varland, but I think that John Schneider just does not trust anybody else other than Varland, Tyler Rogers, and Jeff Hoffman. I think that's a circle of trust, and I think this team desperately needs that fourth guy to be in the circle of trust.
Yeah, you know what I think? Let's not underestimate the fact that Braden Fisher wasn't available tonight, too, after opening last night. I mean, I think there was a situation there that may have called for Braden Fisher. Yeah, I mean, if you were John Schneider, who would be in your circle of trust in the ninth inning? You know, I mean, to me, those are the obvious choices.
Those are your four guys, I guess.
Yeah.
Will Hardy, too, maybe?
Or is he really still a lefty specialist at this point? I mean, maybe. Maybe. It's, you know, I just, I don't know. This is going to sound really odd because it's been such a flashpoint. I still... don't know what to make of Jeff Hoffman this year. Because I keep thinking of that performance at Yankee Stadium.
I'm like, I'll tell you, honest to God, when he came in the game, I said to Barker, I mean, you know. I just don't have a good feeling about this.
I was sitting there with you guys.
Yeah, it was one, two, three. And I'm like, you know, I'm getting ready. I'm looking at the scorecard to see who the hell the ghost runner is going to be because this thing is going to spiral out of control. But, you know, John's going to give him chances to close games. He's going to give Hoffman chances to close games. I don't think there's any doubt about that at all.
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