Blue Jays Talk
JTP: Davis Schneider Interview + Michael Schur/Joe Posnanski Join the Show!
11 Jun 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What milestones did Max Scherzer achieve during his recent game?
Well, there was history made, and then the rest of the game was not particularly historic or particularly friendly to the Toronto Blue Jays. Max Scherzer returned. He got career strikeout number 3,500, just the 11th player in Major League Baseball history to do so. But it didn't go particularly well for him from there. Gave up five over three and a third.
The Blue Jays threatened a couple of times, but couldn't quite get over the hump.
Chapter 2: How is Alejandro Kirk's return impacting the Blue Jays' catcher situation?
They saw Yohan Duran. for the third day in a row, which is pretty rare in 2026, and they were not able to take advantage of that. They lose 7-4 to the Phillies. They lose that series two games to three. They'll now have an off day before the Yankees are here. They'll have another off day on Monday, and then they start another 16-16 stretch.
So get your gear resting while you can if you are the Toronto Blue Jays. It should be a pretty fun series at Rogers Center this weekend. It's Ryan Weathers, Cam Schlittler, and Will Warren on the Yankees side. J7 confirmed, but Trey Savage and Kevin Gosman on turn to start Friday and Saturday. And a lot of...
questions to sort through as far as you know roster moves and what the rotation looks like from here after that Max Scherzer start John Schneider saying after the game they're not going to make any knee-jerk reactions to one start for Max Scherzer given how long he was off but you know it hasn't gone particularly well even before the injury so that'll be something to watch something to watch as well Shane Bieber will start for AAA Buffalo today the hope is for him to get up to 70 75 pitches and then
They have said that the next one could come in the majors after that if all goes well. It's also possible he does another rehab one if the results aren't there or the pitch count isn't there or whatever. So lots to watch there. Jimmy Garcia got into a rehab game yesterday. Alejandro Kirk will catch for a second consecutive day today. Lots going on.
So let's get into it with Dan Schulman, voice of the Toronto Blue Jays on Sportsnet. Dan, how we doing, buddy? Lots going on.
You are right. It's like never a dull moment with this team.
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Chapter 3: What insights does Davis Schneider share about life in the Blue Jays clubhouse?
Somebody's coming. Somebody's going. Somebody's getting hot. Somebody's cooling off. They win a couple. They lose a couple. But I don't know that I've seen a season like this before, Blake. This is a different kind of year right now.
Well, you say never a dull moment. It wasn't. It was a fun game. But in your experience, I would imagine walk off ABS challenge is among the less exciting walk off calls that you've done.
Yeah, I mean, imagine if that happens at a playoff game at some point going forward. And I'm like 99.9% in favor of the way ABS is going. I think it's really good. But I think, yeah, I think not that it's been a lifelong aspiration of mine to call a game that ends on an ABS challenge. Yeah, a little anticlimactic, I guess you could say, but it's 2026 and embrace the technology.
And let's just be glad when it's working. And I think it's working pretty well. But yeah, that was a little bit strange last night.
Yeah, it's mostly working.
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Chapter 4: What challenges are the Blue Jays facing this season?
This is the hold up with the Elam ending on the basketball side as well as you could end the game on like a walk off free throw, which nobody nobody really wants that much. So, Dan, you're right. There's a lot going on. There was a lot going on last night. Max Scherzer returned, Connor Siebel designated for assignment, and it starts off really fun. Max Scherzer gets his 3,500th career strikeout.
He gets Kyle Schwarber right away, just the 11th player in Major League Baseball history to do that. It doesn't go that well from there, but before we get into that, kind of the enormity of that, especially at a time where longevity and innings totals might not be where they were even in this last kind of half generation. Max Scherzer just did something that
We might not see, even in an era where strikeouts are through the roof. How cool was that for you to get the call? And just how big a milestone do you think that is to be at 3,500 and do something that is going to be really elusive from here?
I mean, when you're one of only 11 guys ever to do anything in Major League Baseball, it's really cool. And it was kind of interesting. It was the first bat of the game. You probably remember Max's last start before he went on the IL. He didn't last very long, and he didn't get that strikeout. I think he entered the last one at 3,499 and didn't get it.
I thought it was cool that he acknowledged it looked like he acknowledged the Blue Jays dugout, the Phillies dugout right there and then the fans. And I thought that was really cool because we all know the kind of focus and intensity that Max Scherzer has. But he was able to step out of that for a moment and acknowledge it and then strike out the next guy to in Trey Turner. So it's cool.
You're right. Strikeouts per nine. or strikeout rate are way higher than back in the day of Tom Seaver and Jim Palmer and guys like that. But even though that's the case, guys don't throw nearly as many innings. So you might strike out 20% more, but if you're throwing 30% fewer innings than you threw, it's going to be hard to get to those numbers.
I remember talking to Kevin Gosman a few weeks ago as he was approaching 2,000. And he was, you know, he was very thoughtful about it as he always is. And then he just pointed to Scherzer's locker, which was nearby in the visiting clubhouse, whatever ballpark we were talking. And he goes, he goes, now that's a whole different planet over there.
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Chapter 5: What predictions are made for the 2026 season regarding left-handed hitters?
Like even a guy like Kevin Gosman is like, I can't believe anybody has done that. So we know the wind totals will never be challenged like that. The horse is out of the barn on that. And I'm with you. I don't, I don't know that anybody will get to 3,500 again. I would imagine maybe a couple of guys approach the,
But you got to stay healthy and pitch for 15, 16 years and strike out better than a batter an inning. And it's going to be hard to do. It's the unfortunate part is that accomplishment didn't come in an outing that had gone better, you know, that maybe had a team W attached to it as well.
I think the, you know, Max's thoughts after the game might have been a lot different had everything gone better after that.
Yeah, and for context on just how far the gap is between 3,500 and 2,000, Kevin Gosman is sixth among active pitchers. There are only six active pitchers with 2,000, and he would be almost an entire career away from matching Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, the closest to it right now at 2,671, but he's also 37 years old, and even though he's still very, very good, that is a far cry away.
You know what will be fun is, sorry to interrupt, and this is 15 years from now, but we're watching young guys like Skeens and Mizorowski do some things that are really challenging baseball history. And it's very, very, very early in their careers. But do they stay healthy? Are they good? Do they pile up the innings?
And if you and I are still working, you've got a better chance of working in 15 years, I think, than I do. But if we're still having these chats in 15 years, let's see where Mizorowski and Skeens are.
Yeah, it's a great point because, like you said, the strikeouts per nine are higher than they've ever been. But the innings per game or whatever has never been smaller. And then you factor in, you know, some of these young hard-throwing guys might go two TJs in their career and things like that. So Max Scherzer's outing does not go well from there. Five runs over three and a third.
John Schneider saying after the game that they're not going to make any knee-jerk reactions. He was down for a little bit of time. Even before the injury, though, the results weren't quite there for Scherzer.
So acknowledging that there was an ankle issue, there was a forearm issue, there was the thumb issue that he continues to deal with, how much leash do you think the Blue Jays can afford to give Scherzer from here? You know, he maybe doesn't have to be peak Max Scherzer, NLDS Max Scherzer, but certainly a better version than they got yesterday.
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Chapter 6: What are the potential impacts of roster decisions on the Blue Jays' playoff chances?
If that goes well, he could come back or he could get one more. But assuming there are no setbacks, Shane Bieber is going to be on this team and in this rotation pretty soon. And if that happens, then either Patrick Corbin or Max Scherzer are not going to be in this rotation pretty soon, barring an injury to one of the top three guys. Is it an IL thing? Is it a DFA thing? We don't know.
i don't think they're using either of those guys out of the bullpen and i'm sure you would agree with me on that but then you've got some other guys to keep an eye on right now like um what if they don't like what they're getting out of any of these guys do they say well let's throw simeon woods richardson in there as a starter or a bulk guy like miles what was for a while and see how that goes
What if Jake Bloss has another great one at Dunedin and they move him to Buffalo next week and then he has three or four more really good ones there. Lazaro Estrada is now pitching at Buffalo. Went three hitless innings a few days ago. He's been pretty good. And could he come up and be a starter? I don't know. But could he be a Spencer Miles bulk guy? Maybe.
So they've got to be in the business of winning games and winning games soon. You know, it's all it's all well and good that they're hanging around the fringes of the wildcard race under 500. But if they're under 500 a month from now, I don't think they're going to be in a wildcard position like they've got to start winning more games. We all know that.
So honestly, Blake, I think they're tracking four, five, six, seven different possibilities to try to figure out how to round out that rotation right now.
Yeah, immediately it's one of those that you don't have to outrun the bear. You just have to outrun the guy next to you. But there are a lot of bears coming, I guess, for lack of a better term. And obviously that would be one of those good problems to have. And how you fit everyone in versus how you cover the innings is a much better problem to have for the Blue Jays. They're off today.
They're going to be off Monday. Then they start another one of these 16 and 16 stretches tomorrow. The double off day here lets them get a bit of a breather and get guys down a little bit. But when it comes to these decisions, how imperative is it going to be just for whoever takes those spots, just give them some length?
Because if you go through another 16 and 16 where your bullpen is top of the league, redlining in terms of appearances, I would imagine the ability to give up four over six is almost more valuable than two over four and two-thirds almost. Yeah.
Yeah, I would agree with you, even though, you know, the ERA might be higher in that game. But I agree with you 100%. I do think they're in a bit of a better spot. You know, I know I have said it many times this year earlier in the season. They don't have an actual, a real long man in the bullpen.
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