JTP: Rays Check-In, Toronto’s Rotation & Bisons’ Casey Candaele
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What are the key storylines for the Jays–Rays series and the wild‑card race?
All right, good morning everyone. Welcome to another edition of J's Talk Plus on SportsNet 590 the fans, SportsNet as well. Show Alley. Nick Ashbourne here with you in for Blake Murphy. Blake back next week. He's enjoying some well-deserved time off. So Nick and I back called out of the bullpen for one more day. Nick in with me just today. And then Danielle Franceschi in with me Wednesday through Friday. But Nick, always great to see you. We're back. And uh yesterday, a day off for the Blue Jays means we can talk some actual baseball tonight. The Jays will take on the Rays down at everyone's favorite ballpark, the Trop, Tropicana Field, the site of the next three games for the Jays and Rays. First pitch tonight flies six forty PM Eastern, three forty Pacific.
Ben Schulman, Chris LaRue are on the call on the Blue Jays Radio Network. Dan Shulman and Joe Siddle will have the call, of course, on television. But uh matchup with the Rays at the Trump is uh never never anyone's favorite series of the year, I think.
No, and this is such a critical moment in the Blue Jay season. And so in this specific time they're going to arguably the place you would least want to go, which is Tropicana Field, the Rays being kind of clearly the best team in the American League at the moment. And their history there is obviously it's just a it's a bad history for years and years and years and years. I think part of the glumness associated with the trip to Tropicana Field is it's just not a fun ballpark, whether people are traveling to it or whether you're watching it on TV. It's just it's an unpleasant place in the context of major league baseball. And so the game even looks a little bit worse there. The production values are down.
It's hardly a cathedral of baseball. Have you ever
been there?
I have not. And you know what? Don't really have much of an intention to go.
I I so I have a lot of family that lives in Florida and they've lived there for, you know, decades. And uh they live in Orlando, so not in Tampa proper, but uh or or St. Petersburg, I suppose, where where the trop is. But um we go to Tampa fairly often because you know you can there's a lot there is a fair amount to do in Tampa that you can't do in Orlando. So and it's not that far a drive, so we'll drive and so I I I've actually been to the trop, I think The most How do I rephrase this? Uh other than the Rogers Center, let's say, I've been to the trop for any other ballpark the most times in in my entire life, which is kind of funny. It it is kind of funny to go there, sit and let let's be honest, it's not that many people.
As I understand, they're drawing more now, which is a positive thing, but It's kind of funny because you go and you watch the eye that you're so familiar with. It's kinda like the eye of Sauron looking down at you kind of thing. And it's it is it is somewhat bizarre because I ha I have been to the you know, like Wrigley and n now Rait Field in Chicago, for example, and both outdoor parks, obviously. It's just very different. But it it it does it does have a little bit of a different feel when you're playing at the Trump, which I can only imagine is the same for uh for opposing players.
I don't yeah, I don't think players especially relish that journey and being there and it's just an artificial environment. And I know that we have Roger Center here in Toronto and it has the roof and there are those days where the roof is closed and that is less of a pleasant environment, but there's been a lot of work done to improve that experience. And baseball is just at its best when it's a summer day or night and the sun is shining down and There's something kinda alien about the type of ball that takes place at Tropicana Field.
Uh probable pitchers for the series. Jose Soriano, Nick Martinez. That is tonight's matchup. Max Scherzer, Drew Rasmussen tomorrow, and Shane Bieber. And I I think it's still Ian Seymour, although the Rays have kind of rejigged their rotation. So we'll see if that remains the case. But that's kind of how things go if everyone stays on turn.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the key storylines for the Jays–Rays series and the wild‑card race?
0:14–15:18
2
How do the Rays’ pitching staff and Junior Camanero’s arsenal shape Tampa Bay’s success?
15:18–30:22
3
What does Blue Jays manager Nick Martinez bring to the rotation and how might the rotation be reshaped?
30:22–41:26
4
How important is the Jays’ bullpen depth and who are the emerging relievers?
41:26–54:27
5
What impact do catchers Kirk Landry and Brandon Valenzuela have on the Jays’ pitching performance?
54:27–1:07:00
6
How does the Blue Jays’ offensive identity evolve with players like Springer, Okamoto and the younger core?
1:07:00–1:21:27
7
What insights does Buffalo Bisons manager Casey Candell provide on player development and the Triple‑A pipeline?
1:21:27–1:36:54
8
What are the final takeaways and predictions for the Jays’ playoff chances?
1:36:54–1:39:48
Speakers
5 identifiedMore from Blue Jays Talk
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