2025 Toronto Blue Jays Season Thread

[Karl]

Regarding IKF below.

Originally Posted by Karl

Not today. Not his day. Not meant to be.

Damn you Barger. YOU managed to top IKF's defensive play of futility last night.

What a waste. Screw you.

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by Jiggy_12

Listened to Dan Shulman's segment on 960 this morning. Obviously its just his opinion, but his thoughts were the Jays are almost certainly saving Gausman/Yesavage for a game 5 tandem, and that tonight you will see Varland followed by Lauer, then some combo of Fluharty, Little, Domiguez, Rodruiguez, Fisher, and Hoffman.

Using Gausman tonight will lower his effectiveness. Short rest, versus a day of extra rest on Friday.

Yeah I've talked myself out of Gausman tonight.

Take your chances with the pen game, hope they figure it out.

If not, you've got your best weapons to deploy at home in game 5, which is realistically your best shot to win this series.

[EN FUEGO]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

I get that, but I think Gausman is more valuable to this series than an insurance policy on Yesavage for game 5.

Gausman would start Friday, I think. If you were going to use him tonight, you'd start him tonight. He's not a reliever, might not be pretty bringing him in mid-game.

[Jiggy_12]

Originally Posted by EN FUEGO

Gausman would start Friday, I think. If you were going to use him tonight, you'd start him tonight. He's not a reliever, might not be pretty bringing him in mid-game.

Agreed. I think Gaus gets the start Friday with Trey ready to go in bulk relief whenever Gaus is done.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Between this game and the Flames/Oilers this has a chance to be a really awesome night of sports or absolute misery

[Karl]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Between this game and the Flames/Oilers this has a chance to be a really awesome night of sports or absolute misery

Leafs/Habs too for me...

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Between this game and the Flames/Oilers this has a chance to be a really awesome night of sports or absolute misery

A Jays win and it's a great night. I've accepted the Flames will be hard pressed to win tonight in Edmonton.

[EN FUEGO]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Between this game and the Flames/Oilers this has a chance to be a really awesome night of sports or absolute misery

Silver lining is it sure would be exciting to have a game 5 on Friday night with our best pitchers going against....pitchers we've lit up. I'm not getting my hopes too high, but I do think they get it done tonight with some unexpected solid pitching.

[Jiggy_12]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

A Jays win and it's a great night. I've accepted the Flames will be hard pressed to win tonight in Edmonton.

I would take an 0-82 Flames season for 1 Jays win tonight, TBQH

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Jiggy_12

I would take an 0-82 Flames season for 1 Jays win tonight, TBQH

McKenna + Jays win? I'll take that too.

But yeah the Jays win is by far more critical tonight.
An Oilers win coupled with a Jays' loss would just make a ####ty night even ####tier.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Maybe it's just me, but just ****ing walk Judge if you're feeling pressured to pitch at him. I don't blame Varland for obviously going for it with an 0-2 count, but it showed that Judge's body and frame allow him to make adjustments and still be able to knock it out of the park if he adjusts correctly. Don't **** around, just walk him if you're not at your best stuff. We've done it before, do it again. He is the ONLY reason they came back last night.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Maybe it's just me, but just ****ing walk Judge if you're feeling pressured to pitch at him. I don't blame Varland for obviously going for it with an 0-2 count, but it showed that Judge's body and frame allow him to make adjustments and still be able to knock it out of the park if he adjusts correctly. Don't **** around, just walk him if you're not at your best stuff. We've done it before, do it again. He is the ONLY reason they came back last night.

Looking at it now it might have been best to walk him and take your chances with Bellinger but I get why they didn't. Walk him and you risk it being even more of a big inning. Pitch to him and at worse it's tied and you still have a chance.

He was also extremely lucky that was a homerun. Not just because it hitting the foul pole but because there was something like a 90-95% chance with whatever data they use that where that pitch ended up doesn't turn out to be a homerun. 99 out of a 100 times he probably doesn't do that.

[SuperMatt18]

Honestly there is probably a 99.9% chance that pitch isn't a home run, but it's why they play the games.

That was a 100MPH pitch that was high and inside and somehow Judge turned on it.

Also the fastest pitch he hit for a HR in his career.

Baseball is fun because weird things happen sometimes, that HR is one of those weird things. Varland makes that pitch 100 times and maybe it gets hit for a HR once.

[Jiggy_12]

An interesting wrinkle re: Gausman. I guess he hasn’t thrown his typical bullpen session. One could infer from this that he is certainly on the table as an option.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1975983502631035378

[howard_the_duck]

It's obviously dependent on the situation and the inning re: Judge. Personally, I'd pitch to him in the first without runners on but strongly consider 2nd time through the order and beyond just putting him on.

I'll live with Stanton/Bellinger beating me, but it's hard to justify pitching to a guy with a 1.100++ OPS

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

McKenna + Jays win? I'll take that too.

But yeah the Jays win is by far more critical tonight.
An Oilers win coupled with a Jays' loss would just make a ####ty night even ####tier.

75% chance of no McKenna even with an 0-82 record

[Jiggy_12]

My stab at the lineup tonight against a hard throwing righty.

Springer - RF
Lukes - LF
Guerrero - 1B
Kirk - C
Varsho - CF
Santander - DH
Clement - 3B
Schneider - 2B
Gimenez - SS

Get Santander out of the field but keep his bat. Get Barger and IKF out entirely.

If you do get a lead, throw Straw in for Springer as a late game defensive upgrade.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Jiggy_12

An interesting wrinkle re: Gausman. I guess he hasn’t thrown his typical bullpen session. One could infer from this that he is certainly on the table as an option.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1975983502631035378

I don't love that. I'd rather he stick to his regular routine even if it makes him unavailable tonight. Because if we get to game 5 you need the A+ version of Guasman.

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by Jiggy_12

My stab at the lineup tonight against a hard throwing righty.

Springer - RF
Lukes - LF
Guerrero - 1B
Kirk - C
Varsho - CF
Santander - DH
Clement - 3B
Schneider - 2B
Gimenez - SS

Get Santander out of the field but keep his bat. Get Barger and IKF out entirely.

If you do get a lead, throw Straw in for Springer as a late game defensive upgrade.

Springer - RF
Lukes - LF
Guerrero - 1B
Varsho - CF
Kirk - C
Barger - 3B
Santander - DH
Gimenez - SS
Clement - 2B

[Jiggy_12]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

Springer - RF
Lukes - LF
Guerrero - 1B
Varsho - CF
Kirk - C
Barger - 3B
Santander - DH
Gimenez - SS
Clement - 2B

If this is what they put out, I would be very pleased.