OverDrive - Phillips on the Jays AL East lead shrinking, Manoah getting DFA'd & the Tigers AL Central lead collapses

Episode Date: September 24, 2025

Former Mets GM and TSN MLB analyst Steve Phillips joins us to chat about the Blue Jays struggling offense and why Vladdy needs to step up. Bieber getting bumped to Friday, concerns around Max Scherzer, Santander returning, Tiger in a free fall and more!

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But I'm just saying right now they're breathing easy and everything's all good. Everywhere else in the country, people are wondering what's going on. Including in Toronto, where it's not about the Leafs, it's about the Blue Jays, who have lost five of six, and they cannot produce any runs. And he got Max Scher's on a mound tonight. Last time we saw him, he couldn't get out of the first inning. T up the game tonight, among other things in baseball. Here's our TSN Baseball Insider, Steve Phillips.

There he is, looking good, feeling good. Steve, what's going on here with the Jays, man? What is your read on the run production issue? and who do you look in this lineup or who do you look to in this lineup? If you were John Snyder, who are you going up to saying, we need something out of you tonight? Yeah, I think that, look, I think you're right. The offense has sort of disappeared a little bit right here.

And, you know, I want to go back to the stars. So, you know, I'm going to Springer. I'm going to Guerrero. And I want them to lead the way. And I think they then pull the supporting cast in. Now, you know, a lot of times this year it's been the supporting cast. that has pulled the stars along with them. You know, the Nathan Lucas's

and the Ernie Clements of the world and Alejandro Kurt. But I do think, I think Springer's that catalyst. He's been that guy from the first half of the year, and even at times in the second half when they've needed that production, he's been the one to step up. But Vladdy, drive one to the wall,

through the wall, or over the wall one time for me, right? I mean, you know, be that guy to put them out in front, give them an early lead. Because I think for Scherzer, you know, he if he doesn't have confidence in his stuff and he wants to nibble then he's going to fall behind it and he's going to have to throw it over the plate and it's not good enough right now to get a lot of swing and miss and so i think that that they need to get a lead to take the pressure off of everybody steve any concern that beaver's been bump a day in his start rotation to friday

no i don't think so i think that that uh i mean listen everybody's got the things that are going to remember he's coming back from Tommy John. They want to get the extra time on it, and maybe they want to line them up for the matchup on the weekend as part of it too. And so, I don't read too much into it right now. I mean, listen, with Bassett out, and

Burillo's going to the bullpen, you know, they're sort of picking and choosing as they go down the stretch here. But, you know, this is a tough matchup tonight. I mean, you know, I mean, crochet is a beast. And it's going to be a tough one. And then, you know, over the weekend, we know that the race played them very

tough and it's going to be a tough matchups. Everybody'd be at their best. Yeah, the Beaver News caught us off guard. I mean, it just happened a half an hour ago. He's only being pushed back a day. He doesn't necessarily lead to red flags, but if it goes anything beyond that, then you do wonder what's going on.

But it opens up an opportunity for tomorrow. It could be strange that maybe they've got to go back to Barrios, Steve. Like, it's to be determined. If Scherzer can't get out of the first or second inning tonight, I think we'll see Burrios. But how does that conversation go down? Because Pryos is not happy, nor should he be.

He's a proud guy. Professional. He's played every fifth day. He takes a boy, he hits the mound. They've moved him to the bullpen. And now a week later, less than a week later, they might go to him and say, not only do we need you to start. We got to win, dude. We need

you to give us something, especially if the bullpins got to go heavy tonight with Shurs are on the mound. Yeah. Look, it's the nature of the beast that, you know, remember David Price used have that note in his locker that he got from Joe Madden. If you don't like it, pitch better. And so, like, I look and think, I know he doesn't like going to the bullpen, but if he had put himself in a different position, he wouldn't have been the guy they chose

to go there. Now, I would have handled it differently. I would have moved him to the bullpen with the idea that he could be a solution instead of, you don't qualify as one of our top four starters. I just think it's a different mentality that could have been, you know, putting him in a different mindset. You know, you've got Lauer to be a guy, too, to protect you and give you some length. And so they've got a couple options where they can go. But I'm with you. Like tonight's game can wipe them out for the next three or four games.

If Scher doesn't give them some length, and it's a repeat of what happened in Kansas City, and they've got to go early, they'll have to get length out of somebody, and whoever that somebody is might have to take a licking for the team just to eat up innings. And so, you know, in the ideal world, you need Scherzer to get to through five, and then piece it together from there. You could even piggyback, you know, Burrios or Lauer on the back end of a five-inning start by Scherzer, protect the bullpen to keep them rested for tomorrow or the next day. And so they've got a number of different ways they can go. But, you know, I think that it's unfortunate, but, you know, sometimes you make a decision with all the information

you have at a time, and things change. And players need to understand that. And Burrios, I like that he's not happy about going there, but I also like that he's a good team. mate. And he is. He's a good dude and he'll handle any role. If he has to come back and start, he'll go out there and probably shove it, which is probably a good thing. Steve, you've been in these shoes that Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro are in.

It's a time of tough decisions. And a decision the Blue Jays made yesterday to get Anthony Santander back onto the roster, the DFA designated for assignment, Alec Manoa, essentially cut in ties with the guy who not too long ago was an All-Star, was a young candidate,

and of course now has been trying to rehab from a elbow surgery for the past 14 months, and I guess the Blue Jays deemed him not a recoverable asset at this point, let him go for nothing. What was your level of surprise, and what do you think of the move in general? So, you know, I think that part of the question is, you know, would he have been a candidate that they would have non-tendered this offseason because he was going to get a raise, because everybody gets a raise, and even though he hasn't pitched, and he's arbitration eligible. So, you know, it would have cost you, you know, three, three and a half million probably

in that range. And, you know, they clearly have their evaluation that he's not a functional major league pitcher now. Remember, I mean, he was that Cy Young finalist, but he also was a guy that was getting crushed and sent to the minor leagues prior to the injury. And so, you know, I think that you end up having to make these decisions. And what you can't do is make the wrong decision twice, right? So the idea is, oh, let's keep him just because of what he used to be. Let's let somebody else go who could help us right now. And so I think you have to make those decisions and not look back.

You trust your judgment, hope you're making the right thing. You don't wish bad upon him that he doesn't fulfill and get himself back on track. But I think that when you look at how he fit short term and long term and the progress that he's made and how he's throwing, they just didn't see the fit. Yeah, I can't blame them. I mean, it's been basically three years where Manoa has not been a factor on this team. Like he said, the last time he

was pitching, he wasn't an option for him because he couldn't pitch. The pitch clock affected him. I don't know what it was, but he fell off a cliff. And I think at this point, I'm not sure it really was as difficult of a decision. It's because of the name value, because of who he was. Yeah. It's because he started

a game on a wild card rounds. It's because he started the All-Star game. That's why. If this is anyone else, it's not much of a story. But with him going, Santander arrives, and he makes his debut tonight, or he's returning to the lineup. He obviously played early in the season. He will DH tonight. That pushes Springer to left field this evening. But he's hitting fifth in the lineup.

Are you surprised that, you know, where he is in the lineup tonight? And what does he have to do over the final five games for you to be comfortable with him being a part of the playoff roster? Yeah, I think run production. I mean, I'm okay with him being the five spot in the lineup. You know, I like the switch-hitted, switch-hitter nature of his game that it doesn't matter what the other team does. He can neutralize a move by a manager. And so I think there's value.

There are all the things that he had value for in the off-season to sign. It's all still there. It's just a matter of, did he have enough time at AAA to be able to do it? Now, I think he's still finishing the home run trot. That I think the one home-running hit. I think he's, I mean, that, That was, man, that was a statement. Crazy.

And I don't know whether, I don't know that I liked it necessarily. Like, just get around the bases. You're sort of teaching everybody how to behave. So I didn't love it. But it was a statement made. Like, I don't have the kind of confidence to take a trot like that. But I'm glad he does. But they need run production.

I mean, he can't be the, you know, swing. This is a team that doesn't strike out, the Blue Jays. They don't strike out. And so he can't be that guy in a rally that's a strike three swing and a miss because those are rally stoppers, right? Putting the ball in play, moving the runners, getting action. That keeps things going a little bit. And so we'll see. We'll see if his timing's right.

We'll see if his balance is right. And we'll see in big situations if he can slow that heartbeat down to be able to produce. Yeah, 41 seconds, I think is what it got clocked out. Like, and who was that directed at, Steve? Was that at the Jays because he was still in Buffalo? was that at, like, other, you know, people in AAA? Who was he directing that Trot? I don't know.

Like, of course you're still in AAA. Like, it took you forever to get back and come back. And here's the other thing. You don't like it play better. Like, they didn't plow that great before. So if it's me, I want to make sure your timing's right because it didn't look right before you got hurt. So we want to make sure that when you do come back,

you can be a threat for us, especially since we've already cleansed the playoffs. So that's my mindset with it. So, yeah, I don't know. I don't know whether he's like, I don't, I wouldn't mind if he had a home run of the big leagues and took that much time just because I think it would be sort of a statement that I'm back. But, yeah, it seemed out of character because he's actually a really good guy. And so I don't know. It had some intent in some way. But I couldn't know who would benefit from a message that that was sent that way.

It doesn't make sense. Hey, Steve, obviously some jitters in Toronto right now as the Blue Jays, you know, look for the bats down the stretch here, but describe the feeling in your hometown, Motown, as the tigers do what they're doing and watch the season collapse before them. All right. So my 85-year-old mother scolded my older brother because he lives in Chicago, but, you know, he had a collection of hats. He had a Bears hat, they lost on the weekend. He had a University of Illinois hat they lost on the weekend.

He had a Cubs hat they had lost in a tiger's hat. He's like, it doesn't matter what team they're all losing right now. My mom said, don't you dare put that tiger's hat on. You're jinxing our team. Stop it, knock it off. So if my 85-year-old mom is scolding and putting my older brother at a timeout, it tells you that they're worked up. I mean, it is, you know, my team's had some.

years where we started to hit the skids in September, and it is such a helpless and hopeless feeling that you go out there, and as soon as something goes wrong, you think, oh, there it is, that's the thing that's going to cost us today. And you've got to find a way to overcome it, and it's going to be a come from behind win to be able to stop it, right? Because they had the two-nothing lead the last couple of days, and they gave it up. So they need to find a way to rally and to get it going, or they need that great individual performance that outslugs the opposition that gives them a chance to win. Yeah, this is wild, man. Like, this is crazy what's going on in Detroit. And to the credit of Cleveland, they're like, we'll take it. Like, they're winning

ball games, you know, including last night. I mean, the thing, how about this? This is, it was amazing to me. So in the last 26 games, the Tigers are 7 and 19. In the last 27 games, the guardians are 21 and 6. They both are averaging 4.4 runs per game. And the last 27 games. And the guardians, during that same period of time. One team is 21 and 6, the other one is 7 and 19, and they both are averaging the same amount of runs per game. The pitching for the Guardians, they've gone 19 consecutive starts

without their starter giving up more than two runs. And Detroit relies upon Scoobel, and the rest of it is sort of mishmash right now. It's just so interesting. The same production has led to completely different results. That's amazing. And Bieber could be in Cleveland still. That's right.

He could be their fifth. starter, I guess, you know, with him, obviously, returning here with the Jays. Great stuff, Steve. It's going to be an incredible night of baseball. Enjoy it, buddy. We'll do it again soon. All right. Can't wait, by the way. Hunter Green and Skeen's going at it tonight, too. The Reds

and Pirates, that's going to be a match-up. Cannot wait. Thanks, Steve. Great seeing you, buddy. All right, guys. There he is. Steve Phillips, our TSM Baseball Insider. And again, to put this in a perspective, what's happened with Detroit, on August 25th, the Tigers held a 12-and-a-half game lead over

Cleveland. On September 23rd, the Guardians tied them last night. Less than a month, they blew a 12-and-a-half game lead. Wow. There's got to be case studies done on that. Like, that's not just bleeding, dude. That's like organs are pouring

out. Yeah. Like that's like you, that's self-destruction that is crazy. And to the credit of Cleveland, though, like Steve just said, man, they're playing really well and they're winning. They win every night. A month ago, everybody was like, census, A.J. Hinch, best manager

in baseball. Look what he's done. What are they saying now? Terry Francona could be the guy now. I mean, it's amazing how it can just flip on you. Like, they were an overachieving team. It's a bit... They were, exactly. Kind of like the Blue Jays. Like, the Blue Jays have overachieved this year. They've gotten performances out of guys they didn't expect

to get them. They've had all these incredible comeback wins, the confluence of events. They've won some games. They probably shouldn't. The run differential hasn't been as good as the record suggests. But it's two different levels, right? Like, with two different levels. levels of, you know, as you point out, like it's, there's 18 wheelers that go onto the shoulder and there's 18 wheelers that fall off the planet. Yes. And that's what's happening here.

Like a 12 and a half game lead. The Jays have had like a five game lead on the Yanke. Right. You know, like not 12. And they're the Yankees. And they're the Yankees. And, you know, tonight's a big offseason night for the Jays. Because Santander's back in playing, right? Right. Miles Strauss playing in right field. Kiner Falafah, who was not an offseason guy. They just picked them up a few weeks ago. He's playing third. And Scherzer's on a so like a lot of the guys you picked up straw no one thought they wanted right is actually played great for them this year sure's run amount santanderer plan kinder for left for third so yeah this is going to be something for the jays and for the tigers tonight and the yankees

of course as well um all right more on this as we move forward best bet's coming up in about an hour bruce budro in about 20 minutes role play level concern at 530 overdrive continues tsn 1050 and up on youtube live And the next big thing And your first place to hear it all It's IHeart New Music Your digital station for brand new drops, fresh finds And tomorrow's bangers updated daily

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