Blair & Barker

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker recap the Blue Jays' weekend in L.A. as they took two of three against the Angels. The guys focus on Toronto's starting pitching in the series, while Matt Chapman and Kevin Kiermaier stayed red-hot at the plate. Later on, the guys examine the Jays’ division rivals in the latest installment of ‘In The East’ (31:44). Former Marlins President David Samson talks about how front offices handle players who are underperforming with big contracts and where Miguel Cabrera stands all-time ahead of the Tigers' visit to Toronto (51:15). With the Rays continuing their winning ways, the guys call up Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times to discuss the club’s perfect 9-0 start to the season (01:20:54).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker discuss the Blue Jays taking four of three against the Kansas City Royals, as Kevin Gausman didn’t allow an earned run in his second consecutive start. The guys empty out the 'Back Leg Line' and answer questions on Brandon Belt, Yusei Kikuchi, and no hitters (27:26). MLB Network Radio’s C.J. Nitkowski shares his thoughts on the early part of the season, notably the competition in the AL West, the Cardinals, and what he’s seen out of José Berríos (49:27). Angels TV analyst Mark Gubicza previews this weekend’s series between the Jays and Halos, before offering his perspective on the future of Shohei Ohtani in Southern California (01:18:39).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker recap the Blue Jays’ 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals, highlighted by Alek Manoah's seven innings of one-hit ball and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s first HR of the season. Former MLB player and father of Daulton, Gary Varsho, joins the guys to discuss his son’s path to the major leagues and why he felt that Daulton would be a good fit on the Blue Jays (25:32). MLB insider Jeff Passan shares his thoughts on the Rays’ hot start, Grayson Rodriguez’s debut with the Orioles, Shohei Ohtani’s pitch clock violations on the mound and in the batter’s box, and José Berríos’ struggles against the Royals (50:03). Jeff and Kevin wrap up today's show listening to your calls on the 'Back Leg Line' (01:20:53)!
 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker recap the Blue Jays' 4-1 win over the Royals, as Yusei Kikuchi and the bullpen’s solid performance snapped the team’s three-game losing streak. Former MLB catcher and co-host of Foul Territory Erik Kratz discusses the early part of the MLB season and comments on Chris Bassitt and José Berríos’ first starts (27:49). Later on, Sportsnet’s Buck Martinez checks-in from Kansas City ahead of Alek Manoah’s start in the rubber match of the series (49:22). Jeff and Kevin react to Oli Marmol and Tyler O’Neill’s post-game comments from Tuesday night, before wrapping things up with a few questions from the 'Back Leg Line' (01:20:45).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker open the show discussing the Blue Jays’ third consecutive loss, accentuated by José Berríos struggles on the mound after allowing eight runs in 5.2 innings of work. Jeff and Kevin listen and react to Alex Verdugo’s candid comments on Alek Manoah, before welcoming MLB Network’s Ryan Dempster to the conversation (30:58). Royals analyst & former closer Jeff Montgomery looks ahead to game two between the Royals and Jays and shares what he noticed from Berríos from the series opener (49:31). To end off the show, the guys check the voicemail on the “Back Leg Line” (01:13:14).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' opening series loss against the Cardinals; particularly Chris Bassitt’s rough debut on Sunday afternoon. “In The East” returns as the guys examine the play of Toronto’s division rivals, notably the Rays’ starting pitching looking strong in the early going (27:25). The Athletic’s Jayson Stark discusses Rob Manfred’s candid comments on the use of analytics and his takeaways from MLB’s opening weekend (51:10). Blue Jays manager John Schneider comments on his club’s play against St. Louis, Bassitt’s debut and the adjustments needed to be made, Daulton Varsho and Matt Chapman’s series at the dish, and looks ahead to José Berríos’ start against the Royals (01:18:13).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker recap the Blue Jays' 10-9 Opening Day win over the St. Louis Cardinals and share their thoughts on the way John Schneider configured the batting order, Matt Chapman hitting to the opposite field, how the team operated on the base paths, and Bo Bichette’s overall game. Blue Jays radio voice Ben Wagner comments on what a healthy George Springer brings to the lineup, Daulton Varsho batting in the clean-up spot, and Alek Manoah’s use of PitchCom (29:58). MLB insider Jeff Passan discusses Shohei Ohtani’s dominance in the Angels’ latest hard luck loss, the Mariners and Astros in the AL West, Adley Rutschman’s amazing season debut with the Orioles, and MLB and the MLBPA reaching a deal on a CBA for minor league players (49:30). 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

It’s Opening Day and Jeff Blair & Kevin Barker are ready for Blue Jays baseball! The guys open up the phone lines throughout the show for fans to weigh-in on the 2023 edition of the team. Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi (38:43) and Cardinals TV analyst Brad Thompson (50:38) join the show from St. Louis to preview today’s matchup with Alek Manoah and Miles Mikolas taking the hill.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff and Kevin are back to two hours, and start off the show with their predictions ahead of the 2023 MLB season! Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae previews the six-part series “Alek Manaoh: Obsessed” and discusses her main takeaways from covering the Blue Jays throughout spring training in Florida (30:25). Next up, the guys welcome Cardinals’ VP & General Manager Mike Girsch to the show for a deep dive on the Blue Jays first opponents of the season (49:36). To conclude the show, Blue Jays’ manager John Schneider talks to the guys about how he and the coaching staff decide how to configure the team’s lineup, José Berríos’ offseason and outlook for 2023, Bo Bichette’s defence, and more ahead of his first Opening Day as an MLB manager (01:14:22).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker discuss today’s breaking news that Nathan Lukes has made the Blue Jays over Otto Lopez, and react to Manager John Schneider’s comments about how he and the coaching staff arrived at the decision. The guys then revisit Monday’s Grapefruit League action against Philadelphia, notably Chris Bassitt’s comments about using PitchCom, how he fared against the Phillies’ hitters, and J.T. Realmuto’s bizarre ejection at the hands of umpire Randy Rosenberg. WEEI’s Rob Bradford concludes our 2023 AL East previews as he joins Jeff and Kevin to break down the Red Sox (26:16), before the guys head to the "Back Leg Line" to answer a question on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (41:42).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.