Blair & Barker

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker hit the airwaves after a successful long weekend for the Toronto Blue Jays with wins over the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles! Jeff and Kevin key in on Bo Bichette’s recent offensive surge, highlighted by his three home-runs in game two of Monday’s double-header, while also discussing Cavan Biggio’s hot stretch, Jackie Bradley Jr. contributing, if Toronto’s rotation is now solidified with positive starts from José Berríos, and Jordan Romano’s performance in the ninth inning Sunday at PNC Park. Afterwards, the guys examine how the Blue Jays' rivals fared over the weekend for In The East and provide an update to the wild card standings (32:03).

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.

Former catcher and current Sportsnet analyst Caleb Joseph joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to help preview the Jays-Pirates series this weekend, how the rotation could be structured moving forward, which Jay needs a strong September, and provides some in-depth analysis on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s swing (01:51). The guys close out the week with an extended version of "Barker’s Back Leg Bits" discussing who should bat third in the order, if the Jays are in need of a major overhaul in the off-season, and the lack of noise with surrounding the DH in the National League (29:51).

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 kick off today's show by previewing the Blue Jays' upcoming series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. They discuss how the rotation will shake out as they prepare for the Orioles, the O's continued success following their series against Cleveland, and how the Jays' farm system compares to other contenders. Later on, Tampa Bay Rays analyst Brian Anderson joins the show to preview a pivotal series between the Yankees and Rays, before discussing the team's strong stretch of play after the All-Star break and the tightening race for the AL East (29:00).

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 continue to take calls and texts on the level of confidence in this Blue Jays team and the other organizations jockeying for position in the wild card race (01:08). In honour of Edwin Diaz and Timmy Trumpet, MLB Insider Jeff Passan does a deep dive on walk-out songs in MLB, the Orioles aggressively promoting their top prospects, and which teams, if any, could wrestle away Aaron Judge from the Yankees in free agency this offseason (33:03).

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.

Following the Blue Jays’ 7-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs, Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker hit the airwaves with Barker explaining what he has seen from Toronto's hitters far too often in the batter’s box. The guys welcome Shi Davidi to the show with his thoughts on the Jays-Cubs series, Santiago Espinal's playing time, Mitch White’s outing, and how the Blue Jays might set their rotation for the upcoming series against Pittsburgh & Baltimore (16:29). Later on, phone lines are opened up to gauge the temperature of the Blue Jays’ fanbase after a losing record in August (33:34).

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 welcome Toronto Blue Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro to the show to reflect on the team’s season. Shapiro discusses the upcoming renovations at Rogers Centre, Bo Bichette’s play at SS, Jordan Romano’s emergence into the closer’s role, and potential contract extensions for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bichette (01:1`0). Later on, Blue Jays relief pitcher Anthony Bass talks about returning to the Blue Jays from the Marlins and the success he’s experienced since re-joining their bullpen (31:19).

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’ 5-3 win over the Chicago Cubs, where Teoscar Hernández & Vladimir Guerrero Jr. both hit key home runs to seal the victory. Jeff and Kevin focus in on Hernández needing a big moment amidst a tough stretch of games and injury, guys playing banged up at this time of year, Vlad Jr. in the batter’s box, and Kevin Gausman’s latest outing. Later on, MLB analyst Doug Glanville discusses Aaron Judge’s historic season, how the Yankees should celebrate him if he passes Roger Maris’ 61 HR single-season total, and closers like Jordan Romano pitching multiple innings per appearance (28:36).

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.

Sportsnet’s Buck Martinez shares his view on the Blue Jays' recent play including Jordan Romano starring in the closer’s role, Cavan Biggio’s recent contributions, and Danny Jansen being a sparkplug for the team (01:35). Afterwards in Barker’s Back Leg Bits, Jeff and Kevin answer questions on Bo Bichette’s play at shortstop, MLB players practicing their sliding techniques, the Bradley Zimmer waiver claim, and if there is lack of depth at the minor-league level (28:50).

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 Toronto’s 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs in extra innings; on a night where Danny Jansen played the hero with a three-run HR and the game-winning RBI. With the Cubs series ongoing, Jeff and Kevin welcome analyst and former pitcher Jim Deshaies to the show to discuss Marcus Stroman’s season to date as he gets ready to pitch opposite Kevin Gausman for his first start in Toronto since being dealt by the Blue Jays in 2019 (30:44).

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.

MLB analyst for CBS Sports David Samson joins Blair and Barker to discuss the latest around baseball including the MLBPA representing minor-league players, Julio Rodriguez’s massive contract extension with the Seattle Mariners, and if that figure will impact Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette's contract talks in Toronto (01:32). The fellas then focus in on how the Blue Jays’ AL East rivals fared over the weekend in In the East (24:37), before ending with the latest installment of Barker’s Back Leg Bits where they solicited ZERO questions about the Blue Jays’ home run jacket (34:41)!

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.