Blair & Barker

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker recap the Blue Jays’ 6-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles – notably the performance of starter Yusei Kikuchi who struggled through four innings. The guys also delve into Hyun-Jin Ryu’s injury status as he is slated to miss the remainder of the 2022 season, and discuss how the Blue Jays will replace those innings. Orioles Manager Brandon Hyde joins the show in he midst of the O’s-Jays series to comment on his young roster, Adley Rutschman breaking into the big leagues, and the importance of having a strong bullpen with an inexperienced roster (23:41).

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.

Blue Jays starter Ross Stripling joins the show to discuss the team’s recent success, the personality of the pitching staff, how he’s changed as a pitcher, and his impressive last few starts in the rotation (01:17). Next up, Author of “Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original” Howard Bryant discusses the life and Hall of Fame career of lead-off hitter and speedster Rickey Henderson (26:57). To wrap up, Blair and Barker answer your questions on a quick edition of "Barker's Back Leg Bits" (45:05)!

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 & Kevin Barker recap the Blue Jays’ 11-1 blowout win over the Baltimore Orioles on a night where Alek Manoah improved to 8-1 on the season. The guys focus on the teamwide offensive output, the pickoff play the Jays pulled off in the third inning, Manoah’s consistency and his case as the best pitcher in the American League at this point in the season. Later on, Orioles reporter for MASN Roch Kubatko shares his view on the Orioles-Blue Jays series so far and comments on the future of the team remaining in Baltimore (29:14).

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.

Blue Jays play by play voice Ben Wagner discusses the Blue Jays following their road trip, notably Gabriel Moreno looking comfortable behind the plate, the club’s mindset heading into the Orioles series, and Cavan Biggio’s play since rejoining the team (06:14). In an extended edition of "Barker’s Back Leg Bits", Jeff and Kevin answer questions on if Moreno could play anywhere else besides catcher, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s spot in the batting order, and what Cavan Biggio’s role is going forward (29:35).

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 Toronto Blue Jays' series win over the Detroit Tigers. The guys concentrate on Gabriel Moreno making his MLB debut on Saturday and the pitching performances from the rotation, including a bounce back performance from Jose Berrios on Friday and Ross Stripling continuing to fill-in admirably for Hyun-Jin Ryu.  Afterwards, the guys examine how the Blue Jays' rivals fared over the weekend for “In The East”: Matt Carpenter’s breakout game for the Yankees, the upcoming Rays-Yankees series, the Red Sox' recent run, and the ownership situation in Baltimore (30:03)

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.

Detroit Tigers Manager A.J. Hinch joins Blair and Barker to talk about how his Tigers are performing as they play host to the Blue Jays, his philosophy managing his mixed-bag roster with top prospects and Hall of Famers, and how external factors can affect player performance (05:52). Finally, the guys wrap up the week with today's trivia question, before answering all your questions in "Barker's Back Leg Bits" (26:07)!

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.

On today’s episode of Blair and Barker, the boys start off by anticipating Gabriel Moreno's debut weekend against the Tigers. Barker then shares a story about when he got called up to the Majors, before they look into Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s struggles at the plate. Later on, former Blue Jays catcher Caleb Joseph joins the show the talk about the intricacies of the catcher position at the MLB level and what qualities he looks for in a solid backstop ahead of Moreno's debut (26:43).

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.

2007 Cy Young Award winner & MLB Network analyst Jake Peavy comments on the Blue Jays rotation, what it can be like throwing to rookie catchers, Kevin Gausman tipping pitches, and how he views the Yankees and the other AL East competition (02:04). Later on, ESPN’s Jeff Passan shares why he believes Gabriel Moreno will hit at the MLB level, the Red Sox 7-game win-streak, the Angels 14-game losing streak, and who could replace Joe Maddon in L.A. (30:36). With their depth at the position, should the Blue Jays trade away a catcher? Blair and Barker cover it in Barker’s Back Leg Bits (45:17).

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 time! The Toronto Blue Jays are calling up top prospect Gabriel Moreno and he is expected to join the club for the upcoming series against the Detroit Tigers. Jeff and Kevin discuss the organization’s decision, the timing of the move and Yusei Kikuchi failing to get out of the first inning in Toronto’s 8-4 loss to the Royals Wednesday afternoon. Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi discusses Moreno getting the call, how often he’ll be behind the plate, and why he thinks Toronto made the move (23:57).

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.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times joins to talk about the Angels' firing Manager Joe Maddon after a twelve-game losing streak, and if the change was initiated GM Perry Minasian or Owner Arte Moreno (02:52). Following the conversation, Blair and Barker wonder where Maddon could wind up next and which teams would make sense if he’d like to continue managing. Royals pre and post-game analyst and former closer Jeff Montgomery discusses his impressions of today's starter Brady Singer, his similarities to Alek Manoah, and the Royals’ challenging season to date (28:17). For "Barker’s Back Leg Bits", the guys mention who they would like to see represent the Blue Jays at the 2022 All-Star Game (39:24).

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.