Blair & Barker

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker reflect on the Blue Jays taking care of business over the weekend after sweeping the Kansas City Royals. After looking back, the guys look ahead to the most important series of the year: Toronto hosting the Texas Rangers for a pivotal four-game set starting tonight. Later on, the guys examine how the teams around the Blue Jays in the standings fared over the weekend in the latest installment of ‘Around the Wild Card’ (25:37) and dissect George Kirby’s comments after his most recent start for the Mariners.

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 are joined by Davis Schneider who talked about his success at the major league level since his call-up, improving hitting elevated fastballs, and lessons learned at Triple-A that have translated to the next level (3:13). Later, Blue Jays Manager John Schneider talks to Jeff and Kevin about Bo Bichette being activated off the IL, Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s play over the last week, and plans for the team’s starting rotation down the stretch (24:30). To end the show, the guys head into the weekend with fan questions from the Back Leg Line.

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 start with the news that Bo Bichette has been activated off the IL and will be active for tonight’s game against the Royals. They discuss what to expect from him in his return, take a look around the teams in the Wild Card race heading into the weekend, how the Rangers could stop their poorly-timed slump and what effect the manager has on their drastic slide. Later, they are joined by Royals TV analyst Rex Hudler (26:14) who shares his thoughts on the ‘Buffalo Brigade’ and reflects on the time he was a call-up spark plug for the Expos in the late 80s before teeing up tonight’s series opener between the Jays and Royals.

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 start the second hour with Blue Jays Central’s Caleb Joseph who gives an assessment of the ‘Buffalo Brigade’ with Bo Bichette, Matt Chapman and Brandon Belt inching closer to their respective returns, his thoughts on Chad Green’s play, the idea of ‘playing for the big inning’ paying dividends offensively and Chris Bassitt weaponizing the pitch clock to great effect. They close with your calls on the Back Leg Line!

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 current state of the Blue Jays following the conclusion of their 4-2 road trip against the Rockies and A’s.  The guys talk about how Bo Bichette may be nearing a return after working out  at Rogers Centre, Chad Green’s outings in the bullpen since being activated, and Toronto catching a break ahead of next week’s pivotal Rangers series with Adolis Garcia hitting the IL. ESPN’s Jeff Passan joins the guys with his thoughts on the Royals young talent (notably Bobby Witt Jr.) ahead of the Toronto-KC series, the impressive pitching matchups for the Texas series, and if Bruce Bochy is deserving of any blame for how Texas has played recently (32:30). 

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 the final month of MLB’s regular season and The Athletic’s Jayson Stark joins the guys to discuss the exciting month ahead. Jayson and the guys discuss the AL wild-card race, if Philadelphia can get back to the World Series, the season to forget for the Yankees and Mets, Craig Counsell managing the Brewers without a contract for next year, and if the Twins are the forgotten team in the American League.  To wrap up the second hour, your calls on the Back Leg Line!

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 start with a couple of Blue Jays wins over the long weekend spearheaded by the call-ups, the competitive, mature approaches they’ve brought and how they might fit into the equation for next season. Then, onto yesterday’s game against the A’s, an encouraging outing from José Berríos, the Jays’ turnaround month with runners in scoring position and why the quick change came down to swing decisions. Later, the latest ‘In the Wild Card!’ (25:29).

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 are joined by Blue Jays manager John Schneider for his weekly hit to start off the second hour. The Jays’ skipper shares his thoughts on what Chad Green and Spencer Horwitz can bring, where the team’s focus is in this final stretch of the season, the challenge of playing at Coors Field and the luxury of the consistently strong pitching rotation. Later, Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders tees up tonight’s series opener (30:06) between the Jays and Rockies and shares his long-term expectations for the Rockies, some young players to keep an eye on and Bud Black’s impact as manager.

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 affiliate.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker begin with a couple of Blue Jays’ roster moves passed through today, with reliever Chad Green being activated off the IL and infielder Spencer Horwitz being called up from Triple-A Buffalo. They discuss the upside and what to expect from each. Then, the Jays are taking on the Colorado Rockies and tonight’s starter, Hyun-jin Ryu, has changed up his game after Tommy John surgery to excellent early results. Later, ESPN insider Jeff Passan stops by (27:35) for his weekly appearance to discuss the MLB announcing that there will be no adjustments to the pitch clock for the postseason, the overall success of the new rules and the strategic wrinkle of ‘weaponizing’ the pitch clock. They also discuss the Jays’ postseason chances down the stretch and who to blame if the team fails to make the playoffs.

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 affiliate.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker kick off hour two with former Marlins President David Samson to discuss the waiver process, why the Angels did nothing wrong making several of their players available and if the trade deadline could be changed in future seasons. He also examines the current state of the Blue Jays as they battle for a postseason berth. Then, Rockies and Apple TV+ analyst Ryan Spilborghs (31:16) looks ahead to the Blue Jays' upcoming series in Colorado and how playing at Coors Field can be challenging for visiting teams because of the altitude.

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 affiliate.