Blair & Barker

Blue Jays Central analyst Caleb Joseph joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to chat about Jordan Romano's return to the bullpen, how Jordan Hicks performed in Romano's absence, how the team will ease Bo Bichette back into the lineup and what has impressed him from Yusei Kikuchi's recent outings. Afterward, MLB Network analyst and former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. (27:03) discusses how he would approach the following season after his team had won a World Series, Bryce Harper's adjustment to playing at first base, and his perspective on Shohei Ohtani's upcoming free agency. 

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 with the latest on the Blue Jays, including Jordan Romano's return from the IL and Bo Bichette's rehab stint in Buffalo. Then, they welcome Phillies analyst Ben Davis (25:03) to preview the upcoming series against Philadelphia, the NL East club's season so far, and to discuss the calm, steady demeanor of manager Rob Thomson.

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.

The Athletic's Jayson Stark joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker (2:39) to discuss how the Tampa Bay Rays have juggled their pitching staff riddled by injuries, their history of growing talent within the organization, the battle for the third Wild Card spot, Seattle Mariners' approach to the trade deadline, and what the future holds for New York Yankees' GM Brian Cashman. Then, Mariners studio analyst Ryan Rowland-Smith (28:03) jumps on to chat about if there's a worry settling in as the team fights for a post-season spot, how important J.P. Crawford is for the roster, his view on the Baltimore Orioles season, and who is the ace of Seattle's pitching staff.  

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’ weekend against the Cubs as Toronto lost two of three; but saw the bats break out in an 11-4 win on Sunday…only the second time this season that Toronto has scored double-digit runs at home. Later in the hour, the guys examine how Toronto’s division opponents fared over the weekend in the latest installment of ‘In the East’ (27:58), highlighted by Cedric Mullins’ late-game heroics in Seattle and a collapse of epic proportions from the Yankees against the Marlins. 

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 Blue Jays manager John Schneider to talk about the team's recent decision to option Alek Manoah to triple-A Buffalo, Bo Bichette's injury status, offensive inconsistency from series-to-series and different lineup configurations down the stretch. Later, ESPN insider Jeff Passan stops by for his weekly visit to share his thoughts on the Chicago Cubs ahead of their series against the Blue Jays, competition heating up in the AL West and Cody Bellinger’s standout season after betting on himself (33:21).

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 begin the show discussing the Blue Jays’ decision to send Alek Manoah to AAA Buffalo and recall Hagen Danner. The guys also share their thoughts on Toronto’s lineup for game one against the Cubs; notably Cavan Biggio hitting fifth in the order. To end the hour, 2015 American League MVP Josh Donaldson reminisces about being Jose Bautista’s teammate with the Blue Jays, admiring him from a far before he joined the organization, and how those Jays teams got along with all of the high-profile players and personalities in the clubhouse (26:41).

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.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker continue 'Bautista Week' with his former teammate Russell Martin, who shares some Joey Bats memories from with the Blue Jays and Junior College, his perspective of the iconic bat flip and the positives and negatives of pitch com from a catcher's perspective. Later, another former catcher and co-host of 'Foul Territory,' Erik Kratz weighs in on the Blue Jays' offensive drought, why Jays batters aren't adapting to the count in high leverage and the mental side of hitting with RISP (27:50).

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 hit the airwaves following the Blue Jays’ 4-3 loss to the Guardians in a game where both George Springer and John Schneider were ejected. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi comments on the Jays’ struggles at the dish, the Mariners being 1.5 games back of Toronto for the final wild-card spot, how the league perceives Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Angels buying at the deadline looking like it will backfire (28:51).

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.

Former Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker (7:22) to chat about what brought his attention to Jose Bautista, the reasoning behind trading for him back in 2008, how he and Dwayne Murphy helped him throughout his career with his batting, combatting against elevated fastballs, and if it's possible to create run producers over the course of a season. Then, former Marlins president David Samson (24:36) stops by to discuss how teams would utilize their starting pitching during the post-season and Kevin Brown's suspension from the Baltimore Orioles broadcast crew.

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’ hitting woes with runners in scoring position following Toronto’s 1-0 loss on Tuesday night. Guardians catcher Bo Naylor reflects on his rookie season to date, playing alongside his brother Josh, and the talent of Cleveland’s young starters like Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee (15:48). To end the hour, the guys go to the Back Leg Line for questions and comments from Blue Jays fans.

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.