Blair & Barker

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker share their thoughts on the Blue Jays sweep over the Mets at Citi Field, particularly Toronto’s strong starting pitching in the series. The guys examine how the weekend went for the Jays’ division rivals in the latest installment of ‘In The East’ (28:27). Former MLB executive Jim Duquette discusses Alek Manaoh’s 2023 season ahead of his next start against the Astros, the Mets confusing play of late, and if there’s been a passing of the torch in the AL West (52:31). Astros analyst Steve Sparks previews the Toronto-Houston series from Rogers Centre to end the show (1:16:15).

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 reflect on Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect game and the botched call on the final out on its anniversary; before focusing on the Blue Jays and their series in New York. Dan Shulman joins the show from Citi Field to discuss Chris Bassitt leaving the ballpark after his start to join his wife who is in labour and the reasons for optimism for the Blue Jays with the calendar turning to a new month (26:58). MLB manager Joe Maddon talks about how to coach hitters out of slumps, having tough conversations with players if they need to be sent to the minors, and how he views Alek Manoah and Kevin Kiermaier’s contributions to the lineup (50:44). Jays Manager John Schneider joins the guys for his weekly appearance where he reflects on Manoah’s latest start vs. Milwaukee, the other pitchers on the staff supporting him through his struggles, Brandon Belt’s recent plate approach, and the conversations he’s having daily with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1:16:11).

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 3-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, particularly Kevin Gausman’s dominant outing and working with catcher Tyler Heineman. SNY’s Gary Apple previews the Blue Jays upcoming series against the New York Mets and talks about the young players contributing to their lineup, and how the bullpen has performed without regular closer Edwin Diaz (27:26). Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi joins the guys for a deep dive on Alek Manoah following his latest start and how the organization can help him turn things around (49:41) before ending the show with questions from the ‘Back Leg Line’ (1:14:27).

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 begin the show discussing the Blue Jays’ win over the Milwaukee Brewers, particularly Nate Pearson’s contributions to the bullpen. Howard Stutz of the Nevada Independent shares the latest news on the Oakland Athletics’ potential move to Las Vegas and how a new stadium will be funded (29:11). Blue Jays play by play voice Ben Wagner checks-in from Rogers Centre with his thoughts on the team; notably Pearson and Alek Manoah’s pitch arsenal ahead of his important start in game two of the Brewers series (49:41). The number-one ranked Canadian prospect in the upcoming 2023 MLB Draft Myles Naylor discusses his game and what he’s learned from his older brothers Bo and Josh (1:14:18)

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 open the show with their thoughts on Anthony Bass and his statement from earlier today at Rogers Centre. Brewers play by play broadcaster Jeff Levering previews this week’s Milwaukee-Toronto series and talks about how ex-Blue Jay Rowdy Tellez is contributing to the lineup (31:32). Jayson Stark of The Athletic discusses what he and others are seeing lately from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at the plate and which current players are shoe-ins for Cooperstown when their time comes (53:34). MLB Network analyst Dan Plesac talks about the point in the season when players start looking at the standings, Alek Manoah’s confidence on the mound, and Nate Pearson’s pitch arsenal (1:16:41).

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 return from the weekend discuss the Blue Jays series win over the Minnesota Twins; particularly Jose Berrios’ outing and the job from the bullpen as they put up zeros in relief on Sunday. Afterwards, the guys take a look at how the weekend went for Toronto’s AL East rivals in the latest installment of “In The East” (33:14). Hall of Fame pitcher and broadcaster Jim Kaat relies on his eight decades in baseball to discuss the pitch clock, pacing on the mound, the key to a good elevated fastball and what Jose Berrios has to do to stay successful in Toronto’s rotation (52:08). Sportsnet’s Caleb Joseph looks ahead to the Blue Jays upcoming week and discusses what he’s seen from Nate Pearson in recent outings (1:18:48).

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 up the ‘Back Leg Line’ as Blue Jays fans weigh-in with questions and comments following a tough series against the Rays. Dan Hayes of The Athletic comments on Carlos Correa’s foot injury, why he’s surprised he avoided the IL, and why the Twins are better than their record indicates (55:19). Blair and Barker are then joined by Jays Manager John Schneider who discusses his ballclub’s recent play and if there has been any consideration of sending Alek Manoah to the minors to work on his craft (1:18:24).

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.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker provide instant reaction to the Blue Jays dropping the series finale against the Rays at Tropicana Field; as Toronto’s players called a meeting post-game in an effort to get things to turn around. Minnesota Twins SVP & GM Thad Levine discusses his ballclub as they get ready to welcome Toronto to Target Field for a weekend series (28:10). With Alek Manoah lasting only three innings, MLB Network’s Ryan Dempster talks about the importance of pitchers having pace on the mound and his experience being in players only meetings (49:40). MLB insider Jeff Passan examines how robot umpires have been working out in Triple-A and if a trade could shake things up for Toronto (1:19:33)

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 Rays’ decision to use position players on the mound in a nine-run ninth inning. Later on, the guys break down Aaron Judge’s latest home-run over the Orioles and his success hitting with two strikes, before opening up the ‘Back Leg Line’ for some questions. Former MLB Catcher and ‘Foul Territory’ host Erik Kratz reflects on the seven times he’s been asked to pitch in the big leagues, Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen behind the plate, and his view on the antics between the Blue Jays and Yankees last week at Rogers Centre (50:51).

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 provide their thoughts on Toronto dropping the series opener against the Rays as hitting with runners in scoring position continued to plague the team. Diamondbacks reporter Nick Piecoro re-visits the Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno for Daulton Varsho offseason trade as Gurriel finds himself in the midst of a 15-game hit streak (35:11). The guys provide an injury update on Blue Jays pitchers Chad Green and Hyun-jin Ryu before being joined by former Marlins President David Samson who spoke about trading top prospects from a front-office point-of-view, the rumours of a potential Rays sale, and his assessment of Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s season to date (52:48).

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.