Blair & Barker

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker welcome in former Blue Jays' pitcher Adam Cimber (1:15) to chat about his old teammate Shane Bieber and what he was like during their days with the Cleveland Guardians, expectations for Shane returning to the mound coming off an injury, the difficulties as a pitcher of putting yourself aside and focus on the team first, and the feeling in the clubhouse of being hunted in the standings than being the hunter. Then, Jeff and Kevin head to the Back Leg Line to hear some listeners' voicemail messages! 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 off-day edition with a look at the AL East landscape as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox get set to square off in a four-game series. Then, they debate the importance of the Blue Jays' upcoming weekend series against the Marlins. Later, Blue Jays Central analyst Caleb Joseph joins the show (26:36) to discuss the Jays' recent scoring slump, how the starters are adjusting to the changed rotation, his expectations for Shane Bieber, and Brendon Little's control issues.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 take a deeper dive into the Blue Jays' decision to option Braydon Fisher to Buffalo, bumping Eric Lauer to the bullpen ahead of Shane Bieber's debut, and the competition around the rotation for postseason starts. ESPN's Jeff Passan jumps on (27:45) to discuss if Max Scherzer's play as of late, how the Jays can translate their hitting approach in the playoffs, how he views the New York Yankees roster in the second half, why the Baltimore Orioles' down year is just a blip, and how soon could the MLB look into expansion. Finally, MLB Network's and World Series Champion Ryan Dempster joins the guys (56:41) to chat about Lauer's move to the pen, his experience from pitching as a starter to being asked to close, how the Jays stack up against their rivals ahead of October, and how to be a great teammate supporting the final stretch.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 pitching coach Pete Walker (2:32) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to chat about how he's navigated the 2025 season with his pitchers' injuries and trade deadline acquisitions, expectations for Shane Bieber when he makes his Blue Jays debut, what he's learned about Max Scherzer, how Jose Berrios can find his velocity again, Brendon Little's walk rate, Jeff Hoffman's adjustment to the closer role, and his assessments of Louis Varland and Seranthony Domínguez. Then, The Athletic's Jayson Stark stops by (28:38) to discuss the sustainability of the Blue Jays' approach to hitting, the team's high-calibre pitching staff, Scherzer's longevity, and potential MLB expansion. 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 look back on the Blue Jays' eventful series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a 5-2 loss at PNC Park. They discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s exit, the Jays' sloppy fielding, Tommy Pham's tiff with Tyler Heineman and his later social-media outburst. Later, Blue Jays Central analyst Joe Siddall (31:18) shares his thoughts on Heineman and Pham's dust-up from a catcher's POV, Kevin Gausman's outing, and Addison Barger's growth as a hitter.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 Central analyst Madison Shipman (0:45) to chat about the news of Shane Bieber slated to make his Jays' debut and a potential six-man rotation. Then, she gets into Max Scherzer's velocity, who would be the Jays' second-best bullpen arm after Jeff Hoffman, what stands out from Ernie Clement's game, whether the Blue Jays sustain their contact-first approach into the playoffs, and how John Schneider has navigated the team's 2025 campaign. Later, Jeff and Kevin share who they don't want the Blue Jays to face in the playoffs before bringing on MLB Network's Sean Casey (32:14) to discuss how to attack Paul Skenes, his assessment of Bo Bichette, and Jose Berrios' struggles. 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.

Kevin Barker is back with Jeff Blair, and they open the Monday show with a look back on what he missed last week. They dig into the Jays' weekend series against the Rangers, George Springer's return to the lineup, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s hot stretch, how José Berríos fits into the starting rotation when Shane Bieber is activated, and what's still left to figure out in the bullpen. Then, they look ahead to the Jays' series against the Pirates, what the order can expect from Paul Skenes on the mound, and they listen in to John Schneider's pre-game availability.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 is joined by Texas Rangers TV and radio broadcaster Jared Sandler (1:49) to chat about the team's struggles to break out over .500, the offence stalling, Bret Boone's hitting philosophy, if Chris Young did enough at the trade deadline, how Bruce Bochy is navigating the season, and Jacob DeGrom's 2025 pitching report. Then, Blue Jays radio analyst Chris Leroux stops by (22:32) to discuss if there's a clear indication at why Chris Bassitt finds a lot of success pitching at Rogers Centre, how he would roll out the pitching rotation with Shane Bieber potentially coming up and into the post-season, Max Scherzer's outing against the Chicago Cubs, and who's the odd man out when George Springer returns to the main roster. Finally, Kevin Barker makes a short return to the show! 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 looks ahead to the Blue Jays' weekend series against the Texas Rangers and reflects on what's changed since the clubs last met. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo joins the show (6:05) to discuss the site's updated farm system rankings, how the Jays improved from 27 to 20, what they have in Yohendrick Pinango, and Trey Yesavage's ceiling. Later, Blue Jays manager John Schneider stops by (30:03) to discuss George Springer's timeline to return, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s post-All-Star heater, Max Scherzer's growing confidence, José Berríos's recent struggles, and how he manages the dog days of August.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 ESPN's Jeff Passan (6:43) discuss the Milwaukee Brewers continuing to lead the way in the NL Central, whether the New York Yankees will be out of the postseason mix, why the Seattle Mariners could be the scariest team towards September, and how the Blue Jays currently stack against the American League teams. Then, Casey Candaele (30:30), manager for the Buffalo Bisons shares an update on Alek Manoah's recent rehab start with the team, what he looks for in his players during their process of getting back to the Majors, how much of a factor velocity is for their pitchers, differences in time spent on the mound between newer and older pitchers, and the expectations for Trey Yesavage's first start in Triple-A. 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.