Blair & Barker Sportsnet

Barker’s back and so are the Blue Jays as they open up a weekend series against Minnesota. Twins Senior VP and GM Thad Levine joins the show to discuss his ballclub’s play up to this point and the improvements made by Canadian infielder Edouard Julien. Later the guys open the Back Leg Line with fan questions on a Friday (30:05), before being joined by Blue Jays skipper John Schneider who talked about Yimi Garcia’s status, tonight’s lineup, what he’s seeing from George Springer at the dish, Davis Scheneider, and Danny Jansen since his return from injury (49:50).

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.

Blue Jays skipper John Schneider joins Jeff and Kevin to give the guys an update on Yimi Garcia, shares his approach to shuffling the batting order and talks about Davis Schneider's ability to reinvent in his at-bats. Schneider also touches on Bo Bichette's struggles, biggest differences in playing baseball from the minor leagues to the majors, and making the case to keep Danny Jansen in the lineup.

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 hosts the show solo today to bring you the latest around MLB and the Toronto Blue Jays. Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi comments on Toronto’s recent play, the correlation between Triple-A pitching numbers being so bad this year, hitting prospects scuffling at the big league level, and how this might affect Blue Jays prospect Orelvis Martinez. Former Marlins President and host of Nothing Personal David Samson talks about things to look out for when changes may be afoot when it comes to the front office or roster of an organization (26:05). Jeff invites theScore’s Travis Sawchik to discuss the latest around the majors, notably the Pirates calling up Paul Skenes and his thoughts on the state of the Jays (49:41). Play-by-play voice Dan Shulman wraps up today's show with his off-day Jays observations from the road trip including if Danny Jansen might be someone the Jays could look to extend (01:15:03).

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.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker look ahead at the Blue Jays’ series against the red-hot Phillies starting tonight. Phillies analyst Ben Davis helps tee up the first game of the series, how Philadelphia has managed their league-best start, a tough matchup for Berríos and what the Jays’ lineup can expect from Cristopher Sanchez (27:21). Chris Rose of the Chris Rose Rotation discusses the Guardians’ unexpected, AL Central-leading campaign and whether they can sustain it in the suddenly competitive division (49:55). Then, he shares his thoughts on the Jays’ frustrating offence, Manoah’s return and the Luis Arráez deal. Finally, Blue Jays Central’s Joe Siddall weighs in on possible batting order changes to consider, the Jays bullpen issues heating up without Garcia and how Berríos attacks the Phillies’ lineup (01:17:15).

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 recap the Blue Jays' series loss to the Washington Nationals, notably what they saw out of Alek Manoah in the finale and George Springer’s lack of production in the lead off spot. Intentional Talk’s Ryan Dempster joins the guys with his thoughts on Manoah’s results and how to battle through struggles as a pitcher, Luis Arráez being dealt to the Padres, and Shota Imanaga’s incredible start with the Cubs (28:49). What have we learned in MLB so far this season? The guys discuss that and more with The Athletic’s Jayson Stark, including his thoughts on the Blue Jays and what they have to trade if it comes to that (49:49). Former Phillies GM and MLB Network analyst Ruben Amaro Jr. looks ahead to the Jays' series in Philadelphia and how to evaluate your club in-season when falling low of expectations (01:16:47).

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.

Is there a reckoning coming for the Toronto Blue Jays? Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker share their thoughts on Ken Rosenthal’s latest piece in The Athletic on the direction of certain teams including Toronto. The guys call up Nationals’ analyst Kevin Frandsen to preview this weekend’s upcoming series (26:04). José Berríos joins the show to reflect on his start to the season after being named American League Pitcher of the Month for April (49:48). Later on, Foul Territory’s A.J. Pierzynski comments on the status of the Jays, the competition overall in the AL, and if he has any interest in coaching or managing in the big leagues (01:10:24).

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.