Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What were the highlights of the Blue Jays' weekend series against the Angels?
All right. Welcome to Blair and Barker brought to you by Capital One. Capital One giving credit to over 4 million Canadians and counting. How you doing, Mr. Barker? Good, buddy, you? I'm all right.
You sound awfully down today. Not really. Coming here talking smack.
Not really down.
Tired?
No, just enjoyed watching you on TV this weekend.
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Chapter 2: What is the latest update on Addison Barger's elbow injury?
It doesn't sound like it.
It was a tough series to watch.
I mean, you and John have been saying all you got to do is win series.
That's true. And they did. They're still 400-500. It doesn't really matter. No. It doesn't matter they're 400? No, I mean, listen. Scored 14 runs in the third game of the series. Right? I mean, I kind of...
Chapter 3: How is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. performing this season?
Yeah, I don't know. I guess because seeing Barger back kind of gives you the feeling that perhaps things are starting to round back into shape. And then, of course, he ends up being scratched from yesterday's game and needing an MRI after unleashing that throw in his first game back. I don't know. You know what it is? They did win the series, but it really does feel like one step forward.
Oddly enough, it feels like one step forward, two steps back. Come out of a series against the Angels. You've won three of four games. And what's the storyline? Vladdy still doesn't have a home run. You don't have a fourth or fifth. Why you got a fourth starter? You don't have a fifth starter. And the guy that you were counting on to return and give your offense a lift,
Chapter 4: What are the challenges facing the Blue Jays' starting rotation?
needing an MRI in his elbow. Like, you've won three of four, and it still feels like you're a little farther back of where you need to be.
Yeah, I mean, I don't know how to... Yeah, I... I mean, there's a lot there. I think because you're four under and because Barger didn't play, I kind of agree with you. All the other stuff, that's kind of what we've been seeing all year is the Vladdy stuff, not having the fifth starter, not always playing a clean game.
There's been some things that the people that I've talked to that are really trying to take some steps forward. You know, trying to have better at bats, make in-game adjustments, which they did not do any of yesterday.
I mean, that, you know, again, when you don't have your full lineup out there and you're facing somebody like Soriano and, you know, you got a bunch of guys who are swinging at everything, that's not an approach. And you look up in the eighth inning, it's 5-1.
you know, the at-bat quality that you were expecting from a team that scored 14 runs the day before, maybe had taken a step forward, and you were thinking they were starting to, everybody was pulling in the same direction, and then you show up, and they needed to give George Springer a day off, and Barger went through the arm thing, and now you're moving Ernie up in the leadoff spot, and Dalton Varsha's hitting the two-hole, which, you know, no offense, you never want to see either one of them dudes hitting the top of the lineup again.
The top of the lineup was, as soon as I saw the top of the lineup, I thought, oh, my God.
I mean, that's a bit stiff because they're both big leaguers. But, yeah, I mean, with what you saw the day before, the way it looked, the way they were passing the baton with their at-bat to the next at-bat, you know, yeah, it was looking kind of the way everybody wanted it to look. And then you show up the next day and ā
Just, you know, Soriano's going to make a few guys look that way, and he's good. Maybe he's not that good. And they made him look pretty good yesterday. And, you know, that one at bat from Vladdy, you know, it just seemed like the last time he had an extra base hit was game five of the World Series. I mean, obviously that's not the case, but, boy, it feels that way.
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Chapter 5: What insights does David Samson provide about the Mets' struggles?
And just those at bats where it just looks like he's not ready to hit.
Yeah.
That was kind of the way it was in the eighth inning. That dude's got nasty stuff. Let's be fair. But everybody's got nasty stuff now. So you throw hard, guys having trouble hitting the breaking balls, good chance you're getting a breaking ball. And the first one that he took, at least for me anyway, looked like he wasn't ready to hit.
And then the one he swung at with two strikes, looks like he's not ready to hit. If you're ready to hit both of those, the at-bat probably doesn't make it to two strikes because you might hit the first one out of the park. So it's just kind of like... And then he's starting to show a little bit of frustration, which he should.
Well, I was going to say maybe the one thing I really ā I mean, we've seen Vladdy in the past come back and show frustration in the dugout. I guess what has kind of stood out for me a little more now is you're starting to see it a little more on the field as well, you know, when he's coming off.
Like in the past, you'd see him, he'd take his helmet or he'd take his helmet and bat and go down in the tunnel, whatever. But it was generally ā his demeanor in the dugout was generally not ā One that as a fan or as an observer would cause you concern. And now it just looks at times as if he just looks at times.
I think the word that they used on the on the telecast this weekend was befuddled. And that's probably the right word.
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Chapter 6: How do front offices evaluate teams at the quarter-season mark?
That's probably the right word. Like literally looking like. He doesn't have an answer for what's going on.
Well, I mean, he's hitting over 300. The funnel might be an odd kind of way to say it.
No, no. Yeah, you know what? He's hitting over ā he knows he's hitting over 300. He knows all that. But he's also seeing opportunities with men on base go by where he's not getting slugged. I'm sure he ā You know, you made the point all year long. He's not paid to hit 300. I mean, he's paid to drive in runs. If you want to hit 300 where you're driving in runs, that's great.
It's a hell of a lot better, I suppose, than hitting 210 and driving in runs. But you can tell that he realizes that he is not producing runs right now. Yeah, I mean... And it befuddled you. I mean, you were the one who said, you watched him at the plate, take a fastball down the middle, swing at something six inches off, fastball down the middle, swing at something six inches off.
I mean, it looks to me like he's in between, like he just...
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Chapter 7: What impact could the Giants' trade of Patrick Bailey have on the league?
It's just loss.
Yeah, I don't know. Loss is a strong word. Again, he's hitting over 300. I mean, it's back to, you know, when the expectations are all on you because of what's not happening around you. And, you know, Bo Bichette's not sort of your security blanket when it's okay if you get on base. He's going to drive you in.
Now you're supposed to be the guy driving everybody in, not the guy getting on base all the time.
And he is hitting 300, but he's, what, three for 27 his last? I mean, that 300 is not looking like 300 right now. Doesn't feel like 300.
Even you have to admit. I mean, I guess. I think it's the eighth inning at bat. It's what have you done for me lately? And lately, you rolled over to third base. And, you know, I get back to if you look at stats, right? He's not top 100 in RBIs. He's not top 150 in extra base hits. Matt Olsen leads baseball in extra base hits with 29.
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Chapter 8: What are the main factors influencing trade actions in MLB right now?
Vladdy has nine. Yeah. So, if you're Vladdy, it's a little of that, right? Where... It's like if I continue to do the same thing over and over and over and over and over again because I have talent, sooner or later it's going to work.
But the obvious thing right now is with what George Springer's going through, with what Dalton Varshow's not doing, with Addison Barger now going through whatever he's going through, with only Okamoto in your lineup driving in runs, and then there's everybody else that you have to move around.
Yeah, and John's trying to do the best job he can do by giving him DH days, which would just allow him to do nothing but concentrate on how they're throwing him, where they're throwing him, what the speed of where it's going to end up, you know, just would have allowed him to get athletic as soon as he can. A lot of reasons it's not working out.
So let's set you up after this weekend. The Jays did take two of three from the Angels this weekend. They are 18-22. The Rays are in town tonight for the first of a three-game series. Kevin Gossman against Drew Rasmussen. Tomorrow's matchup, Shane McClanahan and Patrick Corbin. And then it's Griffin Jacks against Dylan Cease. So, you know, taking two or three from the Rays would be...
You know, winning another series. They got a hit. And they got a hit. And Addison Barger, as we mentioned, returned on Saturday, made a throw to the plate, great throw to the plate, and was taken out of the lineup yesterday with elbow soreness, or, yeah, elbow soreness, they're calling it. He was a late scratch, and he's having an MRI, and one would imagine that we would hear something today.
And, of course... You know, there are those of you out there who will remember Jose Bautista trying to throw out somebody sort of in a fit of pique in a game and ending up hurting his elbow, and it was kind of never the same for a couple of weeks after that. We'll wait and see what happens with Addison Barger. We'll wait and see what the MRI shows, and we're showing you the throw on TV.
I mean, you didn't notice anything after that, although I know that Shai said after the game he was all iced up, his arm was all iced up, which... You know, sort of par, I mean, you'd almost expect that, a dude in his first game back. And then the story is he showed up, he got up yesterday, and he didn't have a normal range of motion, which is never a good thing. So we'll see.
But, man, just when you think you're, you know, you're starting to get, what is it Dan Schulman told us? They've had Springer, Barger, and Kirk in the lineup together for three games this year. Just when you think everybody is starting to get healthy again or you're making progress towards getting healthier, this happens. And, you know, fingers crossed.
But I guarantee you that most people, when they heard he was going to need an MRI in his elbow, kind of jumped to the worst-case scenario. We'll wait and see.
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