In the Hitting Lab with David Popkins + Kevin Pillar!
5/5/202650 min
David Popkins, Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach, joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to chat about the state of the team. David discusses his work to get the team's offence in sync, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s lack of power, the impact of Kazuma Okamoto's change in approach, Daulton Varsho and Jesús Sánchez' performance at the plate, utilizing the Automated Ball-Strike system, and George Springer's status. Later, Kevin Pillar (27:45), former Blue Jay and Sportsnet analyst, stops by the studio to share his view on Vladdy's start to the season, the current vibe in the clubhouse, the Jays' approach at the plate, and much more!
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.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Jeff Blair· Host0:28
[upbeat music] [laughs] Excuse me. All right, uh, yeah. Good timing. Welcome back to Blair and Barker, brought to you by Capital One. Capital One, giving Canadians credit for 30 years. 6:40 will be the first pitch tonight as, uh, Kevin Gausman takes on Drew Rasmussen. Reminder, tomorrow's a 1:10 first pitch, Patrick Corbin against Shane McClanahan. Then the Jays have the day off, and they're back home to take on the Los Angeles Angels.
Kevin Barker· Host1:04
Mm.
Jeff Blair· Host1:04
Uh, Blair and Barker will do Blue Jays talk following the game tonight. We will do it following the game tomorrow afternoon, but it will be radio only, and because it's a 1:10 first pitch, of course, there will be no Blair and Barker- Mm ... to get you set for that game. The Jays coming off a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. They are 16 and 19, and, uh,