When did Vernon Wells start using a Sam Bat?  It must've been some time between May 23rd (the last time I photographed the Jays prior to last Sunday's Tigers game) and June 11th.

Today's photograph is of Vernon laying off of a pitch and exhaling that gigantic breath he takes in before he swings:

I'm taking advantage of this off-day to share some non-Jays photographs with you.  Here are Jim Leyland and Ivan Rodriguez on the mound, chatting while they wait for Joel Zumaya to show up:

Obviously Reed Johnson has had a good day when his stats trickle along the bottom of the ESPN ticker (as they did Thursday night during the Red Sox - Twins broadcast).  And since I'm a follower, not a leader, today's photograph is of our favourite sparkplug, Reed Johnson:

With all this hoopla about writing in Alex Rios on the All-Star ballot, we're neglecting another player on the Jays who is quietly putting together an even better campaign than his All-Star-worthy 2005: Shea Hillenbrand.  He hasn't been hit by all that many pitches, and yet his on base percentage is a magnificent .373, a good 23 points higher than the Dudek Noteworthy Contribution Line.

So vote Hillenbrand!  And in the meantime, here's a photograph of him jogging across the plate after hitting a home run on Sunday against the Tigers:

As a huge fan of Vinnie Chulk's entrance music, I was really pleased to see him back in the bigs. Plus, according to Alex Rios, Chulk speaks the best Spanish on the team (or at least, he did last year).

Oh yeah, and he can pitch, too, you know?

Don't forget to write in Rios on your All-Star ballots!

Here's the man himself, the red hot Alex Rios:

Fresh from Sunday's Jays - Tigers tilt, here's a photograph of Aaron Hill diving back to second base to avoid the pickoff.

Note that his gloves are in his back pocket. I hope the Rogers Centre dirt is soft on hands.

As promised, a second photograph of Gregg Zaun for your viewing pleasure, this time smackin' a baseball:

...because let's face it -- this could be his only shot at Photo of the Day. John McDonald is scheduled to return in just a few days, and that will limit if not obliterate Alfonzo's playing time. But he had a hell of a game last night -- a key walk, a key hit, and a key piece of flashed leather.

So let's celebrate Edgardo Alfonzo's great game with a photograph of him swinging a bat:

The red-hot Alex Rios leads the AL in batting average and write-in All-Star votes. He's also today's photographic subject.

Here he is, checking his swing: