It's a pitcher's week, and Marc Rzepczynski set the tone for the evening with an overpowering performance in Auburn. Adam Lind replied nicely for the hitters in the second game of a rare Chief double-dip sweep. The farm affiliates went 6-2.

So the Jays are nine games out of the wild card. But, liberated from the pressure that accompanies being in serious playoff contention, they still have an opportunity to cause mischief in the AL West race. The Angels' lead over Seattle is down to two games.

Toronto will see an Angels team that has received an infusion of youth since last week. A rejuvenated Ervin Santana, a healthy Howie Kendrick and the much-hyped Brandon Wood are all in the house.

Congratulations to the Austin Senators and the Trembling WIlburys on being the first BBFL teams of the year to clinch playoff spots.

A walk-off homer, a big ninth-inning rally and two double digit runs totals were the highlights of a 5-1 day for the farm affiliates.

Rangers win tonight after putting up a *30* spot on the Orioles. When I first saw the score on ESPN I thought it was a preseason football score. WOW.

The Rangers 8th and 9th hitters each have 7 RBIs.

That can't help the O's pythaogoras!

Tango today published fascinating work on DIPS and pitcher BABIP, of obvious relevance to those who try to sort out the importance of FIP/DIPS measures vs. ERA in the evaluation of pitchers.

A 3-4 night in the minors.

Tango is asking for the input of fans on the defensive capabilities of the players they watch regularly.  I am sure that Bauxites will be happy to help him out.  Click on the link to go to the ballot for the Jay defenders.

The number 10 was a key theme in last night's action.  Among the highlights were a no-hit bid, an overtime thriller and a long losing streak finally coming to an end as the affiliates went 4-0 on the night.  Lansing and Auburn were washed out.

The recent Greatest Padre poll ("spoiler" alert: Gwynn, and big) brings to mind this thought ... what franchise can build the best lineup made up of players best known for what they did with other teams?

In other words ...

Next up, it's the A's, who are coming off a 4-2 homestand against the AL Central's bottom feeders. Their pitching will be a stiffer challenge than it was the last time the Jays saw them, as Dan Haren and a certain righthander are both scheduled to start, and the Athletics bullpen is almost at full strength again.

Three wins and two losses as New Hampshire score fifteen runs, not that Ricky Romero needed them.  Dunedin and Auburn each earned ninth inning wins.  Syracuse futility streak has reached ten games. 

The minor league season has just over two weeks to go, a little more for Auburn, a little less for the GCL Jays.  If the season ended today three Jays affiliates would be in the playoffs.  Dunedin and Auburn lead their divisions by 2 and 3 games respectively.  The Midwest league has the most generous allocation of playoff spots, eight in total, and Lansing are looking good to be one of them.   New Hampshire are two games out of a playoff berth.   Syracuse and the GCL Jays have no hope of a playoff spot. 

Yesterday, young Diamondacks righty Micah Owings put on a positively Ruthian display of hitting and pitching, holding the Braves to three hits -- all solo homers -- over seven innings, while hitting two homers and driving in six runs hisownself. Owings is 7-for-14 with two doubles and three homers in his past five games and has evened his rookie W-L record at 6-6. Does this power/pitching modus operandi already make him, at the age of just 24 (25 next month), the greatest M.O. in major league history?

Well, the answer to that, of course, is "Mel (Ott) No!" Young Owings isn't even the best M.O. currently active (and we don't mean "Mo Rivera") as there is a fellow named ...

There were lots of close games on Saturday, Syracuse lost in the bottom of the ninth, New Hampshire lost in the bottom of the eleventh.  Dunedin won in ten and Lansing won in the ninth.  In the ninth inning of the Lansing game, with the scores tied, Dayton walked Travis Snider with a runner already on first moving the go-ahead run into scoring position.  That decision turned out to be a bad one.  The bottom two teams also won, Kevin Ahrens hit a three run home run in the GCL while Brett Cecil and Brad Mills pitched well for Auburn.

Toronto’s highest and lowest level affiliates lost, but the four teams in between all won Friday night. On a night of no jaw-dropping performances or outstanding pitching lines it was a mixture of solid and well-timed hits and strong relief pitching that were the main factors in many of the victories.