The Jays have traded Shea Hillenbrand and Vinnie Chulk to San Francisco for pitcher Jeremy Accardo.

Accardo is 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA for the Giants, but 40 strikeouts and only 11 walks in 40 1/3 innings. He'll likely help Speier out in the setup role.

The Giants will apparently take on all of Hillenbrand's salary, so the Jays now have the financial flexibility to add another player at the deadline without going over budget.

Great win for the good guys - coming back from a 3-0 deficit and then winning in extra innings after a blown save 5-4.  Perhaps after the Hillenbrand incident and last night's game the Jays have some momentum and can get on an extended roll.

Auburn were the only winners this night but they did win big with good pitching and hitting.  The starting pitchers for the top three teams had bad nights, Jamie Vermilyea, Michael MacDonald and Billy Carnline as each of those teams lost handily.  Lansing had good pitching but no offense while Pulaski made a late run only to have the tying run be thrown out at the plate to end the game. 

I was visiting Montreal sometime in 1995. It was clear that an exodus was underway but my relative Peter was not worried. "We have Guerrero", he told me. I knew about Guerrero then, ran well, a cannon for an arm, good range in right, burgeoning power, and a superior ability to make contact. And 20 years old. Probably as good a prospect overall as Manny Ramirez and Frank Thomas were about 5 years earlier. It turned out that Guerrero was not enough to save the 'Spos, but he has been a joy to watch. With luck, he'll be on the playing field for another decade.

On Sunday, Justin Speier came out to the mound from the bullpen, stopped at its edge and wrote something in the dirt.  I hadn't seen him do it before, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't done it before:

Here are a few random thoughts about various Jays- and baseball-related things.

Lansing had the day off, three teams wish they weren't shut out, and I wish my Internet connection was faster. I should have driven to Syracuse to get the scores; it would have saved time.

Today, I am 40. Last year at this time, I "celebrated" my Jeck Benny birthday Hall of Names style with a look at both an All-July 20 team and an All-Mick(ey) team.

This year, let's focus on the number. No, I'm not (quite) having a midlife freakout, and thanks to guys like Darrell Evans, Ty Cobb, Rickey Henderson, Warren Spahn and Roger Clemens, this day instead is all about celebrating the greatest Age-40 Seasons (for both hitters and pitchers) in the history of the Great Game. Yes, it's time to meet ...

Lyle Overbay does that Michael Jordan tongue thing when he's deep in concentration, as he is in today's photograph:

According to the Toronto Star the Jays have designated Shea Hillenbrand for assignment after an incident earlier in the day.

A key misdecision helps the Jays snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Dave LaRoche is the pitching coach for the New Hamsphire Fisher Cats.  LaRoche pitched in 647 major league games over 14 seasons, mostly in relief.  Younger fans will know LaRoche through his sons, Braves first baseman Andy LaRoche, and Dodgers prospect Adam LaRoche.  Dave shared his thoughts on some of the New Hampshire pitchers with Batters Box ten days ago in New Hampshire.

The lone minor league win last night was a dramatic one as David Smith hit a walk off home run as the affiliates went 1-4-1 on the night.

Great plays in the field; a hot bat; a good attitude despite being relegated to the role of a bench player.  What else can Eric Hinske possibly do to silence the boos at Rogers Centre?

Maybe this photo of the day will help him:

We've had a lot of debate here over who the Blue Jays should install as their shortstop the rest of the way... it's time to vote.