Sox up 1-0 behind the 'smart ball' of hitting the ball out of the park.

A late homer was the highlight of a 1-2 day for the farm affiliates, as the offences struggled to score runs.

'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice.
And when justice is gone, there's always force.
And when force is gone, there's always Mom.

Hi Mom!

This fortnight will belong to Miguel Batista. Comments on Batista's pitching approach, delivery, stuff and command will be welcome. Of course, any other comments on the bullpen and John Gibbons' trigger decisions have a home here too.

The White Sox have won six in a row. As the immortal (because he never really existed) Jean-Luc Picard once said, "The line must be drawn here!"

The parent club might have experienced some bad luck last night, but the farm system needed no karmic assistance at all: a rare and welcome organizational sweep was punctuated by a power outburst in Dunedin and a couple of simply superb pitching performances. It all started, as everything seems to these days, with a late grab for power in Ottawa.

Tonight we saw something we had yet to see this season. Besides the chat. The Blue Jays gave Dave Bush a lead to work with.

It's taken parts of three years to get here, but at long last, we've reached the final installment of our 12 "all-month" teams for Baseball's Hall of Names roster.

This team, unlike all the other month teams -- in fact, unlike all the other month teams combined -- has a wide variety of major league players who bear the name of the month itself. I mean, we appreciate you June Greene, thanks for stopping by the booth, Don August, but the fortuitously named "May Bee-Knots" (a no-prize for anyone who designs the uniform logo!) is captained by its best player, a man born in May, who also made his MLB debut in May, who also is the greatest center fielder ever to play the game ... a man named Mays. Nice start.

But before we get into formulating the team wearing the emerald birthstones, let's look a little more carefully into this all-"May" name thing ...

And now here comes the best team in baseball -- improbably, it's the White Sox, who are off to a much faster start than anyone expected. But as Gwyn points out in his excellent AL Central Report, and as Mike D confirms in another superlative Advance Scout, the ChiSox are playing somewhat over their heads these days. Now would be a good time for the Jays' bats to wake up against some overachieving Chicago starters. The ageless El Duque Hernandez opposes the rapidly improving Dave Bush tonight in a matchup somehow reminiscent of 1980s Expos broadcasts.

Don't forget, the countdown to IRC Game Threads is on -- Monday, May 9, marks the debut of Batter's Box's coolest new feature.

Another series, another red-hot opponent for the Jays.

The White Sox come to town, and I think even their most ardent supporters would admit that they're fortunate to be sporting a league-best 21-7 record; they've benefited from a soft schedule, an incredible 12-3 record in one-run games and consistently superb pitching from up and down the staff despite rather modest run support. It can't last, can it?

That said, even the most bitter detractors of the Pale Hose would have to admit that this is a team capable of playing .500 ball the rest of the way; if they do so, they'll finish 88-74 and certainly in the hunt for supremacy in the milquetoast AL Central. Like it or not, the South Siders will be a factor in 2005.

This week's Scout features a slumping slugger, a startling starter and an innings-eater extraordinaire. After a poor series at the plate in Baltimore, the Fighting Jays will have to scratch and claw against a pitching staff that keeps the ball down and uses its defence. Might we see another 1-0, late-inning situation?

On to the Advance Scout!

Continuing our Photo of the Day extravaganza, here's one of my favourite players, Frank Catalanotto, from April 9th:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2005

TORONTO -- In its continuing effort to provide the best possible tools to the best of Canada's baseball fans, Batter's Box Interactive Magazine is introducing a new "Game Chat" option beginning with the Monday, May 9 game at Kansas City.

"It's a decision we've come to after months of discussion," said Batter's Box Senior Editor Jordan Furlong. "The Batter's Box roster sees this as an opportunity to expand our usefulness in two critical ways."

The Syracuse Skychiefs entered 2005 with expectations of at least a winning record, and perhaps a division title. April ended with the team's record at 10-11 and expectations have been replaced by inconsistency as the best way to describe the first month of the season. May has not started much better for the Chiefs but they have won two in a row.

It's an express version of the minor league update tonight. The farm affiliates went 3-1, with the help of three fine starting pitching performances.

So the Blue Jays don't have a game tonight. Looking for your baseball fix?

Try some Syracuse SkyChiefs baseball, in this, the first Batter's Box Minor League Game of the Week. Syracuse's Scott Downs, last year's Pacific Coast League Pitcher Of The Year as a member of the Edmonton Trappers, faces off against ex-White Sock James Baldwin of the Ottawa Lynx at 6:00.