Getting up to splash my face
Wanting just to stay awake
Wondering how much I can take

A doubleheader sweep, a few late-inning losses, and another start from a 2004 first-round-draft-pick left-hander highlight last night's action down on the farm.

Éric Gagné made what might (or might not) be his last ever trip to Montreal this week, and pitched in a blowout win to give the hometown fans one final look at probably the best pitcher ever to emerge from la belle province (with apologies to Claude Raymond). Gagné's emotional return will not be topped by a Larry Walker cameo -- the Cardinals are done in Montreal for the year.

It's not really E______ L_____'s fault that Bauxites now regard him as a figure of Voldemortesque proportions. L_____'s tenure in Toronto may have ended poorly, with the Jays reportedly happy to clear him from the clubhouse, visions of Mike Young perhaps fresh in their minds. But L_____, winner of the inaugural Batter's Box Andujar Award, hasn't really said anything nasty about the franchise, and credited his Toronto pitching coach for teaching him (a little late) the cutter that made him a Cy Young candidate in Chicago last year. But 2004 has been another story for E______, whose Yankee ERA now stands at a sterling 7.08 and who is in danger of falling from the patchwork Yankee rotation. There would be few greater pleasures for the Blue Jays than to be the team that knocks L_____ into the bullpen; behind the stylings of The Illustrated Man, Justin Miller, they'll try to do that tonight. A pitcher's duel, this does not shape up to be; look for a lot of runs and a lot of bullpen activity tonight.

Okay, some of us already really dislike the Yankees. For those of you teetering on the edge, or even those of you who (gasp) like the Yankees, this might swing you into our camp:

Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose, sometimes it rains. Four wins in five games for the minor league affiliates last night on this very special edition of Minor League Update. Homsar, this one's for you.

Kids, it's time to drum some sense into those Yankees. I hear it'll be pretty full in there, especially for this weekend's festivities, so if we're not in 518, look for us on the first base side closer to the outfield (517 or 516 or so). I know for sure that we have the drum with us tonight, but I'm not sure what the situation for the rest of the series is.

The fire is cooking
And they're starving babies
While the slaves are working

It's Jon Lieber versus Dave Bush, first of a four-game set. Here's the game preview. Wells is still out of the lineup; Hinske's DHing and batting 5th. Bush has allowed 3 or fewer earned runs in 7 of his 9 starts. Lieber four-hit the Blue Jays over 8 innings at Yankee Stadium earlier this month. Enjoy the game.

The effort's been there for the Jays over the last couple of weeks. Now's the time to get some results, by scoring some runs against a struggling starting staff in what could be a very entertaining four-game set at the Dome.

This week's Scout features a scuffling megastar, a slugger reliving his Little League days, a trio of superstars enduring down years and a closer as dominant as ever.

Oh, and E-----n L----a. Can't forget him.

On to the Advance Scout!

Thee wins for the Jays affiliates but also three losses in close contests down on the farm.

On last night's game thread several Bauxites were discussing Justin Speier and how he has underperformed in pressure situations, but has overperformed in non-pressure situations, leading to the conclusion that Speier hasn't been as good as his stats. This isn't the first time this has been mentioned at Batter's Box; Speier's frustrating year despite his very good stuff has been the subject of much comment.

I thought I'd take a look at this, to confirm whether it is true.

And a man comes on and tell me
How white my shirts can be
But, he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me

It all started like this. Aaron writes a fabulous baseball blog. He slices and dices major league players, and sometimes minor league coverage of major leaguers by the fifth estate. He rates prospects. And he loves Joe Mauer, not in a Jessica Alba kind of way, but just the same. And me, I'm a casual observer of baseball, with a special interest in the Jay minor league system.

In his two-year career with the Blue Jays, he's 17-5, with an ERA comfortably in the low 4.00s. He has, at times, been the team's most reliable starter this year, at a fraction of the price of his rotation mates. So why not pencil in Josh Towers right now for the 4th spot in the Blue Jays rotation next year? Possibly because Josh, who takes the mound tonight as the Jays try to win this series against Boston, is actually pitching pretty close to the edge.