It was an easy decision to be made for Saturday's first star honours as the affiliates split their six games. Bullpen meltdowns in the late going led to two of the losses and the pitching was way below average in the other. The bright spots featured a pair of two-run victories with a Canadian pitcher taking another step on the road to recovery from Tommy John surgery. The Dunedin and GCL Blue Jays saw their games get rained out.

The affiliates went 4-5 Friday and are on the verge of another loss after an extra-extra-extra innings game was cut short due to rain. The good news was a doubleheader shutout and a 13-inning walk-off victory.

We have no more prospects, but the farm won three games.

Five wins for the affiliates. Buffalo used the Hague machine to win again, Scott Copeland, John Diaz and Dalton Pompey also had good contributions. New Hampshire got a lead off home run from Roemen Fields and strong pitching from John Anderson. Vancouver won in extra innings, Rodrigo Orozco stayed hot with three hist in Bluefield's win. And the GCL Jays won a rain shortened game with Justin Maese on the mound. Dunedin and Lansing were the losers.

Four members of the Vancouver Canadians are heading to Spokane for the Northwest League/Pioneer League All-Star game in Spokane August 4.


First baseman Justin Atkinson is one of two Canadian Canadians taking part in the All-Star Game. The Surrey, B.C. native won the NWL Player of the Week award last week and was a Northwest League All-Star back in 2013. The 22 year-old right-handed hitter is batting .313/.329/.463 with two home runs and 20 runs batted in.

Like the parent club, the affiliates fell a game below .500 in their nine games Tuesday night. The highlights were a couple of shutouts in the upper levels but the lowlights were a doubleheader sweep and a disappointing start to the second half for one of the affiliates. The GCL Blue Jays got an unscheduled day off as they were rained out.

The affiliates played .500 ball on Monday, going 3-3. Dunedin's game in Port Charlotte was rained out. Lansing had the night off.

Buffalo came back from a six run deficit to beat the Red Sox. Matt Hague had a home run and five RBI. Lansing had a home run from Ryan McBroom to squeak out a 2-1 win. Vancouver were the third winner on Sunday.

Dunedin took a 1-0 lead to the ninth and lost in extras. Conner Greene had a nice start. New Hampshire and Bluefield lost not so close games.

The Vancouver Canadians' hopes of reaching .500 in the first half of the season were dashed by the Tri-City Dust Devils at The Nat Thursday night.



Tri City's Peter Van Gansen signals safe as he slides into third base with one out in the first. Unfortunately for C's third baseman Carl Wise and the rest of the Canadians looking on, the base umpire agreed. Van Gansen would tag up on a sacrifice fly to score the game's first run.

The affiliates were 4-5 on the back of strong pitching down on the farm.

The Vancouver Canadians turned the tables on the Eugene Emeralds by taking four of five at Nat Bailey Stadium this week. That was after Eugene did the same to the C's just over a week ago in Oregon. Here's some notes and photos of the series clinching victory at Nat Bailey Stadium Tuesday night.



C's starter Evan Smith won his second straight game against the Cubs affiliate by extending his scoreless innings streak to 11, pitching six frames of four-hit ball and striking out five.

Four wins and two losses. Daniel Norris and Miguel Castro helped Buffalo win. Lansing and Vancouver won their afternoon games. Bluefield won with lots of hitting. Yeltsin Gudino continued his recent hot streak at the plate.

Dunedin lost despite four hits from Rowdy Tellez and three by Richard Urena. New Hampshire were blown out. The GCL Jays were rained out.

It is well past the mid point of the minor league season so I am late getting to review the season to date performances of some of the top prospects. I have discussed in prior years how evaluators expect one third of a teams prospects to take a leap ahead, a third to fall back and a third to remain unchanged. I will look at the Jays top 30 prospects in this way, or should I say the top 27 prospects as Franklin Barreto, Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin are in Oakland. I finish with some names to watch who were not on the top 30 at the end of last season.

The affliates split their eight games down the middle on Tuesday. Pitching carried the day and it is reflected in today's three star selections.

The Famous Chicken returned to Vancouver for the first time in three years and was coaching first base when the C's had their big inning to win their second straight against the Eugene Emeralds at Nat Bailey Stadium Monday night.



C's starter Tom Robson spins a breaking ball in the first inning. Robson survived a walk in the first and struck out the side in the second as part of a five strikeout performance over three scoreless innings.