To me this season doesn't feel like a great season for the Jays minor league system.  I have been trying to think about it, to make sense of this feeling of mine.  Dunedin and Lansing won their first half titles.  Las Vegas are challenging for the title of their league, something a Jays AAA team hasn't done for a long time.  The system has promoted several players to the major leagues this year.  2011 prospects and near-prospects such as Drew Hutchison, Anthony Gose, Moises Sierra, Yan Gomes, Aaron Loup and Sam Dyson have been called up.  These players have obviously improved enough to be promoted.  So is it a good year or a bad year for the minor leagues?

I think I know the answer.

...and call it one.

the most remarkable thing to happen on Thursday was that New Hampshire fans - those who endured - got a whole 'nother ball game for free.

It was a 4-3 night on the farm even though no affiliate could get more than seven hits. Two of the affiliates who won were outhit by their opponents and one had the same number of hits.  It was timely hitting that won games for the affiliates.  New Hampshire won 3-2, Ryan Goins scored two and drove in a third run.  For Bluefield Seth Conner drove in four runs with two of the Jays six hits.  Kevin Ahrens hit a three run home run for Dunedin.

Pitching also was key in the wins, Ryan Tepera, Marcus Walden, Taylor Cole and Kevin Comer all pitched well.  Cole was the best with six shutout innings.  Cole was followed by Marcus Stroman who pitched two perfect innings.  For the losing teams Noah Syndergaard was hit around a bit, while Bill Murphy and Jairo Labourt had forgettable days.

Monday night was a saw-off for the affiliates as they split their six games down the middle.

The good Chad Jenkins made a rare appearance in New Hampshire. The bullpens struggled in both Las Vegas and Vancouver, which lead to late-game meltdowns totalling 16 runs in four innings.

Five wins in eight tries for the affiliates. Deck McGuire threw seven shutout innings and didn't have a prayer at the first star.

The affiliates managed to win six out of nine Friday night.  With any luck, it could have been eight out of nine but one slipped away in the late going and the offence was mosty absent during a doubleheader sweep.

Editor's Note - The original thread linked the wrong Dunedin game.  It has been corrected.

In three of Thursday's six games, the Jays affiliate scored but a single run, and in one of those three that was all they would need.

Lansing lost a wild game and Las Vegas lost a blowout but the other affiliates won with some strong performances at the plate for New Hampshire and Lansing.

Two affiliate wins by the top teams in the system.  Las Vegas's win moved them to within a half game of first place.  Chad Jenkins was good enough to get the win for New Hampshire.  Elsewhere on the farm there were a series of blow-ups.  Egan Smith had a no hitter through five innings but blew up good in the sixth as Dunedin lost.  Vancouver lost both ends of a double header.  In the first game they had a lead going to their closer in the seventh but he coughed up the lead.  Then he gave up another run in the eighth but Vancouver came back to tie but Eugene scored the winning run in the ninth.  In game two Vancouver again had the lead but lost. The GCL Jays took a lead to the ninth but made two errors to lose the game and throw a win away.  Bluefield were rained out and Lansing had the day off.

Las Vegas and Vancouver could not be accused of having slow hands at the plate as they put up a dozen runs apiece.  New Hampshire and the boys in the Gulf could not be accused of having slow feet as they each executed a double steal of home and second base. That was part of a 4-3 Monday night for the affiliates.

David Cooper and Moises Sierra combined for seven hits, two home runs and six RBI to help Las Vegas defeat Reno in the Pacific Coast League (AAA).

Two wins in seven tries and virtually nothing worth mentioning. So read on!

There were shutouts galore as the pitching staffs for three of the affiliates threw combined shutouts. However, it was a pitching performance in one of the games that wasn’t a shutout that really stood out on the farm last night. Meanwhile, Las Vegas and New Hampshire both went to extra innings, with one winning and one taking the loss.

Sure, there was over half a dozen games to comment on, but I couldn't pass p that headline, could I?