A 5-3 night on the farm where the bats were smoking on the West Coast and Ohio.

The full-season affiliates didn't win a game, but a couple short-season clubs scored a bunch of runs to somewhat salvage the night for the farm.

Pitching prospects dominated on a night that saw the affiliates go 3-3.

Lansing and Bluefield had different results in their 10-inning affairs. New Hampshire won, while Dunedin lost. Vancouver was victorious in a high-scoring affair, while Las Vegas lost a blowout.

Some bright flashes on offence, but some heavy K action from the mound (except for Las Vegas) put the night in the win column for Toronto’s farm club teams.  Drabek stumbled mightily in a short-lived appearance.

Las Vegas lost a squeaker in the late innings in a game that received top billing on MILB.com thanks to Brett Cecil squaring off against the Reno Aces. The rest of the affiliates went 2-4.

There were two off-days, one scheduled and one not, and an extra game from yesterday. Meanwhile Dunedin wrapped up the first half of their season, and Griffin Murphy dazzled in his pro debut.

I spent last weekend in Erie, Pa. to see the Fisher Cats win two of three games from the Erie Seawolves.  This thread covers my observations from the games.  Over the next week I will follow up with interviews of Sal Fasano, pitching coach Pete Walker, hitting coach Justin Mashore, pitcher Chad Jenkins and first baseman Mike McDade.

There was a tie game after nine innings which will be completed today.  There was an awful pitching performance, a good pitching performance, a grand slam, a victory in our home and native land, an All-Star Game that featured a Canadian All-Star, a promising start by one of the Jays prominent international signees and a game that had similarities to the parent club's Tuesday night.  It was a 3-4 night on the farm with one game pending.

Alternate title: The Showchinko. The Showchinkshow?

Justin Nicolino, the Jays' second round pick out of high school in 2010, had a pro debut to remember, as did reliever Blake McFarland.

Mike McDade made us all proud at the plate batting in 5 with 3 hits, 2 HRs and a double.  That helped lead the farm boys to a scoring advantage of 32-15 in Saturday’s contests, winning 3 of 4.

The Vancouver Canadians made their season debut last night and their home opener was a tight one-run affair. As the Blue Jays returned to having a Canadian affiliate, Las Vegas and New Hampshire continued their seasons with close victories. Meanwhile, Lansing was involved in a slugfest that saw the teams combine for 26 runs and 36 hits.

In honour of the start to the 2011 short-season leagues for the Jays organization, I have written a 56-page guide that includes draft reviews, prospect profiles and much more.

A 3-2 night on the farm included Lansing and Vegas getting knocked around while the Fisher Cats provided a slew of nice performances.