There was little of note happening on the farm on Tuesday. The good guys were whitewashed, no wins in six games. Hits were in short supply, the GCL Jays had two hits, Lansing had three, Las Vegas had four, Vancouver six. You get the picture.

I confess I didn't see any of last night's game, but it sounded slow and painful for fans of the blue team. Eight walks and zero strikeouts for Romero? How is that even possible?

Anyway, just figured we could use a new big-league thread. Here it is.

Dane Johnson is the Blue Jays Minor League Pitching Coordinator. He has been a regular visitor to Da Box, you can check his previous interviews by clicking on the interview button on the left side. I caught up with Dane last Friday while he was in New Hampshire. I hope you enjoy his comments.

The affiliates posted a .667 winning percentage based on a 4-2 record Monday night.  Two teams had to be ecstatic that their offence reached double digits in the run column and the opposition was held to two runs or less in every game except one.

Dunedin and Lansing combined for just seven hits. Both starting pitchers - Jesse Hernandez and Blake McFarland - were roughed up.

Three wins in eight tries for the affiliates were highlighted by a couple of big nights.

The first place Texas Rangers come into town for a three game series.  Given the current state of the Jays, one win would be nice and two would be surprising.  The Jays throw JA Happ, Carlos Villanueva and Henderson Alvarez.  Texas answers with Yu Darvish, Roy Oswalt and Matt Harrison.  None of those Texas pitchers have been lights-out so the Jays are not outmatched on the mound but offensively the Jays have problems.

Eight games played on the farm, the good guys won half of them, and an dd thing happened in Lansing.

At the top of the farm, the Las Vegas 51s showed they are getting more comfortable with their new roster members and took out the most successful team in the PCL on Wednesday night.  They stayed in the chase, improving their standing in the battle for a playoff spot in their division.

Well, there's no question about it now ... That kid headlining the Mariners' rotation, he's pretty good.

Felix Hernandez shut down the Tampa Bay Rays this afternon, 1-0. 27 up, 27 down, (Jesus Montero's third-inning RBI single brought the scoreboard operator's day to an early end.) Perfect!

Whatchagot to say 'bout that, now, Mr. McIlroy?

Box Score || Game Story

Sean Nolin had ten strikeouts for Dunedin. Marcus Walden and Danny Barnes had to pitch well to get Dunedin the win. Nolin outdueled Brandon Morrow who led New Hampshire to the win. Jake Marisnick had two doubles. Vancouver had only three hits but won in walk-off fashion. Scott Richmond and Daniel Norris were beaten up and their teams lost. The GCL Jays lost in extra innings even though DJ Davis, Dawel Lugo and Gabriel Cenas played well Lansing had an off day.

According to a press release from BlueJays.com, the Toronto Blue Jays have signed catcher Jeff Mathis to a two-year contract extension for $3 million dollars.

Jeff Mathis, scoring a run in Seattle July 31, will call Toronto home for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

Two pitchers from the DSL Blue Jays teamed up for a seven-inning no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader.  That highlighted a 4-2 Monday on the farm.

The affiliates went 5-1 on Sunday with the only loss coming from Saturday's game.  It rained in the desert on Saturday and the 51's game was suspended with Las Vegas down 5-1.  That game resumed on Sunday and the 51's lost.  But they won the regularly scheduled game and all the other affiliates who played won too.  Dunedin were rained out and the GCL Jays had their normal Sunday off.

There were some good pitching performances in the wins.  Yohan Pino and Jeremy Gabryszwski each pitched six shutout innings.  Roberto Osuna pitched well, despite giving up three runs.  Anthony DeSclafani and Sean O'Sullivan also did well.  Balbino Fuenmayor, Nico Taylor, Jacob Anderson, Luke Hughes, Jake Marisnick and Christian Lopes had good days at the plate.

On July 28, despite all their trials and tribulations, the Blue Jays had a 51-49 record. While there was a posse of contenders in their way, they were still 3.5 games out of a post-season berth.

Then came what can best be described as a Death Spiral.