A 3-2 night for the affiliates featured a pair of excellent starts and another nice performance by a Double-A speed demon.

The New Hampshire game would have been fun to go to.  Randy Boone pitched a one hitter over seven innings and Danny Farquhar twice had to get out of bases loaded jams with a couple of timely double plays.  Lansing and Auburn played games where all four teams reached double digits in hits, Auburn came out ahead where it matters, Lansing did not.  Dunedin and the GCL Jays each split a double-header, Dunedin were no-hit in game one and needed an Adam Loewen home run to win game two.  Another Canadian, Michael Crouse had a nice day for the GCL Jays. Las Vegas lost despite home runs from Travis Snider and Brian Dopirak.

The big boys were 0-3 on the night but the short-season teams picked up the slack with three wins. Dunedin's game was postponed due to rain.

It's safe to say that the Vernon Wells contract has turned into a millstone that will weigh the Jays down well into the next decade. However the situation would not be as dire if Vernon was still a solid, if unspectacular, major leaguer. However even that faint dream has become a nightmare, as Vernon has turned in an awful season so far. All of which begs the question - is Vernon Wells the least valuable regular in baseball?

It was a quiet night on the farm with two extra-inning losses, a victory in Double-A and a game where Auburn almost should have left their bats at home. There were a couple of strong starts, but there were some difficulties in the pen and a 3-run ninth inning gave away one of the games. Although he didn’t get a star, Kevin Ahrens hit a homer and drew a pair of walks.

Let's start with our shocking statistic of the day, the one that will make you think "who?"

Since rookie Tommy Hunter joined the Texas Rangers rotation on a regular basis back on June 28, he leads the American League with a 1.97 ERA, over eight starts.

That has led the Rangers TV crew, Josh Lewin and Tom Grieve, to tag the young righty with a wonderful nickname that works on about six levels: Tommy "Big Game" Hunter. Genius!

In honor of that, let's dole out some other "those really should be" nicknames to players around the game, Toronto and otherwise. The do not need to be -- and in fact, shouldn't be! -- "real" nicknames, but rather just plays on words using player names.

A few rules (and examples) ...

David Cooper had a big night, three hits including a two run game winning home run in the ninth inning.  Lansing won in extra innings, or rather South Bend lost it as the Lugnuts last five runs were unearned.  The GCL Jays won behind a three hitter.  Las Vegas, Dunedin and Auburn each lost.

The Milwaukee Brewers have done some house cleaning.  They have designated utilityman/former 35 home run slugger Bill Hall for assignment, sent down shortstop J.J. Hardy to AAA Nashville and fired pitching coach Bill Castro.  Replacing them respectively are Jason Bourgeois, Alcides Escobar and Chris Bosio.

The affiliates could easily have gone 6-0 but they had to settle for a split as two games got away in extra innings and another was lost in the late going.  The hitting with runners in scoring position was abysmal but there were a number of good performances turned in on the hill.

Jordan Bastian from bluejays.com twitters that Randy Ruiz has been called up from AAA Las Vegas to replace the released Alex Rios.  Give the Jays credit for calling up a player whose last name begins with "R" and also has four letters.  You'll know the team is in real cost-cutting mode if he wears #15 because the "R" is in already in place and they can recycle the "I" by moving it over.  They'll have to shell out for a "U" and "Z".  I hope it doesn't kill the team's budget.  Actually, he was wearing #3 in Spring Training so that may be the number he'll wind up with.

Update 08/11/2009 @ 7:00 pm:  Ruiz will indeed be wearing #3.  I'm sure Rogers is happy it's only one number to sew on the jersey.

Las Vegas had 19 hits in their win.  Angel Sanchez had three of them and 7 RBI's including a grand slam.  Sanchez has been hot recently with the bat, hot streak or new level of performance?  Time will tell.  Dunedin as a team had three hits but still won on a Jesus Gonzalez home run.  Lansing and the GCL Jays both lost in extra innings.

Numerous reports say that Alex Rios has been sent to the Chicago White Sox for no return.  JP is saying this gives the team more flexibility and the money will be re-invested.  We'll see.  

More to come.

Sorry for the delay, folks.  Only one win on Sunday but some impressive performances from the cream of the crop helped ease the pain.

The Blue Jays have until August 17 – one week – to sign players drafted in the 2009 amateur draft. Toronto has 23 players left unsigned from the draft, although 12 of them were selected in the 39th through 50th round. However, the first five selections still remain unsigned, as does the team’s sixth round pick.

I was in New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago to see two games and, with real life interfering, I am only now getting around to a scouting report.  In addition to my scouting report I spoke with Gary Cathcart, manager of the Fisher Cats, and Tom Signore, pitching coach.  I have added their comments to my own.