Blowouts were the rule rather than the exception but the exception featured arguably the best pitching performance turned in by a Jays farmhand this season.  It was a 3-2 night for the affiliates with Lansing enjoying the day off, save for one Lugnut who was at the Midwest League All-Star Game.

I paid my second ever visit to Manchester to catch the opener of a series between the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Erie Sea Wolves in AA action.  Timing in life is everything.  I missed a walk off win by the F-Cats the night before and this one was decided in the late going as well. 

Adam Loewen hit his first home run of the season among his three hits.  Another Canadian, Randy Schwartz, also homered for Auburn.  Those home runs helped the only two affiliates in action to wins.  Dunedin used their strong bullpen to pitch five shutout innings waiting for the offense to break out.  After being one hit on Sunday, Auburn two hit Jamestown on Monday.

Yup, still just 1 game out of the playoffs and just 10 games from the mid-season point.

Another depressing night on the farm as the affiliates went 1-3 after blowing two big leads and narrowly avoiding a third.

Every autumn, there are arguments about what the "Most Valuable Player" award means, or should mean, and all the familiar arguments about winning teams, lineup protection and hitters vs. pitchers are trotted out ... among so many others. So let's settle this -- okay, at least set up the argument -- in June, rather than waiting to see if anyone wins 25 games or knocks in 150 runs or whatever ...

Here's the question: Who is the most valuable player in the game today, right now? And here are the parameters: If every player in the game was a free agent entered into a common draft, and you had the first pick, who would you take?

Some things to consider ... Age, salary, general health. So for instance, is Albert Pujols, age 29 and making $14M, worth more than David Wright, age 27 and making $5M? Or do you actually gamble on a rookie-wage youngster? Or ... do you prefer to fill a "tougher" position like catcher with Victor Martinez (Late edit: OK, OK, I should have written "Joe Mauer." Would you believe it was  typo?) or shortstop with Hanley Ramirez?

Make your pick. And defend it!

Believe it or not it is mid-season in the minor leagues.  Lansing finished their first half season on Sunday.  Dunedin, strangely, have three first half games left after their all-star break.  Las Vegas and New Hampshire realize it could be a long second half unless they start to play a lot better.  Seeing how it is mid-season Marc Hulet and I reviewed the first half for most of the Jays top prospects.  You will see that there has not been a lot of movement among the prospects.  The jury is still out on the high schoolers drafted in 2007 and 2008, those players have to just play and you expect them to really show what kind of prospect they are in the year they turn 21 or 22.  Some of the Jays top ten prospects, such as JP Arencibia, David Cooper and Brad Emaus have had first halves to forget.  Several other lower ranked prospects such as Moises Sierra, Danny Farquhar, Trystan Magnuson and Tim Collins have down well in the first half.  Some of the Jays top prospects should lose their prospect status this season, Travis Snider, Brett Cecil and Ricky Romero will come out of the top ten with enough major league time.  With the struggles of some of the other top ten names and the good play of some of the lesser ranked prospects, ranking the Jays top ten prospects at seasons end might be a tough job.

Las Vegas and New Hampshire won, Lansing lost, Auburn were washed-out.  The FSL had their all-star game and Moises Sierra had three hits, Tim Collins pitched a shutout inning.  Randy Ruiz and Brian Dopirak wielded the lumber for their teams with three hits each.  Ruiz had two home runs, Dopirak one.

Three affiliates, in fact, were doomed by big innings, as Las Vegas was the only club to land in the win column.

Here's what I think I saw. The Jays went into a National League and swept the world champs. Vernon Wells had two big hits and a crucial defensive play late in the game.

I believe I'm now required to pee in a cup, right?

Today is opening day for the Auburn Doubledays with the GCL Jays starting next week.  The Jays have not signed their top six picks so the Auburn roster will likely change a lot over the next week or two as those players sign.  Usually the Jays are prompt in signing their number one pick, this year they appear to be slower.

Down on the farm the full-season teams went 2-2 with the top two teams victorious.  Marc Rzepczynski had a good start in what could be his final AA start.  He is rumoured to be headed to AAA to replace Cecil or Mills.

Kyle Ginley, Alan Farina and Marty McLeary were each activated and Ginley and Farina pitched.

So... where exactly does the Blue Jays pitching stand at the moment? Why don't we investigate.

Both Lansing and Dunedin put on impressive offensive displays, while Las Vegas received a great pitching performance from Brian Burres (no, really).

I was saving this for tomorrow, but with the prospect of three pitchers hitting the DL all at once, it seems best to add this information to the discussion.

John Feinstein wrote a book titled "Next Man Up" a few years ago.  The book followed the Baltimore Ravens for a season and the title of the book comes from the theme that football is a game of injuries.  Football is a tough, vicious, injury-causing game and teams are always looking for the next man up to replace someone who has to leave the game due to injury.  The Blue Jays current theme is Next Man Up.