It was once a widely held axiom that if you could play .500 ball on the road and kick butt at home, you'd keep playing ball in October.

The affiliates finished one game from Saturday, didn't finish one that started today, and, all told, managed to win three of four.

After a miserable stretch of games for the parent club, the minor leagues provided no relief last night, as only rain prevented an 0-4 record on the day. As it was, the affiliates went 0-3 and our Double and Triple-A teams combined to score one run. The farm system hasn't won a game since Thursday. It was such a poor night that I gave two of the three stars to losing pitchers. If you’re hungry for more losses after the past four games for the Blue Jays, read on. It’s not as painful, but results are all the same.

If you haven't been paying attention for the last three hours, well, uh, a lot of things are different.

Four losses.  Brandon League took the loss for the Chiefs in extra innings.  Vernon Wells and John McDonald had more than half of Dunedin's hits.  Lansing threw the game away and New Hampshire lost easily.

So I gotta be a winner
Fingernails and a cigarette's a lousy dinner

Back at it today beginning around 11:30 with the next 44 rounds, or until the Jays get tired and quit.

Yesterday the Jays took only one pitcher, Andrew Liebel, (and liked him more than my man Chris Carpenter who went a few picks later in round 3 and was also a senior) so I'd expect to see a lot of college pitchers being taken today.

Any player that makes the majors from this point on (other than signability players) is a huge success. In the Ricciardi era the best 7th round and later picks have been Tom Mastny (round 13) and Jesse Litsch (round 24).

It's happened before, it'll happen again.

That's what I always tell myself, anyway.

With the Jays sent to infuse the system with fresh wave of talent, thanks to the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft, two affiliates had very good nights.

Quick, name the top five hitting shortstops in baseball today.

(I'll wait.)

Now, how many of those players play in the American League?

The draft starts at 2 pm today. The Jays pick should come around 2:45-3:00.

You remember that Simpsons scene when Homer, Bart and Lisa are celebrating in the car after Church, "Its the best time of the week - the longest possible time to more Church!".  That's always how I feel when a Yankee series ends, the Jays don't see them again now until the last series before the All Star Break. 

John Parrish, Gus Chacin and Marc Rzepczynski delivered excellent starts and each team won.  New Hampshire were the victims of a perfect game for 7.1 innings and lost.  JP Arencibia had four RBI's.

John Smoltz will undergo season-ending surgery next week.  He's 41 years old, and we may have seen the last of him.