Some good pitching, not nearly enough good hitting, and 3 wins in 7 tries down on the farm on a night when "promotions" were the key word -- and not the kind where the first 500 fans get free passes to see Catwoman at the Plaza Theatre.

And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets and
Every time I thought I’d got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet

Part 7: Current Score - Mercenaries 5, Blue Jays 1

Gustavo Chacin was outstanding again, a Jason Arnold sighting, and two home runs for Brian Hall

And the grass is green
Under the three feet of the snow, I mean
This is a day when it's hard to wear a frown

Unless you're Kerry Ligtenberg, of course, who wound up wearing the goat horns in yesterday's 6-3 loss to Cleveland. Ligtenberg, to his credit, refused to use the excuse that the handling of the bullpen, as well as the left-handed nature of the batters he was asked to face, represented questionable decision-making. Still, it would be nice not to have to hear stoic acceptances of responsibility for losses so often. Here are the game reports:

The Blue Jays traded Josh Phelps to the Indians for AAA 1B Eric Crozier (.297, 20 HR, 53 RBI).

Gabe Gross has been recalled to fill the roster spot.

Scott Carson has just reported that:

"Josh Phelps has been traded to the Cleveland Indians for AAA 1B Eric Crozier (.297, 20 HR, 53 RBI)...Gabe Gross has been recalled..."

More details will be added when they come in. This hasn't shown up anywhere else yet. Thanks for the heads up Scott!

Part 6. Current score: Mercenaries 4, Blue Jays 1

My road trip starts today! Hence, the abbreviated Scout. Stay tuned for pinch-hit columns for the Tribe and O's next week.

The Jays kick off a series against a team not only with A-Rod, but Tanyon Sturtze, Felix Heredia (now demoted) and E----n L----a! Finally, all elements have come together and we have an opponent we can truly dislike.

I'm off to nine games in ten days. Full report to follow!

Talent abounds in the Jay minor league system, from mostly raw talents drafted in 1999-2001 by the Ash/Wilken team to more finished products chosen in 2002-2004 by Ricciardi and his team. This is the first year of Rule 5 eligibility for the 2002 college drafts. Some of the earlier drafts have made big leaps this year. Keeping as much as possible of this talent through the Rule 5 draft is a challenge. Here's an early look at some of the decisions that will have to made by the team.

Most of you know of Guillermo Quiroz, one of the Blue Jays top prospects, currently catching at Syracuse. Baseball America rated Quiroz as the Blue Jays third best prospect in their 2004 pre-season rankings, and the 35th best prospect in all of baseball, third among catching prospects behind Joe Mauer and Jeff Mathis. With Alex Rios now a Blue Jay, and with Dustin McGowan having Tommy John surgery, Quiroz is likely headed for the number one ranking at seasons end.

It's David Bush against Cleveland's Chad Durbin in a rare mid-season Thursday afternoon game at the Dome. Equally unusual occurrences: Josh Phelps gets a start at 1B, Kevin Cash starts at catcher, and Chris Woodward starts, period. Reed Johnson returns to left field, but not to leadoff: that position is occupied today by Frank Menechino. This isn't the strongest defensive alignment the Jays could field, so if Bush gets his usual assortment of grounders, he may have to record a few four-out innings. Enjoy the game.

Break out the sunscreen, unfold the lawn chair in the backyard, and settle down to some heavy summertime reading. The July Blue Jays Farm Report – all 11,000 words of it – is here.

Two wins at the top of the system, and Pulaski piled it on in the Appy League. The Jays affiliates were 3-3 on the night.

Swallowed up in symbols
Wanting what I don't need
If sympathy's the answer
I'll have temporary cancer
But that's not what I'll have you believe

The Indians finally found their can-opener, and were therefore able to open that vacuum-sealed tin of whup-ass on the Blue Jays last night. With Pat Hentgen's retirement, Josh Towers has seemingly taken over the role of dispensing refreshingly candid assessments of his bad performances. To wit: