I'm still visiting friends and family in Toronto, so this installment of the Scout will unfortunately be free of analysis and anecdotes. To get you started on the series, though, I've posted the lineups, probables and bullpen breakdown of the struggling M's. Note that flamethrowing reliever Rafael Soriano is on the DL and will not pitch this week.

Stay tuned on Thursday for a super-charged Advance Scout, previewing the Jays' series against our friends from Oakland. In the meantime, it was great meeting Named for Hank, Bird Droppings, Thomas, #2Brumfield and the gang in 518 yesterday. Coach was great company, as always.

Enjoy the series!

If momentum means anything in baseball (and there's little statistical evidence that it does), then the Blue Jays should be heavy favourites today against the Texas Rangers. After a strong start, the Rangers are skidding badly, while the Blue Jays, who looked hopeless a couple of weeks ago, are surging and looking for their 6th straight win. It'll be hard-throwing and often erratic Justin Miller today versus crafty lefthander (are there any other kinds?) Kenny Rogers. The Jays likely will face the next 15 days without Carlos Delgado, who seems headed for the DL -- that would make 6 regulars on the injury list, if you're counting. But the Jays need look only at the recently departed Anaheim Angels to find a squad that prospers despite numerous injuries. Expect to see a lot of Simon Pond over the next two weeks -- but today, the Dave Berg Fan Club will see their man playing first and batting ninth.

The farm affilliates took a good beating yesterday, with only Dunedin putting up much of a fight.

Another day, another win. Behind a strong performance by El Artista the Jays cruised to a 6-2 victory over Texas.

The results of the May prospect poll have been tabulated. To keep up with the escalating interest in the Blue Jays farm system, I asked readers to submit a ballot of the top 20 prospects: 21 ballots were posted. The top two positions are unchanged from the last poll, but there's been an overhaul in the rest of the top 10. Three pitchers were in contention for the mantle of top pitching prospect left open after Dustin McGowan's TJ surgery. 25 points were awarded for each first place vote, 22 for second, 20 for third, 18 for fourth, 16 for fifth and decreasing by 1 for every place thereafter.

The Jays won their 4th consectutive game in a row, all 1 run victories. This time it was a 5-4 victory over the Rangers.

The Charleston Alley-Cats were rained out early, so only three of the Jays’ farm teams took the field last night. Dunedin scored a huge victory, but New Hampshire and Syracuse lost close games.

In case you haven't read the news lately, here's the latest CNN report on "one of the worst natural disasters to hit the Caribbean". Valerio de los Santos and Miguel Batista, both natives of the Dominican Republic, are understandably worried about the safety of their own family and friends back home.

I would like to have co-ordinated a last-minute food/clothing drive for tomorrow's game at the SkyDome (the last game of the homestand), but my efforts at reaching someone at 1 Blue Jays Way have failed thus far.

For now, the best way to help seems to be to make a financial donation to the Red Cross:

The Jays will aim to make it five consecutive home wins this afternoon as they meet the Rangers in a 4:05 pm start. Young Juan Dominguez gets the start for Texas, while Miguel Batista takes the hill for Toronto. A win today would give the Jays a 14-5 record at home on their last 19 games -- which, thanks to their horrible April performance, would push them one game above .500 at Skydome. The Blue Jays are making Toronto a place other teams don't want to visit. Everyone except Ed Mirvish would probably say that's a good thing.

Fresh off their sweep against the division-leading Angels, the Jays have a chance to make up further ground this weekend against Texas. The Rangers should be motivated after suffering the embarrassment of back-to-back shutouts on the South Side of Chicago, but might also be a little weary as they continue a road trip that won't end soon.

The Rangers lineup features some lively bats, including platoons in left, centre and DH that are generally working out very well. Although some Ranger stars are mired in slumps, sweet-swinging Michael Young remains a dangerous hitter at the top of the order. On the pitching side of the ledger, Texas features an improved bullpen; like an offensive line in football or a referee in hockey, the fact that they're seldom noticed reflects well on them. This weekend, the Jays face a struggling righty, a fresh-faced youngster and a veteran lefty pitching with a lot of confidence. Should be fun, and I'm making the trek back home this weekend to take in some of the action!

On to the Advance Scout!

The Mighty O-Drum makes its triumphant return to SkyDome tonight!

My adjusted NCAA statistics are still in progress and I have a top 100 over at The Hardball Times.

As the major league Alex Rios watch began last night the depleted Syracuse Skychiefs won without him as the minor league teams were 2-1 on the night.

Clear the floor to dance
Throw the walls into the fireplace

The Blue Jays could have been swept by Anaheim. If the Angels had covered home plate the first two games, if a hard smash off Jason Frasor had found its way into right field last night, the Jays would have been looking at another embarrassing home-field wipeout. Instead, they're riding a modest but much-valued three-game winning streak, and having stood their ground in Boston the weekend before, they've essentially played the American League's best to a standstill. This team is finally showing signs of a real turnaround.