Will Dustin McGowan ever start another game in Double-A?
Will the Charleston Alley Cats ever lose again?

The answer to both of those questions could be, "NO"!

Syracuse was rained out in Scranton, but the other three minor-league teams swept all before them, bouncing back from a couple of weak days. Come-from-behind victories were the order of the day.

Charleston continue their winning ways; Syracuse and Dunedin lose again; New Hampshire are all wet but I am including a brief scouting report from my trip.

Despite a rare losing day (1-3) for the Jays' minor league system, four Canadians (Pond, Logan, Perkins, and Galloway) had an opportunity to shine. Add to the mix Montrealer Max St Pierre, an opponent, and there was a nice Canadian thread weaving itself through yesterday's action.

Two blown leads in the upper minors, two shutouts in the lower minors, and two home runs by Guillermo Quiroz.

Charleston were the only minor league team to win last night and they now have the best record in baseball. The Jays are considering a new method for calling up players from Syracuse. Chad Hermanson was called up after hitting .350 at Syracuse and went o-fer the major leagues. Howie Clark was hitting a buck eighty at Syracuse and had four hits last night.

It’s been a rough week for sports fans in the National Capital Region. It’s all bad enough that the Senators were subject to a depressingly predictable first-round elimination by the hated Maple Leafs (it says here, BTW, that Patrick Lalime wears the goat horns unfairly in Ottawa; his high-scoring linemates were shut out three separate times by an inferior Maple Leafs squad), but there’s also the hapless Lynx, who have lately run into a buzzsaw called the Syracuse Skychiefs. Last night’s 10-7 Chiefs win wasn’t as close as it seemed.

A slightly abbreviated roundup summarizes another eventful day for Toronto's minor league affiliates:

Two of the Jays' top pitching prospects took the hill last evening. One pitched a complete-game shutout; the other was pulled in the second inning for reasons of which this correspondent is unaware.

Josh Banks outpitched the Detroit Tigers #1 prospect as the lower levels continued their hot streaks while the AAA and AA teams cooled off. Dunedin and Charleston extended their win streaks to four games.

Three of the four games played yesterday went to the wire. Syrcacuse, Charleston, and Dunedin each won masterpieces (we used to call them dillies) in dramatic fashion, while the lone loser on the day, New Hampshire, prevented the Jays from collecting their third consecutive minor league sweep. There were about a hundred First Star candidates for today's soon-to-be controversial Three Star Selection, but I'm sure you'll all agree today's choice is a worthy one.

Ho-hum. Another sweep for the Jays' minor-league affiliates. Two shutouts, a 7-1 blowout, and a five-run comeback in the bottom of the ninth capped by a one-out, bases-loaded, game-winning double by one of the Jays' best prospects. Oh, and Vito Chiaravalloti's up to .452/.561/.903 in 41 PA. Yawn.

A clean sweep for the organization last night, and three of the teams remain in first place in their divisions. Many of the hitters are waiting for the warmer weather to get their bats warmed up. The Jays minor leaguers are winning on good pitching and timely hitting.

Another doubleheader was rained out for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, so the damp kitties will now be playing consecutive twinbills in mid-May; welcome to the Eastern League! Happily for Jays fans, the other three full-season minor-league clubs did take the field yesterday, including two doubleheaders. Here's what went down:

Rain-outs once again limited the field for the Three Star Selection. Thanks to Banks and Co. in Dunedin, there were plenty of worthy candidates.