Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Some of you familiar with the Blue Jays will remember that Aaron Laffey was an active member of the Blue Jays’ big squad last year. He came up from AAA Las Vegas in the middle of the 2012 season to replace one of the plethora of injured pitching arms, to the tune of 100.2 innings, a 4.56 ERA, 5.59 FIP, 4.29 K/9 over 22 games and 16 starts.

Alex Anthopoulos has been way and above the most active GM when it comes to the waiver wire. His loophole-penetrating moves have led some to questions about MLB’s waiver policy from MLB Trade Rumors, which are absolutely warranted. As long as the rules aren’t being broken, Anthopoulos has time and time again bent them to his liking, including signing over and under slot in drafts, making trades to acquire players in order to then acquire draft pick compensation from them and recently acquiring cheap depth off the waiver wire to sneak them into the minor league system.

That’s where Aaron Laffey’s role with the Blue Jays comes in question. For one, he doesn’t have overwhelming stuff, giving up a lot of walks and home runs with a low strikeout rate. His career splits as a starter and as a reliever are almost identical in mediocrity. Aaron Laffey COULD be used as a swingman/mop up duty/emergency 6th starter used in mop-up situations on the major league team, but the team already has Ramon Ortiz in that role while Sergio Santos is on the DL. Both players would likely have to be sent down to the minors once he comes back from injury, so perhaps there is more to the Santos injury than meets the eye.

Aaron Laffey could also just be another pickup to add to the AAA Buffalo Bisons roster, which is the likely possibility. Anthopoulos has spoken about how he wants to make the Bisons a winner, and as of this post there are no lefty starters down at the AAA level. Even though Aaron Laffey might not be the best pitcher on the major league level, he might be able to get better starts against a weaker talent level, maybe gain some pitching confidence and be able to provide some sort of benefit to the Blue Jays if they call him up.

The sad note in this entire situation is that Jose Reyes cannot come back to the majors until at lease June 13, 60 days after being put on the DL to make room for Aaron Laffey. Any notion of him coming back from injury sooner than expected is all for naught, but now can provide Reyes with a definitive structure for when he can come back. Hopefully it will lead to no rehab setbacks during recovery, because with the way the Blue Jays have been playing against AL East opponents, we’ll need a healthy Reyes at the top of the lineup as soon as possible.

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Jul 26, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (10) is congratulated by third baseman Brett Lawrie (13) left fielder Travis Snider (45) and right fielder Rajai Davis (11) after hitting a 3-run home run in the 4th inning against the Oakland Athletics at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

With just over 39,000 fans piling into Rogers Centre, the Jays did not disappoint. They managed to score double digits in the last game of the series after being shut down for the majority of the first 2 games. Overall, the A’s series drew just over 87,000 fans, or an average of approximately 29,000 per game. Not bad for a mid-week series in July with the Jays hovering around .500.

The first spark for the Jays came from the bat of Edwin Encarnacion who blasted a 3-run shot to get the scoring going. Once that big knock rattled the A’s, the Jays seemed to be much more confident at the plate and managed to get 12 hits , 10 of which came from 5 players (2 a piece).

Travis Snider, hitting behind Edwin Encarnacion today, worked 2 hits (including a double) after striking out in his first 2 ABs. He is now hitting .304 with 6 RBIs through 6 games (23 ABs). Sure, he’s still striking out too often, but you can’t knock the production so far. It’ll be interesting to see what the Jays do with Snider in the lineup once Jose Bautista returns from injury. With J.P. Arencibia being hurt, it’s possible that he’ll remain behind Encarnacion in the lineup. (more…)

Wins/Losses: 21-21 | Streak: W1 | 3rd in PCL Pacific South division (8.0 GB)

Las Vegas 51s 5, Memphis Redbirds 3 - WP: Laffey (2-5, 5.04)

Aaron Laffey tossed his first complete game since 2007 and was supported with some timely hits as the Las Vegas 51s went on to defeat Memphis Redbirds 5-3 on Saturday.

Hitting:

Taking a page from the Blue Jays, the 51s scored four of their five runs via the long ball. Chris Woodward belted a two-out, two-run homer in the second inning to put Vegas up early, while Travis d’Arnaud broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth with a two-run shot of his own, his third home run in two games. Woodward had a nice day at the plate overall, adding a game-tying RBI double in the fourth inning to finish 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBI.

While Woodward and d’Arnaud had the 51s’ only extra base hits, the rest of the lineup churned out a whopping 10 singles, with Anthony Gose, David Cooper, Ricardo Nanita and Danny Perales all hitting two each.

Pitching:

Baseball is truly unpredictable, and that was demonstrated on Saturday when 51s starter Aaron Laffey went the distance to earn just his second win of the season. Entering play with a 5.80 ERA, Laffey allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits in nine innings, with five strikeouts and no walks. It was the left-hander’s first complete game in almost five years, as his last one came in 2007 when he pitched for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in the Indians organization.

After a throwing error in the middle of the fourth, Laffey retired the next 14 consecutive batters, striking out the side in the ninth inning as well.

Wins/Losses: 16-24 | Streak: L2 | 5th in EAS Eastern division (8.5 GB)

Trenton Thunder 3, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 1 - LP: McGuire (3-1, 3.29)

New Hampshire’s bats were non-existent once again in their second loss to Trenton in as many nights, falling 3-1 on Saturday.

Hitting:

After managing one run in the series opener on Friday, the Fisher Cats responded with just one run again on Saturday. When you do that, it’s hard to win ball games.

New Hampshire’s lone tally came from a John Tolisano home run in the sixth, and he was the only Fisher Cat to have a multi-hit game, also hitting a single and drawing a walk. Four other Fisher Cats each added a single, but it was an ugly night offensively for New Hampshire, who managed one run on six hits.

Pitching:

Fisher Cats starter Randy Boone lasted just one third of an inning, allowing one earned run on three hits to get handed the loss. Reliever Aaron Loup came in to strand a runner at third, and only allowed one hit in 2 2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Danny Farquhar gave up crucial runs in the fourth and fifth innings on four hits, while Fernando Hernandez kept New Hampshire close with three perfect innings. Ronald Uvideo tossed a scoreless ninth around two hits and a walk.

Wins/Losses: 27-15 | Streak: L1 | 1st in FSL North division (5.0 GM Lead)

Bradenton Marauders 3, Dunedin Blue Jays 0 - LP: Magnuson (0-4, 5.59)

The Marauders broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the seventh and D-Jays’ bats fell silent, losing to Bradenton 3-0 on Saturday at McKechnie Field.

Hitting:

It was the third time this season that Dunedin was held off the scoreboard, and D-Jays hitters managed just four hits in this one. First baseman Gabe Jacobo was the lone bright spot, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles to extend his hitting streak to five games. He’s now hit safely in seven of his last eight games, but has just a .214/.313/.333 slash line over his last 10.

Leadoff hitter Ryan Schimpf went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk, while designated hitter Jon Talley hit a single for his 16th hit in his last 10 games. After hitting .313 with an .879 OPS in April, Talley has torn the cover off the ball in May, hitting .409 with a 1.010 OPS in 11 games.

Pitching:

Dunedin starter Sean Nolin continued to impress, tossing a six-inning gem, but regrettably had nothing to show for it. The left-hander struck out eight, did not issue a walk, and allowed only four hits. Between the second and third innings, Nolin struck out five of the six batters he faced.

Rehabbing reliver Trystan Magnuson, who spent all of 2011 at the Triple-A level and was taken off the Jays’ 40-man roster this week, gave up a season-high three earned runs in one inning of work to take the loss.

Called up from extended spring training, right-hander Bryan Longpre made his D-Jays debut, striking out a pair in a scoreless eighth.

Wins/Losses: 30-12 | Streak: W3 | 1st in MID Eastern division (6.5 GM Lead)

Lansing Lugnuts 2, Lake County Captains 1 – WP: McFarland (1-0, 0.00)

Despite managing just two hits in the game, two key unearned runs helped the Lugnuts defeat the Captains 2-1 on Saturday. With the win, Lansing became the first team in the Midwest League to reach 30 wins.

Hitting:

On a night where the Lugnuts offense was out-hit 10-2, baserunners were obviously scarce. The Lugnuts trailed 1-0 until the top of the sixth inning, when a bunt and a wild pitch advanced leadoff hitter Kellen Sweeney, who reached on a fielding error, to third. Kevin Pillar cashed Sweeney in with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1, before Chris Hawkins roped a single to center for the Lugnuts’ first hit. Andy Burns, who has really impressed me this season, doubled to left field to score Hawkins, which wound up being the game-winning run.

Pitching:

Lugnuts starter Marcus Walden allowed one earned run on seven hits in four innings with two walks and three strikeouts to settle for the no-decision. Blake McFarland earned the win with four shutout innings of relief, allowing only three hits and two walks while striking out three. Closer Ajay Meyer tossed a perfect ninth to record his league-leading 14th save of the season.

-JM

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Initially pegged to return to Double-A New Hampshire’s and be a fixture in their rotation, Carreno will make his Triple-A debut instead, largely due to Brett Cecil occupying his spot in the Fisher Cats’ rotation right now. Although many people feel that Carreno’s future is in the bullpen, I’m glad the Blue Jays are sticking with him as a starter, as I’d like to see him longer as one, but it should help his trade value this summer.

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Aaron Laffey (32) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Citing the need for an extra left-handed reliever, Laffey gets the call to Toronto just in time for their first homestand of the year. The 26-year-old was the Las Vegas 51s’ Opening Day starter on Thursday, where he was shelled for seven earned runs on 11 hits in just 4 2/3 innings. He induced seven groundouts and zero flyouts in that outing, because the three fly balls that were hit off of him all left the park.

“He had a rough outing there but the way he threw the ball in Spring Training, the way he threw against the Red Sox, particularly down in Fort Myers, Fla., one evening, it gives us a third left-hander with a very heavily loaded left-handed hitting lineup in Boston,” Jays manager John Farrell said in an article on the team’s official site.

Even though Laffey will be a fresh addition to a heavily-taxed Toronto bullpen that was forced to pitch 18 innings in their first three games, Farrell will likely stick with Darren Oliver and Luis Perez as his primary left-handed options and resort to Laffey only in an emergency. Left-handers own a career .268 average and .718 OPS against Laffey in 463 career at-bats, though his numbers were lower than his career norms last season (.242 average, .705 OPS). In six career games against the Red Sox, Laffey has allowed 11 earned runs on 16 hits in 10 2/3 innings with two home runs and four walks.

- JM

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Rajai Davis and Snider led things off with a single and double, respectively, before Ben Francisco lined a hard-hit ball to Pirates left fielder Alex Presley–who juggled the ball and nearly dropped it before making the out–that scored Davis on a sac fly.

Mar 4, 2012; Bradenton, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Travis Snider (45) slides under the throw to Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman

With third base having been freshly vacated, Snider, stretching his lead on second base behind the back of Pirates starter Erik Bedard, broke for the hot corner and swiped the bag ahead of Bedard’s late throw. The decision was a valuable one, as a Brett Lawrie groundout turned out to score Snider and put the Jays up 2-0.

David Cooper kept the inning alive with a walk before J.P. Arencibia almost gave the Jays a 4-0 lead on a long fly out to the warning track in left-center field.

Jays starter Aaron Laffey, filling in for Henderson Alvarez, worked almost exclusively inside to Pirates right fielder Nate McClouth before striking him out looking on a pitch outside. McClouth, a left-handed hitter, had reason to be upset with the call, as the pitch was in the right-handed batter’s box and well off of the plate. Laffey got star Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen to swing over the top of an inside pitch for the inning-ending strikeout.

In the top of the second frame, after Adeiny Hechavarria, a right-handed hitter, worked the count to 2-2, he was punched out by home plate umpire Tom Haillon on a pitch that was in an identical pitch to the one that retired McClouth the previous inning.

After tossing a perfect first inning, things were rougher for Laffey in the second. Former Blue Jay Rod Barajas led things off with a single and eventually advanced to second on a slow roller from Matt Hague a foot inside the third base line that Lawrie charged but didn’t make a play on. With runners on first and second, Chase d’Arnaud (yes, brother of Blue Jays prospect Travis) slapped a single to right field that wound up scoring Barajas. Francisco fielded the ball clean and launched an accurate throw, but it was well short of the plate. Cooper watched the ball bounce at his feet and trickle to Jays catcher Jeff Mathis, who couldn’t make the tag in time.

With the Jays leading 2-1 after a pickoff from Laffey ended the Pirates’ second-inning threat, Snider led off the third and fouled a ball right into the press box that apparently hit both Alan Ashby and Mike Wilner. As Wilner tweeted shortly after, Ashby’s broadcasting was unaffected despite the incident.

The Jays were held off the scoresheet in the third, but it was encouraging to see Lawrie, who followed up Francisco’s bloop single to right field with one of his own, aggressive on the base paths once again. After bolting to second base on a fouled-off hit and run attempt, Lawrie successfully swiped the bag on the next pitch.

Mar 4, 2012; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Rod Barajas (right) slides under the throw to Toronto Blue Jays catcher Jeff Mathis (6) during the second inning at McKechnie Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Darren Oliver made his spring debut in the third inning for the Jays and gave up two singles to the first two batters he faced before striking out McClouth on a pitch outside pitch off the plate. The, with one out and the bases loaded, Barajas roped a ball down the left field line that scored two and put the Pirates up 3-2. But Snider, knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to get McCutchen in time at third, fired a rocket of a throw to second base in a heads-up play that nailed Barajas who, as Snider put it after the game, was “dumptruckin’” around first base.

Francisco Cordero came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth for the Jays, who managed to put together a two-out rally in the top half of the frame to retake the lead 4-3. He worked a perfect frame, quickly retiring the side in order but not before I felt like Ashby and Wilner myself, as Pirates shortstop Anderson Hernandez fouled off a pitch that blew right by my head in the press box!

Then in the top of the fifth, after Lawrie led things off by hustling down the line and almost beating out the routine throw on a groundout, David Cooper fouled off a few balls—one of which was the third to make its way into the press box—before striking out.

After Casey Janssen tossed a scoreless bottom of the fifth, Hechavarria smacked a RBI single with runners on first and second before being replaced by pinch-runner Jonathan Diaz.

Up next, replacing Davis was Anthony Gose, who hit a hard single to right field that was bobbled by the outfielder and was able to leg it out into a double, despite not looking like he was running 100% at all. Then, with Snider grounding out to oblivious Pirates reliever Evan Meek covering first base, Gose bolted around third base and wound up scoring on the play – a true testament to his speed.

Mar 4, 2012; Bradenton, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder

One pitch into Sergio Santos’ debut in the sixth, play was briefly delayed because a cat ran onto the field, but he managed to get a deep fly out to right field on his next pitch, one that was caught at the wall by Moises Sierra (pictured) who had just entered the game.

After Ricardo Nanita made a running basket catch in deep left field for the second out of the inning, a displeased Santos bore down to strike out Pirates hitter Matt Hague on a ball in the dirt. Santos’ appearance wasn’t a dominant one, but it was easy to notice the life on his fastball and nice to see his nasty slider in person.

Jays reliever Robert Coello didn’t have the kind of day that he wanted in the bottom of the seventh, as he gave up a wind-carried solo home run to Pirates hitter Nick Evans before walking Yamaico Navarro and hitting Jordy Mercer.

Coello, throwing hard inside to right-handed hitters, finished the day having allowed two earned runs on two hits with a walk, though it could have been much worse.

The final two innings of the game were fairly straightforward, as both Chad Beck and Jesse Chavez were able to work around pairs of walks to finish with scoreless outings. Jays minor leaguer Brian Bocock was picked off by Pirates reliever Daniel Moskos in the ninth and Diaz, who turned a couple of slick defensive plays Saturday in Dunedin, recorded the final out of the game on a great diving stop at third base.

Up next for the Jays, Henderson Alvarez makes his spring debut on the road against the Tigers, with Drew Carpenter, Evan Crawford, Jesus Figueroa, Jason Frasor, Jerry Gil and Jim Hoey scheduled to pitch as well.

-JM

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The Blue Jays signed “soft-tossing-lefty” Aaron Laffey to a split contract yesterday. Laffey, 26, was non-tendered by the Royals earlier this month.

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