It's Thursday again, which means it's time for another update of what Jays cards I've picked up in the last week. This week was another good one for discount cards, and here's what's either in my possession or on the way.

Let's start with Brandon MaGee. He's a prospect, but because he's a prospect, I can get his cards for a low price. I'm not sure what kind of Major Leaguer he'll turn out to be, but a Jays autograph card for a couple bucks is always worth grabbing.

Next up we have one of the top young hitters in the MLB -- Adam Lind. Luckily for me, I've been collecting Lind for a few years, and already have about 10 of his autograph cards. They're climbing in price but I still managed to pick up this Topps Moments & Milestones auto. That's the thing about prospecting; sometimes it turns out, and other times, it doesn't. That's the fun of the hobby, though.

Next, we've got a Vernon Wells autograph, which is only my second auto card of V-Dub. It's back from the 2000 season, and even though he's struggling right now, he'll turn it around and have a great season.

Last, but not least, is an awesome card on its way to me. I can't wait to get this one in my collection. It's a Bowman Sterling dual auto of Alex Rios and Travis Snider. It's my first autograph card of Snider, and because he's a very hot name in baseball today, his stuff's going for a fair bit of money. This one was my most costly eBay acquisition this week, but I'm glad I picked it up.

You knew it was bound to happen: the slump.

Well, I can hardly call it that, but now that the Jays have dropped a pair to Boston, things aren't as rosy as they were three days ago. Then, Toronto had swept four straight over Chicago and were sitting pretty atop the AL East standings. They still are, but it's little closer now. With one game against the BoSox left, the Jays are just 1.5 games up, and tonight's contest will be a big one.

With Jon Lester on the bump for Boston tonight, going against Toronto's Robert Ray, the Sox appear to have the edge. But Lester is just 2-4 and has looked rough at times this season. Ray, meanwhile, has been satisfactory. The big factor will be how Toronto's bats respond tonight. The Blue Jays offence has scored just four runs in the first two games against Boston, and needs to explode tonight in the rubber match.

Will they? You bet. This is far too talented an offence to stay quiet for three games straight.

I'm predicting Lyle Overbay will have a monster of a game and Vernon Wells will break out of his rough stretch.

Here's my latest baseball article from AskMen.com.

Well, the streak is over.

The Blue Jays have now lost a home series, following last night's 3-2 loss to the Yankees. It's not the end of the world, however. The bright part of the loss was Alex Rios hitting another home run. He's slowly heating up which can't come at a better time. But he still has a ways to go. With four home runs, he's got one less than Marco Scutaro, who certainly isn't a masher. Come on, Rios,

The Jays have had a great start, yes, but they've also yet to face Boston or (prior to this last series) New York. Toronto's season will sink or swim based on how it does against tough AL East opponents. The Jays play Boston next week; they'll need to take a couple of those games to keep hanging around the top of the standings.

As mentioned, I'm a big baseball card fan. I collect mainly Jays players, and have a pretty extensive collection that I'll share from time to time.

I don't have enough money to buy amazing high-end stuff, but what I lack in funds I make up for in shrewd purchases. Yes, I'll admit, I'm a smart eBayer. I don't sell a ton, but I do buy cards when I see something I need for my collection. (On the selling topic, check out this article I wrote for AskMen.com.)

Anyway, as this blog progresses, you'll likely start to learn my true feelings about Alex Rios. But for now, here's a card I picked up last week. Rios may surprise me and turn things around and actually be worth the money he's making ... or he'll continue what he's been doing since his rookie year.

Here's another card I picked up last week. Curtis Thigpen is the guy I collect more than anyone in baseball. I began collecting him when he joined the Jays after playing university ball at Texas. I'm a huge Texas fan so Thigpen automatically became my guy to collect. I was sad to see him move on, but wish him the best in Oakland. Danny Hill, the other guy on this card, is out of baseball, and obviously not the reason I picked up this card.

I mainly only collect Jays players in their Toronto uniforms, but I couldn't resist this bad boy. Ricky Romero was great before getting injured, and I hope he'll bounce back to have a good 2009. This card features Romero in his Team USA uniform, but I picked it up for just 99 cents. Too bad his signature shows a lack of effort.

OK, just one more card. I can't resist. Here's another awesome prospect in the Jays system -- perhaps the top guy in the Minors. J.P. Arencibia is still a couple years away from the Bigs, perhaps, but he should be a good one. Like the Romero card, this one features him in his Team USA uni. And even more importantly, I nabbed it for just 99 cents.

Big Rod Barajas, that's who.

The Jays catcher is off to an impressive start and is providing an offensive boost from a spot that hasn't seen much offence in years. I liked Gregg Zaun, but only because he seemed like a likeable guy. He would've been a great backup and pinch hitter. I wasn't crazy about him behind the plate and am glad he's moved on.

Anyway, back to Barajas. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from him when he came to Toronto, but mainly because I wasn't too familiar with him. He was all right last year, but this year he's batting .307, which is sixth-best on the Jays. He's tied in home runs (with three) with Scott Rolen and Alex Rios, and has one fewer RBI than Vernon Wells.

You can't ask much more of a catcher offensively. Sure, his stats may fall off throughout the season, but he may also stay hot. If that's the case, the AL East needs to watch out.

This is the first year in a long time that Toronto's lineup can burn you no matter who's due up. It's nice to have confidence that any inning can be a big one.

If the Jays continue to get Barajas' consistent offence from the bottom of the order, only good things can happen.

Tonight's the rubber match of the first series between Toronto and the Evil Empire.

Doc Halladay convincingly won the first matchup over A.J. Burnett and the Yanks. When Burnett got pulled, he enjoyed a nice, loud standing ovation boo from the crowd, which was pretty big on this night. That's what you get, A.J. I was not a fan of his when he was in Toronto. The money J.P. Ricciardi shelled out for a career .500 pitcher who's been on the DL in double digits still baffles me. Burnett had a good 2008, but did nothing else in his tenure in Toronto. I was glad to see him go and there's no better place for him than New York. Enjoy another .500 season and don't worry about postseason ball; there won't be any played at Yankee Stadium.

The Jays weren't much of anything last night. An agonizing second inning spelled their demise, and showed that Scott Richmond can struggle. That's all right though; the Canadian rookie has been impressive early on and is definitely exceeding expectations.

Tonight's matchup will be key. On the bump for Toronto is the moustached Brian Tallet who goes against C.C. the Hutt Sabathia. Toronto's bats were silent last night. Will they be silenced again? I don't think so. Toronto's offence hasn't sputtered in two straight games yet this season, and Sabathia has been on and off all season. I call a 7-4 win for Toronto.

It's May 8. Do you know where your pitching staff is?

Unfortunately, a lot of them are on the Disabled List. This year's Jays will sink or swim with their pitching. Yes, injuries to any key players are deciding factors in the outcome of a season, but let's not worry about the offence. It's currently the league's best and Scott Rolen, Alex Rios and Travis Snider have struggled early on in terms of power and run production. You know the first two guys will come around, and Snider should be all right, too.

But what concerns me most (and at the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious) is the pitching. It'd be optimistic to say the rotation has been decimated early on.

Roy Halladay: Solid as a rock, as usual.

Scott Richmond: A surprising success story, and the AL's rookie of the month for April.

David Purcey: He's been roughed up early, but he throws smoke and will be OK.

Jesse Litsch: Looked poised to have a breakout year, but pitched just nine innings before going to the DL.

Ricky Romero: Had a great start, but joined Litsch on the DL.

The middle relief has been solid. I've never been a huge proponent of B.J. Ryan and the Jays are showing that without him, they can still win ball games. That said, you could tell he wasn't 100 per cent in his early appearances, and I hope his DL stint will help him come back and contribute positively.

Obviously, things are going well in Toronto considering the club is missing Shaun Marcum, Dustin McGowan and Casey Janssen.

But here's the problem: Through 31 games, nine different starters have taken the bump. That's not good. A team needs five guys for continuity.

That's why I believe Toronto should take a good, hard look at picking up another body. It's too early to hit the panic button and make a trade (though the Tim Lincecum for Alex Rios trade a year ago certainly would've been nice, right?) but let's look at who's still a free agent. Surprisingly, there are some decent names floating around, and potentially guys who could make a different.

1) Pedro Martinez: He looked good at the World Baseball Classic, and considering he's likely just sitting under a mango tree (his words, not mine) anyway, why not sign him to a minor league deal and see what happens? Does he have any fire left in his arm? That remains to be seen, but he's certainly worth a shot.

2) Ben Sheets: He made $12 million last year and is sitting at home now. Yikes. He's fragile as anything, but he's still a bona fide stud. He's out until at least the second half of the season after undergoing elbow surgery, but why not take a flyer on him? The Rangers are rumoured to be after him, and if he's going to go to the AL, I'd rather he was in Toronto.

3) Mark Mulder: How is this guy still unemployed? He too has battled injury problems, but is healthy and only 31 years old. It wouldn't be an enormous risk to sign him and see what happens.

I'm not going to say I told you so, but ... well, I told you so.

I've been singing the praises of Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill for years. I've always admired his skill in the field. In 2006, I began to take notice of his defence during a campaign that saw him yield a .987 fielding percentage. I'm cautious to give praise where it's not due, but I started telling anyone who would listen that Hill was Toronto's best second baseman since Robert Alomar. And that's saying a lot, because Alomar was my favourite player as a kid. But it's also saying a lot because Alomar did a lot with his bat. Hill, prior to this season, has yet to hit better than .291. Would he make me eat my words?

No, thankfully. Hill has almost become a household name through the Jays' first 30 games of 2009. He's leading the Bigs in hits, has a batting average of better than .350 and on an offensive powerhouse team, leads the way in home runs. Wow. I'm not sure Hill will keep up this torrid pace, but he's certainly silenced critics who were skeptical of how well he'd bounce back from last season's concussion problems.

Hill's fast start makes me want to compare him to Boston's Dustin Pedroia, who won the 2008 AL MVP award. Make no mistake -- Pedroia's MVP-calibre season was impressive, but it was also controversial. If you had to build your team around one player, would it be Pedroia? If you had to build your team around one Red Sox player, would it be Pedroia? He's not the guy I'd take, that's for sure.

Hill's quick start makes me see a lot of parallels between the two players. Obviously, they both play the same position, but they are blue collar types who can hit for power and average and are the complete package defensively.

We've got well over 100 games before we start discussing MVP-calibre seasons in earnest, but because the debate's already underway, I think it's clear that Hill should be in the discussion. Alomar didn't win an MVP award, but if Hill can stay healthy, he should shatter his 2007 bests of 177 hits, 17 home runs and 78 RBI.

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