John Lackey is the new Jarrod Washburn
Angels blog —
Padres Mariners Baseball History has a way of repeating itself when it comes to top Angels pitchers. Jarrod Washburn won 75 games as an Angel before heading into free agency at age 31 and landing in Seattle, where he is 27-48 with a 4.36 ERA. Rumor has it he will end up in Philadelphia or with the Dodgers at some point this summer, which would be a nice break for the left-hander. Angels Red Sox Baseball John Lackey has won 93 games as an Angel, and seems destined to head into free agency at age 31. Whether the right-hander will thrive where Washburn has so far disappointed remains to be seen. Six months ago, I was sure Lackey and the Angels would reach a long-term agreement. Guess I forgot about Washburn, but the difference there was Washburn was coming off his three poorest Angels ...
News Roundup: Draft Picks Make Good Debuts
Bucs Dugout —
... trade happened, but apparently, uninvolved players' reactions to the trade were front page news. Jack Wilson's complete lack of perspective is pretty funny, though. Bad teams trade older players for younger ones to build for the future. It's really not that hard to understand. If he's seen this kind of thing for years and not like it, maybe he could've, you know, not signed an extension. UPDATE: Just saw that Jett has a fanpost about this.)
Buster Olney: The MLB trade market goes bear - ESPN
Olney, meanwhile, calls the Eric ...
Olney: Haren apparent
Rotodatabase.com blogs —
Dan Haren had quite a evening Tuesday: He allowed a run over seven innings, striking out nine and walking one, and picked up his seventh victory in Arizona's 6-2 win. He improved his chances for being named the starter in the NL All-Star Game, and he hit his first career homer.
It's all just part of an incredible season for Haren, who has surrendered only 15 walks against 113 strikeouts, a reflection of his evolution as a pitcher. "I just trust any pitch in any count," Haren wrote in an e-mail Tuesday night. "I don't throw 95 mph anymore, but I can throw a curveball or cutter 3-0. Not being afraid of contact is a big part of my game too. Roy Halladay is my favorite pitcher and I'd like to think I'm a poor man's version of him -- just subtract 2-3 mph." Haren, of ...
