Three Things To Watch: Wednesday

Numbers not kind to Hernandez

Special to ESPN.com



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<!-- end story header --><!-- begin left column --> <!-- begin page tools --> Updated: July 9, 2008

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<!-- end page tools --><!-- begin story body --> <!-- template inline -->Editor's note: Inside Edge is a professional scouting service that supplies reports and tools regularly used by major league teams. The following look ahead is based on its scouting data.
THREE THINGS TO WATCH: WEDNESDAY

<!-- INLINE HEADSHOT (BEGIN) --> Hernandez

<!-- INLINE HEADSHOT (END) --> 1. Livan on the edge

Livan Hernandez will pitch at Fenway Park on Wednesday for his 10th win of the season. The veteran right-hander has won three of his past four games, and the Twins are 13-6 in his starts despite the fact that, by many measures, he has been the worst pitcher in the majors this season. • Hernandez has a .336 batting average against, the worst mark among all pitchers. • He is making batters miss on only 9 percent of their swings, the worst mark among all pitchers. The major league average is 19 percent. • He is allowing 59 percent of the swings batters take against him to be put in play, which is the worst mark among all pitchers by a 4 percent margin. The major league average is 43 percent. • He is allowing 20 percent of the swings against him to be hit well, which is (again) the worst mark in the majors. The major league average is 11 percent. • He has been even worse once all those runners get in scoring position, when his batting average against is .351 and he allows a major-league worst 61 percent of the swings against him to be put in play. Hernandez is living off of run support. The Twins rank among baseball's leaders in runs scored, averaging just under five runs per game. In the 13 games the Twins have won with Hernandez starting, however, they have averaged 6.9 runs. In the six games the Twins have lost with Hernandez on the hill, they have averaged 2.3 runs. The Red Sox, whom the Twins face Wednesday, are one of the only teams in the majors to score more runs than Minnesota this season, so it could get ugly for Hernandez. <!-- INLINE HEADSHOT (BEGIN) --> Mulder

<!-- INLINE HEADSHOT (END) --> 2. Mulder's return important for Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the hunt for the wild card, and they hope that Mark Mulder's return bolsters their rotation for the stretch run. Mulder came back last week after his second left shoulder surgery in the past two years. Following two relief outings, he makes his first start of the season Wednesday against Philadelphia. In recent years, Mulder has not pitched like the 20-game winner he was in Oakland. After getting selected to the AL All-Star team in 2003 and 2004 (his final two seasons with the A's), Mulder pitched well in his first season with St. Louis, going 16-8 with a 3.64 ERA in 2005. In 2006, he went 6-7 with a 7.14 ERA. Then, after missing most of last season following his first shoulder operation, Mulder lost all three of his September starts. He finished 2007 with a 12.27 ERA. In two appearances out of the bullpen this past week, Mulder allowed two runs and four total hits in 1 1/3 innings against the Mets. The statistical trends are pointing in the wrong direction for Mulder, as his numbers since 2006 are much worse than in 2005, his last winning season: <!-- begin table --> <table class="tableheadFixWidth" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="400"> <tbody><tr class="stathead" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td colspan="3">Mulder breakdown, scouted regular season games</td> </tr> <tr class="colhead" valign="top"> <td>
</td> <td>2005</td> <td>2006-2008</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="top"> <td>BA against</td> <td>.268</td> <td>.336</td> </tr> <tr class="evenrow" valign="top"> <td>SLG against</td> <td>.395</td> <td>.584</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="top"> <td>Miss percentage of swings</td> <td>11.8</td> <td>4.8</td> </tr> <tr class="evenrow" valign="top"> <td>ABs per HR</td> <td>44.7</td> <td>19.0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!-- end table --> While opposing hitters have a .355 batting average off his high-80s fastball in the past three injury-shortened seasons (.290 in 2005), Mulder's slider has been battered at an even more alarming rate: <!-- begin table --> <table class="tableheadFixWidth" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="400"> <tbody><tr class="stathead" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td colspan="3">Mulder's slider, scouted regular season games</td> </tr> <tr class="colhead" valign="top"> <td>
</td> <td>2005</td> <td>2006-2008</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="top"> <td>BA against</td> <td>.185 (12-for-65)</td> <td>.458 (11-for-24)</td> </tr> <tr class="evenrow" valign="top"> <td>Well-hit avg. against</td> <td>.138</td> <td>.375</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="top"> <td>SLG against</td> <td>.262</td> <td>.833</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="top"> <td>K pct. of at-bats</td> <td>12.3</td> <td>4.2</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!-- end table --> A continuation of those dreadful stats will hurt the Cardinals in their postseason quest, but if Mulder is finally healthy and pitches the way he did in the first part of his nine-year career, his return will give St. Louis a needed shot in the arm. 3. Jackson tough on Abreu

Edwin Jackson faces the Yankees on Wednesday, affording Yankees right fielder Bobby Abreu another chance against his biggest nemesis. Abreu is 1-for-16 against Jackson. Abreu's .063 career batting average against the Rays' righty is his lowest against any pitcher he has faced at least 15 times. Likewise, Jackson has handled Abreu better than any hitter he has faced in 15 or more at-bats. In scouted games since 2006, Abreu has hit .287 against right-handers. He hits righty fastballs (.309 BA) and changeups (.278) better than breaking pitches (.230), and is much better on pitches located above his knees (.345) than down in the zone (.201). Right-handers pitch him accordingly, but Jackson has deviated from the book by elevating more often and throwing more changeups than usual to Abreu: <!-- begin table --> <table class="tableheadFixWidth" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="400"> <tbody><tr class="stathead" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td colspan="3">Pct. of pitches to Abreu since 2006</td> </tr> <tr class="colhead" valign="top"> <td>Location</td> <td>All RHP</td> <td>Jackson</td> </tr> <tr class="evenrow" valign="top"> <td>Up</td> <td>23.5</td> <td>33.3</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="top"> <td>Middle</td> <td>26.8</td> <td>21.1</td> </tr> <tr class="evenrow" valign="top"> <td>Down</td> <td>49.5</td> <td>45.6</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="top"> <td>Pitch</td> <td>All RHP</td> <td>Jackson</td> </tr> <tr class="evenrow" valign="top"> <td>Fastball</td> <td>65.4</td> <td>68.9</td> </tr> <tr class="evenrow" valign="top"> <td>Curve</td> <td>17.4</td> <td>8.9</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="top"> <td>Changeup</td> <td>16.9</td> <td>22.2</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!-- end table --> Abreu averages 4.74 pitches per plate appearance against Jackson, who prevents the Yankees' slugger from establishing a comfortable rhythm by mixing up his pitches, locations and speeds. This breakdown of a seven-pitch at-bat from their most recent game offers a good look at Jackson's approach against Abreu: <!-- begin table --> <table class="tableheadFixWidth" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="400"> <tbody><tr class="stathead" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td colspan="5">Jackson vs. Abreu - 4th inning May 13</td> </tr> <tr class="colhead" valign="top"> <td>Count</td> <td>Pitch</td> <td>Velocity (mph)</td> <td>Location</td> <td>Action</td> </tr> <tr class="evenrow" valign="top"> <td>0-0</td> <td>Fastball</td> <td>89</td> <td>Down</td> <td>Strike looking</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="top"> <td>0-1</td> <td>Change</td> <td>83</td> <td>Middle</td> <td>Strike looking</td> </tr> <tr class="evenrow" valign="top"> <td>0-2</td> <td>Slider</td> <td>84</td> <td>Down</td> <td>Ball</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="top"> <td>1-2</td> <td>Fastball</td> <td>94</td> <td>Down</td> <td>Ball</td> </tr> <tr class="evenrow" valign="top"> <td>2-2</td> <td>Fastball</td> <td>92</td> <td>Middle</td> <td>Foul</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="top"> <td>2-2</td> <td>Slider</td> <td>82</td> <td>Down</td> <td>Ball</td> </tr> <tr class="evenrow" valign="top"> <td>3-2</td> <td>Fastball</td> <td>93</td> <td>Down</td> <td>Groundout</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!-- end table --> Jackson has not had good command this season, throwing only 62 percent of fastballs for strikes, below the 64 percent league average. But he has thrown strikes on 17 of 23 fastballs (74 percent) to Abreu in 2008.

Daily Notes for Wednesday: Two of Oakland's former big three on the hill

By Sean Allen
ESPN.com
(Archive)

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<!-- end story header --><!-- begin left column --> <!-- begin page tools --> July 8, 2008, 2:32 PM

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The Giants reconfigured their rotation for this week (to give Tim Lincecum an extra start before the All-Star break), and in doing so, they wrecked our plan of having Oakland's former big three all take the mound on the same night. Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder will start, but Barry Zito now is scheduled for Thursday's game instead of Wednesday's. Of the three, only Hudson is an every-week fantasy starter now. But from 2001 to 2003, the trio combined to win 56, 57 and 45 games, respectively, for a total of 158 wins over the three-year span. Now, Mulder is struggling to come back from a shoulder injury, and Zito is one of those rare candidates for a 20-loss season. Hudson just keeps on paying off, though, and as you'll read below, he's a fine start Wednesday as well.

Paul Spinelli/Getty Images
Paul Konerko, due back this week, has a season to repair.


Hitters: Lance Berkman was in the starting lineup Monday, so he appears to have recovered from his bout with pink eye. … Check on Paul Konerko, who is expected to be activated from the DL in time for Tuesday's game. Note that Konerko has had solid second-half numbers the past of couple years. … Willy Taveras started Monday and should be immediately placed back in fantasy lineups. He is 8-for-17 (.471) against Ben Sheets. … Dan Uggla might be listed as day-to-day, but I think the odds of him returning by Wednesday are slim to none. … Bengie Molina doesn't fear Johan Santana. In 23 career at-bats against him, Molina has 11 hits (.478 average) and two home runs. … Bobby Abreu is just 1-for-16 (.063) versus Edwin Jackson, so there is reason to start a hotter hitter from your bench. … Juan Uribe (5-for-10), A.J. Pierzynski (5-for-9) and Jim Thome (4-for-8, two homers) all smack Royals starter Brian Bannister around. … J.D. Drew is 11-for-35 (.314) with three home runs (1.086 OPS) versus Livan Hernandez. … Marcus Thames is 2-for-9 against Paul Byrd, but both hits were home runs. … Glendon Rusch should act almost like a tee for Milwaukee's lineup, which loves to face lefties. Make sure you start all of your Brew Crew hitters, especially Rickie Weeks (3-for-7, two homers against Rusch) and Prince Fielder (3-for-4, two homers). … Don't count on Chris Duncan or Skip Schumaker starting with lefty J.A. Happ on the hill for the Phillies. … Milton Bradley and Michael Young were back in the lineup for the Rangers on Monday despite their day-to-day status. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was not, however. … Carlos Gonzalez returned to Oakland's lineup Monday, so his hamstring isn't as bad as first suspected. Pitchers: After his brief DL stint, Carlos Zambrano looked just fine in his return outing. Big Z has two starts, two wins and a 1.20 ERA against Cincinnati this season, and he should be allowed to throw more than the 87 pitches he threw last time out. … Damaso Marte got the save for the Pirates on Monday, and he's still available in 25 percent of ESPN leagues. … The only concern with Johan Santana is that his team isn't scoring enough for him to win. Of course you should start him, but keep in mind that the Mets have averaged only two runs of support over his past six starts. … Yeah, the Rockies have had an explosive past seven days (.961 OPS), but outside of the thin air in Denver, Ben Sheets should have no trouble with them. Todd Helton is really the only hitter who has hit Sheets well, and he's on the DL right now. … The Twins rank behind only Colorado for OPS over the past week (.922), but Josh Beckett should manage to cool their bats a bit, and I wouldn't shy away from starting him. … A.J. Burnett has posted an ERA higher than 5.00 in every month this season except May, and he allowed a career-high 12 hits in his last outing against the Angels. Now is when he turns things around, though. Burnett has owned most of the Orioles' hitters, including sluggers Aubrey Huff (4-for-40, .100) and Kevin Millar (3-for-16, .188), and has a 5-1 career record against the team. The Jays might not be able to score for him (they struggle versus lefties like Garrett Olson), but Burnett should pitch a good game. … Johnny Cueto looks to be on a crest of his sine-wave season, allowing just six runs in his past four starts. He already has a quality start with eight strikeouts against the Cubs this season (May 5) and should have another couple solid outings before another slump sets in. … Javier Vazquez is back in the saddle, pitching well, and should not be benched for any reason against the Royals. A change in his windup mechanics has righted a sinking ship, as Vazquez tossed a complete-game gem with 10 strikeouts in his most recent outing. Vazquez has a career 2.74 ERA against the Royals and is 2-0 in Kauffman Stadium. … Take out interleague play, and Tim Hudson has a 2.36 ERA this season. Start him against the Dodgers and expect another solid outing like his seven-inning, one-run, six-strikeout performance last time out. … Jered Weaver has been pitching exceptionally well lately, allowing just three earned runs in his previous three outings. Consider that he has allowed just 10 hits in 18 2/3 innings over that span while striking out 18, and he's even more appealing. Plus, Weaver is 2-1 with a 2.36 ERA against the Rangers in seven career starts.
Waiver-wire pickups
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With Mike Napoli out, Jeff Mathis becomes the Angels' No. 1 catcher.


Hitters: Looking for a starting catcher? The injury to Hideki Matsui has the Yankees starting Jorge Posada at DH with frequency, meaning Jose Molina is getting extra at-bats. Also, Mike Napoli's injury leaves Jeff Mathis as the regular starter for the Angels. Mathis won't hit for average, but he'll show some pop and is available in most leagues. … For help at first base, look to Joe Koshansky. He has been stuck behind Todd Helton for a while now but has a monster bat. Koshansky might not play every day while Helton is out, but when he does play, the ball has a chance of leaving the yard. In his first game of the year, he struck out three times and hit a home run; that seems about right. If Koshansky isn't appealing, Kansas City's Ross Gload has six hits in 15 at-bats (.400) against Javier Vazquez, with three of them going for extra bases. … With Luis Castillo on the DL, Damion Easley should be a good sub at second base/middle infield. He has at least a hit in seven straight games and 12 hits total during that span. Also at second base, Ray Durham (owned in 3 percent of ESPN leagues), like teammate Bengie Molina, has no trouble hitting Johan Santana (6-for-14 with two home runs). … He is not the same Nomar Garciaparra, but his 7-for-20 (.350) career numbers against Tim Hudson could make him a decent spot start at third base. Or, if you are lucky enough to be in one of the 66 percent of leagues in which he is available, Kevin Kouzmanoff is hitting .337 with a .967 OPS against lefties this season, and he'll face southpaw Scott Olsen on Wednesday. … A minor leaguer by the name of Brett Gardner is starting and batting leadoff while Johnny Damon is injured. Definitely a solid fill-in at outfield while he is hitting atop the Yankees' lineup. He has three stolen bases in the past week. Also in the outfield, Denard Span has at least a hit in all six games since being recalled from the minors. Scott Hairston is another outfield option. He has been on a power binge, with three homers in the past week. All three came against left-handers, and Scott Olsen is on the docket for Wednesday. … Grant Balfour likely will be the best bet on the waiver wire for a save Wednesday. Dan Wheeler was lit up for a loss Monday, while Balfour's record is unblemished since Troy Percival was injured. J.P. Howell is another possibility. Elsewhere, you can sub in Scott Linebrink, who will pick up the save should Bobby Jenks still be unable to take the mound. Pitchers: There is not much point in speculating what we will see from Mark Mulder in his first start of the season. He had a good and a poor outing out of the pen since being activated from the DL on June 27. From a fantasy perspective, you definitely should pick him up in deeper mixed and NL-only leagues, as you'll want to have him on your roster in case he shows signs of his former self. … Although he rarely flashes it, Cha Seung Baek has a strikeout-pitcher's arsenal. If he has his good stuff, including his off-speed pitches, going, Baek can dominate even the best offenses in the league. The Marlins are exactly that, ranking fourth in OPS versus righties (.792), so Baek will need to have his best stuff to post a quality start. Coming off a six-inning shutout against the Diamondbacks, I'd be willing to gamble on Baek's stuff, but I wouldn't blame you for not following me on that. … The Diamondbacks shuffled their rotation, so I'll steal a line from Will Harris' Tuesday Daily Notes: Leave Diamondbacks starter Micah Owings benched. Owings struggled to an 8.22 ERA in June, then missed his first scheduled July start with a sore back. … With the Rays rolling the way they are and Edwin Jackson looking masterful in his last start, there is no reason not to let him loose versus the Yankees. Jackson has a 3.44 ERA in five starts at Yankee Stadium and has a quality start already logged there this season. … With four key Mariners (Yuniesky Betancourt, Ichiro Suzuki, Jose Vidro and Kenji Johjima) hitting better than .340 in their careers versus Joe Blanton, I'm hesitant to recommend Blanton. He had a good outing against the White Sox but allowed eight runs against the Giants before that. … Start Garrett Olson against the Blue Jays. They have the worst OPS in the majors over the past week (.616) and the worst OPS in the majors against lefties (.635). Enough said? … Even though the Diamondbacks still are respectable against left-handers (.763 OPS), we can't dismiss John Lannan. He's just been too good to do that. With six of his past seven outings having been quality starts, he looks like a definite option to eat some innings for your team and possibly churn out a win, given the way Owings has been pitching. … J.A. Happ was only so-so in his first 2008 start Friday against the Mets. He now faces the Cardinals, who fare just fine against lefties (.772 OPS). It's a risky start, but if you feel Mark Mulder is going to get lit, Happ might be in for his first big league win.
Weather concerns
A forecasted disturbance in the Ohio Valley calls for scattered thunderstorms in Detroit (Indians-Tigers) and Pittsburgh (Astros-Pirates). … Kansas City has a 50 percent chance of scattered storms that could mess with the White Sox-Royals start time. … There is less of a chance of an interruption in Washington, with just a 30 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms for the Diamondbacks-Nationals contest. … Weather-proof games will be played in Toronto (Orioles-Blue Jays) and Milwaukee (Rockies-Brewers).

If healthy, Harden tough to handle
Tuesday, July 8, 2008 | Feedback | Print Entry
When he's 100 percent, Rich Harden is an ace, a potential No. 1 starter with dominant stuff who can miss bats. Only A.J. Burnett can match Harden's stuff among pitchers we believe are available in trades, and Harden carries neither Burnett's baggage nor his horribly team-unfriendly player option.
By getting Harden, the Cubs added to a strength; their rotation already led the National League in ERA. They can push Sean Marshall back to the bullpen, which is probably his best role, or roll the dice on Marshall's recent success as a starter and bump Jason Marquis, their worst starter and someone unlikely to improve anytime soon, to the bullpen. Of course, Harden has thrown more than 130 big league innings just once in his career, and has already thrown more major league innings in 2008 than he did in the past two seasons combined. He's an extremely high risk, and you could argue that Oakland was already playing with house money, having received 13 more starts from Harden than they had any reason to expect. Chad Gaudin is an outstanding second player -- hate to call him a "throw-in" here -- for the Cubs, as a short reliever who could be dominant in that role in the NL. His fastball/slider combo has produced over 300 innings of above-average pitching since Toronto discarded him after a grand total of two big league starts, and his career-long vulnerability against left-handed batters has vanished this year, in large part because of his improved control. What Oakland gets is an unexciting package of "stuff," with no top-shelf prospect or high-ceiling player, but several players of value. Sean Gallagher is the best of the lot, a solid fourth starter right now who could turn out to be a little more. He works with a four-seamer in the 92-94 mph range, a tight-breaking downer curveball that serves as an out pitch and an average changeup. He needs to improve his command and be a little more aggressive with his fastball; moving to a big park in Oakland should help him since his fastball can be a little true, which often leads to more home runs. Matt Murton and Eric Patterson are part-time players, although Murton could develop into more if he's finally given regular playing time. Murton, a supplemental pick by Boston in the 2003 draft, destroys left-handed pitching, but has been used sparingly against right-handed pitchers and doesn't look comfortable against them. He's very patient and has a clean swing with some loft. Patterson is a plus runner and a good base-stealer with some bat speed; he's shaky at second base, and it's not clear that he'll hit enough to play there every day. The sleeper here is Josh Donaldson, a catcher who was the 76th-best prospect in the minors coming into the season, less than a year after he was drafted out of Auburn. He has, however, been atrocious in low A, a level he should be dominating at his age, and is, for all practical purposes, a nonprospect if he keeps this up all year. As the fourth player in the trade, however, he's a good lottery ticket for Oakland, because six months ago he looked like he'd at least develop into a solid-average everyday catcher. Could Oakland have received more by waiting until closer to the trade deadline? Aside from the possibility that the Cubs were motivated to do something right away in response to the CC Sabathia trade, there's the big risk that Harden's arm might suddenly separate from his body in the next few weeks. Harden started on the Saturday before the All-Star break last year, touched 94 with his first pitch and saw his velocity drop below 90 before he'd reached 60 pitches. Harden complained of a dead arm after his July 1 outing against the Angels; his velocity was a little better in his most recent start, but his command was off. There's some risk that he's already breaking down, and it's possible that the A's knew that and wanted to act quickly before his value plummeted.




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Beane made the deal after all

Tuesday, July 8, 2008 | Feedback | Print Entry

Billy Beane's got some nerve. After all those wonderful things I've written about him, he trades Rich Harden? After I said many times in the past 24 hours -- in this space, on ESPNEWS, on various sports radio stations -- that he wouldn't?

Next time I'll text him before coming to such an obviously rash conclusion.

From our report:

The Cubs received the right-handed Harden and righty Chad Gaudin for pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielders Matt Murton and Eric Patterson, and minor leaguer Josh Donaldson.

"It gives us another weapon, and he'll fit in here really, really nice," Piniella said of Harden.

Harden, scheduled to be a free agent after the 2009 season, is 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts this season. He's scheduled to make $4.75 million this season.

The oft-injured righty missed a month earlier this season because of a right shoulder strain. It was his sixth trip to the disabled list in his six-year career.

Exactly. In 2004, Harden started 32 games; one in the minors, 31 in the majors. He hasn't started more than 20 games in a season yet.

What I wrote yesterday is that Beane wouldn't trade Harden unless be believes (1) the A's aren't going to be competitive in the second half, or (2) Harden's not likely to stay healthy, or (3) both.

I think it's probably both. When Beane looks at his lineup and sees the likes of Jack Hannahan, Ryan Sweeney and Emil Brown, he has to wonder how lucky the A's have been to rack up the fourth-best run differential in the American League. More to the point, I think the Cubs also made him an offer he simply couldn't refuse.

Murton, who's never been given a fair shot by the Cubs, makes the A's outfield better immediately. Same for Patterson, who has nothing left to prove in Triple-A and is a better hitter, right now, than most of the A's outfielders; don't be surprised if Murton and Patterson are both in the lineup soon.

Donaldson's sort of a throw-in. The 48th overall pick in the draft just last year, Donaldson entered this season as the Cubs' No. 7 prospect (according to Baseball America). But he's not hitting in Class A this season, and figures to be three or four years away from the majors. At best.

The key to this trade, from the A's perspective, is right-handed starter Sean Gallagher. Still only 22, Gallagher has already breezed through Triple-A and has a real shot at a long and happy career. I'll spare you the scouting report (which is glowing). But in 70 Triple-A innings, Gallagher has struck out 67 batters, walked 14 and given up three homers. He hasn't been overworked as a pro.

You know what this reminds me of? When the A's traded Mark Mulder to the Cardinals and got Dan Haren plus two other prospects. Since then, Haren has won 51 games and Mulder has won 22.

I don't know that Gallagher's going to win more games than Harden over the next few years. I wouldn't bet the house against it, though. And he might even win more games than Harden this summer.

In fact -- and I'm surprised that I'm writing this -- the A's might be better right now than they were yesterday. Beane's giving up on 2008? Nah. He's just retooling for the stretch run.

59 comments on "Beane made the deal after all"

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tclintoncunningham (21 hours ago)
Why wouldn't he? Beane repeatedly proves the numbers a player produces is more important than his name. I love Beane, I just wish he had more of a budget to work with. Then again, who knows if he would be as creative as he is if he had additional resources? Maybe he would fall into the same traps as larger market teams but I doubt it.

A.J. Burnett has posted an ERA higher than 5.00 in every month this season except May, and he allowed a career-high 12 hits in his last outing against the Angels. Now is when he turns things around, though. Burnett has owned most of the Orioles' hitters, including sluggers Aubrey Huff (4-for-40, .100) and Kevin Millar (3-for-16, .188), and has a 5-1 career record against the team. The Jays might not be able to score for him (they struggle versus lefties like Garrett Olson), but Burnett should pitch a good game. … J

Start Garrett Olson against the Blue Jays. They have the worst OPS in the majors over the past week (.616) and the worst OPS in the majors against lefties (.635). Enough said? …


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