Baseball thread No. 7: Somebody slip the pinstripers a Mickey

Twins get Jon Rauch from Arizona for a PTBNL.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-diamondbacks-twinstrade&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

See? We told you he wasn't that good.--Lil' Jeffy Wilpon

 

Kazmir has been at least decent in five of his last six starts. Maybe he is finally getting healthy, though I doubt that will last. From what I read, the prospects aren't much, so the Angels are taking on the salary for pitching help, which they really need at this point.

Interesting that the Rays are dumping salary while they are in contention. Long-term, this is probably a good move for them, but you shouldn't be dumping talented veteran starting pitchers for prospects when you are three games out of the Wild Card in late August.

 

Not if you're effing loaded with pitching prospects.

 

Kazmir trade fell through.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090828&content_id=6663260&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

 

Unless one of them is ready to step in right now, then this would have hurt their chances. Then again, it looks like a moot point.

 

Joel Sherman of the NY Post and Topkin both reporting trade will be announced after the Rays' game at Detroit.

Jon Heyman of SI tweets that Rays will get three players, not two.

Kazmir is supposed to get $20M over the next two seasons. Angels have allegedly agreed to pick up the entire contract.

 

Nice exchange between Don Sutton and Jim Powell in the Braves' booth after the rain delay ended in Philly.

After a great curveball by Tommy Hanson, Sutton was explaining that a little moisture wasn't such a bad thing for your grip. He said sometimes the leather gets a little soft and allows you to really get a good snap on the ball. Then:

Sutton: "Sometimes, when it got dry and dusty, I liked to rub a little alcohol on my pants, and that did the trick."
Powell: "Hmm, I didn't see anything about that in the rule book."
Sutton: "And you won't. ... Here's the pitch to Feliz."

These guys have developed a great rapport in their first season together. Always did like Sutton, though.

 

San Francisco, per ESPN.

Cubs should trade him for a pouch of Big League Chew and a sunflower-seed bag to be named later.

 

That's too much. [/Armchair_QB]

 

Marco Scutaro has left the game after being beaned in the head by Josh Beckett. He didn't have time to charge/throw his purse like the big old weenie playing first for the Red Sox.