dola, thought that was pretty cool.

Definitely awesome, Buerhle seems like a great guy. Good for him.

Good thing there are no Muslims on the team! ;)

MLB trade deadline buzz: Tuesday's edition - FOX Sports on MSN

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Jarrod Washburn is officially available. The Yankees are going to make an offer soon and the Brewers are also interested.

Buehrle is perfect through 4 and is 1 out away from tying the ML record for most retired batters in a row, and 2 outs away from breaking the record.

Bobby Jenks incidentally is the record holder along with someone else.

I probably just jinxed everything, but really nice run by Buehrle.

And hes got the record! 42 consecutive batters retired!

Wow... go Buehrle!

Aw wow, a walk! props to you buehrle!

wow the fans in the metrodome our on their feet applauding! although, I don't think it was for buehrle. haha

and then a hit, cheers buehrle.

pretty impressive run

14 2/3 straight perfect innings in back to back games. well done

Freakin crazy. Especially since he pitches to contact.

and now back to baseball, everything falling apart for the chisox now haha.

fuck

Ouch, Soriano has been so good this year but he just gave up a two run HR to lose the game, Florida wins 4-3.

I was close.

Pitchers duel or inept offense battle going on in SF?

Hard to tell. Either pitcher could have been chased by a decent offense.

I'm pretty sure that Ryan Doumit is the only player in the Pirates' lineup tonight (Sanchez is out with a sore knee and Wilson is a healthy scratch) with more than 1000 career at bats. And, I'm pretty sure that Doumit has less than 1500.

I love our lineup.

I will say, Billingsley has some wicked stuff.. although Wainwright has been stellar tonight.

Ramon Vazquez has 1870 career AB's.

But I think Randy Winn has more career AB's than the Pirates whole lineup.

I'm pretty sure Russell is a bad manager. Morton shouldn't have batted in the 6th with 2 on. We've been burned too often by Pitchers being pulled too late. Our pen is solid.
Unless Karstens starts for a potentially traded Duke tomorrow.

4 in a row! For only the second time this season. (ugh)

A Toronto newspaper reporter just tweeted that the Phillies have acquired Cliff Lee for Carrasco, Marson, and Donald.

Carrasco was pulled from his start today.

Dola...and really they could still have the prospects to pull off getting Halladay.

Right, because in this trade, they wouldn't be giving up any good ones.

Here's the writer's twitter feed: http://twitter.com/GloBlair

His last post: "Just spoke to AL scout sez if Lee deal is true it's a steal for Phils. Was stunned. Doesn't believe it can be true ..."

Wasn't Toronto asking for Happ, Drabek, and Talor (the CF)? They are still in the organization.

I thought the OF was Brown, but yeah it could still happen.

Still, would the Phillies want both guys?

Brown is an OF too.

I doubt it but it would be amazing if they had a Rotation of:

Halladay
Hamels
Lee
Blanton
Pedro Martinez/Lopez/Moyer/Some other bum that won't pitch in the playoffs

It would be a rotation almost as good as I use to have in the RWBL.

Rosenthal says Lee deal is done pending medical review.

Sources: Phils reach agreement for Indians' Lee - FOX Sports on MSN

I <3 Cleveland.

I guess a Tampa station is saying Martinez is on his way to the Rays but it could be just rumor.

Good deal for the Phillies. The difference between Lee and Halladay is smaller than most realize.

Love the deal for the Phillies, though I can't agree with your second point unless people think there is a chasm between the two. Halladay is a markedly better pitcher than Lee, and one I'd much rather have pitching Game 1 of a playoff series.

Lee has been lights out in the AL. May as well pencil him in for a 2.5 ERA in the NL.

This is where I disagree. Since the beginning of last season, which is when Lee overhauled his approach, they've been more or less the same pitcher. I can see it if you don't have faith in the adjustments Lee made sticking or if you think the league will catch up, but even after his Cy Young season I think Lee is a very underrated pitcher.

The only concern I'd have as a Phillie fan is that Lee is more of a flyball pitcher than Halladay so he may become a bit more homer prone.

The difference between Halladay and Lee is that Halladay could be a #1 pitcher for any team in baseball (even including teams like Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, etc who already have a bonafied ace). Lee is an all star calibre pitcher who could be a #1 for many teams, and a very solid #2 for most teams.

He absolutely would help any team in the playoffs either way and was a steal for Philadelphia if this deal is actually as advertised.

Jack Wilson, Ian Snell of Pittsburgh Pirates traded to Seattle Mariners for five players - ESPN
The Pittsburgh Pirates have dealt shortstop Jack Wilson and right-handed pitcher Ian Snell to the Seattle Mariners for shortstop Ronny Cedeno, first baseman Jeff Clement, and right-handed pitching prospects Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin and Nathan Adcock, the Pirates announced Wednesday.

The team said Cedeno will report directly to the Pirates, while Clement is headed to Triple-A Indianapolis and Pribanic, Lorin and Adcock are being assigned to Single-A teams.

Clement, Seattle's first-round pick and the third overall selection in the 2005 draft, was hitting .288 with 33 doubles, 14 home runs, 68 RBIs and 65 runs scored at Triple-A Tacoma in the Pacific Coast League.

"Our scouts have consistently projected Clement to be an everyday major league contributor with the power to hit 20-plus home runs," Pirates GM Neal Huntington said.

Wilson, who was the Pirates' longest-tenured player, is hitting .267 with four home runs and 31 RBIs. Snell is 2-8 with a 5.36 ERA in 15 starts.

The Mariners made the trade for Wilson perhaps thinking about making the team better for 2010, as well as 2009. The shortstop has a contractual option for next season, for $8.4 million, and it may be that the Mariners will choose to exercise that option -- something that the Pirates were not going to do.

I think Lee is amazing as well, but Halliday has an ERA+ this season of 164, while Lee has an ERA+ of 143. That's not insignificant (though yes, last year, Lee had a much high mark).

What Alan said. In my rough, no research behind it back of the envelope sort of way, I'd say Halladay is Top 3 and Lee if Top 15 in baseball. Both are great, but Halladay is extra-great.

Lee also has a .325 BABIP this year so he's been rather unlucky.

We can look at strikeouts and walks or defensive independant things like that, if you wish. Halladay wins by a pretty decent margin in both K's and BB's over Lee.

Since the beginning of last season:

Halladay: 387ip 58bb 28hr 329k 117.6 total vorp

Lee: 375.1ip 67bb 22hr 277k 122.3 total vorp


Very similar pitchers. Halladay gets the edge in strikeouts while everything else is really a wash. I simply stated that since the beginning of last season they've essentially been the same pitcher and I believe its true. Halladay strikes out more batters and has a longer track record, which gives him the edge overall. However, I don't think Lee is a consolation prize by any means.

In other news, according to Will Carroll, Chien-Ming Wang is having surgery on his shoulder capsule; similar to the surgeries Mark Prior, Doc Gooden, and Brien Taylor had.

Finally they dealt the whiny cunt Ian Snell. Like the trade for the Bucs....Basically it pisses off the fringe fans who think Jack Wilson's a freaking all Star. Seems to be a good return.

Glad to see Jeff Clement get a change of scenery. Hopefully the Pirates play him instead of letting him sit in AAA.

Turning two months of Jack Wilson and Ian Snell (who is a headcase and was never going to pitch for the Pirates again) into five players, including a few that actually seem to have some upside, is amazing. Just getting out from under Snell's 2010 salary was a win. I wouldn't mind seeing Wilson return next season, as a FA, but I am very happy with this trade and, overall, with what the Pirates have been doing this season.

Dola...

Looks like the Pirates are very close to trading Freddy Sanchez to the Giants, as well. This is turning into an OOTP online league-like fire sale. :)

the phillies have so many SPs now, i really doubt they'd go after halladay at this point:

1. Lee
2. Hamels
3. Blanton
4. Happ
5. Moyer
6. Lopez
7. Pedro (basically ready for the majors shortly)
8. Myers (may be back by late Aug or Sept)

should be intersting what they do now. 3 of the 8 above will not make the rotation (4 if they do get halladay). i'm guessing: myers (bullpen), pedro (bullpen) and... moyer? (released)

The pirates are currently slated to pay these players (much)more than the league minimum next year

C-Doumit
Utility-Vasquez
Utility-guy they got from the Mariners in this trade
SP-Maholm
SP-Duke
MR-Yates
CL-capps
MR-Karstens

Maybe a few others, but they'll be making less than 1 million.

Just for the drama of it, I now sort of hope the Jays trade Halladay to a team that faces the Phillies in the playoffs.

WASN'T JOE CARTER ENOUGH!?!?