AL East

The New York Yankees are probably coming close to putting a list of September call-ups together. Kei Igawa may have just lost his spot on that list. The Japanese right-handed pitcher pitched for his country in the Little League World Series but did not perform to the high expectations that were set for him. 

Victor Martinez backed Jon Lester in a big way, leading the Boston Red Sox past the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tony Massarotti said on 98.5 The Sports Hub this afternoon that the odds were stacked mightily against the Red Sox heading into Friday night's critical series opener at Tampa Bay.

It didn’t take long for RF Brad Hawpe to find some work.  Hawpe, who cleared waivers on Thursday after being designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies last week, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

Looking back, it's astounding to think that the Yankees ever let Andy Pettitte get away.

He's only been the guts of every championship rotation the franchise has assembled in the past 15 years, after all. Not to besmirch the dead, but Pettitte's regrettable sabbatical in Houston fell directly on The Boss, who never did fully appreciate what the lefty meant to the Yankees.

As soon as media outlets started reporting that Shawn Chacon was traded to the New York Yankees for two prospects, reporters and critics started to rip the Yankees apart. They claimed that Chacon was just going to hold up in the Yankees rotation for a bit like temporary starters. 

Enter Shawn Chacon vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the first time in pinstripes. He did not allow a single run through six innings. Silence goes over the doubters. 

As the Blue Jays continue to try and play the role of spoiler against the Red Sox, Rays and Yankees one more important date looms on the calender. That is of course next Wednesday when the calender turns to September. At that point the Blue Jays can increase their active roster to as many as forty players. No team ever adds the full fifteen and teams often only call-up a few extra players.

It's another day where I got a late jump on these. With that in mind, we'll get right in to today's notes and a look ahead at tomorrow. This whole trying to run a blog, work a day job, and handle a one-month old is more tiring than you would expect!

Thursday Notes

The Toronto Blue Jays play in the most competitive division in baseball, yet have assembled a five-man rotation, who all have potential fantasy upside. 

Let’s take a look at the candidates in order to determine the potential long-term success:

Brandon Morrow

The 17-strikeout game aside, Morrow has a ton of potential and might just now be scraping the surface of his ability. 

Well, the Johnny Damon saga has ended here in Boston.

He is staying with the Tigers.

I, for one, am glad. Not for the fact that he’s staying with Detroit, but for the fact that I don’t need to hear about it anymore. The absolute foolishness of “Red Sox Nation” is absolutely staggering. It sometimes makes me ashamed to be a Red Sox fan.