I must say, this surprises me

After I bitched yesterday that the Yankees were boring me to death, I wake up to a flurry of (potential) activity this morning. MLB Trade Rumors lit up like a Christmas tree last night with rumors that the Yankees were on the verge of trading for a starting pitcher, though nobody could pinpoint who it was. This morning, however, Joel Sherman is reporting that the Yankees are working to re-acquire Javier Vazquez. That's right, Javier Vazquez.

This may be a little premature, but I will give an opinion anyway. A lot of Yankee fans will kill this (potential) move because of how Javy's season as a Yankee ended. He had a trainwreck of a second half in 2004, but we seem to forget the first half that he put up that year. The first half of '04 ended in his only career All Star appearance as he was solid through July. Granted, the wheels then came off and he ended the season as an afterthought in the bullpen, and ultimately contributed to the prison rape that was game 7 of the ALCS that year, but he wasn't entirely ineffective as a Yankee.

Plugging Vazquez into the 2010 staff doesn't worry me. He was dominant in 2009, albeit in the National League, but the Yankees aren't asking him to be there number one (or even number 2) starter. The current rumor, courtesy of John Heyman, is that the deal would be Vazquez and Boone Logan for Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, and another prospect. As long as that prospect isn't named Jesus Montero or Austin Romine, this looks like a win for the Yankees. The Braves have been known to like Nick Swisher, and the fact that Cashman can (potentially) turn their eye to MELKY FUCKING CABRERA as the centerpiece of this trade is evidence that he is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though, because God knows this could change 5,690,876,543,456 times before getting done (if it even does).

Winter Meetings, Day 3

In a deal that became official on day 3, the Yankees went out and acquired CF Curtis Granderson from the Tigers in a 3 team deal that also included the Diamondbacks.

So pretty much, the Yankees got an All-Star CF in the middle of his prime. The Tigers got a bundle of cheap talent and payroll flexibility. And as Chip Carey would say, the D-Backs got 'Fisted" in this deal. I would like to know what the fuck their GM was thinking. Not that Edwin Jackson is terrible or anything, but he is 2 years away from free agency and due for a big raise. Max Scherzer is a very good young pitcher locked up for 5 more years. They could have held on to Scherzer and spent the money on the back end of the rotation. Maybe someone with high upside like Rich Harden (more on him in a bit).

But if you're a Yankee fan like me, you have to be happy with this move. Granderson is gonna be a stud in Yankee Stadium. I wouldn't be shocked if he hit 40 bombs this season. He is also locked up through 2013, making an average of a little under 10 mil a year. Very solid move by Cashman. He's really made all the right moves the past 2 offseasons.

And in less surprising news, the Yankees and Andy Pettitte reached an agreement on a 1yr/$11.75 mil deal. Even though everyone knew that he would be coming back, its still nice to see the deal get done this early. Andy should be good for about 15 wins and an ERA around 4.

Breaking News: As reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Red Sox are prepared to trade 2007 World Series MVP, clubhouse leader and all around good guy Mike Lowell to the Texas Rangers for 25 year old catcher Max Ramirez. The Red Sox will also be paying nearly all of Lowell's contract. Good job, Theo. That's a nice way to repay a guy who constantly guts it out through various injuries and gives it his all every game. But I'm happy for Lowell. He gets to abandon the sinking ship that is the Boston Red Sox and go to a nice hitters park in Arlington.

And the funniest thing about all of this is that Boston supposedly wanted to get rid of Lowell so they could enter the bidding for the uber stud himself, the one and only Adrian Beltre. Yeah, that's really gonna strike fear into the hearts of your enemies. Beltre has only had one good season, a highly suspicious 2004 contract year for the Dodgers. The rest of his career has been very mediocre. Hopefully this is J.D. Drew part 2.

And kudos to Texas for being active. It seems they are about to finalize a couple of moves in addition to the potential Lowell trade. The first is trading Kevin Millwood to the craptastic Orioles for Chris Ray and a player to be named later. While Ray isn't anything special, the Rangers would save about 8 mil by doing this trade. And in doing that, they are prepared to use that money to sign Rich Harden to a 1 year deal. Solid moves all around. If the Angels don't improve in a hurry, I could see Texas making a run at the AL West next season.

Selling at Lowe Costs?

ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Braves are no longer asking for veteran bats for (Derek) Lowe, and are telling teams they'll eat money. (h/t MLBTR)

Though he is owed $45 million over the next three years, I think Lowe could be a great fit in the rotation: a durable, veteran starter that keeps the ball in the park. Plus, he's done it in the AL East before and he's a shitload cheaper than John Lackey. I give it another 20 minutes before the Yankees are mentioned as suitors.

Winter Meetings, Day 2

• The Yankees are interested in Kelvim Escobar. No big deal. 33 years old, coming off surgery, worth a flier
• Oh, and this happened.
• MLBTR officially gets me aroused during the Winter Meetings. Not really a Yankee update, but I felt it should be said.
  

Reviewing the Move: Trading for Curtis Granderson

The Move: In a three way deal, the Yankees recieve Curtis Granderson, the Diamondbacks recieve Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, and the Tigers receive Austin Jackson, Phil Coke, Max Scherzer, and Daniel Schlereth.

My Take: The only debate will be whether the Yankees or Tigers got the best of the trade, as the DBacks got their colons poked on this one. They gave up two potential studs for Edwin Jackson, who put it together for half of a season last year, and Ian Kennedy, professional douchebag.

AJax is and has been overrated. Sure, he hit .300 in Scranton last ear, but he did so while striking out a ton and hitting for zero power. Granderson is a known commodity who hit 30 home runs while playing his home games in Yellowstone Park. I know, I know - he doesn't hit lefties. I'll take 35 bombs from a plus defender in the bottom third of the order all day every day. Cashman does it again.

That's a big one

Done Deal: the Yankees get Curtis Granderson, the D'Backs get Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, and the Tigers get Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Austin Jackson, and Phil Coke.

I need some time to digest... expect an in-depth opinion later on. Needless to say, we are happy.

Winter Meetings, Day 1

There is one developing story that will take up most of the bandwidth in Yankees Universe today, and it has to do with a potential blockbuster trade involving the Yankees, DBacks, and Tigers. Heres how Ken Rosenthal, via MLBTR lays it out:

The deal would send Curtis Granderson to the Yanks, along with a prospect or two from the D'Backs. Arizona would obtain Edwin Jackson from the Tigers and Ian Kennedy from the Yankees. The Tigers would obtain Max Scherzer from the D'Backs and Austin Jackson, Phil Coke and Michael Dunn from the Yanks.

Seems fair to me, but Buster Olney is saying that "one team" is not satisfied...who do you think would hang up the phone on that trade?

In other news:

• The Yankees traded Brian Bruney to the Nats for the first pick in the Rule 5 draft. Who the Yanks will target with the pick is anyones guess, but at least it got Brian Fucking Bruney out of the bulpen
• Negotiations have started between the Yankees and Andy Pettitte. I will ruin the suspense for you: Andy is going to sign, and it will be for around $11 million.
• As expected, the Yankees are mentioned in rumors for just about everybody, so I am not listing them all here. 99% of the time it's just another douchebag agent trying to drive up the price of their client.

There should be a lot of activity on day 2, so stay tuned to MLBTR for all your offseason needs.

Red Sox acquire Adam La...oh, hey look! A bird!

Continuing their season-long commitment to making small-time moves like Smoltz, Penny, and Baldelli, the Red Sox traded minor league pitcher Hunter Strickland and minor league shortstop Argenis Diaz to the Pirates for Adam LaRoche.

LaRoche, once a highly touted Braves prospect, is now a below average defensive first baseman with a below average corner infield stick. As for the prospects that the Sox sent in the other direction, I could give a shit about their system, so here is a report from Baseball America's Matt Eddy:

Signed out of Venezuela in July 2003, Diaz has big league potential as a defense oriented shortstop, thanks to plus hands, instincts, range and arm strength. The 22- year-old is not fast or aggressive on the basepaths, though, and his bat projects to be a bit light for a regular role. A righthanded batter, Diaz was hitting .253/.309/.310 in 277 at-bats for Portland, showing the lack of patience (21 walks, 60 strikeouts) and power (14 doubles, one triple) that have been constants during his six-year pro career.

A 6-foot-5 righthander lauded for his makeup, Strickland had touched 94 mph in his last two starts for low Class A Greenville, where he was 5-4, 3.46 in 18 games (12 starts). He generally sits in the 88-92 mph range and locates his fastball down in the zone. Strickland's secondary stuff needs refinement, and he lacks a swing and miss pitch, as evidenced by his strikeout (51) and walk (13) totals over 83 innings for the Drive. On the plus side, his fastball command gives him a chance of developing into a big league reliever. The Red Sox selected Strickland in the 18th round of the 2007 draft, taking him from Pike County High in Zebulon, Ga.

Ok, so I wanted to beef up my post - kiss my ass. In reading all of this, it looks like the Sox traded two players with the potential to suck at the Major League level for one that already does. Nice work. I guess they are banking that Ritalin isn't on the PED list.

The Mets (finally) make the right move

According to SI's John Heyman twitter account (I have one that you should follow too, by the way), the Mets passed on a deal for Roy Halladay. Rumored to be included were Fernando Martinez, Bobby Parnell, Jon Niese and Ruben Tejada. Despite the undeniable talent of Halladay, this is a smart move for a few reasons, but not the least of which is that the Mets are awful.

The Mets are falling like a rock out of contention for a playoff spot, and the addition of Roy Halladay would be futile unless he can also bat behind David Wright. Regardless of how good your pitching is, running five position players out every night that are not Major League quality is too much to overcome (just ask Johan). Stripping your already anemic farm system completely bare to make a half-assed run at a Wild Card is just bad business.

More importantly, in my mind, the Metropolatinos have saved themselves a PR nightmare in passing on this deal. Accepting this offer publicly only to have Halladay exercise his no-trade clause would be a tremendous blow to the team, both internally and in the prison-raping that they would take in the New York media. It also came about this week that even if traded this season, Halladay can demand to be traded again at season's end. So for all of you "wait 'til next year" Mets fans can stuff it.

Sure, Santana and Halladay at the front of your rotation sounds formidable, nay, unbeatable. But even in the stretches where Johan Santana has looked super-human, the Mets haven't been guaranteed a win due to the fact that players like Fernando Tatis that were signed for the purpose of being fringy bench players are being counted on to produce (Gary Sheffield?? REALLY??).

So if Heyman is correct, which Keith Law has already rebuffed, I commend the Mets on having the wherewithal to realize that they suck. Plus, as we all know, Omar Minaya was not giving up a package including two Latin players to receive a white guy in return. (hat tip to MLBTR)

Celebration - come together in every nation

With all of the talk of Roy Halladay making all of my felow bloggers go apeshit, I wanted to take the time to weigh in with my opinion. The official stance of The Fowl Balls is as follows:

GET. ROY. HALLADAY.

In my mind, a package including Joba Chamberlain, Jesus Montero, Austin Jackson, and a fourth, non-Phil Hughes prospect is more than fair.

Chamberlain, though loaded with potential, has shown inconsistency throughout his tenure as a starter. I do realize full well that he is only 23 years old, but we are not talking about moving him for Brett Myers here - this is Roy Halladay we are talking about. One of the three best pitchers in the game of baseball.

I may be a little late to the party on this one but moving Jesus Montero, though it will drive the prospect junkies crazy, could be a God send. As friend of The Balls Mike Ashmore wrote over at Thunder Thoughts, Montero will more than likely end up a man without a position when he is ready for the big leagues. His catching is horrific, and the Yankees seem to have first base locked up for the next eight years. Add in the fact that Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, and even Teixeira himself will all need reps at DH by that time, and Montero's future in pinstripes looks even more bleak.

Austin Jackson is the epitome of the over-hyped Yankee prospect. Though he is hitting well over .300 at AAA, he has struck out at an alarming rate with little-to-no power.

As for the rest of the prospects in the system, take your pick. Zack MacAllister, Dellin Bettances, PTBNL, whoever.

My reasoning can be illustrated in a simple mathematical equation:

Halladay, Sabathia, Burnett > Beckett, Lester, Wakefield (or Bucholz, or Penny, or Smoltz, or Luis fucking Tiant)

The Yankees seem to be competing with one team and one team only, and the acquisition of Roy Halladay could be the defining factor over the next season and a half. As a Yankee fan, I would trade three Joba Cy Youngs and a Montero MVP for two straight rings.

The Balls has spoken.

I should be a GM somewhere

According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Yankees have acquired Eric Hinske for what amounts to a bag of Cheetos and a hand job. (hat tip to MLBTR)

As those of you who are dedicated readers may remember, we pleaded with Cash and Co. to make this signing in JANUARY, when he would not have cost the Yankees two players. Alas, the Yankees opted for the unfounded affinity for the giant ball of suck that is Angel Berroa.

This transaction, in my opinion, shows just how much confidence the team has in Shelley Duncan. The man who played Sloth in Goonies has been destroying AAA to the tune of 21 first half home runs, yet has been passed over by the Big League club (again). The Yankees should do Shelley a favor and DFA the kid, because his ass has permanent residence in Scranton until they do.

One Door Closes...

As cited at our favorite website, it seems that the addition of Andruw Jones could leave the Texas Rangers with a bit of a personnel logjam in the outfield (while, at the same time, making Deputy Dog cry). What does this have to do with the Yankees, you ask? Well, stop asking questions before I have finished my thought you idiot. I bet you are one of those people that yells at the TV. Hold your horses for Christ's sake.

Anyway, in case you haven't noticed, the Yankees could be in need of a centerfielder. See where I am going here? Could the Rangers have the answer to the Yankees problems? Did Han shoot first?

Tim Dierkes talks about this at his site, and Joel Sherman (YAY!) also had a piece with the suggestion, but hell, I am going to say it anyways. How about Marlon Byrd? Once a super-prospect that was supposed to pair with Jimmy Rollins to create a dynamic 1-2 punch for the Phillies, Byrd has resurrected himself as a viable player in Arlington. He plays good defense, gets on base, and only costs a little over $3 million for the 2009 season. If the price is right as far as the trade demands of the Rangers, this could be a no-brainer.

Gambling On The Hill

The Yankees need another starting pitcher. Andy Pettitte remains in the double-talk limbo and the waiting game for Ben Sheets continues. So what to do?

Brian Cashman continues to ignore the brilliant staff here at The Fowl Balls, (that would be Jimmy Dugan and myself), leaving centerfield in the ridiculous overpaid and under-skilled hands of Melky Cabrera while Andruw Jones remains unsigned and Felix Pie was traded for a pine tar rag.

Let me make one more suggestion Mr. Cashman. RICH HILL.

He’s 28 years-old and he’s left handed. What the hell else needs to be said?

His salary for 2008 was $445,000 and by only starting 5 games last season, I don’t think he’s in-line for a raise just yet. Hill was sent back to the minors in May and then hit the DL in August. So, if Ca$hman wants to play the budget card, Hill is the man to do it with.

In his only full season of 2007, Hill started 32 games and pitched 195 innings to an ERA of just under 4. He gave up less than 1 hit per inning and struck out 183 batters, so there is clear evidence of the ability to get out hitters at the big league level. He also averaged fewer than 2 walks per start, which translated to a WHIP of 1.195 (8^th in NL in 2007). There is definite upside there and, oh, did I mention that he’s LEFT HANDED?

The Cubs are said to be out of patience with the young Mr. Hill and he could probably be had for a dozen donuts and a fungo bat. What is Cashman waiting for? It’s an arms race, so stockpiling an inexpensive 6ft. 5in. hard-throwing left-hander is a good thing. Hell, it’s just stupid not to go get him.

Hill, much like Andruw Jones, is low-risk and high-potential. Need I say more?

Finally Get Our Piece of the Pie

According to Bruce Miles ath the Daily Herald, Felix Pie of the Cubs is "Likely to be traded before spring training". This is a classic buy low opportunity that could potentially be a steal for the Yankees. Pie also has much more upside than other options, including Andruw Jones (sorry Deputy Dog), and would cost less than Mike Cameron. The first thing most of our readers will do is go here and check out Pie's stats. Don't. He has been terrible in his 260 Major League at bats, striking out 76 times. That Rob Deer-like performance is not what I am looking at. In his minor league career, Pie has shown flashes of the five tool ability that scouts have raved about for the last 5+ years. He has hit as a .299 clip in 2500+ minor league at bats, over a thousand of which coming at the AAA level. His strikeout numbers are also considerably better than his brief stints with the Cubs. Apparently, the Cubs are frustrated with his "slow progress", but keep in mind that Pie is still yet to see his 24th birthday. For what looks to be a minimal price, Felix Pie could be a steal, as well as the starting center fielder for 2009. I know that Yankee fans are anxious to see Austin Jackson patrol that piece of real estate, but the organization does not view him as major league ready. How about a 2010 OF of Pie, Jackson and Swisher? (who will be coming off of a bounceback year, but more about that later) There is, however, a horrific downside to this. To be forced to listed to John Sterling's morbidly obese self repeatedly explain how to pronouce Pie (by the way: its pee-A) in the same fashion that we found out that Xavier Nady likes to pronounce the 'X' in his name is enough to make me want to rip my ears off. Collateral damage, I suppose.

Mets make a shocking acquisition

According to Ken Rosenthal: Under terms of the deal, the Mets would get Putz, outfielder Jeremy Reed and reliever Sean Green. The Mariners would receive reliever Aaron Heilman, outfielder Endy Chavez and first baseman Mike Carp from the Mets. They'd also get Franklin Gutierrez from the Indians and minor leaguers. The Indians would get reliever Joe Smith from the Mets and infielder Luis Valbuena from Seattle. According to reports, Omar Minaya is working frantically to flip Putz to another team to acquire another 2-3 players of Latin descent.

C.R.E.A.M.

We love Brian Cashman. To commemorate his ten years as Yankees General Manager, The Fowl Balls wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the ten moves of Cash's career(and no mention of Pavano or Igawa).

#10 - Drafting Shelly Duncan - 2001
Just because he looks like sloth.

#9 - Acquiring Chuck Knoblauch for Christian Guzman, Brian Buchanon, and Eric Milton
The first move of Cash's career. Though this wasn't the biggest steal of all time, with Guzman and Milton both playing large parts at the big league level for the Twins, Knoblauch provided the steroid-driven leadoff hitter that the Yankees had been missing.

#8 - Signing Chien Ming Wang for $1.9million - 2000
A highly touted international signing, the Wanger was somewhat of disappointment until he learned the ridiculous sinker that we have all gone on to know and underappreciate.

#7 - Claiming Jose Canseco off of waivers - 2000
The second steroid related acquisition on the list, this move had absolutely no significance to the Yankees roster. What it did do was rob the Red Sox of the right handed power they were hoping for. F*ck them.

#6 - Not re-signing Tom Gordon - After the 2005 season
Though this is technically a non move, it could prove to be the most important one of Cash's career. A Type-A free agent, Gordon's signing with the Phillies provided the Yankees with two draft choices in the compensatory round of 2006; Joba Chamberlain and, less fortunately, Ian Kennedy. If Cashman can manage to trade Ian Kennedy for something remotely valuable, this could be the move he speaks about at his Hall of Fame Induction.

#5 - Acquiring Bobby Abreu and the late Cory Lidle for assorted minor league garbage - 2006
Though this isnt a move that led to a World Series title, it does fall into the 'steal' category. Brian Cashman straight prison raped the Phillies here.

#4 - Signing Doug Mwerjgfjbhnjervhujn478ghfjdkcz - 2007
For no other reason but I enjoy flailing on the keyboard.

#3 - Acquiring Aaron Boone for Brandon Claussen and 2 other minor leaguers - 2003
Providing the Yankees with one of the greatest moments in league history.

#2 - Paying someone to Jeff Gilhooly Aaron Boone's knee that very same winter
Providing the Yankees with the greatest player in league history.

#1 - Acquiring David Justice for Ricky Ledee, Jake Westbrook, and Zach Duke - 2000
Arguably the most significant trade-deadline deal in the league's history, Justice hit the ball harder than Halle Berre as a Yank.

Breaking News: Texeira is a Yankee

Kanekoa Texeira, that is. Apparently, he is a minor league pitcher from the White Sox' minor league system. The main part of the trade is the Yanks acquiring Nick Swisher. So far the cost is minor league pitcher Jeff Marquez, who was not listed in Baseball America's recent list of the top ten Yankees prospects. Even though he is coming off of a dismal offensive year, I like the pick up; Swisher will make a solid defender at first base, can spot in the outfield, and has shown plus power from both sides of the plate. This should also dispell any talk of the team signing Mark Teixeira, allowing them to give enough money to CC Sabathia to buy his own Twinkie factory and still have money left over for Manny Ramirez and another starting pitcher.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3700869

**UPDATE**
This press release is direct from the Yankees, via http://www.yankees.lhblogs.com/

This release from the Yankees

YANKEES ACQUIRE 1B/OF NICK SWISHER AND RHP KANEKOA TEXEIRA FROM THE WHITE SOX IN EXCHANGE FOR INF WILSON BETEMIT AND TWO MINOR LEAGUE PITCHERS

The New York Yankees announced today that they have acquired switch-hitting first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher and right-handed pitcher Kanekoa Texeira from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for infielder Wilson Betemit and right-handed pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez.

Swisher, 27, batted .219 (109-for-497) with 86 runs, 21 doubles, 24 home runs and 69 RBI in 153 games with the White Sox in 2008, leading all American League switch-hitters in home runs and ranking second in RBI. He made 69 starts in center field, 47 starts at first base, 16 starts in left field and 11 starts in right field, combining for a .990 fielding percentage (7E, 675TC), including a .996 mark at first base (2E, 481TC).
The Oakland Athletics’ first pick (16th overall) in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Swisher has appeared in 611 career games, batting .244 with 117 doubles, 104 home runs and 324 RBI. Since 2005, his 334 walks are tied for third-most in the American League while his 102 homers are the fourth-most among Major League switch-hitters. He has also recorded at least 20 doubles and 20 homers in each of the last four seasons. Swisher was acquired by Chicago on January 3, 2008, in exchange for left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez, right-handed pitcher Fautino De Los Santos and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.

“We’re excited with the addition of Nick Swisher,” said Yankees Manager Joe Girardi. “We feel he has a ton of upside. He’s a patient switch-hitter, adds versatility at a number of defensive positions, including first base and the outfield, and will be a positive presence inside the clubhouse.”

Texeira, 22, was 6-3 with 21 saves and a 1.33 ERA in 51 combined relief appearances with Single-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, ranking second among White Sox minor leaguers in saves. He was selected as a Carolina League mid- and postseason All-Star, posting a 3-1 record and a 0.93 ERA with Winston-Salem, while recording 20 saves in 23 opportunities. Over his final 22 appearances with the Single-A club (23.1IP), he did not allow an earned run and held opponents to a .176 batting average (15-for-85).
A native of Maui, Hawai’i, he was originally selected by the White Sox in the 22nd round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and entered 2008 with the organization’s best slider, according to Baseball America. In 113 career minor league appearances, he has a 12-7 record with 40 saves and a 2.24 ERA, striking out 149 batters in 144.1IP.

Betemit hit .265 (50-for-189) with 13 doubles, 6 home runs and 25 RBI in 87 games with the Yankees in 2008, making starts at all four infield positions. He was acquired by the Yankees from the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, 2007, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Scott Proctor.

Marquez was 8-8 with a 4.47 ERA in 19 combined games (18 starts) with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the GCL Yankees and Double-A Trenton in 2008, missing nearly two months (June 19 – August 12) with a right shoulder strain. Selected by the Yankees in Compensation Round A (41st overall) of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Marquez led Yankees farmhands in wins (15) and innings pitched (155.1) in 2007 while with Trenton, and owns a career record of 43-40 with a 3.60 ERA.

Nunez, acquired at the 2008 trading deadline from the Washington Nationals in exchange for infielder Alberto Gonzalez, owns a 21-18 record with a 3.26 ERA in 93 career minor league games (64 starts). He appeared in eight games with Double-A Trenton following the acquisition, going 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA and striking out 26 batters in 19.1IP.