Angels trade for Scott Kazmir, then rally to beat Athletics -- latimes.com
Kendry Morales has his first five-hit game, ties his career high with six RBIs and gets key hit in seven-run seventh for an 11-7 win.
Morales' monster night powers Angels - MLB.com: News
"Today was my day," Morales said through a translator. "I didn't do anything special. I swung the bat like I usually do, but they just happened to fall in." Morales' career night extended the Angels' lead in the American League West to five games over the Rangers and also marked the ninth time the Halos won despite trailing by four or more runs.
Angels acquire Kazmir from Tampa - CBSSports.com
Kazmir would join John Lackey, Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders in a rotation that is healthier than it's been all summer. Being that he's signed through 2011 (with a $13.5 million club option for 2012), Kazmir also gives the Angels some insurance against Lackey leaving as a free agent this winter.
Oakland Athletics vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - FOX Sports on MSN
Reactions to the Kazmir trade:
Scott Kazmir is just what Angels needed -- latimes.com
The Angels all but bid farewell to John Lackey on Friday, with neither sadness nor anger. They enhanced the chance that his last season here might end just like his first season, with the World Series, and there is no sorrow in that.
Angels acquire lefty Kazmir from Rays - FOX Sports on MSN
"We're not going to make moves just to make moves. We search for opportunities that make sense for us, not only in the short term but in the long term," Angels general manager Tony Reagins said during Friday night's game against Oakland. "We had followed him for the last couple of weeks. Most recently, we had a scout in Toronto who saw Scott pitch, and he obviously threw the ball very well. So we just felt it made sense for us to make the move right now."
Angels looking ahead with Kazmir deal - OCRegister.com
The deal that brought Scott Kazmir to Anaheim for Alex Torres, Matt Sweeney and a player to be named had at least as much to do with 2010 and beyond as it did with the rest of this season.
Finally, a move that makes them better - Angels Unplugged - Los Angeles Times
If you're going to criticize the Angels for not doing anything, you have to give them credit when they finally go out and make themselves better. Scott Kazmir is not to be confused with a Roy Halladay or a Cliff Lee. But he is a solid major league pitcher with a potentially huge upside who didn't cost them half their farm system.
Tampa Bay Rays secure a brighter future at cost of present - St. Petersburg Times
For now, this trade stinks. There's no other way to paint it. You could say the Rays have Andy Sonnanstine and Wade Davis in Triple A, and so the rotation is not without options. But if those guys were better than Kazmir, they would have already been with the team.
Angels Hope Scott Kazmir Will Help This Season and Beyond -- MLB FanHouse
Kazmir also has a track record of success against the Yankees, a potential playoff opponent of the Angels. Kazmir is 6-4 with a 2.53 ERA in 14 career games against the Yankees. This season Kazmir is 4-0 with a 2.92 ERA against the Yankees and Red Sox.
Rays send message with trade - SweetSpot by Rob Neyer - ESPN
The Angels have locked up a pretty good pitcher for a pretty good price for the next two months and two seasons. But we can't begin to evaluate this trade until we see what the pitcher does, and what those three prospects do. Right now I'd call it a square deal, good for both sides. But it probably won't end up that way.
Halos excited about addition of Kazmir - angelsbaseball.com
"Obviously it's great to see that they made a move with the struggles we've had in our rotation this year," Weaver said. "With the tragedy with Nick and the young guys coming through here all year, it's nice to have a full rotation."
Baseball Video Highlights & Clips - OAK@LAA: Angels GM Reagins talks about Kazmir
08.28.09: Angels GM Tony Reagins visits the booth to talk about getting Scott Kazmir from the Rays.
In case you weren't watching last night's game, or if you had the game muted.
August 29 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on August 29.
1973 - Thurman Munson gets a tainted first-inning hit as a pop fly drops between two Angels infielders calling for it. It turns out to be the only hit allowed by Nolan Ryan as he beats the Yankees, 5 - 0.
1986 - California scores eight runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, the final four coming on Dick Schofield's 2-out grand slam off Willie Hernandez, to beat Detroit 13 - 12. (One of the best games I've ever been to)
1987 - The Angels trade two minor leaguers for Pittsburgh 2B Johnny Ray
1996 - The last-place Angels defeat the Yankees, 14-3, behind OF Garret Anderson's seven runs batted in. Anderson has two doubles and a home run.
2000 - The Angels defeat the Blue Jays, 9-4. Anaheim's Darin Erstad gets three hits to reach the 200 mark for the season. It is the fastest any batter has reached 200 in 65 years.
0 recs | 9 comments
Kazmir = young + playoff experience...
good move.
BryanHarvey'sMoustache - August 29, 2009
A Fair Deal
I’ll say it up front—I’m a Rays fan, but have some past loyalties to the Angels too, so I’ve got some mixed feelings about the trade.
Overall, it makes sense for both teams. For the Angels, I think Kazmir will be better than bullpen fodder, and better than the #5 as some seem to think. His fastball is down from a steady 94 to more like 90-92, and his wicked slider is not the same as in 2007. But he can be dominating against good teams, and he’s proven he can work through adversity. I think pairing him with Butcher instead of Hickey is an upgrade for Kaz’ psyche. But he was a team player—loved Maddon and respected the Rays organization—and will fit in fine with the Angels. On the Rays he was a #2 starter with a solid rotation of very solid (but mostly underachieving) Shields, Garza, Price, Niemann. This year, oddly, Niemann—the rookie #5—is having the best year of the bunch, and that is why the Rays may not make the playoffs. The loss of Kaz will not significantly effect the Rays.
For the Angels, he has the talent to be a #2 or 3, but could easily be a #4, a big upgrade for the Angels—fans should not be worried from a quality standpoint. He has pitch count issues, and can be fragile. He may have already peaked at 25, then again, he is only 25, and in different hands could do well. Remember, this was a guy who was the number #1 on a bad team, and still led the majors in Ks, went 13-9 with a solid ERA in 2007. The Rays won 66 that year. This move has to help the Angels this year.
That said, the Rays have been very crafty in trades since Friedman et al have taken over. With few exceptions, they have gotten the better end of the deals they’ve made. Garza and Bartlett for Young stands out, but they also got Zobrist as a sleeper from Houston—a thrown in it seemed—in the Huff trade. Dan Wheeler came in that trade too—an off year this year, but very solid last year. Navarro is a serviceable remnant in a trade that went nowhere for the Dodgers, and though the Jackson deal to Detroit looks good for the Tigers, watch Matt Joyce next year. This one will also look good for TB. The Rays have proven adept at scouting unproven talent, and while I don’t know much about the the two they’ve gotten so far (except what I’ve read online), their upside looks pretty good, and the Rays may have caught them before their value blossomed.
Either way, the Rays would have likely moved Kaz in the offseason.
I do think that Joe Maddon has proven to be highly adept in working with young players—he had all those years in player development for the Angels—and this is a big factor in how the Rays make deals.
Score this one an immediate hit for the Angels, but a bigger potential upside for the Rays.
I like the deal both ways…
…best of luck to the Angels down the stretch…
Calif - August 29, 2009
Great analysis from the other end of the trade, thanks for that...
Mixed feelings about this trade. I hope Kazmir starts pitching better than he has this year. His k-rate is down, and his ERA is atrocious- that worries me.
But, he’s a power pitcher, and those kind of pitchers rule in the postseason.
hk47 - August 29, 2009
A couple of things about Kazmir that should be pointed out...
Kazmir’s lifetime record against teams in our division:
Texas: 5-1, 2.21
Seattle: 3-1, 3.21
Oakland: 7-3, 3.16
…and his record against the teams we’re most likely to face in the postseason:
Boston: 8-7, 3.59
New York: 6-4, 2.53
(as another bona fide Yankee killer, Scott should fit in nicely with this team!)
Quad Fin Rider - August 29, 2009
I love Torii
yep.
hauldog - August 29, 2009
I hope the enhanced current rotation dominates!
I’ll take these guys over any current rotation, Skanks included.
HALO N BRIMSTONE - August 29, 2009
Who is the PTBNL?
hauldog - August 29, 2009
It won't/cant' be announced until after the season.
Tyler - August 30, 2009
He'll be named later
red floyd - August 30, 2009
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