|
April 27th, 2007 |
|||||||||||||
|
Teams |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Tampa Bay | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 1 | |
| Oakland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |
| W - J. Shields (2-0) L - C. Gaudin (1-1) S - A. Reyes (8) Homeruns: B. Crosby (2) |
|||||||||||||
(AP Photo/Ben Margot)
If you didn’t know that already, you found out again last night and the man formally known as Jamie threw another great game. That makes two straight games in which he threw 8 innings. In those two starts, he has 21 strikeouts and just 6 hits allowed. Shields wasn’t one of those guys that was picked in the first or second round of the draft and came in with hype. He was selected in the 16th round in 2000. His minor league numbers were acceptable, but not overwhelming. Hopefully he’s starting to figure out how to be a pitcher in the Majors, because that would be a huge boost to have someone reliable behind Scott Kazmir. There have been rumors that the A’s are debating moving Rich Harden due to injury concerns. Billy Beane is a very smart GM, and if he thinks he can get something for Harden that will keep his team in contention now and help down the road, he’ll do it. Harden is set to make $4.5 million next season and then has a club option for $7 million in 2009 before seeing free agency in 2007. If I’m in charge of the Rays, I’d put in a little courtesy call to Beane and pick his brain as to what it might take to get a guy like Harden. He’s affordable in terms of salary, based on what some of the other pitchers these days are getting, and the Rays have young talent to spare. It makes sense. Was he hurt in 2005 and 2006? Yes, but he has such great upside that you almost have to roll the dice.
