The big news of the week is coming from Angel's camp as they have lost yet another top starter to injury for at least the first two months of the season.
John Lackey has now joined Kelvim Escobar on the DL to start the season for the Halo's. These are the top two starters from last year who put up huge pitching totals for a division championship team and both will miss probably the toughest stretch of there schedule to start the season.
Escobar and Lackey both averaged almost 6 2/3 innings pitched per start and combined for 339 strikeouts last season. I somehow don't think you are going to replace those numbers with Dustin Moseley or a young high draft pick.
Losing them as starters will also hurt an already thin bullpen. There long man Moseley will be in the starting rotation, Chris Bootchek the other long man is also returning from injury and has just started throwing, pretty much leaving Scot Shields, Justin Speier, and K-Rod to wear themselves out to start the year. Mariner fans can tell you how the story of an overused bullpen ends after last season.
Many fans were screaming when the Mariners traded five players lead by top prospect Adam Jones to the Orioles for Erik Bedard saying it still didn't make us good enough to beat the Angels.
I'd say they are good enough now, folks.
Keywords: Angels, baseball, Erik Bedard, John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, Mariners, Orioles
