Greg M. Cooper/US Presswire
John Lackey threw 120 pitches in a complete game at Fenway Park.
Welcome to a 100 percent Teixeira-free edition of Out of the Box. The full spin on the manna from heaven for AL owners who hoarded their FAAB dollars is available in the Trade Spins blog.
Still, it was an embarrassment of riches for the Angels on Tuesday, as John Lackey followed up the trade news by carrying a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Red Sox.
| Who's On First? |
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 Matthew Berry looks at what the Teixeira trade means for the Angels' lineup this year, and beyond. Trade Spins blog
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Dustin Pedroia's one-out single broke up the no-no, and Kevin Youkilis followed with shot over the Green Monster to eliminate the shutout, but it was still an impressive performance by Lackey.
Although there were some minor concerns that the triceps strain that Lackey suffered during the spring that kept him out until mid-May might have some lingering effects this season, he's been money in the bank since returning.
Lackey's strikeout rate is up over last season, his walk rate is the lowest it has ever been in his career, and he's on pace for a third straight season of an increase in his ground ball-to-fly ball ratio.
It's entirely possible the missed month earlier in the season could actually be beneficial to Lackey down the stretch. The triceps injury aside, he's always been a pretty durable workhorse, and over the past three seasons, his numbers after July are a combined 3.54 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. The way he's pitching right now, he looks like he could beat those numbers handily in the last two months of this year.
Past editions: 7/29: Braves' woes | 7/28: Maholm sharp again | 7/27: Blake's debut
Expected to miss as much as a week with a slight finger fracture, the ever-durable Michael Young was back in the lineup on Tuesday. He went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. … Milton Bradley left in the eighth with a strained quad, the same injury that caused him to miss more than a week earlier in the season. … J.J. Putz was given a chance at a save, even with Brandon Morrow available, but promptly blew the opportunity, so Morrow may get some more chances. … Bryan LaHair homered for the second straight game and will continue to see at-bats for the Mariners at first base against right-handed pitching. … Aubrey Huff went 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs, and just missed two more homers, as he continues to be ridiculously hot this month. He's hit .388 with eight homers and a .735 slugging percentage in July, after a .337 mark in June. … Jorge Campillo continued to be solid, allowing two runs in seven innings of work in a no-decision. He's allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his past nine starts. … Tyler Yates worked a perfect ninth for his first save, and should continue to see the chances in Pittsburgh until Matt Capps returns in late August. … Matt Garza out-dueled Roy Halladay with a five-hit shutout, marking the fifth time this season he's worked at least seven innings and allowed no earned runs. … Wesley Wright earned a one-out lefty save for the Astros. … Oliver Perez is finding a groove. He allowed one run in six innings and has posted a 1.38 ERA in five starts this month to almost push his ERA below four for the season. … Brett Myers allowed just an unearned run in seven innings of work, but it was against the Nationals so let's not get too excited. … Carlos Zambrano struck out nine in eight shutout innings to win his 12th. The victory came over Ben Sheets and the Brewers, as Sheets scuffled. … After seven strong innings on Tuesday, Gil Meche has a 2.66 ERA in his past 10 starts. … Matt Cain is on one of his patented white-hot runs. He was a tough-luck loser against the Dodgers, despite allowing just one earned run in seven innings, striking out eight. He has a 1.88 ERA in his past six starts. … Doug Davis allowed just two hits in 7 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out eight, but he's likely to be hit-or-miss going forward. … Kenji Johjima left Tuesday's game with an apparent knee injury after being drilled by a pitch while pinch-hitting. We'll have to see how he feels today. … The Padres activated Chris Young from the disabled list, and he pitched five shutout innings against the Diamondbacks, striking out eight. It was his first start since he was struck in the face with a line drive on May 21. He wasn't putting up great numbers before the injury, except in strikeouts, but he does have the upside to have a positive impact in the final two months.
Jason Johnson, Dodgers
Making his first start in two years, Johnson held the Giants to five hits in six shutout innings, striking out three and walking none. With that performance and two solid efforts in long relief, Johnson sports a 1.38 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 13 innings, but don't rush to get him. He's seven years removed from his best season, a 10-win campaign where he sported a career-best 4.09 ERA.
Mike Gonzalez, Braves
Brought in to keep the game close with the Braves down 3-2 in the ninth, Gonzalez promptly gave up five runs, allowed two hits and walked three in two-thirds of an inning. A Greg Norton throwing error made four of the five runs unearned, and one of the walks was intentional, but it was still a very poor outing for the Braves' closer du jour.
"Contrary to what you may have read or heard, the Rockies have not taken Fuentes off the market -- not according to the seven teams that are still interested in him, anyway."
-- Jayson Stark MLB trade deadline blog
• The ever-fragile Hank Blalock is doing his best Nomar Garciaparra impression with yet another stint on the disabled list, this time with shoulder inflammation. Ryan Roberts was called up from Triple-A to replace him on the roster, but Ramon Vazquez will get most of the starts at third base. There is currently no timetable for Blalock's return. It's unknown at this point how much this problem may be related to his shoulder surgery last season.
• Scott Podsednik hit the disabled list with a fractured pinky. There is no timetable for his return at this time, and Cory Sullivan was called up to serve as the backup center fielder. This injury could prevent Podsednik from being moved at the trade deadline, as had been rumored.
• The Phillies placed Pedro Feliz on the disabled list after his back inflammation did not subside. Mike Cervenak, a 31-year-old journeyman, was called up to take his place and will likely just serve as the backup to a platoon of Greg Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett for the time being.
• After Micah Owings was roughed up Monday, the Diamondbacks sent him back to Triple-A on Tuesday to try and get his mechanics back on track. Yusmeiro Petit joins the starting rotation, and is only a consideration in deep NL play. Jailen Peguero was called up to provide another bullpen arm.
• Just as he'd been heating up, Adam LaRoche had a setback, requiring a stint on the disabled list with a strained intercostal muscle. LaRoche left Sunday's contest with the injury. The red-hot Doug Mientkiewicz, who had hit .358 in his last 40 games, should see most of the time there in LaRoche's absence, with Steve Pearce also likely to see some action. The Pirates called up Brian Bixler to replace LaRoche, giving the team some middle-infield insurance with Freddy Sanchez having back issues.