movin’ on up

Cliff Lee just made a big jump, from one step out of the cellar in the American League Central to the top of the NL East. The left-hander out of Meridian Community College was traded today by lowly Cleveland to Philadelphia, which greatly improved its chances of repeating as World Series champion. Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young winner, wasn’t having a great statistical season for the Indians; he was 7-9 with a 3.14 ERA, 3-2, 2.37 in his last five starts. But he’ll get much better run support from the Phillies’ power-packed lineup. This is bad news for Atlanta, of course. The Braves might need to officially change their focus from the division to the wild card race.
P.S. Curious to see what the next report will be on Roy Oswalt’s back injury. He had an injection today and likely will have his next start pushed back. Houston, still contending for a playoff spot, has a real problem if the Weir resident and former Holmes CC star misses significant time. … The Astros sent former Delta State star Edwin Maysonet back to Triple-A yet again, but it probably didn’t hit him too hard. Maysonet’s wife just had a baby back in Puerto Rico, so he’s got other things on his mind.