Angels send Haren to the hill for matchup with Indians

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09/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In-season acquisition Dan Haren makes the ninth start in a so-far unsuccessful stint with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim tonight when they host the Cleveland Indians to begin a three-game series at Angel Stadium.

A 14-game winner with the National League's Arizona Diamondbacks last season, the 29-year-old Haren was sent to the Angels at the non-waiver trade deadline in July in exchange for left-hander Joe Saunders.

He was expected to help the defending American League West champions in defense of their title, but has instead gone 2-4 in eight starts as Los Angeles has plummeted to third in the division and 9 1/2 games behind first- place Texas.

The Californian tossed seven scoreless innings in a hard-luck no-decision in an Aug. 31 start at Seattle, scattering seven hits and striking out eight in the Angels' 3-1 loss to the Mariners.

He was effective over six innings in a 12-3 defeat of Tampa Bay one start earlier while allowing three hits and a run on Aug. 25.

In eight starts with the Angels, he's posted a 3.50 earned run average after racking up a 4.60 ERA in 21 starts with Arizona to begin the season.

Lifetime against Cleveland, Haren is 2-2 in six starts.

For the Indians, right-hander Carlos Carrasco makes his second start of 2010 and seventh of his career while still seeking his first big-league win.

The 23-year-old Venezuelan made his season debut on Sept. 1 against the Chicago White Sox and got a no-decision in the Indians' 6-4 loss after surrendering six hits and three runs in 7 1/3 innings.

He reached the majors with five starts last season and was 0-4 while posting an 8.87 ERA in 22 1/3 innings, giving up 40 hits and 23 runs.

Carrasco has never faced the Angels.

On Sunday in Seattle, Russell Branyan homered and drove in two runs to back eight scoreless innings by Felix Hernandez as the Mariners topped Cleveland, 3-0, in the last of four games between the clubs from Safeco Field.

Jeanmar Gomez (3-3) allowed seven hits and two runs over six full frames in defeat for the Indians, who have lost six of eight.

In Oakland, Bobby Abreu drove in three runs and scored three times as the Angels took down the Athletics, 7-4, to avoid a three-game sweep at the Oakland Coliseum.

Abreu and Mike Napoli each homered for Los Angeles, which ended a six-game road trip with a 3-3 mark. Hideki Matsui and Torii Hunter had an RBI apiece.

Ervin Santana (15-9) gave up three runs -- two earned -- on six hits over six innings to improve to 5-1 over his last six starts. The right-hander also walked four batters and fanned three.

The Angels took two of three at home over the Indians back in April and have won six of the last eight overall meetings.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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