Hoyle Completes Second Trade, Adds Lowe

Just one week after completed a trade that promises to upgrade his team's bullpen, Julian GM Jamie Hoyle completed a deal that should add important depth to his starting rotation. The Javelina swapped promising young outfielder Lastings Milledge to Encinitas in exchange for starting pitcher Derek Lowe. It may not seem like much, but Hoyle is confident it will prove to be an important trade down the stretch.

"Contending teams need depth in their lineups and their rotations," explained Hoyle at a recent news conference. "We feel we have solid depth among our position players, but we have been a little thin when it comes to starting pitching. We feel we've solved that problem."

Some may question the timing given that Milledge has been hitting well of late, but Hoyle says they felt fortunate to be able to trade from a position of strength to fill a hole.

"We still feel Lastings will be a very good player at this level," said Hoyle. "We just had a chance to add a great combination of consistency, durability and experience to the back end of the rotation. With guys like Lohse, Mark and now Derek waiting in the wings, a bump in the road with Todd or Edi won't kill us."

As it turns out, the timing couldn't have been better. Todd Wellemeyer has been battling a stiff pitching elbow for the last week, and could require some rest depending on how he responds after his next start (Saturday). And considering Edinson Volquez's lack of experience, it wouldn't be a shock for him to require some rest at some point.

For his part, Lowe is happy to pitch for a contending club.

"I enjoyed my time in Encinitas, but that team is moving in a different direction," said Lowe. "Hopefully I can contribute to what this team has started. This team could make some noise for the next year or two and I look forward to it."

Hits and Misses...
Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez his back-to-back home runs for the first time on Thursday....Cristian Guzman upped his batting average to .315...League sources indicate the Javelina have stopped their search for more speed at SS...Dan Uggla's walk-off grand slam on Wednesday was his second slam of the season...Dan Haren pitched another solid 6 innings in Thursday against the Mets.