The
big headlines from Wednesday include Justin Verlander‘s seventh straight win,
Gil Meche‘s 11-strikeout gem in Cleveland and Carlos Quentin‘s recovery
timetable being pushed back until after the All-Star break.

But
the most useful piece of news came from Seattle, with word that Brandon Morrow
would be moved back to the rotation roughly three months after the team decided
to shift him back to the bullpen.

Why
is this important?

The
announcement signals the club’s growing confidence in David Aardsma, a
little-known journeyman right-hander acquired from Boston this past offseason
for a bag of Cracker Jacks.

With
Morrow no longer lurking in the shadows, Aardsma is the clear-cut closer in
Seattle, not just the guy whose name appears first during roll call.

That’s
great news for owners who were lucky enough to scoop him up a few weeks ago.
Saves are saves, and Aardsma deserves the chance. The guy owns a 1.84 ERA,
having converted all but one of his 11 save opportunities this season.

Still,
winning a closer job and keeping it are two different things.

While
Aardsma has both the imposing mound presence and the heavy fastball required of
good firemen, he’s yet to erase the control problems that have hampered him
throughout his five-year career.

Sure,
you can argue that he strikes guys out (9.85 K/9 rate) and limits hits (.175
AVG against), but the righty’s strikingly high 6.5 BB/9 rate is cause for
legitimate concern. Sooner or later, the ball will start falling in more
frequently, as is made clear by his .247 batting average against on balls in
play. And when that happens, it’s only a matter of time before Aardsma’s back
in middle relief like so many past flavor-of-the-month closers.

If
you’ve held onto Aardsma for this long, now is the time to cash in your chips.
This is as good as it gets.

Other
tidbits …

Francisco Liriano‘s
ERA fell below 6.00 for the first time in weeks Wednesday, as he struck out
seven Oakland hitters and walked two en route to his second consecutive quality
start.  A buy-low opportunity could be
brewing here, as his next start comes against the powerless Pirates.

• Don’t
  wait around any longer if Liriano’s rotation counterpart, Scott Baker, is still
  available. He’s on a roll, racking up 28 strikeouts against two walks in his
  last four starts.
  • Keep
    an eye on Jorge De La Rosa, who whiffed eight Brewers batters and allowed two
    earned runs Wednesday. Despite pitching for Colorado, he’s better than you
    think.
    • After
      a brutal season debut, Jeremy Bonderman was bumped to the bullpen in favor of
      Dontrelle Willis.
      • If
        you need a little speed at the hot corner, check out Ryan Roberts, who could deliver lightning in a bottle with Conor Jackson and Chad Tracy on the shelf.
        • Another
          scrappy Diamondback worth targeting is shortstop Stephen Drew, who went deep
          Wednesday to extend his hit streak to 14 games.
          • Troy
            Tulowitzki joined Drew on the better-late-than-never tour with his second homer
            in three days.
            • J.J.
              Hardy, who’s in another slump (0-for-16) and hitting a paltry .219, could take
              a few notes.
              • We
                all knew Brad Hawpe could rake at Coors Field, but now the 12-game-streak
                holder is doing it on the road, too.
                • Don’t
                  bother waiting around for Dioner Navarro, whose .197 average is supported by an
                  equally frightening 3/26 BB/K ratio. He’s just not seeing the ball.
                  • Chien
                    Ming Wang may not be worth your patience, either, especially if his sinker
                    doesn’t start sinking, not to mention that frightening 14.32 ERA.
                    • Jacoby
                      Ellsbury isn’t expected back in Boston’s lineup until Friday.

                      — Alex Cushing,
                      MLB.com