2034-15: Talons lose another arm to injury; Deal for vet SP

[jiminyhopkins]

Phoenix, AZ--

The Talons are actually 2 games above .500, sitting at 59-57 as we approach mid-August. They currently sit 4.5 games out of the final JL Wild Card slot. But the club was dealt some more bad news on the injury front as SP Alexandre Renard was placed on the 60 day DL with shoulder inflammation. He joins DL stalwart Ignacio Rodriguez in the trainer's room, and will be lucky to be ready for next Spring Training.

So what do the Talons do here? Should they pack it in and wait for next season? Well, I-Rod supposedly comes back to action in three weeks, just in time for a possible September run. And aside from a 3 game set with Havana, the rest of the August schedule doesn't look too daunting. Plus, the fans are starting to come back to Paul D. Lunn Memorial Stadium, and it actually looks like the franchise could make some money this year, for the first time ever.

So, today Phoenix traded AA reliever Tai Hoi Li to San Antonio in exchange for veteran SP Anastacio Quintana. No, Quintana isn't the flamethrower he used to be; but he can still contribute to the club. In fact, of his last 10 starts, the 35 year old righthander has given up more than 2 earned runs only twice. In fact, aside from those two clunkers, he has been pitching well since May. And again, in dealing a minor league reliever, the Talons are trading from a position of strength, so it isn't a big loss to the franchise in moving Li.

Who knows if this will even be remotely enough to remain in contention for a JL Wildcard spot. But it's saying something that the PHX front office feels they have reason to try.

GO TALONS!