It was on this day in 1955 that the legendary Sandy Koufax made his Major League debut, throwing two scoreless relief innings (one walk, one hit, two strikeouts) for the Dodgers in an 8-2 loss to the Braves. Here are some notes and items from around the NL West…
- Peter Gammons hears two "rumors du jour" from the league's general managers (Twitter link). One involves the Cubs sending Matt Garza to the Padres in exchange for outfield prospect Reymond Fuentes and two other minor leaguers that were originally drafted by Cubs GM Jed Hoyer and senior VP Jason McLeod when they worked for San Diego. It would be somewhat of a surprise to see Garza end up with the Friars given that he's set to be a free agent this winter and the Padres would prefer to add a starter who is under contract beyond this season.
- The other Gammons rumor involves the Marlins sending Ricky Nolasco to the Giants. We heard about the Giants' interest in Nolasco earlier this month, though they are hardly the only potential suitors — the Orioles, Yankees, Diamondbacks and Padres have all been linked to the Miami right-hander.
- The Rockies have also called the Marlins about Nolasco, though Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that Colorado was just "laying groundwork" and the two sides aren't close to a deal. The Rockies will gives their current rotation and Drew Pomeranz a chance to perform before looking for external help.
- The Dodgers are looking to trade for another starting pitcher, rival executives tell FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. From the same piece, Rosenthal gives the Dodgers the second-best chance (less than the Nationals but better than the Royals or Angels) of turning their season around with a long winning streak, a la the Blue Jays.
- In division news from earlier today, the Padres are expected to look for starting pitching and the Rockies outrighted right-handers Chris Volstad and Logan Kensing to Triple-A.
