With Tim Wakefield having a fantastic start Wednesday night and reliever Billy Wagner coming onto the roster Thursday, some roster shuffling was needed. That began late Wednesday night as Boston granted starting pitcher Brad Penny his release, something he had requested.

Penny told Boston Herald writer John Tomase the news following after Boston’s big win over Chicago: “I asked for my release and I got it. I enjoyed playing with all of the guys. I played for a great manager on a great team. I had a great time. I enjoyed it. I wish things had worked out better, but that happens.”

Penny (7-8, 5.61 ERA) will go on waivers Thursday and is expected to clear Monday. He hopes to be a starting pitcher for a playoff contender and that getting this done now will potentially allow him to be added to a team’s postseason roster.

Penny would probably be best off pitching for a National League team like the Marlins or Braves, as pitchers always seem to fare better in the NL than the AL. Maybe he’d even make a nice reliever.

Signed this off-season as a low-risk, high-reward free agent that was coming off an arm injury, the 31-year-old signed a $5 million deal that could have jumped to $8 million with incentives.

While he started out with a 6-2 record through June, his ERA was a bit high and things eventually caught up. Penny’s performance dropped like a rock through the rest of the season.

In his last eleven starts since he was 6-2, Penny has only won one game. He had a great month of June, July was a bit worse, and August was even worse, with an 8.31 ERA during the month. His last time on the mound, Penny let up 8 runs in just four innings against the Yankees.

The Braves are now without two of their original starting pitchers, or three if you count the injured Dice-K. The lesson learned: stock up on starting pitchers, you’ll always somehow need them.

For incredible baseball talk, a great Red Sox forum, a free baseball pick ‘em game, and more, visit RootZoo Sports.

Related baseball articles:

1. Why You Need Good Mechanics as a Pitcher
2. The Baltimore Orioles Get Set To Battle With The New York Yankees
3. My Letter to Lou Piniella
4. Red Sox Face Rays in Crucial Game
5. Top 5 Marlins Pitchers of All-Time

Category: Baseball Players• Tags used in this article: Billy Wagner  Boston  Boston Red Sox  Brad Penny  mlb  Pitchers  red sox  Tim Wakefield 

Baseball articles on the web based on related keywords: Billy Wagner  Boston  Boston Red Sox  Brad Penny  mlb  Pitchers  red sox  Tim Wakefield