Boy, that Kazmir trade looks worse every day.
6 scoreless innings and 9 Ks against one of the best offenses in baseball. Pretty damned good for a 20 year old. The future looks pretty bright, and even if you're concerned about his ability to stay healthy long-term, his trade value is a lot higher now.

Howe is as good as gone, so I guess we can start discussing who the next manager should be.
Piniella? Bobby V? Showalter? Backman?
One name I haven't heard mentioned, but would consider is Larry Dierker. From what I've read about and by him, he seems to be really bright and progressive. And the Astros won 4 divisions in his 5 seasons. They haven't won since he left.
And one name that has been mentioned a lot that I have no interest in is Larry Bowa. He's been a disaster in Philly.

Oakland and Minnesota are now tied in the standings, so it's unclear which one the AL East winner ends up playing. For you Yankee and Red Sox fans: who would you rather face at this point? As much as I like the A's, I think I'm more scared of the Twins right now.
In his last 19 starts, Johan Santana has only given up 3 earned runs once. Once in 19 games! Over those games, he has a 1.41 ERA and has averaged over 7 1/3 innings per start. He has 179 Ks (almost 9.5 per game!) and 26 BBs over that span.

Do you want to face Johan Santana twice in a five game series? No, you don't.
And Brad Radke is having a great season, too. 3.43 ERA. 134 Ks and only 19 BBs.