Waiver Wired: Grab Jackson, LaRoche

AMERICAN LEAGUE

EDWIN JACKSON, SP, RAYS

Everything's going right in St. Pete.

The main reason is a resurgent pitching staff and Edwin Jackson is part of the new Rays Revolution.

Yes, it's hard to believe, but on May 14, the Tampa Bay Rays are in first place in the AL East, a half game ahead of the Red Sox and 4 1/2 ahead of the mighty Yankees.

Will this continue? Is Jackson suddenly a top-flight starter?

Let's not kid ourselves. The Rays winning the AL East would not only be story of the year, but story of the decade in baseball. But Jackson's success may not be just a flash in the pan.

Tuesday night, Jackson was brilliant, scattering four singles and a Derek Jeter triple, along with one walk, over 7 innings.

Chien-Ming Wang was equally impressive, leading to Jackson's second no-decision in a row, as he blanked the Blue Jays for 8 innings in Toronto on May 8.

Now don't confuse this hard-throwing righty with Josh Beckett or Brandon Webb. He's a strong AL-only guy and is showing signs of being mixed-league worthy, especially the deeper leagues. Over 8 starts, Jackson has given up 0 or 1 run five times and 5+ three times.

But in his second full season, you should expect more good days than bad.

His 3.47 ERA and 1.30 WHIP is about where he'll end up, possibly a little higher on the ERA side, but Jackson should strike out 150 and with a much-improved Rays team backing him, count on 10-12 more wins this season.

There's an outside chance Jackson might be traded to a contender, which if he goes to the NL should push his value up 10-15 percent.


NATIONAL LEAGUE

ADAM LAROCHE, 1B, PIRATES

After dropping to .167 on May 2, LaRoche owners may have hit the parachute button.

But it appears the left-handed power hitter who hit 32 HR in 2006 may be snapping out of the early-season funk he seems to toil in every spring.

Last year, LaRoche hit .133 in April, then rebounded by hitting .283 or higher in four of the next five months.

In the past 10 games, he's gone 12-for-27 with 3 HR and 11 RBI, hitting behind Nate McLouth, Jason Bay and Xavier Nady.

Grab him now, while he's still out there.