I'm shocked, shocked to learn the Mariners waived Charlie Haeger

Under the "where are they now" heading, or perhaps in this case where they’re not, the Seattle Mariners have released Charlie Haeger (pictured at left) from their triple-A Tacoma team.

Haeger, the knuckleballer that Joe Torre so desperately wanted to fall in love with last season, was released Saturday after posting a 7.74 earned-run average for the Rainiers. Sounds pretty familiar.

Last season Haeger was handed the fifth spot in the Dodgers rotation but went 0-4 with an 8.40 ERA. No one could say he didn’t get a chance. He appeared in nine games (six starts) but never could get it going.

A fifth starter became nearly a season-long search for Dodgers, who were only able to fill it after a July 31 trading-deadline deal for Ted Lilly with the Cubs.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times