In a league where the majority of pitchers are throwing with slightly lower velocities than they were a year ago (including Washburn, who's down 1.3mph from 2007 and 2.4mph from 2006), Ervin Santana's gained 1.5mph in getting back to where he was as a promising pitcher in '05/'06. The result has been an uptick in swinging strikes, and while it's far too early to declare that someone coming off as bad a season as Santana is back on track, this has to be considered an encouraging development for the Angels, who'll need their other starters to pick up the slack once they realize that Jon Garland is worthless.
As for Washburn, his average fastball velocity is about the same as that of our resident knuckleballer. I...somehow this is only year three of his contract. I can hardly remember what life before Washburn even felt like. I've been told it was worse, but I find this hard to believe.
LET'S GO MARINERS!!