The baseball world was saddened with the news of the passing of Matty Alou yesterday. He was 72 years old. The brother of Jesus and Felipe, Matty played 15 seasons in the big leagues from 1960-1974, the last of those with the San Diego Padres.

Clipped from: www.hardballtimes.com (share this clip)

He wasn’t a big guy, standing just 5’9″ and weighing a mere 160 lbs during his playing days, but he excelled at making contact; rarely striking out, and even more rarely walking. Alou once lead the league is hits and doubles and was a two-time all-star, both coming as a member of the Pirates. He was also the first batter that Hall of Famer Tome Seaver ever faced in the big leagues. Alou doubled in that at bat. Bruce Markusen of the Hardball Times remembers Matty Alou.

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Qualls will be added to the bullpen which already has Heath Bell, Luke Gregerson, and Mike Adams at the back end. Qualls will no longer have the pressure to close out games and will be able to enjoy the huge PETCO ballpark to bring his ERA back down to earth.

Qualls has pitched for the Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, and most recently the Tampa Bay Rays. He struggled last seasons with a 7.32 ERA in 70 games. Hopefully the larger ballpark and removing the pressure of closing helps him get his pitching in line.

The details on the deal have not yet been announced.