Daily MLB Recap of April 7th Action: Moore Elbow Woes

 

MLB Roundup & Fantasy Analysis from April 7th's Action

What a miserable day here in the North East. Chilly, wet and a short stack of games makes for a slow day in the life of a fantasy baseball addict. The biggest headline from Monday's action is the injury to Rays starter Matt Moore. The lefty was removed with left elbow pain and the immediate fear is obviously the ever growing Tommy John epidemic. Moore looked to be in considerable pain and from what I saw it is tough to be optimistic.

 

The Trainer's Table: Injury News

Tampa Bay doesn't have anyone who is sexy for fantasy purposes to plug in if the injury proves to be significant. Alex Colome would have been the top choice had he not recently been suspended and popped for PED use. Nate Karns is down on the farm but may not be ready. Cesar Ramos could be shifted to the rotation or Erik Bedard could get a shot. We will know more after Moore's MRI on Tuesday. Cross your fingers if you have Moore.

Another scary incident involving a baseball and a face occurred Monday when Royals second baseman Omar Infante was struck in the jaw by a Heath Bell fastball. Infante could miss anywhere between 6-8 weeks if he has a fractured jaw. Second base isn't exactly a position of depth for the Royals as Danny Valencia or Johnny Giavotella (AAA) would be the front runners for upticks in playing time. Valencia has some pop but struggles mightily against RHP. Giavotella is mostly a defensive guyer with a light bat.

Yankees closer David Robertson was placed on the 15-day DL with a groin strain. Roberston was optimistic that he wouldn't require more than the minimum of 15 days to recover. Shawn Kelley will handle closing duties in the meantime.

 

AL Notes:

Hiroki Kuroda got his first win in the Yankees home opener as he defeated Ubaldo Jimenez (0-2) and the Orioles with a solid 6.1 IP effort, striking out 4 and walking none with 2 ER.

Scott Kazmir improved to 2-0 on the season as he overcame a rough start to beat the Twins. Yoenis Cespedes was 1-3 with 2 RBI on an RBI double and a sac fly. Derek Norris cracked a solo shot for his first homer of the season.

Jason Vargas was sharp in victory over the Rays. The Royals devoured Heath Bell with a 3 run double by Alcides Escobar leading to Greg Holland's third save. Evan Longoria was 3-for-4 raising his batting average to .414 in the early going of the year.

John Lackey tossed seven scoreless innings to move to 2-0 while striking out 5 to beat the Rangers. Grady Sizemore ran into the outfield wall again. He was fine but man...his playing style scares me with his injury history.

The Angels got to Houston SP Jarred Cosart early as C.J. Wilson cruised through 8 innings with 7 Ks and one ER. Kole Calhoun smacked his second dinger of the year in the win.

 

NL Notes:

The Rockies shellacked Felipe Paulino and the White Sox 8-1 behind a solid effort by Jordan Lyles on the mound and in the batters box. Lyles pitched 6.2 innings while allowing one run and went 3-for-3 at the dish with 2 RBI. He was helped out by the scorching hot Carlos Gonzalez who extended his hitting streak to eight games with his third homer on a 2-for-5 night. Troy Tulowitzki added a 3-for-3 performance and a homer of his own. The Rockies are the hottest team in baseball offensively.

Michael Wacha beat Tony Cingrani and the Reds with 6 innings of one run ball. Billy Hamilton was 1-for-5 with a 2B and zero SB.

 

Prospect Buzz:

Gregory Polanco (PIT) swatted his first Triple-A homer on Sunday. If the Pirates continue to get spotty production from right field Polanco could force their hand to grab the phone.

Javier Baez hit a pinch hit homer on Sunday. The Cubs will find a way to get his bat in the lineup this year.

Jameson Taillon is unfortunately headed for Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2014 season.

Mets pitching prospect Rafael Montero tossed six shutout innings while striking out five and walking none in his first Triple-A start . Noah Syndergaard allowed two runs on six hits with 5 Ks in his debut. The future is bright with these two plus Harvey and Wheeler.

Addison Russel (OAK) is on the 7-day DL with a hamstring issue.

Carlos Correa was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a three-run tater on Sunday.

Oscar Taveras homered in his return to action on Friday.

 

That's a wrap! More goodies for the fantasy goons tomorrow. If you feel so inclined you can follow me on Twitter @CasKnowsRoto