X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

MLB Daily News, Recap & Analysis of April 22nd: Pinnacle for Pujols

RotoBaller Shawn Caswell brings you his full recap of April 22nd's MLB's action, including, injury news, AL and NL news, and fantasy baseball analysis.

 

Daily Dose of MLB Action from April 22nd

With a two homer performance in Tuesday's game in our nation's capital Albert Pujols became the third youngest player in Major League Baseball history to hit 500 home runs. Only Alex Rodriguez and Jimmie Foxx reached the milestone faster. Pujols tagged Taylor Jordan for home runs number 499 and 500 while collecting 5 RBI on the night. Pujols' season total is now up to 8 HR and he has now driven in 18 runs over the last 13 games. He's no spring chicken but don't sleep on the greatness that is Albert Pujols. For a decade he was the best we may have ever seen. To me, you may not find a sweeter stroke in the game than Albert's and it surely looks as though he is poised to stick around a while longer. Congratulations to one of the greatest hitters of all time. Hopefully he can stay healthy enough to get to 600 and beyond.

 

A GIF to you: Pujols #500

 

I Challenge You to a Duel: Jose Fernandez vs. Alex Wood

While the Braves and Marlins might see like a ho-hum early season contest with little to get amped about, a fan of great pitching such as myself was drooling when I saw the listed match-up of Jose Fernandez and Alex Wood. Obviously Fernandez has been ridiculously filty. Add a dash of free swinging Braves to the mix and there was a recipe for high strikeout totals for the Marlins young ace. Alex Wood has been no slouch in his own right; boasting a squeaky clean 1.67 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 24:7 K:BB over 27 innings coming into the game. From the opening salvo you could tell both pitchers were locked in. The K-fest which ensued was beautiful. Talk about a tough luck loss again for Wood who has allowed just 4 ER combined in his 3 losses while going at least 7 innings in each loss.

Check out these lines:

Wood: Loss, 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 11 K, 4 H, 0 BB

Fernandez: Win, 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 14 K, 3 H, 0 BB

 

AL Notes: McWho is McHugh? 

Jason Castro, Chris Carter and Matt Dominguez homered in support of Astros spot starter Collin McHugh, who picked up a win Tuesday by striking out 12 Mariners with zero walks. McWho??? Okay, before we don Collin McHugh the next messiah of pitching, let's take into account that the Mariners are possibly the worst team in baseball right now. McHugh held a 4.50 ERA with a gross 5.19 K/9 in Triple-A before this tangent Tuesday night. Before you dump FAAB bucks into this 'Stros bro, take a chill pill and hold off. Josh Fields also notched his second save of the season and looks like the current "closer" in Houston.

George Springer struck out in three of his four at-bats. Those who own shares of Springer are going to take their lumps, just like the talented rookie will.

Danny Salazar fell to 0-3 on the season after giving up four ER on seven hits over 4.1 innings. On the bright side, he did strike out six.

James Shields Kansas Royals MLB NewsJames Shields led the Royals to victory with six solid innings and nine strikeouts. Shields evened his record to 2-2 on the season with the W. Mike Moustakas connected with his third homer, a three-run shot which was his only hit in five trips to the plate.

Masahiro Tanaka again did not disappoint as he improved to 3-0 on the season with a win over the rival Red Sox.

He struck out seven over 7.1 IP, allowing two ER on solo homers by Mike Napoli and David Ortiz. Jacoby Ellsbury was 2-for-5 with two runs, a triple and two RBI in his return to Fenway.

Edwin Encarnacion finally put a tally in the HR column on Tuesday. E5 is primed to break out of his power outage, and this could mark the beginning. His teammates Brett Lawrie and Melky Cabrera doppleganged with dingers of their own as the Jays downed the Orioles. Nelson Cruz parked his fourth tater in the losing effort.

Tommy Milone was denied a win as Luke "I am your Father" Gregerson blew another save for the A's. It's time to put Cook in the role. I suggest grabbing him in deeper formats and watching closely in shallower leagues.

As if the White Sox weren't already salty about having to shelve ace Chris Sale, they surely cannot be satisfied with the start by fill-in Chris Leesman. Leesman was victimized by the Tigers and Miguel Cabrera. Miggy tagged a two-run homer in the third for his second on the season. Jose Abreu and Adam Dunn would homer for the Sox in a losing effort, their sixth and fourth respectively.

Justin Verlander overcame a shaky first inning to earn his third win with seven innings, two ER and seven strikeouts. Joba Chamberlain earned his first save of the season after Phil Coke imploded to the tune of 3 H, 3 ER in 0.2 IP in the 9th.

All David Price did was pitch a complete game while striking out 12. He allowed 3 ER while taking 113 pitches to complete the game, improving to 3-1. Twins 2B Brian Dozier swatted his sixth homer of the season but is still batting just .221. Chris Colabello hit number 2 and now has a whopping 22 RBI. David DeJesus drove in 3 on a 3-for-4 night.

 

NL Notes:  Completely Cueto

Johnny Cueto tossed his second complete game of the season Tuesday, again besting the Pirates with one ER and four strikeouts on the day. Billy Hamilton swiped his eighth stolen base along with a 2-for-5 game. Andrew McCutchen took Cueto deep for the only damage, it was his third homer on the season. Pedro Alvarez was 0-for-4, dropping his average to .179 on the season. Heady owners would be buying low on El Toro right now.

Chase Headley homered for the Fathers as San Diego, pronounced [Dee-YAH go] would top the Brewers 2-1. Huston Street steered his way to save number seven with a clean ninth. Side note: Jim Henderson struck out three in a perfect ninth inning of a tie game. Even with K-Rod looking strong, owners should NOT be relinquishing control of Henderson just yet.

Madison Bumgarner allowed solo homers to Troy Tulowitzki and Nolan Arenado, and took a complete-game loss; the Rockies' Franklin Morales baffled the Giants, with the exception of Hunter Pence who was 2-for-4 with a solo shot. LaTroy Hawkins nailed down his sixth save and looks surprisingly solid as the Rockies closer thus far.

Mike Olt connected for his fourth homer, a three-run jack as the Cubs topped the DBacks. Of course he did, he's on my bench in favor of Conor Gillaspie, who is now hurt. I despise weekly lineups for this reason. Kill them with fire. DBacks starter Brandon McCarthy was actually decent, but surprise, surprise, J.J. Putz got shelled for three runs. Jason Hammel moved to 3-1 with seven solid innings of one-run ball.

By Johnmaxmena2 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsAdam Wainwright was fantastic again, as he shut out the Mets over seven superb innings in which he allowed just four hits while walking no one. The Mets had no answer for Waino's muy bueno dealings, but it's worth noting that he left after just 79 pitches with a hyper-extended knee, suffered while covering first. Trevor Rosenthal walked two but escaped with save number six.

The Phillies outlasted the Dodgers Tuesday as Domonic Brown drove in the game's winning run in the top of the 10th. Jonathan Papelbon would pitch a clean bottom half of the frame to seal the W and earn his sixth save. Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz collected the other two RBI for the Phillies. Dee Gordon was removed after taking a knee to the dome piece late in the game but passed concussion tests and should be good to go tomorrow. Gordon swiped his league leading twelfth SB in the losing effort.

 

Questions for This Week & Beyond:

Not if, but when will Trevor Bauer replace Carlos Carrasco in Cleveland's rotation?

Clayton Kershaw could start his rehab Friday. Yay! I pried he and Lucas Duda from their owner in a local league last week for Alex Cobb, Valverde and Gregory Polanco the day before Cobb's injury. I feel kinda swanky, in a good way. Will he revert back to being the most dominant pitcher in baseball?

Can Carlos Gonzalez shake off the knee tendinitis which seems to have slowed his production?

What version of Cole Hamels are we about to see?

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

James Conner

7 Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets, Buy Candidates for Rebuilding Teams (2025)
Patrick Reed

DraftKings PGA DFS Lineup Picks - The Open Championship (2025)
Jordan Spieth

Open Championship Power Rankings: Top 10 Players To Watch (2025)
Cleveland Browns

Elerson Smith Retires From Football
Rickie Fowler

Spencer Aguiar's Top One And Done Picks To Consider - The 2025 Open Championship (Premium Content)
Justyn Ross

Chiefs Waive Justyn Ross
Patrick Reed

PGA DFS Expert Roundtable and Survey - 2025 Open Championship (Premium) - Joe Nicely, Joe Idone, Spencer Aguiar
Tre Harris

Chargers Hope to Get Tre Harris on the Field Soon
Najee Harris

Likely to Begin Training Camp on NFI List
Rickie Fowler

Market Movers - Genesis Scottish Open Matchups to Consider (Premium)
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Bubba Watson

Spencer Aguiar's Vegas Report - PGA Betting and DFS Picks for The Open Championship (Premium Content)
Darnell Mooney

Rashod Bateman - 2025 Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers and Offseason Winners
Darren Waller

Signs $2 Million Deal With Dolphins
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
C.J. Stroud

Working on Speed, Pocket Mobility Entering Year 3
Daiyan Henley

Daiyan Henley Full-Go for Training Camp
Bradley Beal

Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Brooks Koepka

Spencer Aguiar's DraftKings PGA DFS Overview - The 2025 Open Championship (Premium Content)
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Kurtis Rourke

Starting Training Camp on NFI List
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
Micah Parsons

Not Worried About Extension Talks
Jahdae Barron

Broncos Agree to Terms With Jahdae Barron on Rookie Deal
Jordan Spieth

PGA Course Preview for the 2025 Open Championship - Scouting the Routing
Tyrone Broden

Seahawks Place Tyrone Broden, Montorie Foster on NFI List
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Landon Jackson

Lands on PUP List
Sam Burns

DraftKings Core Four: PGA DFS - 2025 Open Championship (Premium Content)
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Drake London

2025 Fantasy Football Projections: (Half-PPR) - Ja'Marr Chase, Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers, Drake London, Ladd McConkey, J.K. Dobbins, Drake Maye
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Ja'Kobe Walter

Produces Big Numbers at Both Ends Against Nuggets
Zay Flowers

7 Dynasty Third-Year Wide Receivers to Buy or Sell: Fantasy Football WR Risers and Fallers (2025)
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Ajay Mitchell

Outstanding Against Magic Tuesday
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
VJ Edgecombe

Busy in Las Vegas Summer League Debut
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Dominick Barlow

to Sit Out Rest of Summer League
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
NBA

Oshae Brissett Links Up with Maccabi Tel Aviv
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Charlotte Hornets

Josh Okogie Waived by Hornets
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Darnell Mooney

8 Late-Round Best Ball Sleepers and Draft Fliers: Fantasy Football Sleepers to Target
Derrick Henry

Should I Draft De'Von Achane or Christian McCaffrey? Fantasy Football ADP Duel for 2025 Drafts
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Hit In Pinky In All-Star Game, X-Rays Negative
MLB

NL All-Stars Win On Tie-Breaker Home Run Swing-Off
Junior Colson

Competing for Starting Job
Isaiah Likely

Ravens Looking to Extend Isaiah Likely
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
Dereck Lively II

Undergoes Right-Foot Surgery Tuesday
Isaiah Collier

Logs a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Monday
Devin Carter

Posts 17 Points Versus Suns
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 17 Points in Summer League Loss
Harrison Ingram

has Impressive Outing Against Jazz
Kyle Filipowski

Records 35-Point Double-Double Against Spurs
Kel'el Ware

Dominates Against Celtics
Kon Knueppel

Gets Going Monday
Matas Buzelis

Puts Up 28 Points in Win Over Pacers
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF