When Oakland Athletics left-hander Dallas Braden suffered a shoulder injury, the Athletics continued to get strong pitching from his replacement, right-hander Tyson Ross, who threw four quality starts in five chances. On Thursday afternoon, though, Ross left after throwing only seven pitches against the Minnesota Twins. The diagnosis was the dreaded oblique strain, this one on the left side.
Jane Lee of MLB.com looks at the possible replacements for Ross if he were to go on the disabled list, and it doesn't look too exciting for the A's. Bobby Cramer has been striking out triple-A hitters, but he's also been allowing home runs. Josh Outman was one of the pitchers in the spring-training scrum for the fifth-starter slot -- eventually won by Brandon McCarthy -- but he's walked 27 hitters in 38 innings. Guillermo Moscoso probably has the best statistical profile in 2011, but he's coming off a bit of a rough year in triple-A and isn't considered a prospect of note.
The A’s still have four very, very strong starters heading up their rotation, but with Braden out for the season and Ross out now, the team’s biggest strength is going to take a hit.
Tyson Ross Injury: Oblique Strain Injures Braden’s Replacement
The A’s still have four very, very strong starters heading up their rotation, but with Braden out for the season and Ross out now, the team’s biggest strength will probably take a bit of a hit.
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