This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Sponsored by DraftStreet
Projected Starters – A look at Monday's matchups (all times Eastern):
Rangers (Derek Holland – L) at Athletics (Brandon McCarthy – R), 3:35
Yankees (Bartolo Colon – R) at Tigers (Justin Verlander- R), 7:05
Giants (Madison Bumgarner – L) at Nationals (Tom Gorzelanny – L), 7:05
Angels (Jered Weaver – R)* at Red Sox (Clay Buchholz- R), 7:10 *check Weaver's status
Astros (J.A. Happ – L) at Reds (Mike Leake – R), 7:10
Brewers (Yovani Gallardo – R) at Braves (Jair Jurrjens – R), 7:10
Orioles (Jeremy Guthrie – R) at White Sox (Mark Buehrle – L), 8:10
Marlins (Chris Volstad – R) at Kyle Lohse – R), 8:15
Pirates (James McDonald – R) at Padres (Aaron Harang – R), 10:05
Cubs (James Russell – L) at Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw – L), 10:10
Day Game After a Night Game: None
Injuries - A brief look at players that have been missing time with minor ailments and their expected returns.
Day-to-Day (includes players expected to make their return from the DL)
Clay Buchholz, P, BOS – (Illness) Missed Sunday's start, but looks like he will start Monday.
Jake Arrieta, P, BAL – (Hip) Should be able to make Wednesday's start.
Daisuke Matsuzaka, P, BOS – (Elbow) Participated in normal activities Saturday after leaving Friday's start early.
Coco Crisp, OF OAK – (Quadriceps) Ran near 100 percent Saturday, then returned to Sunday's lineup.
Kevin Youkilis, 1B, BOS – (Hip) Missed Sunday's game; could miss a couple more.
Jered Weaver, P, LAA – (Illness) Scratched from Sunday's start; could start Monday.
Jose Bautista, 3B, TOR – (Neck) Left Sunday's game but expected to start Tuesday.
Robinson Cano, 2B, NYY – (Hand) X-rays negative Sunday; should start Monday.
Zach Britton, P, BAL – (Finger) Left Sunday's start with callus on middle finger.
Ty Wigginton, 3B, COL – (Oblique) Could return to lineup Tuesday.
Jeff Baker, 2B, CHC – (Back) Left Saturday's game; pinch hit Sunday.
Nick Punto, SS, STL – (Hamstring) Left early Sunday as a precaution.
Carlos Ruiz, C, PHI – (Back) Hopes to return Tuesday or Wednesday.
Clay Hensley, P, FLA – (Back) Returned Sunday after missing a few games following fall down stairs.
Roy Oswalt, P, PHI – (Personal) Will rejoin Phillies Thursday and could start over the weekend.
Carlos Lee, OF, HOU – (Ribs) Spending Sunday night in hospital; looks like he could miss some time.
David Freese, 3B, STL – (Hand) Broken hand; should be DL'ed Monday.
Jose Tabata, OF, PIT – (Hamstring) Expected back in the lineup Tuesday.
Players on the DL
Dallas Braden, P, OAK – (Shoulder) Doing exercises but not throwing yet; late May at the earliest.
Mitch Talbot, P, CLE – (Elbow) Successful bullpen session Saturday; rehab should come soon.
Justin Duchscherer, P, BAL – (Hip, Back) Threw partial batting practice Saturday.
David Aardsma, P, SEA – (Hip) Needs more time to rehab.
Brian Matusz, P, BAL – (Back) Was scheduled to throw Sunday in extended spring training.
J.J. Hardy, SS, BAL – (Oblique) Hit off a tee Saturday.
Carlos Carrasco, P, CLE – (Elbow) Bullpen session Monday; could rehab soon after.
Kevin Slowey, P, MIN – (Shoulder) Will make another rehab start in High-A Monday.
Robinson Tejeda, P, KAN – (Shoulder) Threw bullpen session Saturday without incident.
Tsuyoshi Nishioka, 2B, MIN – (Leg) X-rays show he is making progress; should return in early part of the month.
Neftali Feliz, P, TEX – (Shoulder) Pain free in bullpen Saturday; will go again Monday.
Brandon Webb, P, TEX – (Shoulder) Topped out at 81 mph in extended spring training.
Tommy Hunter, P, TEX – (Groin) Good rehab appearance in extended spring training; could rehab soon.
Victor Martinez, C, DET – (Groin) Rehabbing in Triple-A Monday and Tuesday.
Aaron Cook, P, COL – (Shoulder) Late-May return looks possible; throwing to live hitters now.
Takashi Saito, P, MIL – (Oblique) Strained oblique; out 4-to-6 weeks.
Zack Greinke, P, MIL – (Ribs) Set to return Wednesday.
Ross Ohlendorf, P, PIT – (Shoulder) Threw two bullpen sessions over last week; should rehab soon.
Andres Torres, OF, SF – (Achilles) Expect him to be activated Friday.
Hong-Chih Kuo, P, LAD – (Back) Activated Sunday; got blown up.
Brad Lidge, P, PHI – (Shoulder) Played catch Sunday; still a long way away.
J.C. Romero, P, PHI – (Calf) Will begin rehab assignment Tuesday.
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, WAS – (Abdomen) Six weeks away.
Evan Meek, P, PIT – (Shoulder) Placed on DL Saturday; should only miss minimum amount of time.
Jose Ascanio, P, PIT – (Elbow) Looks like he could be activated soon; almost at max 30 days for rehab assignment.
Kevin Hart, P, SD – (Shoulder) Targeting July return.
Scott Rolen, 3B, CIN – (Shoulder) No timetable for return; probably a couple weeks away at the minimum.
Homer Bailey, P, CIN – (Shoulder) Should make return May 10.
Wilton Lopez, P, HOU – (Elbow) Will be activated Monday.
Chase Utley, 2B, PHI – (Knee) Was scheduled for simulated game Sunday.
Pablo Sandoval, 3B, SF – (Hand) Surgery Tuesday; out 4-to-6 weeks.
Transactions - Players that have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Called Up
Alex Cobb, P, TAM – will be sent down again, officially Tuesday
Sent Down
Jake McGee, P, TAM
Kenley Jansen, P, LAD
Activated from DL
Hong-Chih Kuo, P, LAD
Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (check out our Closer Grid with the link to the left).
St. Louis – Fernando Salas picked up a save Saturday for the second outing in a row, but this still has the makings of a committee approach. Ryan Franklin pitched the eighth inning Sunday, then tried to go into the ninth. He opened the ninth in a tie ballgame but gave up an unearned run to lose the game.
Houston – Brandon Lyon blew a save Saturday, allowing a solo home run to Prince Fielder. However, Lyon picked up the win when Houston won in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the ninth.
Key Matchups
Hot
Brandon Phillips v. J.A. Happ – 4-for-5 (.800), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1:1 BB:K
Matt Holliday v. Chris Volstad – 5-for-8 (.625), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:0 BB:K
Wes Helms v. Kyle Lohse – 4-for-11 (.364), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 0:0 BB:K
Hanley Ramirez v. Kyle Lohse – 5-for-11 (.455), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1:4 BB:K – also three doubles
Lyle Overbay v. Aaron Harang – 9-for-20 (.450), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:3 BB:K
Marlon Byrd v. Clayton Kershaw – 5-for-6 (.833), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:0 BB:K
Kevin Kouzmanoff v. Derek Holland – 5-for-8 (.625), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:0 BB:K
Ramon Santiago v. Bartolo Colon – 8-for-17 (.471), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0:2 BB:K
Vladimir Guerrero v. Mark Buehrle – 12-for-37 (.324), 4 HR, 6 RBI, 7:2 BB:K
Nick Markakis v. Mark Buehrle – 10-for-23 (.435), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3:2 BB:K
David Ortiz v. Jered Weaver – 10-for-31 (.323), 3 HR, 10 RBI, 5:8 BB:K
Justin Verlander v. Yankees - .215/.317/.387 in 181 AB, 48:24 K:BB
Clay Buchholz v. Angels - .185/.250/.277 in 119 AB, 15:11 K:BB
Jeremy Guthrie v. White Sox - .228/.314/.409 in 149 AB, 16:14 K:BB
Cold
Carlos Lee* v. Mike Leake – 1-for-12 (.083), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:0 BB:K – questionable with rib injury
John Buck v. Kyle Lohse – 1-for-15 (.067), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:7 BB:K
Omar Infante v. Kyle Lohse – 4-for-22 (.182), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0:4 BB:K
Nick Swisher v. Justin Verlander – 8-for-46 (.174), 3 HR, 7 RBI, 5:18 BB:K
Robinson Cano v. Justin Verlander – 4-for-23 (.174), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:4 BB:K
Mark Teixeira v. Justin Verlander – 2-for-19 (.105), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4:7 BB:K
Erick Aybar v. Clay Buchholz – 0-for-15 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:1 BB:K
Alexei Ramirez v. Jeremy Guthrie – 1-for-14 (.071), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:2 BB:K
Omar Vizquel v. Jeremy Guthrie – 1-for-13 (.077), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K
Mark Buehrle v. Orioles - .324/.372/.547 in 170 AB, 14:21 BB:K
Recommended Pickup
Michael Brantley, OF, CLE – The Tribe stayed hot with another win Sunday, so we will nominate an Indian for the third day in a row. Brantley has taken a couple of years to bloom, but it looks he may finally have done it. He pushed his average to .309 Sunday, and his strike zone judgment looks sound given his 13:11 BB:K ratio. A couple of faults in his game are a lack of power and the fact he is hitting seventh for the Indians right now. However, that could change if the team shakes things up by moving Grady Sizemore to the three hole. Brantley stole his fourth base on Sunday and has 20-SB potential.
Other Recent Recommendations:Alex White, Jack Hannahan, Darren Oliver, Vicente Padilla, Sergio Santos
As a new feature to The Daily Lineup Card, we'll be providing a recommended lineup for your DraftStreet salary cap team. If you're not familiar with DraftStreet it's time to take notice as they're quickly becoming the future of fantasy sports. DraftStreet offers countless fantasy leagues of all types and sizes with payouts every night. Since the leagues are run daily and weekly, instead of season long, it's never too late to get in the game and start making some money. Register for a free account at DraftStreet.com and keep coming back to the Daily Lineup Card for all the tips, hints, and matchup analysis you need to dominate your leagues.
C – Buster Posey, SF ($7,067)
1B – Albert Pujols, STL ($8,426)
2B – Brandon Phillips, CIN ($8,793)
3B – Kevin Kouzmanoff, OAK ($4,464)
SS – Hanley Ramirez, FLA ($6,378)
OF – Nick Markakis, BAL ($5,781)
OF – Matt Holliday, STL ($9,613)
OF – Vernon Wells, LAA ($2,636)
UTIL – Vladimir Guerrero, BAL ($5,329)
UTIL – Corey Hart, MIL ($5,612)
SP – Justin Verlander, DET ($14,469)
SP – Aaron Harang, CIN ($10,001)
RP – Heath Bell, SD ($2,508)
P – Clay Buchholz, BOS ($8,888)
Total: $99,965
