Monday Lineup Card: Pull The Hammer On Hammel

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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Projected Starters – A look at Monday's matchups (all times Eastern):

American League
Yankees (C.C. Sabathia – L) at Rangers (Derek Holland – L), 7:05
Blue Jays (Brandon Morrow – R) at Royals (Bruce Chen – L), 8:10
Red Sox (Jon Lester – L) at Twins (Jason Marquis – R), 8:10
White Sox (Jake Peavy – R) at Athletics (Bartolo Colon – R), 10:05

National League
Giants (Tim Lincecum – R) at Mets (Miguel Batista – R), 4:10
Rockies (Jamie Moyer – L) at Pirates (Kevin Correia – R), 7:05
Giants (Madison Bumgarner – L) at Mets (Dillon Gee – R), 7:40
Cardinals (Jaime Garcia – L) at Cubs (Matt Garza – R), 8:05
Astros (Luke Harrell – R) at Brewers (Zack Greinke – R), 8:10
Phillies (Kyle Kendrick – R) at Diamondbacks (Wade Miley – L), 9:40
Braves (Jair Jurrjens – R) at Dodgers (Chris Capuano – 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)

AL
Adrian Beltre, 3B, Rangers – (Hamstring) Will have MRI Monday, does not expect to miss for long period.
Nick Blackburn, P, MIN – (Shoulder) Threw bullpen Sunday, will start Tuesday.
Nolan Reimold, OF, BAL – (Neck) Missed Sunday's game, that's two in a row.
Drew Smyly, P, DET – (Back) Successful start Sunday.
Coco Crisp, OF, Athletics – (Illness) Held out of lineup again Sunday.

NL
Kevin Correia, P, PIT – (Chest) Will start Monday.
Jon Jay, OF, STL – (Shoulder) Returned to St. Louis to have shoulder examined.

Players on the DL

AL
Sergio Santos, P, TO – (Shoulder) Placed on DL Saturday, Francisco Cordero is closer.
Rich Hill, P, BOS – (Elbow) Made first rehab appearance Saturday.
Brett Anderson, P, OAK – (Elbow) Threw to live hitters.
Lorenzo Cain, OF, KC – (Groin) Started rehab Sunday.
Dallas Braden, P, OAK – (Shoulder) Transferred to 60-day DL.
Carl Crawford, OF, BOS – (Wrist, Elbow) Elbow will be examined in next couple days.
Jason Repko, OF, BOS – (Shoulder) Placed on DL Sunday.

NL
Alan Craig, OF, STL – (Knee) First rehab start Saturday, homered in first at-bat. Could be back in a week.
Tim Stauffer, P, SD – (Triceps) Good bullpen session Saturday, will throw simulated game Tuesday.
Nick Masset, P, CIN – (Shoulder) Felt discomfort, not throwing again for a while.
Stephen Drew, SS, AZ – (Ankle) Heavy running workout drill on Sunday.
Takashi Saito, P, AZ – (Calf) Removed from Friday's rehab.
Cliff Lee, P, PHI – (Oblique) Placed on DL, should be back May 4.
Jorge De La Rosa, P, COL – (Elbow) Pitched four innings of simulated game Sunday.
Freddy Sanchez, 2B, SF – (Shoulder) Will begin rehab Monday.
Kyle Blanks, OF, SD – (Shoulder) Season over with shoulder surgery.

Transactions - Players that have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.

Called Up
Randy Wells, P, Cubs

Sent Down
Nate Spears, 3B, Red Sox (designated for assignment)
David Huff, P, Indians

Placed on DL (15-day unless otherwise noted)
Dallas Braden, P, Athletics (transferred to 60-day DL)

Activated from DL
Evan Crawford, P, Blue Jays

Signed
Luke Hughes, P, Athletics (claimed off waivers from Twins)

Traded
None

Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (check out our Closer Grid with the link to the left).

Boston – Saturday afternoon's meltdown to the Yankees was all kinds of wrong. One thing that wasn't right was Alfredo Aceves, who was called upon in the eighth inning. It is possible he would have tried for a two inning save. Instead, Aceves allowed six straight runners to reach, two of them on intentional walks, before exiting the game. He had rallied since two ugly appearances to open the season, then reverted back to awful form in this outing.

New York Mets – Frank Francisco entered Saturday with a two run lead. He allowed three runners to reach while recording one out before being yanked before he could blow it. Looks like there could be a closer controversy a'brewin' in New York.

Toronto – Yep, it's official. Francisco Cordero is a closer once again. He claimed his first save of the season Sunday.

Recommended Pickup

Jason Hammel, P, BAL – It wasn't all that long ago that Hammel was a breakout candidate, and that was when he was with the Rockies and pitching in Coors Field. It stands to reason that getting out of Coors is a good thing for pitchers. Adding to that, several scouts noted improvement in Hammel this spring. He certainly hasn't disappointed in three starts this season, posting a 2.37 ERA and 1.11 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 19 innings. It may not be time for standard leagues to grab him from the wire, but deeper leagues should take notice.

Other Recent Recommendations:Francisco Cordero, Alex Presley, Drew Smyly, Nolan Reimold, R.A. Dickey

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Draft Street Lineup

C – Miguel Montero ($7,300)
1B – Adrian Gonzalez ($7,955)
2B – Neil Walker ($4,366)
3B – Brett Lawrie ($7,066)
SS – Alex Gonzalez ($6,451)
OF – Jason Kubel ($5,028)
OF – Nelson Cruz ($7,174)
OF – Ryan braun ($8,333)
UTIL – Andrew McCutchen ($7,462)
UTIL – Brandon Belt ($5,764) (was in Giants lineup before postponement)
SP – Derek Holland ($12,822)
SP – Bartolo Colon ($10,071)
RP – Hector Santiago ($1,745)
P – Kevin Correia ($8,392)

Total: $99,929

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