This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters - A look at Friday's matchups (all times Eastern)
Cubs (Kyle Hendricks – R) at White Sox (Jeff Samardzija – R), 4:10
Athletics (Undecided) at Orioles (Ubaldo Jimenez – R), 7:05
Yankees (Ivan Nova – R) at Blue Jays (David Price – L), 7:07
Pirates (J.A. Happ – R) at Mets (Bartolo Colon – R), 7:10
Mariners (Mike Montgomery – L) at Red Sox (Joe Kelly – R), 7:10
Diamondbacks (Robbie Ray – L) at Braves (Julio Teheran – R), 7:35
Rays (Nate Karns – R) at Rangers (Martin Perez – L), 8:05
Angels (Jered Weaver – R) at Royals (Danny Duffy – L), 8:10
Indians (Corey Kluber – R) at Twins (Trevor May – R), 8:10
Tigers (Alfredo Simon – R) at Astros (Dallas Keuchel – L), 8:10
Phillies (Adam Morgan – R) at Brewers (Wily Peralta – R), 8:10
Marlins (David Phelps – R) at Cardinals (Jaime Garcia – L), 8:15
Padres (Tyson Ross – R) at Rockies (Yohan Flande – L), 8:40
Reds (Anthony DeSclafani – R) at Dodgers (Alex Wood – L), 10:10
Nationals (Max Scherzer – R) at Giants (Matt Cain – R), 10:15
Day Game After Night Game: None
Injuries
Day-to-Day
Yasmani Grandal, C, LAD (Shoulder) – Did not play on Thursday.
Erick Aybar, SS, LAA (Back) – Scratched from Thursday's game.
Lucas Duda, 1B, NYM (Back) – Expected to return to action on Friday.
Salvador Perez, C, KC (Wrist) – Did not play on Thursday.
Starling Marte, OF, PIT (Hand) – Did not play on Thursday.
Sonny Gray, SP, OAK (Back) – May return to the rotation over the weekend after suffering back spasms.
Josh Hamilton, OF, TEX (Knee) – Underwent an MRI on Thursday.
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B, TOR (Finger) – Did not play on Thursday.
Maikel Franco, 3B, PHI (Wrist) – Expected to return to the lineup in a couple of days.
Players on the DL
C.J. Wilson, SP, LAA (Elbow) – Expected to undergo season-ending surgery to remove bone spurs.
Norichika Aoki, OF, SF (Concussion) – Was placed on the 7-day DL.
Tim Hudson, SP, SF (Shoulder) – Expected to throw a few innings on Friday for High-A San Jose.
Diego Moreno, RP, NYY (Elbow) – Was transferred to the 60-day DL.
Michael Pineda, SP, NYY (Forearm) – Will pitch on Sunday for Double-A Trenton.
J.B. Shuck, OF, CHW (Hamstring) – Started a rehab assignment on Thursday.
Tommy Milone, SP, MIN (Arm) – Will be activated from the DL to start on Sunday.
Phil Hughes, SP, MIN (Back) – Was placed on the 15-day DL.
Reed Johnson, OF, WAS (Foot) – Started a rehab assignment on Thursday.
Transactions - Players who have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Activated from the DL
Justin Turner, 3B, LAD
Placed on the DL (15-day DL, unless otherwise noted)
Diego Moreno, RP, NYY – transferred to the 60-day DL
Phil Hughes, SP, MIN
Nori Aoki, OF, SF
Called Up
Greg Bird, 1B, NYY
Chi Chi Gonzalez, SP, TEX
Ryan Lollis, OF, SF
Sent Down (to Triple-A, unless otherwise noted)
Joey Butler, OF, TB
Ryan Kelly, RP, BOS
Jose Peraza, 2B, LAD
Nick Martinez, SP, TEX
Nick Goody, RP, NYY
Signed
Chris Heisey, OF, TOR
Matt Bywater, RP, ATL
Closer Watch
Texas Rangers – Who would have thought Shawn Tolleson would have 21 saves to this point, and, better yet, a great shot at 30 saves by season's end? Tolleson has pitched outstanding for the Rangers after the team suffered through some rocky closer issues early on in the season. The Rangers have stuck by Tolleson, and rightfully so, as he threw 11-of-14 pitches for strikes in shutting down the Twins in the ninth inning on Wednesday.
Key Matchups
Hot Batter Matchups – August 14, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| B. Butler | 1B | OAK @ BAL 7:05PM | U. Jimenez | 28 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 6 | .321 | .424 | .464 | .889 |
| J. Reddick | OF | OAK @ BAL 7:05PM | U. Jimenez | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | .300 | .364 | .700 | 1.064 |
| J. Ellsbury | OF | NYY @ TOR 7:07PM | D. Price | 53 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | .340 | .386 | .547 | .933 |
| C. Headley | 3B | NYY @ TOR 7:07PM | D. Price | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .400 | .455 | .600 | 1.055 |
| B. McCann | C | NYY @ TOR 7:07PM | D. Price | 19 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 3 | .474 | .500 | .947 | 1.447 |
| M. Teixeira | 1B | NYY @ TOR 7:07PM | D. Price | 60 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 7 | .200 | .284 | .400 | .684 |
| J. Bautista | OF | TOR vs NYY 7:07PM | I. Nova | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 3 | .333 | .524 | .533 | 1.057 |
| E. Encarnacion | 1B | TOR vs NYY 7:07PM | I. Nova | 24 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | .333 | .385 | .500 | .885 |
| C. Granderson | OF | NYM vs PIT 7:10PM | J. Happ | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | .273 | .429 | .636 | 1.065 |
| K. Johnson | 3B | NYM vs PIT 7:10PM | J. Happ | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .200 | .800 | 1.000 |
| C. Stewart | C | PIT @ NYM 7:10PM | B. Colon | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .357 | .400 | .571 | .971 |
| N. Cruz | OF | SEA @ BOS 7:10PM | J. Kelly | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .455 | .538 | .455 | .993 |
| I. Kinsler | 2B | DET @ HOU 8:10PM | D. Keuchel | 19 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .316 | .381 | .474 | .855 |
| K. Morales | 1B | KC vs LAA 8:10PM | J. Weaver | 12 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .667 | .714 | 1.000 | 1.714 |
| B. Zobrist | 2B | KC vs LAA 8:10PM | J. Weaver | 24 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | .292 | .320 | .583 | .903 |
| C. McGehee | 3B | MIA @ STL 8:15PM | J. Garcia | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | .294 | .350 | .529 | .879 |
| C. Blackmon | OF | COL vs SD 8:40PM | T. Ross | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .308 | .357 | .615 | .973 |
| I. Desmond | SS | WAS @ SF 10:15PM | M. Cain | 14 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .357 | .400 | .643 | 1.043 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Hot Pitcher Matchups – August 14, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Bartolo Colon | NYM vs PIT 7:10PM | 84 | 25 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 13 | .298 | .314 | .460 | .774 |
| Corey Kluber | CLE @ MIN 8:10PM | 158 | 30 | 12 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 46 | .190 | .234 | .312 | .546 |
Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Cold Batter Matchups – August 14, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| S. Drew | SS | NYY @ TOR 7:07PM | D. Price | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .000 | .091 | .000 | .091 |
| B. Gardner | OF | NYY @ TOR 7:07PM | D. Price | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | .136 | .269 | .136 | .406 |
| C. Young | OF | NYY @ TOR 7:07PM | D. Price | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .091 | .167 | .091 | .258 |
| Y. Cespedes | OF | NYM vs PIT 7:10PM | J. Happ | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | .158 | .200 | .211 | .411 |
| S. Marte | OF | PIT @ NYM 7:10PM | B. Colon | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .100 | .100 | .100 | .200 |
| M. Morse | OF | PIT @ NYM 7:10PM | B. Colon | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .143 | .143 | .143 | .286 |
| J. Saltalamacchia | C | ARI @ ATL 7:35PM | J. Teheran | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | .167 | .231 | .417 | .647 |
| L. Valbuena | 3B | HOU vs DET 8:10PM | A. Simon | 16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | .188 | .316 | .438 | .753 |
| A. Escobar | SS | KC vs LAA 8:10PM | J. Weaver | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .182 | .182 | .182 | .364 |
| B. Dozier | 2B | MIN vs CLE 8:10PM | C. Kluber | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | .107 | .138 | .143 | .281 |
| E. Escobar | SS | MIN vs CLE 8:10PM | C. Kluber | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .133 | .188 | .133 | .321 |
| T. Hunter | OF | MIN vs CLE 8:10PM | C. Kluber | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | .167 | .167 | .222 | .389 |
| M. Prado | 3B | MIA @ STL 8:15PM | J. Garcia | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .067 | .067 | .133 | .200 |
| N. Arenado | 3B | COL vs SD 8:40PM | T. Ross | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .176 | .176 | .176 | .353 |
| D. Espinosa | 2B | WAS @ SF 10:15PM | M. Cain | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | .200 | .273 | .500 | .773 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Cold Pitcher Matchups – August 14, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | |||||
| There are no pitchers who qualify as "cold" today. | |||||||||||||||||
Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Danny Valencia, 3B, Oakland Athletics – Since the A's claimed Valencia from the Blue Jays a couple of weeks ago, he's been shredding the ball, with nine hits over his last seven games, including three home runs and seven RBI. Valencia also offers some sweet positional flexibility, qualifying at 1B, 3B and OF in leagues with a five-game played minimum requirement. And, Valencia is only a couple of games away from qualifying at 2B, which is an added bonus. As long as the A's keep giving Valencia at-bats, expect solid production from here on out. Valencia is well worth the grab right now.
Other Recent Recommendations:Khris Davis, Chris Bassitt, Jose Peraza, Hector Olivera, Luis Severino and Kyle Parker.
DraftKings Value Picks
SP: Alex Wood, LAD ($7,600)
C: Derek Norris, SD ($4,200)
1B: Kendrys Morales, KC ($4,000)
2B: Kolten Wong, STL ($3,800)
SS: Jhonny Peralta, STL ($4,100)
3B: Justin Turner, LAD ($3,800)
OF: Danny Valencia, OAK ($3,600)
