Thursday Lineup Card: If Hanrahan's Out, Take A Cruz

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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Thursday's Starters

Cubs (Jeff Samardzija - R) at Marlins (Ricky Nolasco - R), 12:40
Dodgers (Aaron Harang - R) at Brewers (Randy Wolf - L), 1:10
Reds (Bronson Arroyo - R) at Cardinals (Adam Wainwright - R), 1:45
Orioles (Jason Hammel - R) at White Sox (Gavin Floyd - R), 2:10
Astros (Bud Norris - R) at Nationals (Edwin Jackson - R), 7:05
Twins (Anthony Swarzak - R) at Yankees (Phil Hughes - R), 7:05
Rangers (Yu Darvish - R) at Tigers (Adam Wilk - L), 7:05
Rays (Jeremy Hellickson - R) at Blue Jays (Henderson Alvarez - R), 7:07
Braves (Mike Minor - L) at Diamondbacks (Josh Collmenter - R), 9:40
Athletics (Tommy Milone - L) at Angels (C.J. Wilson - L), 10:05
Phillies (Vance Worley - R) at Padres (Joe Wieland - R), 10:05
Indians (Josh Tomlin - R) at Mariners (Felix Hernandez - R), 10:10

Day Game After Night Game: CHI-N/FLA, LAD/MIL, CIN/STL, BAL/CHI-A

Injuries

Day-to-Day
Yuniesky Betancourt, SS, KC - (Ankle) Returned to lineup Tuesday, going 0-for-4.
Nick Blackburn, SP, MIN - (Shoulder) Hopes to return next Tuesday against Boston.
Andy Dirks, OF, DET - (Hamstring) Out of lineup Wednesday and remains day-to-day.
Alex Gonzalez, SS, MIL - (Paternity list) Activated on Tuesday and returned to action Wednesday.
Joel Hanrahan, RP, PIT - (Hamstring) Held out of save opportunity Wednesday, no clear timetable on return.
Ramon Hernandez, C, COL - (Hand) Out of lineup Wednesday.
Omar Infante, 2B, MIA - (Hamstring) Will not play Wednesday or Thursday due to tightness.
Mitch Moreland, 1B, TEX - (Root canal) Returned to starting lineup Wednesday and appears fine going forward.
Glen Perkins, RP, MIN - (Forearm) Rejoined Twins prior to Wednesday's game and should be available as early as Thursday or Friday.
Jordan Schafer, OF, HOU - (Illness) Returned to lineup Wednesday at the top of the Astros' order.
Justin Smoak, 1B, SEA - (Hamstring) Sat out Wednesday due to mild tightness, injury not considered serious.
Justin Upton, OF, AZ - (Thumb) Team remains hopeful Upton can avoid DL.
Michael Young, 3B, TEX - (Back) Not in the lineup Wednesday due to back stiffness and could return soon.

Jeanmar Gomez (SP, CLE) received a five-game suspension for intentionally hitting a batter on Saturday. He plans to appeal the decision and make his next scheduled start on Saturday.
Brad Lidge (RP, WAS) had a case of vertigo prior to his appearance Tuesday's game against the Astros, but recorded the save for Washington.

Disabled List
Allen Craig, OF, STL - (Knee) After moving up timetable for return earlier in season, Cardinals now expect him to return in May.
Carl Crawford, OF, BOS - (Wrist) Went 1-for-3 with a home run in an extended spring training game Wednesday.
Doug Fister, SP, DET - (Upper body) Stopped throwing session Tuesday after experiencing discomfort away from his original injury. Fister says discomfort is not a setback and expects to resume throwing after a few days of rest.
Dustin McGowan, SP, TOR - (Foot) Completed first day of throwing program Monday and will continue to throw every other day; no set timetable for return.
Andrew Miller, SP, BOS - (Hamstring) Will make at least one more rehab appearance before being activated from DL.
Felipe Paulino, SP, KC - (Forearm) Threw two innings in extended spring training game Monday.
Takashi Saito, RP, AZ - (Calf) Timetable for return remains unclear.
Chien-Ming Wang, SP, WAS - (Hamstring) Threw 35 pitches in simulated game Wednesday and will begin minor league rehab assignment in five days.

Transactions

Placed on DL
Geoff Blum, 3B, AZ
Jeff Karstens, SP, PIT
Chris Young, OF, AZ

Optioned to Triple-A
Mark Melancon, RP, BOS
Jordan Smith, RP, CIN

Called Up
Brad Lincoln, P, PIT
Jason Marquis, SP, MIN
A.J. Pollock, OF, AZ
Cody Ransom, 3B, AZ
Junichi Tazawa, RP, BOS

Signed
Brent Cleven, OF, AZ (Assigned to Double-A Mobile)

Designated For Assignment
Luke Hughes, 2B, MIN

Closer Watch

Pittsburgh - Joel Hanrahan has missed time recently due to hamstring tightness and illness, with Juan Cruz picking up two saves in his place. On the strength of a superb 2011 where he posted an ERA of 1.83 and WHIP of 1.04, Hanrahan remains locked in as Pittsburgh's closer. However, if Hanrahan's injury is revealed to be more serious than originally thought, Cruz will receive the lion's share of the Pirates' saves in his stead.

Washington - Brad Lidge suffered a case of vertigo prior to his appearance against the Astros Tuesday, but managed to nail down the save after giving up a walk and a hit. Manager Davey Johnson appears content on rotating save opportunities between Lidge and Henry Rodriguez, and Lidge's vertigo symptoms don't appear to be a problem going forward.

Recommended Pickup

Nolan Reimold, OF, BAL - Reimold has been a key reason the Orioles remain atop the AL East standings at this point in the season. After fluctuating between Triple-A and the big league roster over the last three seasons, 2012 may finally be the year Reimold sticks with the Orioles for good. He has been off to a hot start this year, particularly as of late, homering in four straight games. Reimold has actually had relatively solid production during his previous stints with the Orioles, hitting 15 homers while batting .279 in 358 at-bats in 2009. Reimold has demonstrated a good eye at the plate at all levels while minimizing his strikeouts, which should earn him a permanent place in the Orioles lineup. If he sees over 400 at-bats, Reimold can reasonably contribute around 20 homers and 10 steals while batting somewhere around .260. While not expected to replicate his current hot streak, Reimold still represents great value going forward as a reserve outfielder in mixed league fantasy lineups.

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Draft Street Lineup

C - Jesus Montero, SEA ($5,449)
1B - Bryan LaHair, CHC ($5,466)
2B - Howie Kendrick, LAA ($7,220)
3B - Alex Rodriguez, NYY ($7,636)
SS - Jed Lowrie, HOU ($5,321)
OF - Adam Jones, BAL ($8,809)
OF - Jay Bruce, CIN ($6,381)
OF - Ichiro Suzuki, SEA ($6,217)
U - Matt Joyce, TB ($5,721)
U - Marlon Byrd, CHI-N ($4,282)
SP - C.J. Wilson, LAA ($15,196)
SP - Vance Worley, PHI ($11,097)
RP - Craig Kimbrel, ATL ($2,669)
P - Randy Wolf, MIL ($8,419)

Total: $99,883

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