Saturday Lineup Card: Howard Up, Pedroia Down

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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Saturday's Starters

Yankees (Phil Hughes -- R) at Red Sox (Franklin Morales -- L), 12:35 (Game 1)
Rockies (Jeff Francis -- L) at Nationals (Gio Gonzalez -- L), 4:05
Royals (Bruce Chen -- L) at Tigers (Doug Fister -- R), 4:05
Brewers (Zack Greinke -- R) at Astros (Wandy Rodriguez -- L), 4:05
Giants (Ryan Vogelsong -- R) at Pirates (James McDonald -- R), 4:05
Cubs (Jeff Samardzija -- R) at Mets (Dillon Gee -- R), 4:10
Marlins (Carlos Zambrano -- R) at Cardinals (Kyle Lohse -- R), 4:10
Blue Jays (Ricky Romero -- L) at White Sox (Gavin Floyd -- R), 4:10
Rays (Matt Moore -- L) at Indians (Ubaldo Jimenez -- R), 6:05
Braves (Tommy Hanson -- R) at Phillies (Joe Blanton -- R), 7:15
Twins (Samuel Deduno -- R) at Rangers (Derek Holland -- L), 7:15
Yankees (Freddy Garcia -- R) at Red Sox (Felix Doubront -- L), 7:15 (Game 2)
Orioles (Jason Hammel -- R) at Angels (Jered Weaver -- R), 10:05
Reds (Homer Bailey -- R) at Padres (Clayton Richard -- L), 10:05
Dodgers (Chad Billingsley -- R) at Diamondbacks (Trevor Cahill -- R), 10:10
Mariners (Jason Vargas -- L) at Athletics (Jarrod Parker -- R), 10:10

Day Game After Night Game: NYY/BOS (Game 1), COL/WAS, KC/DET, MIL/HOU, CHC/NYM, MIA/STL, TOR/CHW

Injuries

Day-to-Day
Santiago Casilla, RP, SF (finger) -- Not available Friday due to a blister on finger of throwing hand.
Chris Davis, 3B, BAL (Neck) -- Out of lineup Friday with a trapezius strain.
Todd Helton, 1B, COL (Hip) -- Continues to be bothered by hip soreness that is affecting his ability to generate leg kick in his swing.
Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI (Achilles) -- Activated from DL and started Friday, batting cleanup.
Jeff Keppinger, 2B, TB (triceps) -- Sat out Friday but hopes to return over weekend.
J.D. Martinez, OF, HOU (upper leg) -- Started Friday for third straight game and should be fine going forward.
Will Middlebrooks, 3B, BOS (hamstring) -- Sat out Friday but hopes to play Saturday.
Jesus Montero, DH, SEA (mild concussion) -- Out of Friday's lineup but won't require 7-day DL stint.
Rick Porcello, SP, DET (biceps) -- Exited Thursday's start after getting struck by a line drive.
Giancarlo Stanton, OF, MIA (knee) -- Plans to return to lineup Saturday after sitting out three straight games.
Andres Torres, OF, NYM (back) -- Met with doctors Friday but likely won't be available for three-game weekend series with Cubs.
Juan Uribe, SS, LAD (ankle) -- Not in starting lineup Friday after pinch-hitting Thursday.

Disabled List
Andrew Bailey, RP, BOS (Thumb) -- May not return until late August or September.
Jason Bay, OF, NYM (concussion) -- Will take part in a few days of batting practice, running and defensive drills before participating in rehab games at High-A St. Lucie.
Lance Berkman, 1B, STL (knee) -- Will require a rehab assignment before rejoining Cardinals.
Carl Crawford, OF, BOS (elbow) -- May require offseason surgery to fully heal.
Joba Chamberlain, RP, NYY (ankle) -- Could start rehab assignment as early as Tuesday.
Ryan Dempster, SP, CHC (shoulder) -- Set to be activated from the DL and start Sunday.
Neftali Feliz, P, TEX (elbow) -- Threw second bullpen session of the week Thursday and will be stretched out for a possible return to the rotation once he begins his rehab assignment.
Frank Francisco, RP, NYM (oblique) -- Will throw off mound Saturday and make four rehab appearances before being activated.
Brett Gardner, OF, NYY (elbow) -- Took swings with a fungo bat Friday. Continues to target a late-July return date.
Ramon Hernandez, C, COL (hand) -- Will receive fewer starts than Wilin Rosario upon his return.
Matt Joyce, OF, TB (back) -- Could possibly rejoin Rays on July 13.
Colby Lewis, SP, TEX (forearm) -- Threw from mound Thursday and likely won't need a rehab start before rejoining rotation.
Nick Markakis, OF, BAL (wrist) -- Rehab pushed back to Saturday. Expected to be activated next Friday.
Juan Nicasio, SP, COL (Knee) -- Will have surgery July 16 to remove a loose body.
Alexi Ogando, RP, TEX (Groin) -- Threw 40 pitches Thursday and will be brought back as a reliever once healthy.
CC Sabathia, SP, NYY (Groin) -- Will return from DL around July 16 or 17.

Transactions

Activated from the DL (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI
Shelley Duncan, OF, CLE

Placed on the DL (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Yadier Molina, C, STL (Bereavement list)
Rich Hill, RP, BOS (Transferred to 60-day DL)
Dustin Pedroia, 2B, BOS

Called Up
Samuel Deduno, SP, MIN
Eric Hurley, P, LAA
Pedro Ciriaco, SS, BOS
Bryan Anderson, C, STL

Sent Down
Jason Donald, 2B, CLE
Jake Arrieta, SP, BAL
Dan Moskos, RP, CHW
Scott Podsednik, OF, BOS
Hector Luna, 2B, PHI
Garrett Richards, SP, LAA
Chris Parmelee, 1B, MIN
Chris Schwinden, SP, NYM

Claimed Off Waivers
Dan Moskos, RP, CHW

Closer Watch

Los Angeles (NL) – Kenley Jansen struck out the side to record his 15th save of the season in the team's 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Thursday. Jansen's amazing 14.3 K/9 rate is actually down from last season -- I think we can give him a pass. The 24-year-old's other numbers are similarly impressive (2.11 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9). Jansen has all the tools to become one of the game's elite closers over the next few years.

Philadelphia -- Jonathan Papelbon blew his second save of the season in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Mets. Papelbon surrendered two hits, a walk and a hit batsmen before allowing a walk-off single to David Wright. Papelbon's 3.45 ERA is a bit higher than we are used to seeing him at, but his 10.9 K/9 rate is near his career norms, indicating there's some hope for improvement.

San Francisco -- Santiago Casilla (blister) was declared unavailable for Friday's game. Casilla acknowledged that his recent struggles may be partly attributed to the blister. If his problems persist or the degree of the blister worsens, Sergio Romo figures to get the first crack at the closer's job.

Washington –Down on the farm, a rehabbing Drew Storen (knee) needed just eight pitches Thursday to record a clean inning in his first rehab appearance at High-A Potomac. The team plans to give him three more appearances in the minors before bringing him back July 13. Meanwhile, up with the big club, Tyler Clippard and his 1.78 ERA continue to stake a strong claim to the closer job. Clippard pitched a clean ninth inning in a non-save situation Thursday, earning the win when the Nationals rallied to win in the bottom of the inning. Given Clippard's stellar performance, it's tough to envision manager Davey Johnson removing him from the role when Storen returns.

Recommended Pickup

Tyler Colvin, OF/1B, COL -- Although veterans Michael Cuddyer and Todd Helton have pricier contracts and more illustrious careers than Colvin, it hasn't deterred manager Jim Tracy from putting Colvin in the lineup ahead of either player with increasing regularity. Heading into Friday, Colvin has started eight of the team's last nine games, going deep four times and adding 14 RBI. As of this writing, he added two more homers Friday night, off Stephen Strasburg no less. With a healthy .313 batting average and 13 homers on the year and his status as arguably one of the best fantasy contributors over the past few weeks, it's a bit surprising Colvin is owned in less than 17 percent of ESPN leagues. That number is likely to change after Friday's game, so go and get him before somebody else does.

Other recent recommendations: Carlos Peguero, Brett Wallace, Yasmani Grandal, Salvador Perez, and Jim Thome

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Draft Street Lineup
C -- Joe Mauer ($7,090)
1B -- Paul Konerko ($7,188)
2B -- Kelly Johnson ($5,520)
3B -- Hanley Ramirez ($6,771)
SS -- Jed Lowrie ($5,551)
OF -- Jose Bautista ($9,037)
OF -- Nelson Cruz ($5,376)
OF -- B.J. Upton ($4,855)
UT -- Dan Uggla ($4,792)
UT -- Adam Jones ($7,582)
SP -- Jarrod Parker ($13,168)
SP -- Clayton Richard ($11,160)
RP -- Bobby Parnell ($1,658)
P -- Ubaldo Jimenez ($10,244)

Total: $99,992

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