Wednesday Lineup Card: New Brew In The Ninth

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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Wednesday's Starters (all times Eastern)

Blue Jays (Mark Buehrle – L) at Tigers (Rick Porcello – R), 1:08
Reds (Homer Bailey – R) at Cardinals (Jake Westbrook – R), 1:45
Rays (Matt Moore – L) at Rangers (Derek Holland – L ), 2:05
Pirates (Jonathan Sanchez – L) at Diamondbacks (Wade Miley – L), 3:40
Rockies (Jeff Francis – L) at Giants (Barry Zito – L), 3:45
White Sox (Gavin Floyd – R) at Nationals (Jordan Zimmermann – R), 7:05
Yankees (Ivan Nova – R) at Indians (Brett Myers – R), 7:05
Mets (Jeremy Hefner – R) at Phillies (Kyle Kendrick – R), 7:05
Braves (Mike Minor – L) at Marlins (Alex Sanabia – R), 7:10
Orioles (Jake Arrieta – R) at Red Sox (Ryan Dempster – R), 7:10
Brewers (Kyle Lohse – R) at Cubs (Scott Feldman – R), 8:05
Twins (Liam Hendriks – R) at Royals (Wade Davis – R), 8:10
Athletics (Tommy Milone – L) at Angels (Joe Blanton – R), 10:05
Astros (Brad Peacock – R) at Mariners (Blake Beavan – R), 10:10
Dodgers (Chad Billingsley – R) at Padres (Eric Stults – L), 10:10

Day Game After Night Game: CIN/STL, TB/TEX, PIT/ARI, COL/SF

Injuries

Day-to-Day

Brett Anderson, SP, OAK (thumb) – Looks to be in good shape to make next start.
Gordon Beckham, 2B, CWS (undisclosed) – Removed from Tuesday's game in the third inning with apparent injury.
Matt Harrison, SP, TEX (back) – Will not throw bullpen session Tuesday but could still make scheduled start Thursday.
Adam LaRoche, 1B, WAS (back) – Returned to the lineup Tuesday against the White Sox.
Victor Martinez, DH, DET (thumb) – Cut right thumb on bat rack Monday, requiring eight stitches. Was held out of Tuesday's lineup.
Carlos Quentin, OF, SD (wrist) – Removed from Tuesday's game in seventh inning after being struck by a pitch on his right wrist.
Josh Reddick, OF, OAK (wrist) – Feeling better but still experiencing swelling. Hopes to take swings Wednesday.
Carlos Santana, C, CLE (thumb) – Not in lineup Tuesday, but X-rays came back negative on bruised thumb.
Jean Segura, SS, MIL (quad) – Returned to lineup Tuesday against the Cubs.

Disabled List

Logan Forsythe, 2B, SD (foot) – Still wearing a protective boot and will do so for at least another week.
Matt Garza, SP, CHC (arm) – On track to return in early-to-mid May.
Chase Headley, 3B, SD (thumb) – Underwent three separate tests on thumb Monday, all of which indicated positive progress in recovery.
Derek Jeter, SS, NYY (ankle) – Ran sprints Tuesday and is scheduled to take batting practice Wednesday.
Brett Lawrie, 3B, TOR (oblique) – Remains without a timetable for return but could begin rehab assignment soon.
Colby Lewis, SP, TEX (forearm) – Threw a 26-pitch live batting practice session Tuesday.
Ted Lilly, SP, LAD (shoulder) – Scheduled to make next rehab start at Triple-A on Wednesday.
Cory Luebke, SP, SD (elbow) – Just began playing catch within the last week following a six-week shutdown period.
Franklin Morales, SP, BOS (back) – Expected to begin minor league rehab assignment sometime next week.
Jason Motte, RP, STL (elbow) – MRI on elbow revealed a torn ligament, making Tommy John surgery likely if she knows no improvement before May 1.
Hiroyuki Nakajima, SS, OAK (hamstring) – Has begun to take swings and run sprints in his rehab.
Chris Narveson, SP, MIL (finger) – Likely to miss four-to-six weeks with sprained left finger.
Jeff Niemann, SP, TB (shoulder) – Had MRI on Tuesday and will likely undergo season-ending surgery in near future.
David Ortiz, DH, BOS (heel) – Went 2-for-5 in a second extended spring training game Tuesday.
Martin Perez, SP, TEX (wrist) – Scheduled to throw bullpen session Thursday.
Hanley Ramirez, SS, LAD (thumb) – Expected to have cast removed this week.
Joakim Soria, RP, TEX (elbow) – Threw 28-pitch live batting practice session Tuesday.
Jered Weaver, SP, LAA (elbow) – Will be out four-to-six weeks with broken left (non-pitching) elbow.

Transactions

Called Up
Dane De LA Rosa, RP, LAA
Yan Gomes, C, CLE
Edgar Gonzalez, RP, TOR
Omir Santos, C, CLE
Nick Tepesch, SP, TEX

Sent Down
Dave Bush, RP, TOR
Julio Borbon, OF, TEX (designated for assignment)
Robert Whitenack, RP, CLE (designated for assignment)

Placed on DL (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Lou Marson, C, CLE
Chris Narveson, P, MIL
Corey Hart, 1B, MIL (transferred to 60-day DL)
Andrew Taylor, RP, LAA (transferred to 60-day DL)
Jered Weaver, SP, LAA

Signed
Miguel Batista, RP, TOR (minor league contract)
Clay Rapada, RP, NYY (minor league contract)

Closer Watch

Cardinals –Jason Motte's MRI revealed a torn ligament in his elbow, which could result in season-ending Tommy John surgery if he doesn't show improvement by May 1. While Motte will try to avoid such a fate, the odds seem to be against him, leaving the Cardinals in a precarious situation after fill-in closer Mitchell Boggs and top setup man Trevor Rosenthal were slaughtered for a combined eight runs (seven earned) on four hits, four walks, a wild pitch and a hit by pitch in a 13-4 loss to the Reds on Monday. Manager Mike Matheny hasn't committed to a removing Boggs from his post as closer, but his struggles, coupled with the potential season-ending injury to Motte makes the Cardinals' end-game situation infinitely more intriguing. Boggs, Rosenthal, and even Edward Mujica or Fernando Salas could get looks in the ninth inning going forward, and if one runs away with the opportunity, they could be in line for a 20-plus save season if Motte fails to return.

Mariners –Tom Wilhelmsen turned in a 1-2-3 ninth to preserve a 3-0 shutout of the Astros on Monday, earning his third save of the season. Wilhelmsen's closing job is seemingly secure despite one rough outing his previous time out, but should he have issues with walks again, hard-throwing youngsters Carter Capps and Stephen Pryor would represent intriguing replacements. However, that doesn't figure to happen anytime soon.

Recommended Pickup

Jim Henderson, RP, MIL – Much like last season, the Brewers bullpen has been a mess this far, with John Axford being the biggest problem. After Axford allowed his fourth home run of the season en route to a loss to Arizona on Sunday, manager Ron Roenicke officially pulled the plug on him. Thus, it was Henderson who entered the game in the ninth Monday to quell a Cubs rally and pick up his first save of the season. Henderson was officially awarded the closing job after the game and would seem to have the skills that could allow him to succeed. Despite reaching the bigs for the first time as a 29-year-old last season, Henderson struck out 45 batters in 30 innings and has continued to be effective through four appearances in 2013, posting a 6:0 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Although Roenicke said he believes Axford can reclaim the job at some point, Axford's velocity has been down and his poor command and inability to avoid the long ball could continue to prove problematic for him even in a setup role. With few bullpen options beyond Axford that would seem to profile as viable closing options, Henderson should be given a decent leash to prove he's got what it takes to stick in the ninth inning.

Other Recent Recommendations:Daniel Murphy, Kelvin Herrera, Justin Ruggiano, Bartolo Colon and Chris Heisey

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DraftStreet Lineup
C: Matt Wieters, BAL ($7,004)
1B: Paul Konerko, CWS ($6,019)
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