Thursday Lineup Card: Good Timing

Projected Starters – A look at Wednesday's matchups:

Orioles (Jeremy Guthrie – R) at Giants (Tim Lincecum - R), 3:45 ET
Blue Jays (Ricky Romero – L) at Padres (Kevin Correia – R), 6:35 ET
Brewers (Chris Narveson – L) at Angels (Joel Pineiro – R), 7:05 ET
Nationals (Livan Hernandez – R) at Tigers (Justin Verlander), 7:05 ET
White Sox (John Danks – L) at Pirates (Zach Duke – L), 7:05 ET
Mets (Jonathon Niese - L) at Indians (Mitch Talbot – R), 7:05 ET
Phillies (Jamie Moyer - L) at Yankees (A.J. Burnett – R), 7:05 ET
Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw – L) at Reds (Mike Leake – R), 7:10 ET
Diamondbacks (Rodrigo Lopez – R) at Red Sox (Jon Lester – L), 7:10 ET
Rays (Wade Davis – R) at Braves (Tommy Hanson – R), 7:10 ET
Rangers (Tommy Hunter – R) at Marlins (Anibal Sanchez – R), 7:10 ET
Athletics (Gio Gonzalez – L) at Cubs (Ryan Dempster – R), 8:05 ET
Rockies (Jhoulys Chacin – R) at Twins (Scott Baker – R), 8:10 ET
Astros (Roy Oswalt – R) at Royals (Bruce Chen – L), 8:10 ET
Mariners (Jason Vargas – L) at Cardinals (Jaime Garcia – L), 8:15 ET

Day Game After Night Game: BAL, SF, TOR, SD, MIL, LAA

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)

Marco Scutaro, SS, Red Sox (neck) – Out of Tuesday's lineup, day-to-day
Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees (hip) – Missed again on Tuesday, got to check him daily to find out if he makes it back, he rakes against Wednesday starter Moyer
Dioner Navarro, C, Rays (neck) – Says neck feels better but still out Tuesday
Erick Aybar, SS, Angels (knee) – Could miss DL but still out Tuesday
Fred Lewis, OF, Blue Jays (foot) – Missed Tuesday start despite pinch-hit appearance on Monday
Brandon Phillips, 2B, Reds (hamstring) – In Tuesday's lineup
Omar Infante, 2B, Braves (foot) – Still out Tuesday, could land on DL
Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves (finger) – In Tuesday's lineup
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Rockies (groin) – In Tuesday's lineup

Players on the DL

Felix Pie, OF, Orioles (shoulder) – Could be back by the end of June
Mike Gonzalez, RP, Orioles (shoulder) – Velocity up to 88 and that's not good, Orioles say he could return by end of the month but that seems optimistic
Travis Snider, OF, Blue Jays (wrist) – Still sore, no rehab yet
Dustin McGowan, SP, Blue Jays (shoulder) – Felt "pop" in shoulder during rehab, MRI on tap
Jeff Mathis, C, Angels (wrist) – Should be ready for weekend series
Jim Johnson, RP, Orioles (elbow) – Will throw off mound next week
Sergio Mitre, RP, Yankees (oblique) – Injured in Sunday's BP
Orlando Hudson, 2B, Twins (wrist) – Should miss a few more days before being activated
Nelson Cruz, OF, Rangers (hamstring) – Pain free in Tuesday workout, could do rehab this weekend and be activated next week
Josh Beckett, SP, Red Sox (back) – Threw from 120 feet on Tuesday, will continue to be stretched out
Brian Roberts, 2B, Orioles (back) – Will miss at least two more weeks
Everth Cabrera, SS, Padres (hamstring) – Should be back next week after rehab
Mark DeRosa, 3B, Giants (wrist) – Still no decision on season ending surgery
Matt Stairs, OF, Padres (knee) – Doubtful for return when eligible on June 22
Kyle Blanks, OF, Padres (elbow) – Jumped from High-A to Triple-A in rehab
Todd Coffey, RP, Brewers (thumb) – Rehab to start Thursday
Doug Davis, SP, Brewers (chest) – Threw simulated game Tuesday
Brad Penny, SP, Cardinals (back) – Will miss at least the rest of the month
John Baker, C, Marlins (forearm) – Out until at least mid-August
J.A. Happ, SP, Phillies (forearm) – Another rehab start coming Friday
John Maine, SP, Mets (shoulder) – Will be in rotation when he returns
Chien-Ming Wang, SP, Nationals (shoulder) – Throwing BP, targeting return in mid-July
Jair Jurrjens, SP, Braves (hamstring) – Rocked in Monday rehab, at least two more rehab starts coming
Jimmy Rollins, SS, Phillies (calf) – Rehabbing in High-A, could return by this weekend
Jesus Flores, C, Nationals (shoulder) – On throwing program, still trying to come back this season
Huston Street, RP, Rockies (shoulder) – Hit 91-92mph in Monday rehab, two more rehab appearances before possible return early next week

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

Placed on the DL (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Sergio Mitre, RP, Yankees
Chad Billingsley, SP, Dodgers

Activated from the DL
Renyel Pinto, RP, Marlins
Tony Abreu, 2B, Diamondbacks
John Grabow, RP, Cubs

Called Up
Jordan Smith, RP, Reds
Brian Sweeney, RP, Mariners
Chris Resop, RP, Braves
Boone Logan, RP, Yankees

Sent Down
Enerio Del Rosario, RP, Reds
Jesse Chavez, RP, Braves
Rafael Rodriguez, RP, Angels
Mitch Atkins, RP, Cubs

Traded
Conor Jackson, OF, Diamondbacks to Athletics

Closer Watch – A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (check out Dave Regan's Closer Grid with the link to the left).

None

Key Matchups – Spotlight on hitters and pitchers with favorable matchups against their opponent on a particular day (generally, individual matchups with fewer than 10 at-bats are not included). *Check Status

Hot

Edwin Encarnacion v. Kevin Correia – 5-for-15 (.333), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0:1 BB:K, .313 OBP
Brian Schneider v. A.J. Burnett – 9-for-24 (.375), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:3 BB:K, .400 OBP
David Ortiz v. Rodrigo Lopez – 14-for-43 (.326), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 7:8 BB:K, .420 OBP
Jason Kendall v. Roy Oswalt – 18-for-46 (.391), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:2 BB:K, .440 OBP
Derek Jeter v. Jamie Moyer – 22-for-68 (.324), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5:3 BB:K, .370 OBP
Alex Rodriguez v. Jamie Moyer – 21-for-54 (.389), 6 HR, 12 RBI, 5:6 BB:K, .441 OBP
Jorge Posada v. Jamie Moyer – 15-for-45 (.333), 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4:5 BB:K, .388
Mark Teixeira v. Jamie Moyer – 11-for-36 (.306), 1 HR, 6 RBI, 7:7 BB:K, .419 OBP

Clayton Kershaw v. Reds – Remember, we are talking about interleague play here and that means that the one career game Kershaw has pitched against the Reds gives him more history against a team than most of the matchups we will see this week. It's just that it was one heck of a game he had. Current Reds are 4-for-25 (.160) with 11 strikeouts in 25 at-bats. That includes Joey Votto, who has three strikeouts in three plate appearances.

Cold

Ryan Braun v. Joel Pineiro – 3-for-17 (.176), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:2 BB:K, .222 OBP
Johnny Damon v. Livan Hernandez – 2-for-13 (.154), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:3 BB:K, .267 OBP
Miguel Cabrera v. Livan Hernandez – 14-for-53 (.264), 1 HR, 10 RBI, 3:12 BB:K, .298 OBP
Juan Pierre v. Zach Duke – 3-for-21 (.143), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:1 BB:K, .143 OBP
Jose Guillen v. Roy Oswalt – 0-for-12 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:4 BB:K, .077 OBP
Jamie Moyer v. Yankees – Take a look at the hot players above. That's pretty much the extent of Moyer's experience against the Yankees. It helps a lot of Alex Rodriguez isn't able to return to the lineup for this one.

Jason Vargas v. Cardinals – Once again, keep in mind we are looking at interleague matchups and there is not much history between most of the pitchers and their opponents. The point to make here is that Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols are a combined 6-for-9 with four extra-base hits off Vargas. Yes, we are talking about nine at-bats here and it is important to note that the other three at-bats were all strikeouts. Still, just something to be apprised of before running Vargas out there.

Recommended Pickup:

Conor Jackson, OF, Athletics – Jackson was traded to the Athletics on Tuesday and he will be inserted in the lineup on Wednesday to bat in the No. 2 spot. He fits the Billy Beane mold in that he is an on-base machine and he doesn't strike out very often. Jackson has hit just .238 this season and it follows his 2009 in which he sat out most of the season with Valley Fever. However, there are signs he was back on the right track by hitting .289 in June. Don't expect to win the league just by adding Jackson, but you can breathe easy knowing he will have a chance to play every day.

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