This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters - A look at Thursday's matchups
Twins (Kevin Slowey – R) at Rays (Wade Davis – R), 12:10 ET
White Sox (Freddy Garcia – R) at Tigers (Max Scherzer – R), 1:05 ET
Rockies (Jeff Francis – L) at Pirates (James McDonald – R), 7:05 ET
Angels (Dan Haren – R) at Orioles (Jake Arrieta – R), 7:05 ET
Giants (Tim Lincecum – R) at Braves (Jair Jurrjens – R), 7:10 ET
Indians (Josh Tomlin – R) at Red Sox (Daisuke Matsuzaka – R), 7:10 ET
Phillies (Roy Oswalt – R) at Marlins (Chris Volstad – R), 7:10 ET
Nationals (Ross Detwiler – L) at Diamondbacks (Barry Enright – R), 9:40 ET
Padres (Kevin Correia – R) at Dodgers (Chad Billingsley – R), 10:10 ET
Rangers (Tommy Hunter – R) at Mariners (Felix Hernandez – R), 10:10 ET
Day Game After Night Game: CIN, PIT, TOR, NYY, MIL, CHC, SFO, COL, KAN, OAK
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)
Joe Mauer, C, MIN (shoulder) – Played DH Tuesday after receiving cortisone shot, and went 3-for-4
Mark Reynolds, 3B, ARI (head) – Took a pitch to the helmet Tuesday and was removed; possible concussion, so expect caution
Jose Valverde, RP, DET (illness)
Projected Starters - A look at Thursday's matchups
Twins (Kevin Slowey – R) at Rays (Wade Davis – R), 12:10 ET
White Sox (Freddy Garcia – R) at Tigers (Max Scherzer – R), 1:05 ET
Rockies (Jeff Francis – L) at Pirates (James McDonald – R), 7:05 ET
Angels (Dan Haren – R) at Orioles (Jake Arrieta – R), 7:05 ET
Giants (Tim Lincecum – R) at Braves (Jair Jurrjens – R), 7:10 ET
Indians (Josh Tomlin – R) at Red Sox (Daisuke Matsuzaka – R), 7:10 ET
Phillies (Roy Oswalt – R) at Marlins (Chris Volstad – R), 7:10 ET
Nationals (Ross Detwiler – L) at Diamondbacks (Barry Enright – R), 9:40 ET
Padres (Kevin Correia – R) at Dodgers (Chad Billingsley – R), 10:10 ET
Rangers (Tommy Hunter – R) at Mariners (Felix Hernandez – R), 10:10 ET
Day Game After Night Game: CIN, PIT, TOR, NYY, MIL, CHC, SFO, COL, KAN, OAK
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)
Joe Mauer, C, MIN (shoulder) – Played DH Tuesday after receiving cortisone shot, and went 3-for-4
Mark Reynolds, 3B, ARI (head) – Took a pitch to the helmet Tuesday and was removed; possible concussion, so expect caution
Jose Valverde, RP, DET (illness) – Sent home during Tuesday's doubleheader and may be unavailable Wednesday, so check back
Rafael Furcal, SS, LAD (back) – Has a lower back strain; monitor lineup status
Brandon Inge, 3B, DET (hand) – Activated for Wednesday's game
Jose Lopez, 2B, SEA (hamstring) – Expected back Wednesday
Carlos Gomez, OF, MIL (head) – Team will make DL decision Thursday
Juan Uribe, 3B, SFO (leg) – Sitting out Wednesday; possible for Thursday
Players on the DL
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, BOS (ribs) – Will come off the DL Wednesday, finally
Ian Kinsler, 2B, TEX (groin) – Optimistic about returning when eligible August 12
Justin Morneau, 1B, MIN (concussion) – Had an encouraging workout Tuesday, but still no timetable
Chase Utley, 2B, PHI (thumb) – Splint could be removed in 2-3 days; on track for September 1 return
Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI (ankle) – Hopeful for return after minimum time
Kevin Youkilis, 1B, BOS (thumb) – Seeking a second opinion – say, one that says he won't miss the rest of the year
Jason Bay, OF, NYM (concussion) – Reported improvement in symptoms, but expect Mets to be cautious
Carlos Silva, SP, CHC (illness) – Undergoing evaluation to determine cause of accelerated heartbeat scare
Russell Martin, C, LAD (hip) – No word yet on Wednesday MRI results
Orlando Hudson, 2B, MIN (oblique) – Unable to bat lefty Tuesday; may not return from DL when eligible
Eugenio Velez, 2B, SFO (head) – Has resumed baseball activities, but no timetable
Jason Motte, RP, STL (shoulder) – Hit the DL
Chris Coghlan, OF, FLA (knee) – Rehabbing knee in hopes of playing again this year
Juan Gutierrez, RP, ARI (shoulder) – Hit the DL, but just inflammation, so maybe a short trip
Shawn Kelley, RP, SEA (elbow) – Good rehab outing Tuesday; may be activated for the weekend
Mike Sweeney, DH, SEA (back) – Rehab assignment ended Tuesday; equally likely to be traded or activated
Conor Jackson, OF, OAK (hamstring) – Sprinting now, but still no timetable
Mark Lowe, RP, TEX (back) – Played catch Tuesday for first time since his injury, but still could miss the balance of the season
Transactions - Players that have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Placed on the DL
Juan Gutierrez, RP, ARI
Jason Motte, RP, STL
Danny Worth, SS, DET
Activated from the DL
Brandon Inge, 3B, DET
Sent Down
Bobby Cassevah, RP, LAA
Carlos Torres, SP, CHW
Called Up
Fernando Salas, RP, STL
Ramon Troncoso, RP, LAA
Activated
Ryan Church, OF, ARI
Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (check out Dave Regan's Closer Grid with the link to the left).
Pittsburgh – Joel Hanrahan allowed one hit and struck out two Tuesday to earn his first save of the year. He's had a very good season, and for the time being is the favorite to earn the bulk of the save chances for the Pirates – not that they tend to have too many.
Baltimore – Mike Gonzalez pitched an excellent 1.2 innings and almost got himself a save, but was pulled for some reason by Buck Showalter with two outs and nobody on in the ninth inning with the Orioles leading by three. Alfredo Simon recorded the final out. Showalter's words: "Believe me, I know the save rule and, quite frankly, it doesn't carry much weight with me," Showalter said. "I like the win rule a little bit better." Make of that what you will.
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
Miguel Cabrera v. Freddy Garcia – 6-for-17 (.353), 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1:4 BB:K, .389 OBP
Corey Patterson v. Dan Haren – 4-for-11 (.364), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3:0 BB:K, .500 OBP
Freddy Sanchez v. Jair Jurrjens – 5-for-11 (.455), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1:1 BB:K, .500 OBP
Brian McCann v. Tim Lincecum – 8-for-19 (.421), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0:6 BB:K, .421 OBP
Hanley Ramirez v. Roy Oswalt – 10-for-22 (.455), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1:5 BB:K, .478 OBP
Wes Helms v. Roy Oswalt – 7-for-19 (.368), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1:4 BB:K, .429 OBP
Raul Ibanez v. Chris Volstad – 6-for-14 (.429), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1:1 BB:K, .467 OBP
Jimmy Rollins v. Chris Volstad – 6-for-16 (.375), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:0 BB:K, .444 OBP
Wilson Valdez v. Chris Volstad – 5-for-10 (.500), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:1 BB:K, .545 OBP
Yorvit Torrealba v. Chad Billingsley – 6-for-17 (.353), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1:3 BB:K, .421 OBP
Tony Gwynn Jr. v. Chad Billinglsey – 6-for-18 (.333), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1:2 BB:K, .368 OBP
Andre Ethier v. Kevin Correia – 8-for-15 (.533), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3:0 BB:K, .611 OBP
Jamey Carroll v. Kevin Correia – 5-for-10 (.500), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1:1 BB:K, .500 OBP
Tim Lincecum v. Braves – The one good thing these Braves have going for them against Tiny Tim is a semi-respectable batting average -- .261. Unfortunately for them, Lincecum has a 30:4 K:BB rate against them, which limits them to a mere .289 OBP, and their slugging percentage isn't much better – just .391. There's a reason he's 6-1 against Atlanta in his career.
Chad Billingsley v. Padres – Billingsley's had an up-and-down year, but it's been all up against the Padres – 13.1 scoreless innings with just seven hits allowed, including six shutout July 27. The current Padres hitters have a rather poor .229/.318/.346 line against Billingsley, who will look to extend his 21.2 inning scoreless streak.
Tommy Hunter v. Mariners – Hunter has allowed just four extra-base hits to Seattle in their 86 at-bats against him, and as a result, the M's actually have a lower slugging percentage than on-base percentage off him. Their miserable .622 OPS off him won't be helped any by the pitcher-friendly confines of Safeco. Hunter allowed three runs (two earned) in six innings against the Mariners June 10.
Cold
Brandon Inge v. Freddy Garcia – 11-for-51 (.216), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5:16 BB:K, .286 OBP
Gerald Laird v. Freddy Garcia – 1-for-13 (.077), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .077 OBP
Nick Markakis v. Dan Haren – 2-for-11 (.182), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:3 BB:K, .250 OBP
Ty Wigginton v. Dan Haren – 1-for-11 (.091), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:0 BB:K, .083 OBP
Pat Burrell v. Jair Jurrjens – 2-for-12 (.167), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .167 OBP
Jhonny Peralta v. Daisuke Matsuzaka – 0-for-13 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:3 BB:K, .133 OBP
Dan Uggla v. Roy Oswalt – 2-for-15 (.133), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3:5 BB:K, .278 OBP
Ronny Paulino v. Roy Oswalt – 2-for-11 (.182), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .182 OBP
Jayson Werth v. Chris Volstad – 1-for-14 (.071), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:7 BB:K, .071 OBP
David Eckstein v. Chad Billingsley – 5-for-21 (.238), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3:5 BB:K, .346 OBP
Everth Cabrera v. Chad Billingsley – 0-for-11 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:3 BB:K, .083 OBP
Russell Martin v. Kevin Correia – 2-for-19 (.105), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3:5 BB:K, .227 OBP
Matt Kemp v. Kevin Correia – 4-for-21 (.190), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0:5 BB:K, .190 OBP
Franklin Gutierrez v. Tommy Hunter – 2-for-15 (.133), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .125 OBP
Jose Lopez v. Tommy Hunter – 2-for-15 (.133), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:1 BB:K, .188 OBP
Josh Hamilton v. Felix Hernandez – 5-for-28 (.179), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 7:8 BB:K, .361 OBP
Recommended Pickup
Josh Tomlin, SP, Indians – Tomlin wasn't a top prospect for Cleveland, but that doesn't mean there's not value to be found now that he's in the majors. At 25, he's slightly old to be breaking in, but he put together a 2.68 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in Triple-A this year, and he's had two solid turns so far as a big leaguer, holding the Yankees' and Blue Jays' powerful lineups to just one run each. The upside here is Tommy Hunter-esque – nice help in ERA and WHIP, but not too many strikeouts. And because he's in Cleveland, not too many wins either.
Other Recent Recommendations:Jose Tabata, Chris Snyder, Chris Perez, Joel Hanrahan
