The Lineup Card: The Midnight Ride of Ben Revere

The Lineup Card: The Midnight Ride of Ben Revere

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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Projected Starters - A look at Thursday's matchups (all times Eastern)

Red Sox (Jon Lester - L) v. Phillies (Cole Hamels - L) 1:05
Brewers (Randy Wolf - L) v. Yankees (CC Sabathia - L) 1:05
Mets (Mike Pelfrey - R) v. Tigers (Justin Verlander - R) 1:05
Giants (Matt Cain - R) v. Cubs (Carlos Zambrano - R) 2:20
White Sox (Jake Peavy - R) v. Rockies (Aaron Cook - R) 3:10
Marlins (Chris Volstad - R) v. A's (Trevor Cahill - R) 3:35
Cardinals (Jake Westbrook - R) v. Orioles (Brian Matusz - L) 7:05
Pirates (Jeff Karstens - R) v. Blue Jays (Brett Cecil - L) 7:07
Rangers (Matt Harrison - L) v. Astros (Wandy Rodriguez) 8:05

Day game after a night game: Bos/Phi, Mil/NYY, NYM/Det, SF/CHC, CHW/Col, Fla/Oak

Injuries - A brief look at players who have been missing time with minor ailments and their expected returns

Day-to-Day (includes players expected to make their return from the DL)

Luke Scott, DH, BAL (knee) - bruised right knee in Tuesday's game; may miss a day or two
J.D. Drew, OF, BOS (eye) - day to day with a black eye
Alexi Casilla, SS, MIN (back) - sore thumb and stiff back will need a couple of days to heal
Miguel Olivo, C, SEA (soreness) - left Tuesday's game because of cramps
Elvis Andrus, SS, TEX (wrist) - likely return to starting lineup on Thursday
J.R. Towles, C, HOU (face) - may sit and recover for a day or two
Marco Estrada, P, MIL (foot) - left Tuesday's game after taking grounder off his foot
Jonathon Niese, P, NY-A (chest) - should be medically cleared to play on Friday
Sergio Romo, P, SF (knee) - has not pitched since June 24
Laynce Nix, OF, WAS (Achilles) - felt tightness after Tuesday's game

Players on the DL

Fernando Rodney, RP, ANA (back) - threw a bullpen session Tuesday; soon headed for rehab stint
Alfredo Simon, RP, BAL (hamstring) - may be activated in next day or two
Clay Buchholz, SP, BOS (back) - he may be pushed back from his scheduled start to after break
Carl Crawford, OF, BOS (hamstring) - jogging at half speed; may be held out until July 4
John Danks, SP, CHI-A (oblique) - MRI revealed only a minor strain; return after All-Star break
Alex White, P, CLE (finger) - hopes to throw off a mound in three to four weeks
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, CLE (thumb) - had thumb surgery on Tuesday; recovery estimated at 8-10 weeks
Carlos Guillen, 2B, DET (knee) - at High-A Lakeland; rehab will continue to All-Star break
Kevin Slowey, SP, MIN (abdomen) - may remain on minor league rehab until All-Star break
Delmon Young, OF, MIN (ankle) - MRI showed no ligament damage; will be out until after All-Star break
Jason Kubel, OF, MIN (foot) - likely to spend another week in minor league rehab stint
Derek Jeter, SS, NYY (calf) - ran bases and fielded grounders on Tuesday; no timetable for return yet
Bartolo Colon, SP, NYY (hamstring) - may be back in rotation as early as Saturday
Grant Balfour, RP, OAK (oblique) - MRI revealed inflammation; return delayed until after All-Star break
Brandon McCarthy, SP, OAK (shoulder) - may rejoin A's this weekend if all goes well in final rehab start
Rich Harden, SP, OAK (shoulder) - will start Friday against the Diamondbacks
Tommy Hunter, SP, TEX (groin) - switching to reliever role during minor league rehab
Darren O'Day, RP, TEX (hip) - accelerated the planned return due to struggles in Rangers' bullpen
Scott Feldman, SP, TEX (knee) - one more minor league start before possible promotion before All-Star break
Mike Napoli, C, TEX (oblique) - minor league rehab this week; may rejoin Rangers on Monday
Marlon Byrd, OF, CHI-C (face) - continuing minor league rehab this week
Josh Johnson, SP, FLA (shoulder) - trip to Dr. Andrews this week may lead to shut down for the rest of the year
Humberto Quintero, C, HOU (ankle) - will begin rehab at Triple-A Oklahoma City on July 1
Rod Barajas, C, LAD (ankle) - may begin minor league rehab over the weekend
Jonathan Broxton, P, LAD (elbow) - will be shut down for three weeks
Takahashi Saito, P, MIL (oblique) - may be back with the Brewers by the weekend after recent rehab success
David Wright, 3B, NY-N (back) - may begin hitting from tee this week; may be active after All-Star break
Johan Santana, P, NY-N (shoulder) - throwing mound sessions this week; then will head to minor league rehab
Roy Oswalt, SP, PHI (back) - will visit spinal surgeon for second opinion on Friday
Jose Contreras, P, PHI (elbow) - no timetable to begin rehab; sidelined until at least late July
Pedro Alvarez, P, PIT (quadriceps) - continuing rehab this week
Luke Gregerson, P, SD (oblique) - making rehab appearance with Triple-A Tucson on Friday
Rick Ankiel, OF, WAS (ribs) - played five innings in Tuesday rehab; may return in first week of July

Transactions - Players who 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)

Jason Bourgeois, OF, HOU (quadriceps)
Jose Tabata, OF, PIT (quadriceps - retroactive to June 27)
Ryan Madson, RP, PHI (hand - retroactive to June 19)
Grant Balfour, RP, OAK (strained right oblique - retroactive to June 22)
Chris Gimenez, C, SEA (strained left oblique)
Erik Bedard, SP, SEA (sprained left knee - retroactive to June 28)
Alberto Arias, P, HOU (shoulder - moved to 60 day DL)

Activated from the DL

Tommy Hanson, P, ATL
Franklin Morales, RP, BOS
Bobby Jenks, RP, BOS
Alfredo Simon, RP, BAL

Called Up

Brian Bogusevic, LF, HOU
Jose Yepez, C, SEA
Josh Bard, C, SEA

Sent Down

Gregory Holt, P, WAS
J.C. Romero, P, WAS
Edward Paredes, P, SEA (DFA)
Clay Rapada, P, BAL (DFA)
Chaz Roe, P, SEA (DFA)

Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (also check out our Closer Grid)

Pittsburgh - Joel Hanrahan recorded his 23rd save (one shy of the major league lead) on Tuesday. His 1.21 ERA is far and away the best mark among the top relievers in the game and he is a large reason why the Pirates have a winning record as we approach the midway mark of the season.

Colorado - Huston Street has returned to workhorse mode after an injury-plagued 2010 season. He already topped last year's personal marks in saves, with 23, and has appeared in 38 games, as opposed to only 44 in all of last season.

Toronto - Frank Francisco has recorded a season-high of six straight scoreless outings, recording three saves and striking out nine batters in only 5.2 innings of work. Slowly but surely he is turning back into that "blow-away" reliever that he was expected to be when they signed him in the offseason

San Francisco - Brian Wilson leads the majors with 24 saves and has chopped his ERA down to a very impressive 2.43 for the season. After a disastrous April, where his ERA ballooned to 6.97, he has allowed only two earned runs in his last 26 appearances, covering 26.2 innings pitched, to rank as the stingiest closer in the majors. Yes sir, the Beard must be feared.


KEY MATCHUPS: HOT

Hot Batter MatchupsAt-BatsAVGHRXBHRBIBBKSLGOBPOPS
Adrian Gonzalez - 1BBOS @ PHI
6/30 1:05 PM
Cole Hamels8-22.36422237.636.4621.098
Dustin Pedroia - 2BBOS @ PHI
6/30 1:05 PM
Cole Hamels5-10.500131021.000.5001.500
Blake DeWitt - 2BCHC vs SF
6/30 2:20 PM
Matt Cain6-18.33311232.500.429.929
Pat Burrell - OFSF @ CHC
6/30 2:20 PM
Carlos Zambrano4-16.25013326.563.333.896
Todd Helton - 1BCOL vs CWS
6/30 3:10 PM
Jake Peavy14-43.32639444.674.3751.049
Troy Tulowitzki - SSCOL vs CWS
6/30 3:10 PM
Jake Peavy6-18.33302024.500.400.900
Adam Dunn - 1BCWS @ COL
6/30 3:10 PM
Aaron Cook4-15.26712332.533.389.922
Juan Pierre - OFCWS @ COL
6/30 3:10 PM
Aaron Cook10-26.38502111.500.407.907
Omar Vizquel - 3BCWS @ COL
6/30 3:10 PM
Aaron Cook8-23.34812330.565.423.988
Vladimir Guerrero - DHBAL vs STL
6/30 7:05 PM
Jake Westbrook9-25.36011312.480.385.865
Ian Kinsler - 2BTEX @ HOU
6/30 8:05 PM
Wandy Rodriguez9-13.692254201.385.7332.118
Hot Pitcher MatchupsAt-BatsOpp
AVG
HR
Allow
XBH
Allow
RBI
Allow
BBKOpp
SLG
Opp
OBP
Opp
OPS
CC SabathiaNYY vs MIL
6/30 1:05 PM
Brewers Batters11-65.169132511.305.229.534
Matt CainSF @ CHC
6/30 2:20 PM
Cubs Batters20-90.222257924.336.300.636
Carlos ZambranoCHC vs SF
6/30 2:20 PM
Giants Batters26-126.206210131736.326.310.636

KEY MATCHUPS: COLD

Cold Batter MatchupsAt-BatsAVGHRXBHRBIBBKSLGOBPOPS
Marco Scutaro - SSBOS @ PHI
6/30 1:05 PM
Cole Hamels2-13.15402002.308.154.462
Yuniesky Betancourt - SSMIL @ NYY
6/30 1:05 PM
CC Sabathia0-15.00000001.000.000.000
Josh Wilson - SSMIL @ NYY
6/30 1:05 PM
CC Sabathia2-17.11811103.294.118.412
Andruw Jones - OFNYY vs MIL
6/30 1:05 PM
Randy Wolf5-33.15224537.394.222.616
Jeff Baker - 2BCHC vs SF
6/30 2:20 PM
Matt Cain2-11.18200004.182.182.364
Kosuke Fukudome - OFCHC vs SF
6/30 2:20 PM
Matt Cain3-14.21401008.286.214.500
Aramis Ramirez - 3BCHC vs SF
6/30 2:20 PM
Matt Cain3-15.20001111.267.294.561
Cody Ross - OFSF @ CHC
6/30 2:20 PM
Carlos Zambrano2-12.16701115.250.231.481
Aaron Rowand - OFSF @ CHC
6/30 2:20 PM
Carlos Zambrano0-10.00000004.000.091.091
Ty Wigginton - 3BCOL vs CWS
6/30 3:10 PM
Jake Peavy4-20.20000116.200.238.438
A.J. Pierzynski - CCWS @ COL
6/30 3:10 PM
Aaron Cook1-12.08300113.083.214.297
Cold Pitcher MatchupsAt-BatsOpp
AVG
HR
Allow
XBH
Allow
RBI
Allow
BBKOpp
SLG
Opp
OBP
Opp
OPS
Aaron CookCOL vs CWS
6/30 3:10 PM
White Sox Batters32-97.3304101487.532.388.920

***For a deeper look at the matchups please consult the new Batter v. Pitcher tool in the left hand menu.***

Recommended Pickup

Ben Revere, OF, MIN - Those fantasy pool owners who looked away from the Twins' roster after the club's dreadful start need to circle back and take another look at the fleeted-footed Revere, whose performance has mirrored the turnaround of the whole team. With his recent string of regular at bats, he has caught fire. In his last six games, he has eight hits in 24 at bats, highlighted by a pair of RBI and stolen bases. He has become a fixture in the leadoff spot of the Twins' batting order. It seems like a great opportunity to plug a steady performer who has a significant upside into your fantasy roster, with a player who is currently owned in only 13% of all fantasy leagues.

Other recent recommendations: Chris Heisey, OF, CIN, Cameron Maybin, OF, SD, Lucas Duda, OF, NY-N, R A Dickey, SP, NY-N

Draft Street Competition

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Register for a free account at DraftStreet.com today and start practicing. Remember to use bonus code Rotowire on your first deposit to get some extra cash released into your account as you play.

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Be sure to come back to RotoWire's Daily Lineup Card every day for all the analysis you need to dominate the competition and take home cash on DraftStreet.

Draft Street Lineup

C - Chris Iannetta, COL ($5304)
1B - Paul Konerko, CWS ($8251)
2B - Jemile Weeks, OAK ($7317)
3B - David Freese, STL ($6140)
SS - Jhonny Peralta, DET ($6788)
OF - Eric Thames, TOR ($5536)
OF - Carlos Gonzalez, COL ($7630)
OF - Curtis Granderson, NYY ($7362)
UTIL - Carlos Quentin, CWS ($6828)
UTIL - Gordon Beckham, CWS ($3409)
SP - Justin Verlander, DET ($21592)
SP - Trevor Cahill, OAK ($10765)
RP - Frank Francisco, TOR ($1500)
P - Mark Melancon, HOU ($1500)

Total: $99,922

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul Bruno
Paul Bruno is co-host of the RotoWire fantasy hockey podcast, PUCKCAST with Statsman and AJ. He has been an accredited member of the Toronto sports media for more than 20 years. Paul also helps with RW's DFS podcast and is a contributing writer for RW NFL, MLB and CFL content. Follow him on twitter: @statsman22.
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