Wednesday Lineup Card: The Byrd is the Word

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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Wednesday's Starters (All times Eastern)

Dodgers (Hyun-Jin Ryu – L) at Yankees (Hiroki Kuroda – R), 1:05 (Game 1)
Orioles (Chris Tillman – R) at Tigers (Rick Porcello – R), 1:08
Marlins (Jose Fernandez – R) at Diamondbacks (Trevor Cahill – R), 3:40
Padres (Eric Stults – L) at Giants (Madison Bumgarner – L), 3:45
Royals (Luis Mendoza – R) at Indians (Justin Masterson – R), 7:05
Dodgers (Chris Capuano – L) at Yankees (Phil Hughes – R), 7:05 (Game 2)
Nationals (Gio Gonzalez – L) at Phillies (Kyle Kendrick – R), 7:05
Rockies (Juan Nicasio – R) at Blue Jays (Mark Buehrle – L), 7:07
Mets (Shaun Marcum – R) at Braves (Kris Medlen – R), 7:10
Pirates (Jeff Locke – L) at Reds (Bronson Arroyo – R), 7:10
Rays (Jeremy Hellickson – R) at Red Sox (Ryan Dempster – R), 7:10
Athletics (Tommy Milone – L) at Rangers (Justin Grimm – R), 8:05
White Sox (Chris Sale – L) at Twins (Kevin Correia – R), 8:10
Brewers (Kyle Lohse – R) at Astros (Erik Bedard – L), 8:10
Cubs (Edwin Jackson – R) at Cardinals (Jake Westbrook – R), 8:15
Mariners (Joe Saunders – L) at Angels (C.J. Wilson – L), 10:05

Day Game After Night Game: BAL/DET, MIA/ARI, SD/SF

Injuries

Day-To-Day
Clay Buchholz, SP, BOS (neck) – Was slated to throw a bullpen session Tuesday.
Everth Cabrera, SS, SD (hamstring) – Remained out of the lineup Tuesday.
Johnny Cueto, SP, CIN (shoulder) – Reported no issues after throwing 88 pitches Sunday vs. the Brewers.
Cliff Lee, SP, PHI (finger) – Received clearance to start Tuesday.
Mike Morse, OF, SEA (quadriceps) – Sat out Tuesday with sore quad.
Mike Napoli, 1B, BOS (illness) – Returned to the lineup for Tuesday's doubleheader.
Carlos Quentin, OF, SD (shoulder) – Missed fourth straight game Tuesday.
Marco Scutaro, 2B, SF (finger) – Returned to the lineup Tuesday.
Denard Span, OF, WAS (foot) – Back in the lineup Tuesday.
Nick Swisher, OF, CLE (shoulder) – Reporting improvement, but not expected back before Friday.
Juan Uribe, 3B, LAD (back) – Remained out of the lineup Tuesday.
Josh Willingham, OF, MIN (knee) – Returned to lineup Tuesday.
Alex Wood, SP, ATL (finger) – Lifted in third inning of Tuesday's start after suffering cut on index finger.

Disabled List
Rafael Betancourt, RP, COL (groin) – Threw a 35-pitch side session Tuesday without incident.
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS, CLE (quadriceps) – Hopes to be back in a week after running and hitting Monday.
Chris Carpenter, SP, STL (shoulder) – Experienced tightness during bullpen session Sunday.
Alex Cobb, SP, TB (concussion) – No timetable on a potential return to Rays rotation.
John Gast, SP, STL (back) – Has yet to throw while on the DL and will likely be sidelined for another four weeks.
Matt Harrison, SP, TEX (back) – Continuing to throw at 60 feet before extending the distance next week.
Aaron Hicks, OF, MIN (hamstring) – Likely to require a rehab assignment before rejoining Twins.
Matt Kemp, OF, LAD (hamstring) – Able to run at 75 percent capacity without pain but remains without a timetable for a rehab assignment.
Ryan Madson, RP, LAA (elbow) – Continues to play catch and could get back on mound soon.
Zach McAllister, SP, CLE (finger) – Played catch Monday from 60 feet.
Brandon Morrow, SP, TOR (forearm) – Suffered setback during Monday's rehab start at High-A Dunedin.
Alexi Ogando, SP, TEX (shoulder) – Still feeling discomfort and was unable to complete bullpen session Tuesday.
Felipe Paulino, SP, KC (elbow) – Rehab has been shut down after experiencing soreness during a side session.
J.J. Putz, RP, ARI (elbow) – Will begin rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno on Thursday.
Jose Reyes, SS, TOR (ankle) – Will serve as DH on Tuesday for High-A Dunedin and will advance to Double-A or Triple-A by end of the week.
Wandy Rodriguez, SP, PIT (forearm) – Will make first rehab start at Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.
Joakim Soria, RP, TEX (elbow) – Scheduled to pitch rehab outing Thursday at Double-A Frisco.
Kevin Youkilis, 3B, NYY (back) – Has herniated disk and will require back surgery that will keep him out for 10-to-12 weeks.

Transactions

Placed on Disabled List (15-day unless otherwise noted)
Jeff Baker, OF, TEX
Evan Gattis, C, ATL
Miguel Gonzalez, SP, BAL (placed on paternity list)
David Ross, C, BOS (placed on 7-day DL)
Mark Teixeira, 1B, NYY
Justin Turner, 2B, NYM

Activated from Disabled List (15-day unless otherwise noted)
Scott Atchison, RP, NYM
Nathan Eovaldi, SP, MIA (60-day DL)
Justin Maxwell, OF, HOU
Carlos Ruiz, C, PHI
Justin Smoak, 1B, SEA

Sent Down (to Triple-A unless otherwise noted)
Chris Bootcheck, RP, NYY (designated for assignment)
Charles Brewer, RP, ARI
Matt Langwell, RP, CLE
Steve Lerud, C, PHI
Alex Liddi, 3B, SEA
Chris McGuiness, 1B, TEX
Yamaico Navarro, 3B, BAL (designated for assignment)
Edgar Olmos, RP, MIA (optioned to Double-A)
Jimmy Paredes, OF, HOU

Called Up (from Triple-A unless otherwise noted)
Alfredo Aceves, SP, BOS
Zoilo Almonte, OF, NYY
Zach Britton, SP, BAL
Robinson Chirinos, C, TEX
Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B, CLE
Randall Delgado, SP, ARI
Travis Ishikawa, 1B, BAL
Wil Myers, OF, TB
Jake Odorizzi, SP, TB
Joe Ortiz, RP, TEX
Tyler Pastornicky, SS, ATL
Cory Rasmus, RP, ATL
Adam Warren, RP, NYY
Zack Wheeler, SP, NYM

Released
Ramon Ramirez, RP, SF

Closer Watch

Detroit – After Drew Smyly picked up a three-inning save Monday against the Orioles, Tigers manager Jim Leyland confirmed that he will "mix-and-match" at closer going forward. Smyly's save should be viewed as an aberration, as Leyland specifically called out Jose Valverde, Joaquin Benoit and Phil Coke as his options in close games. Coke would only face left-handed heavy lineups, so Valverde and Benoit are the best two options to take a flier on in the Tigers bullpen right now if you're fishing for saves.

Recommended Pickup

Marlon Byrd, OF, NYM – You'd be excused if you missed it with the Mets being utterly unwatchable this season, but over the past two weeks, Byrd's five home runs are tied for the second-most in all of baseball during that span. While such a power surge is likely not sustainable, it has allowed Byrd to claim prime real estate in the Mets' lineup, as he's batted either cleanup or fifth in the order for five straight games. Run-scoring opportunities should remain scarce for the Mets, but with competent bats in Daniel Murphy and David Wright ahead of him in the lineup, Byrd figures to benefit from the most chances to bat with runners on base. Just keep in mind that Byrd no longer is a factor on the bases and carries some risk in the batting average department, making him essentially a home run/RBI plug-in.

Other Recent Recommendations:Mike Zunino, Joaquin Benoit, Miguel Gonzalez, Gerrit Cole, and Tyler Colvin

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DraftStreet Value Picks

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1B: Lyle Overbay, NYY ($5,456)
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