The Lineup Card: San Salvador

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Projected Starters- A look at Thrusday's matchups (all times ET):

Injuries

Day-to-Day

Adam Jones, OF, BAL (ankle) - may not be ready to go until FridayJosh Beckett, P, BOS (ankle) - likely to make his next start on FridayDavid Ortiz, DH, BOS (back) - scratched from lineup on Tuesday and will need a couple more days of restErik Bedard, P, BOS (knee) - close to throwing again; could start next MondayTsuyoshi Nishioka, 2B, MIN (oblique) - still sore; likely to return on weekendChris Dickerson, OF, NY-A (thumb) - suffered injury on steal attempt on Monday; awaiting x-ray resultsNelson Cruz, OF, TEX (hamstring) - no timetable for his return despite being activated on TuesdayCoco Crisp, OF, OAK (ankle) - MRI shows no structural damage; likely to return before end of seasonYunel Escobar, SS, TOR (elbow) - still experiencing sorenessBrett Lawrie, 3B, TOR (knee) - left Wednesday's game with contusionJair Jurrjens, P, ATL (knee) - playing catch while wearing a knee brace; no timetable for returnTodd Helton, 1B, COL (back) - left Tuesday's game with flare up of sore backTroy Tulowitzki, SS, COL (hip) - injured in Tuesday's game and may need a couple of days offMike Stanton, OF, FLA (hamstring) - has started only one game since September 3Jason Michaels, OF, HOU (hand) - underwent surgery on Wednesday; will miss the rest of the seasonJason Isringhausen, P, NY-N (back) - unavailable for a few days after receiving epidural on MondayJason Bay, OF, NY-N (shoulder) - injured right shoulder on a recent diving attempt in the outfieldWilson Valdez, SS, PHI (hamstring) - no timetable for returnMatt Holliday, OF, STL (hand) - will visit doctor this week and may miss the rest of this seasonRafael Furcal, OF, STL (knee) - suffered a sprained knee in Wednesday's game

Players on the DL

Bobby Jenks, P, BOS (back) - diagnosed with pulmonary embolism; must clear up before having back surgery�Clay Buchholz, P, BOS (back) - threw on flat ground Tuesday; may throw side session later this weekShin-Soo Choo, OF, CLE (abdomen) - could return from DL on ThursdayJosh Tomlin, P, CLE (elbow) - hopes to throw simulated game in a few daysAlexi Casilla, SS, MIN (hamstring) - running on Target Field; may return this seasonColby Rasmus, OF, TOR (wrist) - may not rejoin the Jays until the weekendTommy Hanson, P, ATL (shoulder) - threw another bullpen session on Wednesday;�Johan Santana, P, NY-N (shoulder) - Thursday rehab appearance cancelledChase Headley, 3B, SD (finger) - took live bp before Tuesday's game; unsure of return to active roster this yearJonathan Sanchez, P, SF (ankle) - return this season is very doubtfulBrian Wilson, P, SF (elbow) - will throw off a mound on Thursday

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

Waiver Claim

Matt Pagnozzi, C, PIT (from Colorado)

Called Up

Joey Gathright, OF, BOS Trevor Miller, P, BOSZach Putnam, P, CLEJunichi Tazawa, P, BOSJose Iglesias, SS, BOSLars Anderson, 1B, BOSDan Johnson, 1B, TB Alexander Torres, P, TB

Sent Down

Nate Spears, OF, BOS (dfa'd)Francisco Samuel, P, STL (dfa'd)Jason Rice, P, CLE (dfa'd)Garrett Mock, P, WAS (outrighted to Syracuse -Triple A)Mike Cameron, OF, FLO (released)Jay Buente, P, TB (released)

Placed on DL

J.D. Drew, OF, BOS - (moved to 60-day dl)Francisco Cervelli, C, NY-A (concussion - retroactive to Sep. 9)Steve Pearce, 1B, PIT (finger) - moved to 60 day DL

Activated from DL

Nelson Cruz, OF, TEXEduardo Sanchez, P, STLDarren O'Day, P, TEX

Closer Watch

Yankees - Mariano Rivera reached the 600 save plateau this week. How good has this guy been, you may ask? How about the fact that his career ERA is 2.22 and his career-long WHIP is 1.00. That's over 1037 appearances and in the closer role with the Yankees since 1997. To see that he has handled all the pressure that goes with this particular job and that he has done it with one pitch is even more amazing. The 41-year old phenom isn't even slowing down yet. Sure, he has actually blown 7 of his 48 save opportunities but this year's 2.05 ERA and 0.93 WHIP are both below his career numbers. He will go down in history as the gold standard at his position.

Orioles - Through another disappointing season, Baltimore has apparently installed Jim Johnson into the closer role after watching incumbent Kevin Gregg's recent struggles. Gregg has stumbled to a 0-2 record and 6.29 ERA in his last 10 appearances to cause the need for a change. Johnson, for his part, has answered the bell in nailing down the saves in each of his last three outings, allowing only one hit and two walks in 2.1 innings to get the job done. Unlike Gregg, he has been pitching very well of late, compiling a 1.76 ERA in his last 10 outings. The Orioles have used Johnson as a closer in the past, with ordinary results, so there is little doubt that they want to see if Johnson can really take ownership of the role once again.

Cardinals - The Cardinals are another club that is looking away from their season-long closer, Fernando Salas, as the 2011 regular season is winding down. Jason Motte, who had been putting together a great season in a set-up role, is now at the back of the pen. He has earned five saves in his last six appearances and has also turned it up a notch by limiting opponents to nine hits in his last 10.1 innings of work, in pitching to a 0.87 ERA. For the year, he has a 0.93 WHIP, to go along with a 1.59 ERA in 62.1 innings pitched. His k/bb rate is also impressive at over a four to one ratio. All of these figures are quite closer-like and he certainly has made a case for consideration as the going-forward closer option in 2012.

Nationals - Washington may not have reached the goals they had set out for at the start of this season, with some interesting offseason additions, but they can still feel confident about the faith they have in second year closer Drew Storen, who has figured in more than half of their wins with 36 saves in 41 opportunities this season. With this season winding down, he may be showing a bit of fatigue as he has been in all or nothing mode in recent weeks. He has been touched for at least a couple of hits in five of his last 10 outings, but has been perfect in the other five games. Even with this recent inconsistency, there is no doubt that he will hold this role going into next season.

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Recommended Pickup- Salvador Perez, C, KC - The Royals are a club with a large number of top prospects and one of their best new players is quickly becoming a factor at the catcher position. Salvador Perez has made quite an impression with his productive bat, as he has posted a .294 BA and a fairly good OPS (for a catcher, particularly) of .726 in 102 at bats. The fact that his father is Tony Perez of Big Red Machine fame, speaks well of his bloodlines. The fact that he has been around baseball all his life may also account for the fact that he has become a take-charge guy with respect to handling the Royals' pitching staff. It looks like they should be in good hands for the next few years.

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