The Lineup Card: It's in the Cards

Projected Starters - A look at Tuesday's matchups:

Red Sox (Josh Beckett - R) v Orioles (Brian Matusz - L), 7:05
White Sox (Edwin Jackson - R) v Indians (Justin Masterson - R), 7:05
Athletics (Vincent Mazzaro - R) v Yankees (Philip Hughes - R), 7:05
Nationals (Jordan Zimmermann - R) v Marlins (Anibal Sanchez - R), 7:10
Brewers (Yovani Gallardo - R) v Reds (Aaron Harang - R), 7:10
Mets (Jonathon Niese - L) v Braves (Mike Minor - L), 7:10
Blue Jays (Ricky Romero - L) v Rays (Jeff Niemann - R), 7:10
Cardinals (Chris Carpenter - R) v Astros (Wandy Rodriguez - L), 8:05
Pirates (Jeffrey Karstens - R) v Cubs (Ryan Dempster - R), 8:05
Tigers (Armando Galarraga - R) v Twins (Brian Duensing - L), 8:10
Rangers (Cliff Lee - L) v Royals (Sean O'Sullivan - R), 8:10
Padres (Kevin Correia - R) v Diamondbacks (Ian Kennedy - R), 9:40
Phillies (Kyle Kendrick - R) v Dodgers (Carlos Monasterios - R), 10:10
Angels (Dan Haren - R) v Mariners (Felix Hernandez - R), 10:10
Rockies (Esmil Rogers - R) v Giants (Madison Bumgarner - L), 10:15

Day game after a night game: None

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

Day-to-Day (includes players expected to make their return from the DL)
Dan Uggla, 2B, FLA – (Groin) Scratched from Monday's lineup
Geovany Soto, C, CHI-N – (Knee) Woke up sore Monday and MRI on tap
Derek Lowe, P, ATL – (Elbow) Elbow was iced up Monday
Peter Moylan, P, ATL – (Shoulder) Had a cortisone shot Friday and was out of commission over the weekend
Miguel Cairo, 2B, CIN – (Leg) Has some tightness in his leg
Laynce Nix, OF, CIN – (Ankle) Out for a few days
Brandon Phillips, 2B, CIN – (Wrist) Not in Monday's lineup
Derrek Lee, 1B, ATL – (Abdomen) Returned to the lineup Monday
Adam LaRoche, 1B, AZ – (Knee) Has some soreness behind his knee
Jose Reyes, SS, NY-N – (Oblique) Will probably sit out the next four games
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, COL – (Groin) Left Sunday's game, won't start Monday
Evan Meek, P, PIT – (Hand) Suffered a contusion to his right hand Sunday, out for a few days?
Jeffrey Karstens, P, PIT – (Arm fatigue) Should Start Tuesday
Matt LaPorta, OF, CLE – (Hip) Will not have an MRI and could pinch-hit Tuesday
Lyle Overbay, 1B, TOR – (Illness) Not in Monday's lineup
Yunel Escobar, SS, TOR – (Back) Not in Monday's lineup
Mark Teixeira, 1B, NY-A – (Thumb) Returned to the lineup card Monday after sitting Sunday
Gerald Laird, C, DET – (Back) Unavailable Sunday because of spasms
Julio Lugo, SS, BAL – (Head) Left Sunday's game after taking a pickoff throw to the helmet
Jeremy Guthrie, P, BAL – (Back) Pitched through back tightness Sunday
Jim Thome, DH, MIN – (Back) May need a couple of days off

Players on the DL
Dennys Reyes, P, STL – (Elbow) Could return by the weekend
Ian Stewart, 3B, COL – (Oblique) Will land on the DL
Brandon Webb, P, AZ – (Shoulder) Felt good on Sunday, a day after a simulated game
Matt Lindstrom, P, HOU – (Back) Will throw a rehab game at Double-A Tuesday
Danys Baez, P, PHI – (Back) Will rehab at the team's facility in Florida
Ross Gload, 1B, PHI – (Groin) Should return to the Phillies' bench Friday
Craig Gentry, OF, TEX – (Wrist) Recalled and placed on DL Monday
Jake Peavy, P, CHI-A – (Back) Transferred to 60-day DL, done for the season
Lance Berkman, 1B, NY-A – (Ankle) Should come off the DL Wednesday
Brian Bannister, P, KC – (Shoulder) One start away from activation
Luke Hochevar, P, KC – (Elbow) Will make at least two more starts at Triple-A Omaha
Gil Meche, P, KC – (Shoulder) Could return later this week and pitch in the bullpen
Matt Thornton, P, CHI-A – (Forearm) Did some throwing over the weekend
Frank Francisco, P, TEX – (Back) Texas won't rush him back from the DL

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

Called Up
Craig Gentry, OF, TEX
Aaron Cunningham, OF, SD
Kenshin Kawakami, P, ATL
Ramon Troncoso, P, LA

Sent Down
Brandon Boggs, OF, TEX
Allen Craig, OF, STL
Luis Perdomo, P, SD
Cristhian Martinez, P, ATL

Placed on DL (15-day unless otherwise noted)
Jake Peavy, P, CHI-A (transferred to 60-day DL)
Craig Gentry, OF, TEX

Activated from DL
Nelson Cruz, OF, TEX
Jason Motte, P, STL

Claimed off waivers
Manny Ramirez, OF LA to CHI-A

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

WAS: Drew Storen earned a four-out save against the Cardinals Sunday, striking out three and surrendering a solo home run to Pedro Feliz. The Nats have not provided many save chances of late, but Storen has picked up the last two, and manager Jim Riggleman may want to see what the rookie has while the team considers its closer role for 2011.

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
Nick Markakis v Josh Beckett – 11-for-35 (.314/.400/.457), 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 10:5 K:BB
Ty Wigginton v Josh Beckett – 9-for-29 (.310/.375/.828), 3 2B, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 6:0 K:BB
Luke Scott v Josh Beckett – 8-for-18 (.444/.545/.778), 0 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4:4 K:BB
Shin-Soo Choo v Edwin Jackson – 7-for-16 (.438/.526/.625), 3 2B, 0 Hr, 3 RBI, 2:3 K:BB
Travis Hafner v Edwin Jackson – 4-for-11 (.364/.500/.636), 0 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3:3 K:BB
A.J. Pierzynski v Justin Masterson – 5-for-11 (.455/.455/.545), 1 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:0 K:BB
Brandon Phillips v Yovani Gallardo – 7-for-17 (.412/.500/.706), 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0:2 K:BB
Prince Fielder v Aaron Harang – 12-for-36 (.333/.342/.583), 0 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 7:1 K:BB
Craig Counsell v Aaron Harang – 12-for-34 (.353/.389/.529), 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3:2 K:BB
Ryan Braun v Aaron Harang – 5-for-19 (.263/.263/.737), 0 2B, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 7:0 K:BB
Adam Lind v Jeff Niemann – 7-for-17 (.412/.500/.765), 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2:3 K:BB
Lyle Overbay v Jeff Niemann –6-for-18 (.333/.333/.611), 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 0:0 K:BB
Matt Holliday v Wandy Rodriguez – 8-for-26 (.308/.357/.769), 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 4:2 K:BB
Alfonso Soriano v Jeffrey Karstens – 6-for-11 (.545/.545/1.091), 0 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1:0 K:BB
Andy LaRoche v Ryan Dempster – 5-for-16 (.313/.353/.625), 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4:1 K:BB
Joe Mauer v Armando Galarraga – 9-for-20 (.450/.560/.800), 1 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 1:5 K:BB
Denard Span v Armando Galarraga – 9-for-16 (.563/.611/.875), 1 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 1:2 K:BB
Justin Upton v Kevin Correia – 13-for-37 (.351/.351/.541), 4 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 6:0 K:BB
Gerardo Parra v Kevin Correia – 9-for-21 (.429/.455/.619), 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:1 K:BB
Kelly Johnson v Kevin Correia – 5-for-17 (.294/.368/.882), 1 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4:2 K:BB
Andre Ethier v Kyle Kendrick – 5-for-10 (.500/.615/1.300), 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0:3 K:BB
James Loney v Kyle Kendrick – 6-for-11 (.545/.583/.909), 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1:1 K:BB
Josh Bard v Dan Haren – 4-for-11 (.364/.417/.636), 0 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2:1 K:BB
Bobby Abreu v Felix Hernandez – 11-for-30 (.367/.412/.533), 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2:3 K:BB

Wandy Rodriguez v St. Louis – Rodriguez may seem like a strange pick for this spot seeing as he has posted a 1-2 record and 6.06 ERA in his three starts against them this year. However, two of those starts came during his early-season struggles, and he has improved in each go-round. He has held their current bats to a .285 OBP over 230 career plate appearances, and Matt Holliday is the only regular to own a career batting average over .300 against Rodriguez (and has three home runs). Rodriguez has been on a roll over his past seven starts (3-1, 1.12 ERA, 54:9 K:BB, .199 BAA) and should be able to continue that success Tuesday.

Cold
Corey Patterson v Josh Beckett – 2-for-16 (.125), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:1 K:BB
Cesar Izturis v Josh Beckett – 3-for-14 (.214), 0 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 4:2 K:BB
Julio Lugo v Josh Beckett – 2-for-15 (.133), 1 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:1 K:BB
Marco Scutaro v Brian Matusz – 1-for-10 (.100), 0 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2:1 K:BB
Asdrubal Cabrera v Edwin Jackson – 4-for-19 (.211), 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6:1 K:BB
Andy Marte v Edwin Jackson – 0-for-12 (.000), 0 RBI, 2:1 K:BB
Alex Rios v Justin Masterson – 3-for-15 (.200), 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2:2 K:BB
Paul Konerko v Justin Masterson – 2-for-11 (.182), 0 2B, 0 HR , 1 RBI, 1:2 K:BB
Ryan Zimmerman v Anibal Sanchez – 7-for-30 (.233), 1 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 5:2 K:BB
Omar Infante v Jonathon Niese – 1-for-10 (.100), 1 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:0 K:BB
Carl Crawford v Ricky Romero – 2-for-11 (.182), 1 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:0 K:BB
Aaron Hill v Jeff Niemann – 5-for-21 (.238), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:0 K:BB
Vernon Wells v Jeff Niemann – 1-for-17 (.059), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:1 K:BB
Jose Bautista v Jeff Niemann – 1-for-11 (.091), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 4:3 K:BB
Carlos Lee v Chris Carpenter – 7-for-40 (.175), 0 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 11:2 K:BB
Geoff Blum v Chris Carpenter – 4-for-18 (.222), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:0 K:BB
Michael Bourn v Chris Carpenter – 3-for-15 (.200), 0 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 4:2 K:BB
Hunter Pence v Chris Carpenter – 2-for-15 (.133), 0 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6:0 K:BB
Yadier Molina v Wandy Rodriguez – 8-for-34 (.235), 2 2B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 6:1 K:BB
Felipe Lopez v Wandy Rodriguez – 5-for-22 (.227), 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3:2 K:BB
Brendan Ryan v Wandy Rodriguez – 4-for-23 (.174), 0 2B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 4:0 K:BB
Aaron Miles v Wandy Rodriguez –2-for-11 (.182), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:0 K:BB
Ryan Doumit v Ryan Dempster – 2-for-18 (.111), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 5:1 K:BB
Lastings Milledge v Ryan Dempster – 2-for-14 (.143), 0 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:1 K:BB
Garrett Jones v Ryan Dempster – 2-for-12 (.167), 0 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 5:1 K:BB
Andrew McCutchen v Ryan Dempster – 2-for-10 (.200), 0 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:1 K:BB
Delmon Young v Armando Galarraga – 2-for-19 (.105), 0 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4:1 K:BB
Michael Cuddyer v Armando Galarraga – 3-for-15 (.200), 0 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:1 K:BB
Willie Bloomquist v Cliff Lee – 7-for-29 (.241), 0 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 7:0 K:BB
Yuniesky Betancourt v Cliff Lee – 3-for-17 (.176), 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:0 K:BB
Mike Aviles v Cliff Lee – 2-for-15 (.133), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:0 K:BB
Stephen Drew v Kevin Correia – 10-for-44 (.227), 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6:1 K:BB
Mark Reynolds v Kevin Correia – 8-for-36 (.222), 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 16:3 K:BB
Jose Lopez v Dan Haren – 4-for-22 (.182), 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 6:0 K:BB
Casey Kotchman v Dan Haren – 6-for-25 (.240), 0 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:0 K:BB
Erick Aybar v Felix Hernandez – 5-for-26 (.192), 3 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3:2 K:BB
Howie Kendrick v Felix Hernandez – 6-for-27 (.222), 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5:0 K:BB
Hideki Matsui v Felix Hernandez – 5-for-23 (.217), 1 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3:2 K:BB
Juan Rivera v Felix Hernandez – 3-for-19 (.158), 0 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3:3 K:BB
Reggie Willits v Felix Hernandez – 1-for-13 (.077), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:2 K:BB

Armando Galarraga v Minnesota – The Twins' current batters have hit a combined .302/.406/.491 in 116 at-bats against Galarraga. They have also drawn more walks (21) than strikeouts. That figure does not include slugger Justin Morneau, who will not play, but it is still interesting to note. Joe Mauer and Denard Span have been Galarraga's biggest nemeses, as both have OPS's well over 1.000 (1.360 and 1.486 respectively). He only lasted four innings and allowed six runs in a June 29 start against them, and things don't look shinier for Tuesday. He allowed one run or fewer in each of his past two starts, but those outings came against the Indians and Royals, lesser opponents than the Twins.

Recommended Pickup

Melvin Mora, 3B, COL - Ian Stewart's oblique injury should open up some regular playing time at third base for Mora, who has hit .303/.411/.421 since the All-Star break. He hits for less power than you would expect for someone who plays his home games in Denver, but he has a 11:10 K:BB over his 76 post-break at-bats, which increases his value in OBP formats. He has 10 or more starts at third, first and second this season (and four starts in the outfield), so he could prove to be a valuable roster jigsaw as other members of your lineup get shut down over the last few weeks

Other recent recommendations:Brandon Lyon, Fernando Rodney, Jim Johnson, Koji Uehara