Friday Lineup Card: Joe Cool Rejoins Hot Twins

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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

Yankees (Freddy Garcia - R) at Cubs (Doug Davis - L), 2:20
Pirates (Kevin Correia - R) at Indians (Josh Tomlin - R), 7:05
Orioles (Zach Britton - L) at Nationals (Jason Marquis - R), 7:05
Brewers (Shaun Marcum - R) at Red Sox (John Lackey - R), 7:10
Angels (Joel Pineiro - R) at Mets (Chris Capuano - L), 7:10
Blue Jays (Jo-Jo Reyes - L) at Reds (Mike Leake - R), 7:10
Marlins (Brad Hand - L) at Rays (Wade Davis - R), 7:10
Rangers (Colby Lewis - R) at Braves (Randall Delgado - R), 7:35
Padres (Clayton Richard - L) at Twins (Brian Duensing - L), 8:10
Royals (Felipe Paulino - R) at Cardinals (Chris Carpenter - R), 8:15
Tigers (Rick Porcello - R) at Rockies (Jason Hammel - R), 8:40
White Sox (Edwin Jackson - R) at Diamondbacks (Dan Hudson - R), 9:40
Giants (Tim Lincecum - R) at Athletics (Graham Godfrey - R), 10:05
Phillies (Roy Oswalt - R) at Mariners (Michael Pineda - R), 10:10
Astros (Brett Myers - R) at Dodgers (Ted Lilly - L), 10:10

Day Game After a Night Game: None

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)

NL
Tommy Hanson, SP, ATL (shoulder) - Scratched due to shoulder tightness
Cole Hamels, SP, PHI (back) - Will make his scheduled start Sunday vs. Seattle
Wilson Ramos, C, WAS (foot) - Playing through sore/swollen foot from foul ball
Tom Gorzelanny, SP, WAS (elbow) - Will come off DL and return to rotation Sunday vs. Baltimore

AL
Maicer Izturis, 3B, LAA (foot) - Has missed two straight, but could be back Friday
Russell Martin, C, NYY (back) - In the lineup Thursday
Jeremy Guthrie, SP, BAL (back) - Left Thursday with back strain and will have MRI Friday
Jed Lowrie, SS, BOS (shoulder) - Removed from Thursday's game with shoulder pain

Players on the DL

NL
Allen Craig, 2B, STL (knee) - Kneecap fracture will keep him out 3-6 weeks
Brandon Lyon, RP, HOU (biceps) - Seeing Dr. Lewis Yocum on Friday; Tommy John possible
Brad Lidge, RP, PHI (shoulder) - Played catch for first time since setback; still at least two weeks from rehab stint
Takashi Saito, RP, MIL (oblique) - Threw scoreless inning of rehab; will pitch again Friday, then possible weekend activation
Sam Demel, RP, AZ (shoulder) - Had good bullpen Tuesday; if Friday session goes well, rehab assignment
Eduardo Sanchez, RP, STL (shoulder) - Placed on DL with mild strain
Esmil Rogers, SP, COL (ribs) - After setback, will miss probably two rehab starts
Freddy Sanchez, 2B, SF (shoulder) - Will rest and rehab; no surgery

AL
Travis Hafner, DH, CLE (oblique) - Could return this weekend or perhaps Monday
Junichi Tazawa, SP, BOS (elbow) - Will make one more rehab start in A ball before Sox decide next step
Scott Kazmir, SP, LAA (back) - Placed on waivers and will be released when he passes through
Rafael Soriano, RP, NYY (elbow) - Transferred to 60-day DL
Derek Jeter, SS, NYY (calf) - Getting treatment in Tampa
Rich Harden, SP, OAK (shoulder) - Looked good in simulated game and will start rehab assignment Monday
Bobby Jenks, RP, BOS (back) - Expected to stay on DL more than min time; still just throwing off flat ground
Mark Ellis, 2B, OAK (hamstring) - Ran bases, did fielding drills before Wednesday's game
Brandon Inge, 3B, DET (illness) - Rehab assignment starting Thursday
Justin Morneau, 1B, MIN (wrist) - Will be in a cast for 10 days
Justin Duchscherer, SP, BAL (hip) - Had a setback; shocking
Joe Nathan, RP, MIN (elbow) - Will go to Triple-A for two or three games of rehab
Jason Kubel, OF, MIN (foot) - Still can't run
Casey Janssen, RP, TOR (forearm) - Placed on DL with strain

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

Called Up
Dustin Ackley, 2B, SEA
Fernando Abad, RP, HOU
Daniel Ray Herrera, RP, MIL
Jesus Guzman, 3B, SD

Sent Down
Jorge Cantu, 3B, SD (DFA)
Luis Rodriguez, 2B, SEA
Zach Braddock, RP, MIL
Lance Pendleton, RP, NYY
Brian Dinkelman, OF, MIN
Chuck James, RP, MIN

Placed on DL
Casey Janssen, RP, TOR
Eduardo Sanchez, RP, STL

Activated from DL
Matt Holliday, OF, STL
Joe Mauer, C, MIN
Glen Perkins, SP, MIN

Signed
Brian Gordon, SP, NYY

Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (check out our Closer Grid with the link to the left).

Minnesota - Matt Capps had blown three of his last four save chances, but he nailed it down Thursday, striking out two in a scoreless inning. Joe Nathan's return next week looms, but even so, Capps seems to have a moderately strong grip on the role for the time being.

Toronto - Frank Francisco collected his sixth save Wednesday, but only because Jon Rauch had gone two innings the night before. Rauch seems to still be the guy who's first in line for most opportunities.

Key Matchups

Dustin Ackley, 2B, SEA - This probably isn't the first you've heard of Ackley, as news of his promotion has been all over the fantasy scene. Friday will be Day 1 of the Ackley era in Seattle, and he'll be starting at second base, a tough position to fill in fantasy. At Triple-A, he was hitting .303 with a .908 OPS (thanks in large part to a sick 55:38 BB:K), nine homers and seven steals. Like his fellow mega-hyped West Coast prospect Anthony Rizzo, Ackley is in a difficult situation - bad lineup, pitcher's park. Temper expectations for power. Still, Ackley is a particularly good play in OBP and OPS leagues, and for some reason, I think he's going to steal a surprising number of bases.

Other recent recommendations: Charlie Blackmon, Scott Baker, Lucas Duda, Jemile Weeks, J.J. Hardy

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C - Victor Martinez, DET ($7,406)
1B - Miguel Cabrera, DET ($8,519)
2B - Dan Uggla, ATL ($3,841)
3B - Evan Longoria, TB ($7,238)
SS - Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE ($7,834)
OF - Carlos Gonzalez, COL ($7,530)
OF - Jose Tabata, PIT ($5,815)
OF - Grady Sizemore, CLE ($6,211)
UTIL - Ben Revere, MIN ($6,140)
UTIL - Torii Hunter, LAA ($4,217)
SP - Tim Lincecum, SF ($13,074)
SP - Zach Britton, BAL ($8,631)
RP - Brian Wilson, SF ($3,259)
P - Chris Carpenter, STL ($10,088)
Total: $99,980

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