The Lineup Card: Not So Perfect

Projected Starters - A look at Tuesday's matchups:

Mets (Hisanori Takahashi - L) at Marlins (Nate Robertson - L), 7:05
Athletics (Dallas Braden - L) at Orioles (Brian Matusz - L), 7:05
Mariners (Cliff Lee - L) at Yankees (Phil Hughes - R), 7:05
Blue Jays (Brandon Morrow - R) at Indians (Fausto Carmona - R), 7:05
Phillies (Joe Blanton - R) at Reds (Mike Leake - R), 7:10
Nationals (Craig Stammen - R) at Braves (Derek Lowe - R), 7:10
Rays (James Shields - R) at Red Sox (John Lackey - R), 7:10
Pirates (Jeff Karstens - R) at Cubs (Ted Lilly - L), 8:05
Astros (Brett Myers - R) at Brewers (Yovani Gallardo - R), 8:10
Tigers (Armando Galarraga - R) at Twins (Nick Blackburn - R), 8:10
White Sox (Gavin Floyd - R) t Royals (Brian Bannister - R), 8:10
Diamondbacks (Dontrelle Willis - L) t Cardinals (Adam Wainwright - R), 8:15
Rockies (Jason Hammel - R) at Padres (Wade LeBlanc - L), 10:05
Rangers (Scott Feldman - R) at Angels (Joel Pineiro - R), 10:05
Dodgers (John Ely - R) at Giants (Matt Cain - R), 10:15

Day game following a night game: none

Injuries - A brief look at players who have been missing time due to injury and their expected returns

Day-to-Day (includes players expected to make their return from the DL)
Angel Pagan, OF, NY-N - (Oblique) DNP Monday, his fifth consecutive miss
Brett Gardner, OF, NY-A - (Wrist) Day-to-day with a wrist contusion, did not start Sunday
Magglio Ordonez, OF, DET - (Oblique) Manager Jim Leyland says Maggs isn't 100 percent
Carl Crawford, OF, TB - (Shoulder) Served as a pinch-runner Sunday and could DH Tuesday
Clay Buchholz, P, BOS - (Hamstring) Has a slight hammy tear. Will avoid the DL.... for now
Kevin Frandsen, 2B, ANA - (Thumb) Jammed his thumb Saturday and DNP Sunday
David Aardsma, P, SEA - (Personal) Should return to closing duties Tuesday after missing the weekend.
Placido Polanco, 2B, PHI - (Elbow) Had a cortisone shot Sunday. Might play Tuesday after two misses
Jason Donald, SS, CLE - (Neck) DNP Sunday or Monday
Jason Heyward, OF, ATL - (Thumb) Did not start Monday, MRI showed a strained ligament

Players on the DL
LaTroy Hawkins, P, MIL - (Shoulder) Has begun a throwing program and is pain-free. Could return after All-Star break?
Steven Pearce, 1B, PIT - (Ankle) May not be an everyday player when he gets activated next week
Charlie Morton, P, PIT - (Shoulder) Could start against PHI Thursday
Carlos Ruiz, C, PHI - (Head) Caught a BP Sunday and should be off the DL in a week
Ryan Madson, P, PHI - (Toe) Threw an inning at High-A Sunday
Jorge De La Rosa, P, COL - (Finger) Threw 83 pitches in a rehab start Sunday. He should make one more start before re-joining Rox
Brad Ausmus, C, LA - (Back) Rehabbing ahead of schedule, could be Russell Martin's backup in a month?
Mark DeRosa, 3B, SF - (Wrist) Transferred to 60-day DL, already out for the year
Rick Ankiel, OF, KC - (Quads) Rehab at Triple-A delayed. Has not played since June 15
Dustin Pedroia, 2B, BOS - (Foot) Out six weeks
Jed Lowrie, SS, BOS - (Mononucleosis) Will rehab in Florida for a bit longer before heading to the minors
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, BOS - (Ribs) Yet to resume baseball activities
Erik Bedard, P, SEA - (Shoulder) Looked good Saturday against a squad of recent draftees. Will rehab at Triple-A Tacoma later this week.

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

Placed on the DL
Victor Martinez, C, BOS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B, BOS

Activated from the DL
Chad Billingsley, P, LA
Bud Norris, P, HOU

Called up
Craig Stammen, P, WAS (not official yet, but should get the call to start Tuesday against ATL)

Sent Down
Jon Link, P, LA

Designated for Assignment
Josh Banks, P, HOU

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

White Sox - Bobby Jenks is on the bereavement list due to a personal matter and will likely stay on there at least until Wednesday. J.J. Putz and Matt Thornton should be the primary ninth-inning guys during the Royals series, but they will relinquish that role once Jenks returns later this week.

Mariners - David Aardsma, a new father, should return from personal leave in time for Tuesday's game. Brandon League, who picked up a save while Aardsma was away, will return to setup duty.

Milwaukee - John Axford continues to fend off Trevor Hoffman, but the latter is ready should the former start to slip.

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)

Hot
Andre Ethier v Matt Cain - 18-for-33 (.545/.553/.636), 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 4:3 K:BB
James Loney v Matt Cain - 8-for-26 (.308/.379/.538), 4 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 2:3 K:BB
Rafael Furcal v Matt Cain - 9-for-25 (.360/.385/.440), 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 5:1 K:BB
Casey Blake v Matt Cain - 5-for-18 (.278/.381/.667), 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5:3 K:BB
Blake DeWitt v Matt Cain - 4-for-10 (.400/.500/.700), 0 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1:2 K:BB
Michael Young v Joel Pineiro - 16-for-49 (.327/.365/.449), 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 5:3 K:BB
Vladimir Guerrero v Joel Pineiro - 5-for-16 (.313/.421/.813), 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1:3 K:BB
Torii Hunter v Scott Feldman - 5-for-16 (.313/.421/.313), 0 2B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2:3 K:BB
Mike Napoli v Scott Feldman - 10-for-18 (.556/.579/.722), 0 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4:1 K:BB
Howie Kendrick v Scott Feldman - 4-for-12 (.333/.385/.667), 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2:1 K:BB
Albert Pujols v Dontrelle Willis - 5-for-14 (.357/.438/.571), 3 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:2 K:BB
A.J. Pierzynski v Brian Bannister - 12-for-29 (.414/.452/.793), 5 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2:2 K:BB
Alexei Ramirez v Brian Bannister - 7-for-17 (.412/.478/.647), 1 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 2:4 K:BB
Alexis Rios v Brian Bannister - 6-for-11 (.545/.643/1.182), 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 0:3 K:BB
Carlos Quentin v Brian Bannister - 5-for-10 (.500/.545/1.100), 0 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2:0 K:BB
Alberto Callaspo v Gavin Floyd - 5-for-14 (.357/.357/.786), 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5:0 K:BB
Yuniesky Betancourt v Gavin Floyd - 5-for-13 (.385/.385/.692), 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2:0 K:BB
Joe Mauer v Armando Galarraga - 8-for-17 (.471/.591/.882), 1 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 1:5 K:BB
Denard Span v Armando Galarraga - 6-for-13 (.462/.533/.538), 1 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:2 K:BB
Miguel Cabrera v Nick Blackburn - 8-for-19 (.421/.450/.632), 1 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 1:1 K:BB
Magglio Ordonez v Nick Blackburn - 6-for-14 (.429/.429/.429), 0 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:0 K:BB
Michael Bourn v Yovani Gallardo - 5-for-14 (.357/.438/.357), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 7:2 K:BB
Garrett Jones v Ted Lilly - 4-for-12 (.333/.385/.667), 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1:1 K:BB
J.D. Drew v James Shields - 11-for-31 (.355/.412/.677), 4 2B, 2HR, 6 RBI, 5:3 K:BB
David Ortiz v James Shields - 11-for-28 (.393/.485/.857), 7 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 4:5 K:BB
Hank Blalock v John Lackey - 25-for-72 (.347/.413/.528), 7 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 11:8 K:BB
Carl Crawford v John Lackey - 16-for-38 (.421/.421/.605), 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 1:0 K:BB
Jason Bartlett v John Lackey - 7-for-19 (.368/.400/.737), 1 2B, 3 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:1 K:BB
Adam Kennedy v Derek Lowe - 13-for-32 (.406/.472/.531), 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 5:4 K:BB
Cristian Guzman v Derek Lowe - 12-for-31 (.387/.394/.419), 1 2B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 4:1 K:BB
Nyjer Morgan v Derek Lowe - 7-for-13 (.538/.538/.615), 1 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:0 K:BB
Derek Jeter v Cliff Lee - 11-for-27 (.407/.467/.519), 3 2B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 3:3 K:BB
Mark Teixeira v Cliff Lee - 9-for-23 (.391/.462/.696), 4 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2:2 K:BB

Adam Wainwright v Diamondbacks - This will be the first time Wainwright toes the rubber against the Diamondbacks this season, but he must be fairly eager to face this group of batters. They have hit a collective .167/.248/.267 off him in 101 career plate appearances, and they have struck out 25 times compared to 10 walks. That line is buoyed by Mark Reynolds' 4-for-13 (.308), but only one of those four hits have gone for extra bases. Miguel Montero has also had success against Wainwright in limited experience (2-for-7, HR), but that's about where the Diamondbacks' accomplishments end. No other D-Back has hit better than .222 against the Cards' co-ace. The team's likely 1-2-3 batters of Kelly Johnson, Justin Upton and Stephen Drew have gone a combined 2-for-29 with seven strikeouts against Wainwright. He only lasted four innings against the Jays in his last start, but he should see a longer outing Tuesday.

Cold
Bobby Abreu v Scott Feldman - 4-for-19 (.211), 0 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4:2 K:BB
Juan Rivera v Scott Feldman - 3-for-17 (.176), 0 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:1 K:BB
Adrian Gonzalez v Jason Hammel - 3-for-14 (.214), 0 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4:2 K:BB
Felipe Lopez v Dontrelle Willis - 6-for-27 (.222), 0 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 7:3 K:BB
Adam LaRoche v Adam Wainwright - 4-for-18 (.222), 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6:3 K:BB
Stephen Drew v Adam Wainwright - 2-for-16 (.125), 1 2B, 0 HR, 3:2 K:BB
Chris Young v Adam Wainwright - 2-for-11 (.182), 0 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 4:2 K:BB
Paul Konerko v Brian Bannister - 5-for-30 (.167), 2 2B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 9:3 K:BB
Gordon Beckham v Brian Bannister - 0-for-11 (.000), 0 RBI, 3:2 K:BB
Jason Kubel v Armando Galarraga - 4-for-17 (.235), 0 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5:4 K:BB
Delmon Young v Armando Galarraga - 2-for-17 (.118), 0 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3:1 K:BB
Nick Punto v Armando Galarraga - 2-for-10 (.200), 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3:4 K:BB
Michael Cuddyer v Armando Galarraga - 3-for-13 (.231), 0 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:1 K:BB
Brandon Inge v Nick Blackburn - 4-for-18 (.222), 0 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5:0 K:BB
Gerald Laird v Nick Blackburn - 3-for-14 (.214), 0 2B, 0 HR,1 RBI, 2:2 K:BB
Carlos Guillen v Nick Blackburn - 3-for-14 (.214), 1 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 4:0 K:BB
Lance Berkman v Yovani Gallardo - 3-for-14 (.214), 1 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 5:5 K:BB
Geoff Blum v Yovani Gallardo - 3-for-14 (.214), 0 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2:0 K:BB
Andy LaRoche v Ted Lilly - 4-for-21 (.190), 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 5:3 K:BB
Andrew McCutchen v Ted Lilly - 3-for-17 (.176), 1 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 4:4 K:BB
Ronny Cedeno v Ted Lilly - 2-for-11 (.182), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:1 K:BB
Kevin Youkilis v James Shields - 3-for-28 (.107), 1 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 9:3 K:BB
Jason Varitek v James Shields - 4-for-24 (.167), 0 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 8:1 K:BB
Adrian Beltre v James Shields - 3-for-21 (.143), 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 12:0 K:BB
B.J. Upton v John Lackey 3-for-18 (.167), 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6:1 K:BB
Adam Dunn v Derek Lowe - 5-for-25 (.200), 2 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 7:1 K:BB
Josh Willingham v Derek Lowe - 4-for-22 (.182), 0 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2:3 K:BB
John Buck v Fausto Carmona - 2-for-13 (.154), 0 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:0 K:BB
Lyle Overbay v Fausto Carmona - 1-for-10 (.100), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:0 K:BB
Robinson Cano v Cliff Lee - 4-for-18 (.222), 0 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3:1 K:BB
Nick Markakis v Dallas Braden - 2-for-15 (.133), 1 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 6:2 K:BB
Adam Jones v Dallas Braden - 1-for-13 (.077), 0 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:0 K:BB
Jason Bay v Nate Robertson - 2-for-10 (.200), 0 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3:0 K:BB

Matt Cain v Dodgers - Cain tossed a complete game shutout against the Reds June 8, but he has gone 1-2 with a .315 BAA, 5.71 ERA and 9:5 K:BB in the three starts since, which includes a 2.2-inning disaster against the not-so-great Astros in his last outing. Things don't look to get much easier when he takes on the Dodgers Tuesday. He is 0-7 against them in his career, and he posted a 1.750 WHIP in two starts last season (he has yet to face them in 2010). The current crop of Dodgers has a .394 OBP and a not-too-attractive 35:27 K:BB in 237 plate appearances against Cain. Their charge may be led by Andre Ethier (18-for-33, 1 2B, 1 3B) and Rafael Furcal (9-for-25). Manny Ramirez has an unseemly .154 batting average in 13 at-bats against Cain, but both of his hits have gone for extra-bases (one double, one home run) and he has drawn five walks (to two K's).

Recommended Pickup

Jamie Moyer, P, PHI - Since a dreadful one-inning start against the Red Sox June 11 in which he allowed nine runs on nine hits, Moyer has rebounded with a pleasant three-game win streak. He has a 17:2 K:BB over those 23 innings to go with a .138 BAA, and he has gone eight innings in two of those starts. The fastball continues to chug at 81 mph, but he has a favorable matchup against the Pirates on Friday.