The Lineup Card: Friday Lineup Card

Projected Starters - A look at Friday's matchups:

Diamondbacks (Joe Saunders – L) at Nationals (John Lannan – L), 7:05 ET
Mariners (David Pauley – R) at Indians (Fausto Carmona – R), 7:05 ET
Phillies (Cole Hamels – L) at Mets (R.A. Dickey – R), 7:10 ET
Orioles (Jeremy Guthrie – R) at Rays (James Shields – R), 7:10 ET
Marlins (Josh Johnson – R) at Reds (Edinson Volquez – R), 7:10 ET
Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda – R) at Braves (Tim Hudson – R), 7:35 ET
Cubs (Thomas Diamond – R) at Cardinals (Jake Westbrook – R), 8:05 ET
Pirates (Ross Ohlendorf – R) at Astros (Brett Myers – R), 8:05 ET
Red Sox (Josh Beckett – R) at Rangers (Tommy Hunter – R), 8:05 ET
Tigers (Jeremy Bonderman – R) at White Sox (Mark Buehrle – L), 8:10 ET
Yankees (Dustin Moseley – R) at Royals (Kyle Davies – R), 8:10 ET
Athletics (Gio Gonzalez – L) at Twins (Carl Pavano – R), 8:10 ET
Brewers (Yovani Gallardo – R) at Rockies (Jorge De La Rosa – L), 9:10 ET
Blue Jays (Mark Rzepczynski – L) at Angels (Scott Kazmir – L), 10:05 ET
Padres (Clayton Richard – L) at Giants (Jonathan Sanchez – L), 10:15 ET

Day Game After 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)

Mark Teixeira, 1B, NYY (personal) – Returning Thursday
Aramis Ramirez, 3B, CHC (ribs) – Out Thursday for second straight
Francisco Rodriguez, RP, NYM (suspension) – On restricted list for two days
Brett Cecil, SP, TOR (knee) – Threw successful bullpen session Wednesday; will start Saturday
Andres Torres, OF, SFO (leg) – Off Thursday, but should be available off the bench
Matt Lindstrom, RP, HOU (back) – Wasn't available Wednesday, and will be held out through Friday and then evaluated
Andruw Jones, DH, CHW (back) – Out of Thursday's lineup after being scratched Wednesday
John Rauch, RP, MIN (foot) – Unavailable Wednesday due to bruised foot
J.J. Hardy, SS, MIN (wrist) – Left Wednesday's game, but said he may play Thursday
Ross Gload, 1B, PHI (groin) – Left Wednesday's game; being reevaluated Thursday, but no word yet on possible DL stint
Adam Rosales, 3B, OAK (ankle) – Getting additional tests after leaving Wednesday's game; DL likely, as Oakland has no other backup OFs

Players on the DL

Ian Kinsler, 2B, TEX (groin) – Intends to return Sept. 1 even if groin isn't 100%, but hasn't been cleared to run yet, never mind rehab
Dustin Pedroia, 2B, BOS (foot) – Will play second base Saturday in Triple-A; activation scheduled for Tuesday
Ben Sheets, SP, OAK (elbow) – In addition to originally scheduled elbow surgery, ended up needing Tommy John as well; probably won't be able to get back into the majors until 2012, if ever
Chipper Jones, 3B, ATL (knee) – Has tear in ACL that will require surgery; possibly career-ending
Mike Cameron, OF, BOS (abdomen) – Took BP Tuesday and Wednesday, a positive sign that he'll play again this year
Aaron Harang, SP, CIN (back) – Will make first rehab start Saturday
Carlos Gomez, OF, MIL (head) – Will start rehab assignment Friday
Edgar Renteria, SS, SFO (biceps) – Placed on the DL
John Grabow, RP, CHC (knee) – Has torn MCL and is out for the year
LaTroy Hawkins, RP, MIL (shoulder) – Placed on DL and will see Dr. Yocum for fresh opinion on shoulder
Anthony Reyes, SP, CLE (elbow) – Gave up seven runs in one inning in first rehab start
Gregg Zaun, C, MIL (shoulder) – Moved to 60-day DL, cementing that he won't return this year
Joaquin Arias, SS, TEX (back) – On rehab in Double-A
Jack Wilson, SS, SEA (hand) – Could be out six weeks
Jose Mijares, RP, MIN (knee) – Placed on the DL
Matt Treanor, C, TEX (knee) – Will begin week-long rehab assignment Monday

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

Placed on the DL
LaTroy Hawkins, RP, MIL
Jose Mijares, RP, MIN
Gregg Zaun, C, MIL (transferred to 60-day DL)
Edgar Renteria, SS, SFO

Activated from the DL
Shane Victorino, OF, PHI

Sent Down
Antonio Bastardo, RP, PHI

Called Up
Ryota Igarashi, RP, NYM
Mike McClendon, RP, MIL
Darwin Barney, SS, CHC
Jeff Manship, RP, MIN

Suspended
Francisco Rodriguez, RP, NYM

Traded
Mike Fontenot, 2B, SFO

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

New York Mets – With Francisco Rodriguez arrested and suspended, the Mets are closer-less at least for the two days that K-Rod is on the restricted list. On Thursday, Johan Santana made the point moot by starting what he finished, hurling a shutout against the Rockies. If the Mets get a save chance Friday, Pedro Feliciano, Ryota Igarashi, Bobby Parnell and Manny Acosta are in the mix.

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

Ryan Church v. John Lannan – 5-for-13 (.385), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2:3 BB:K, .467 OBP
Kelly Johnson v. John Lannan – 6-for-15 (.400), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .400 OBP
Luis Castillo v. Cole Hamels – 5-for-13 (.385), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:0 BB:K, .400 OBP
Carl Crawford v. Jeremy Guthrie – 12-for-35 (.343), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1:3 BB:K, .361 OBP
B.J. Upton v. Jeremy Guthrie – 9-for-26 (.346), 1 HR, 9 RBI, 4:5 BB:K, .419 OBP
Ben Zobrist v. Jeremy Guthrie – 4-for-12 (.333), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .333 OBP
Luke Scott v. James Shields – 9-for-27 (.333), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1:4 BB:K, .357 OBP
Adam Jones v. James Shields – 10-for-22 (.455), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0:3 BB:K, .455 OBP – FIVE doubles among the 10 hits give Jones an .818 SLG
Brad Ausmus v. Tim Hudson – 6-for-18 (.333), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 4:3 BB:K, .455 OBP
Rafael Furcal v. Tim Hudson – 7-for-19 (.368), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3:2 BB:K, .455 OBP
Hunter Pence v. Ross Ohlendorf – 6-for-16 (.375), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2:2 BB:K, .421 OBP
Bengie Molina v. Josh Beckett – 4-for-11 (.364), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:1 BB:K, .417 OBP
Magglio Ordonez v. Mark Buehrle – 15-for-32 (.469), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2:4 BB:K, .500 OBP
A.J. Pierzynski v. Jeremy Bonderman – 11-for-32 (.344), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0:5 BB:K, .344 OBP
Paul Konerko v. Jeremy Bonderman – 11-for-36 (.306), 5 HR, 9 RBI, 5:7 BB:K, .395 OBP
Curtis Granderson v. Kyle Davies – 6-for-18 (.333), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 8:6 BB:K, .538 OBP
Todd Helton v. Yovani Gallardo – 4-for-11 (.364), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:2 BB:K, .462 OBP
Vernon Wells v. Scott Kazmir – 12-for-36 (.333), 3 HR, 4 RBI, 5:8 BB:K, .415 OBP
Lyle Overbay v. Scott Kazmir – 4-for-12 (.333), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:1 BB:K, .385 OBP
Aubrey Huff v. Clayton Richard – 5-for-12 (.417), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:0 BB:K, .462 OBP
Pablo Sandoval v. Clayton Richard – 4-for-11 (.364), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:1 BB:K, .417 OBP

Tim Hudson v. Dodgers – The Dodgers hitters have seen a lot of Hudson (287 plate appearances, counting the injured Manny Ramirez), but they haven't been able to pick up on how to hit him, as they own a combined .238/.291/.351 line off the Braves righty. No Dodger hitter with 10 or more AB against Hudson has an OPS north of .800 off him except for Rafael Furcal. Hudson allowed four runs (three earned) in seven innings against the Dodgers in June despite not being at his sharpest. Expect better this time around.

Jonathan Sanchez v. Padres – Sanchez absolutely owns the Padres, top to bottom. You'll find almost their entire starting lineup below, under "cold." The highest batting average any Padre has against him is .286 – Yorvit Torrealba's 2-for-7. The next-highest is Adrian Gonzalez's .226. The Pads' combined line against him: .151/.238/.211. Yikes. No wonder Sanchez owns a 2.70 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in his career against San Diego.

Cold

Evan Longoria v. Jeremy Guthrie – 3-for-14 (.214), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0:3 BB:K, .200 OBP
Corey Patterson v. James Shields – 2-for-22 (.091), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3:5 BB:K, .200 OBP
Ronnie Belliard v. Tim Hudson – 3-for-20 (.150), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:5 BB:K, .150 OBP
Andre Ethier v. Tim Hudson – 3-for-14 (.214), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:0 BB:K, .267 OBP
Russell Martin v. Tim Hudson – 1-for-10 (.100), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:4 BB:K, .182 OBP
Reed Johnson v. Tim Hudson – 0-for-9 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .100 OBP
Alfonso Soriano v. Jake Westbrook – 2-for-15 (.133), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:2 BB:K, .188 OBP
Jeff Keppinger v. Ross Ohlendorf – 1-for-14 (.071), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .071 OBP
Ronny Cedeno v. Brett Myers – 0-for-10 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:5 BB:K, .091 OBP
Marco Scutaro v. Tommy Hunter – 1-for-10 (.100), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:1 BB:K, .100 OBP
Michael Young v. Josh Beckett – 2-for-19 (.105), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0:3 BB:K, .100 OBP
Miguel Cabrera v. Mark Buehrle – 0-for-15 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:1 BB:K, .000 OBP
Ryan Raburn v. Mark Buehrle – 3-for-17 (.176), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:1 BB:K, .263 OBP
Ramon Santiago v. Mark Buehrle – 2-for-11 (.182), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:4 BB:K, .250 OBP
Mark Kotsay v. Jeremy Bonderman – 3-for-18 (.167), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:0 BB:K, .167 OBP
Brad Hawpe v. Yovani Gallardo – 2-for-12 (.167), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1:3 BB:K, .231 OBP
Adam Lind v. Scott Kazmir – 2-for-12 (.167), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1:4 BB:K, .231 OBP
Jose Molina v. Scott Kazmir – 2-for-11 (.182), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:4 BB:K, .308 OBP
Adrian Gonzalez v. Jonathan Sanchez – 7-for-31 (.226), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3:10 BB:K, .294 OBP
Chase Headley v. Jonathan Sanchez – 2-for-17 (.118), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 5:7 BB:K, .318 OBP
Scott Hairston v. Jonathan Sanchez – 1-for-12 (.083), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3:3 BB:K, .250 OBP
Jerry Hairston v. Jonathan Sanchez – 1-for-11 (.091), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0:3 BB:K, .091 OBP
Everth Cabrera v. Jonathan Sanchez – 1-for-11 (.091), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:2 BB:K, .231 OBP
Miguel Tejada v. Jonathan Sanchez – 1-for-11 (.091), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .091 OBP

Recommended Pickup

Starlin Castro, SS, Cubs – Castro was recommended in this space back in May, but his lack of plus fantasy numbers (solid BA, not much else) forced many owners to cut ties. Things have changed, as he's been red-hot over the last month, mashing to the tune of .389 over that period – not counting his 3-for-4 as I write this Thursday evening – including a homer, 12 RBI, 15 runs and five steals. If you're weak at SS, he's a nice option for the rest of the year.