Friday Lineup Card: The Bee's Knees

Projected Starters – A look at Friday's matchups:

Diamondbacks (Ian Kennedy – R) at Pirates (Brian Burres – L), 7:05
Nationals (Jason Marquis – R) at Phillies (Roy Oswalt – R), 7:05
Yankees (A.J. Burnett – R) at Orioles (Kevin Millwood – R), 7:05
Cubs (Ryan Dempster – R) at Marlins (Alex Sanabia – R), 7:10
Braves (Tommy Hanson – R) at Mets (Jonathon Niese – L), 7:10
Angels (Dan Haren – R) at Rays (Wade Davis – R), 7:10
Blue Jays (Brett Cecil – L) at Boston (John Lackey – R), 7:10
Reds (Johnny Cueto – R) at Astros (Wandy Rodriguez – L), 8:05
Athletics (Brett Anderson – L) at Twins (Nick Blackburn – R), 8:10
Indians (Carlos Carrasco – R) at Royals (Kyle Davies – R), 8:10
Tigers (Max Scherzer – R) at White Sox (Edwin Jackson – R), 8:10
Padres (Mat Latos – R) at Cardinals (Kyle Lohse – R), 8:15
Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez – R) at Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda – R), 10:10
Rangers (C.J. Wilson – L) at Mariners (Felix Hernandez – R), 10:10
Brewers (Randy Wolf – L) at Giants (Madison Bumgarner – L), 10:15

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)

Chris Carpenter, SP, STL – (Hamstring) Left Wednesday's game in the seventh inning with a right hamstring cramp.
Scott Rolen, 3B, CIN – (Back) Missed a second straight day on Thursday with a tweaked back.
Justin Upton, OF, ARI – (Shoulder) Missed a second straight day with recurring shoulder inflammation.
Albert Pujols, 1B, STL – (Elbow) Was given a cortisone shot for tendinitis in his left elbow. Could miss a few games down the stretch to rest his elbow.
Julio Lugo, SS, BAL – (Head) Will see a specialist on Friday to try and determine what is causing his headaches.
Mitch Talbot, SP, CLE – (Shoulder) Will miss Saturday's start with shoulder inflammation.
Jason Kubel, OF, MIN – (Wrist) Was held out of the starting lineup on Thursday after leaving Wednesday's game with a sore wrist.

Players on the DL

Jason Bay, OF, NYM – (Concussion) Will not rule himself out of returning this season but has admitted it is unlikely.
Chris Young, SP, SD – (Shoulder) Will return and start Saturday's game against the Cardinals.
Jenry Mejia, RP, NYM – (Shoulder) An MRI showed he has a rhomboid strain in his right shoulder blade. He will miss the remainder of the season.
Scott Baker, SP, MIN – (Elbow) Will pitch out of the bullpen when he returns.
Andy Pettitte, SP, NYY – (Groin) Will start on Sunday against the Orioles if his Thursday bullpen session goes as expected. He will be limited to 90 pitches in his return.

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

Activated from the DL
Chris Young, SP, Padres

Sent Down
Oswaldo Navarro, SS, Astros

Traded
Enerio Del Rosario, RP, Astros

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

Houston – Brandon Lyon blew the save on Wednesday, but Matt Lindstrom helped Lyon keep his job by giving up two runs in the tenth.

Philadelphia – Brad Lidge was only able to record one out before Jose Contreras was brought in to finish out the ninth for the Phillies on Wednesday. Lidge remains the closer, but deep league owners may be interested in Contreras for his ability to poach random saves every great while.

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

Jayson Werth v. Jason Marquis – 7-for-14 (.500), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4:0 BB:K (.632 OBP)
Adam Kennedy v. Roy Oswalt – 7-for-17 (.412), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:4 BB:K (.444 OBP)
Wes Helms v. Ryan Dempster – 5-for-10 (.500), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0:3 BB:K (.455 OBP)
Miguel Cairo v. Wandy Rodriguez – 4-for-9 (.444), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:3 BB:K (.583 OBP)
Jonny Gomes v. Wandy Rodriguez – 6-for-15 (.400), 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1:3 BB:K (.438 OBP)
Seth Smith v. Hiroki Kuroda – 5-for-9 (.556), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:1 BB:K (.600 OBP)
Brian Roberts v. A.J. Burnett – 15-for-46 (.326), 3 HR, 10 RBI, 2:9 BB:K (.354 OBP)
Luke Scott v. A.J. Burnett – 7-for-25 (.280), 2 HR, 4 RBI, 5:6 BB:K (.419 OBP)
Nick Swisher* v. Kevin Millwood – 14-for-39 (.359), 4 HR, 9 RBI, 6:8 BB:K (.444 OBP)
Lance Berkman v. Kevin Millwood – 8-for-25 (.320), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4:4 BB:K (.433 OBP)
Jorge Posada v. Kevin Millwood – 5-for-21 (.238), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5:10 BB:K (.385 OBP)
B.J. Upton v. Dan Haren – 7-for-17 (.412), 2 HR, 2 RBI, 0:7 BB:K (.412 OBP)
Rocco Baldelli v. Dan Haren – 4-for-10 (.400), 2 HR, 2 RBI, 0:5 BB:K (.400 OBP)
Adam Lind v. John Lackey – 7-for-15 (.467), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0:0 BB:K (.467 OBP)
Fred Lewis v. John Lackey – 6-for-12 (.500), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2:3 BB:K (.571 OBP)
Jose Bautista v. John Lackey – 2-for-9 (.222), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4:4 BB:K (.462 OBP)
Jack Cust v. Nick Blackburn – 8-for-15 (.533), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2:2 BB:K (.588 OBP)
Mark Ellis v. Nick Blackburn – 5-for-10 (.500), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1:0 BB:K (.545 OBP)
Kurt Suzuki v. Nick Blackburn – 4-for-10 (.400), 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0:0 BB:K (.400 OBP)
Manny Ramirez v. Max Scherzer – 6-for-15 (.400), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1:4 BB:K (.438 OBP)
Omar Vizquel v. Max Scherzer – 3-for-8 (.375), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1:2 BB:K (.444 OBP)
Don Kelly v. Edwin Jackson – 5-for-10 (.500), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0:1 BB:K (.500 OBP)
Jose Lopez v. C.J. Wilson – 10-for-18 (.556), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2:0 BB:K (.600 OBP)

Jason Marquis v. Philadelphia Phillies – Marquis has not given up more than three runs in any of his last five starts. He's limited the Phillie's current roster to a slash line of .222/.330/.333 through 229 batters faced over his career. In his most recent start against the Phillies, Marquis pitched five innings of one-run ball. Consider streaming him, but don't count on his recent fortunes to pay endless dividends. Marquis has a talent for sporadic mediocrity.

Dan Haren v. Tampa Bay Rays – Haren has only given up three runs over his last four starts, 28 innings worth of work. He's limited the Ray's current roster to a slash line of .214/.243/.434 through 152 batters faced in his career. Haren has defied convention by improving his numbers since moving to the American League. In 10 starts with the Angels, he has a 3.04 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 55:18 K:BB ratio.

Cold

Raul Ibanez v. Jason Marquis – 2-for-12 (.167), 0 HR, 4 RBI, 1:1 BB:K (.231 OBP)
Omar Infante v. Jonathon Niese – 2-for-13 (.154), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K (.154 OBP)
Carlos Lee v. Johnny Cueto – 3-for-17 (.176), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1:1 BB:K (.222 OBP)
Drew Stubbs v. Wandy Rodriguez – 0-for-9 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:6 BB:K (.100 OBP)
Jay Bruce v. Wandy Rodriguez – 1-for-17 (.059), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:10 BB:K (.059 OBP)
David Eckstein v. Kyle Lohse – 2-for-20 (.100), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:3 BB:K (.182 OBP)
Todd Helton v. Hiroki Kuroda – 1-for-10 (.100), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:3 BB:K (.250 OBP)
Freddy Sanchez v. Randy Wolf – 3-for-16 (.188), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:4 BB:K (.235 OBP)
Jose Guillen v. Randy Wolf – 3-for-18 (.167), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0:9 BB:K (.250 OBP)
Pablo Sandoval v. Randy Wolf – 2-for-11 (.182), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:2 BB:K (.250 OBP)
Cesar Izturis v. A.J. Burnett – 4-for-25 (.160), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:5 BB:K (.192 OBP)
Corey Patterson v. A.J. Burnett – 3-for-24 (.125), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:4 BB:K (.160 OBP)
Matt Wieters v. A.J. Burnett – 0-for-14 (.000), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3:4 BB:K (.167 OBP)
Brad Hawpe v. Dan Haren – 4-for-29 (.138), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:14 BB:K (.194 OBP)
Ben Zobrist v. Dan Haren – 1-for-11 (.091), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:3 BB:K (.083 OBP)
Aaron Hill v. John Lackey – 3-for-21 (.143), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2:4 BB:K (.217 OBP)
John McDonald v. John Lackey – 3-for-18 (.167), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 0:3 BB:K (.167 OBP)
Shin-Soo Choo v. Kyle Davies – 2-for-13 (.154), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:4 BB:K (.214 OBP)
Carlos Quentin v. Max Scherzer – 1-for-9 (.111), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:3 BB:K (.200 OBP)
Brennan Boesch v. Edwin Jackson – 2-for-13 (.154), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:7 BB:K (.154 OBP)
Alex Avila v. Edwin Jackson – 2-for-11 (.182), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:4 BB:K (.250 OBP)
Casey Kotchman v. C.J. Wilson – 0-for-8 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:2 BB:K (.385 OBP)
Jorge Cantu v. Felix Hernandez – 2-for-10 (.200), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:2 BB:K (.182 OBP)
Bengie Molina v. Felix Hernandez – 0-for-10 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:3 BB:K (.000 OBP)

Kevin Millwood v. New York Yankees – Millwood has an 0-2 record with a 7.56 ERA, 2.22 WHIP, and .347 BAA in three starts against the Yankees this season. He is arguably the worst starting pitcher to have activated on Friday. Bench him.

Recommended Pickup

Carlos Beltran, OF, NYM – Beltran struggled in his first month and a half while returning from knee injuries, but he's improved his production in September. In 44 at-bats in September, Beltran has hit .318 with two home runs, a triple, three doubles, two steals, nine RBI, and seven runs scored. His ownership is under 70 percent in ESPN leagues and under 60 percent in Yahoo! leagues. Make sure he hasn't slipped through the cracks in your league. If he's still available in your league, he's worth picking up despite the injury concerns. Beltran remains capable of contributing in all five batting categories and Mets hit him out of the three hole daily.

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