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):
Reds (Edinson Volquez – R) at Cubs (Matt Garza – R), 2:20
Rays (James Shields – R) at Orioles (Zach Britton – L), 7:05
Astros (Wandy Rodriguez – L) at Pirates (Paul Maholm – L), 7:05
Braves (Derek Lowe – R) at Phillies (Cliff Lee – L), 7:05
Tigers (Phil Coke – L) at Blue Jays (Jesse Litsch – R), 7:07
Twins (Scott Baker – R) at Red Sox (Tim Wakefield – R), 7:10
Nationals (Jordan Zimmermann – R) at Marlins (Ricky Nolasco – R), 7:10
Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda – R) at Mets (Jonathan Niese – L), 7:10
Yankees (Ivan Nova – R) at Rangers (Matt Harrison – L), 8:05
Athletics (Gio Gonzalez – L) at Royals (Sean O'Sullivan – R), 8:10
Brewers (Randy Wolf – L) at Cardinals (Jaime Garcia – L), 8:15
Indians (Justin Masterson – R) at Angels (Tyler Chatwood – R), 10:05
Diamondbacks (Armando Galarraga – R) at Padres (Tim Stauffer – R), 10:05
White Sox (Phil Humber – R) at Mariners (Felix Hernandez – R), 10:10
Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez – R) at Giants (Matt Cain – R), 10:15
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
Carlos Ruiz, C, PHI (back) – Tweaked it again Wednesday; still hoping to avoid DL
Greg Dobbs, 3B, FLA (ankle) – Left Thursday
Carlos Lee, OF, HOU (ribs) – Hopes to return this weekend
Rick Ankiel, OF, WAS (wrist) – Missed three straight games
Freddy Sanchez, 2B, SF (thumb) – Out Thursday
Miguel Cairo, 3B, CIN (knee) – Still sore, didn't go Thursday
Pedro Alvarez, 3B, PIT (quad) – Expected back Friday
Michael Morse, OF, WAS (knee) – Pinch-hit Thursday
AL
Nelson Cruz, OF, TEX (quad) – Out Friday
Chone Figgins, 3B, SEA (illness) – Scratched Thursday
Eric Chavez, 3B, NYY (foot) – Headed toward DL
Jeff Niemann, SP, TAM (back) – Likely headed to DL
Jose Bautista, 3B, TOR (neck) – Should return to lineup Sunday
Ricky Romero, SP, TOR (oblique) – Should be good to go Saturday
Derek Jeter, SS, NYY (hip) – Sat Thursday, but probably will go Friday
Players on the DL
NL
Joe Blanton, SP, PHI (elbow) – Had good Thursday bullpen
Chase Utley, 2B, PHI (knee) – To begin extended spring training workouts Friday
Brandon Lyon, RP, HOU (shoulder) – Has biceps tendinitis and rotator cuff tear; headed to DL
Juan Francisco, 3B, CIN (calf) – Traveling with team, but not ready for rehab assignment
Jason Michaels, OF, HOU (shoulder) – Will start Triple-A rehab Saturday
Scott Rolen, 3B, CIN (shoulder) – Hasn't resumed baseball activities
Orlando Hudson, 2B, SD (hamstring) – Will be disabled the minimum 15 days
Jose Contreras, RP, PHI (elbow) – Played catch Thursday; still a bit away
Manny Parra, RP, MIL (back) – Shut down with sprained UCL and flexor tendon strain
Ty Wigginton, 3B, COL (oblique) – Will go on rehab as soon as he can swing pain-free
Aaron Cook, SP, COL (shoulder) – Threw two-inning simulated game Wednesday
Andres Torres, OF, SF (Achilles) – Could be back Friday
AL
Aaron Hill, 2B, TOR (hamstring) – Started rehab assignment in A ball
Bobby Jenks, RP, BOS (elbow) – No structural damage, but elbow tendinitis
Robinson Tejeda, RP, KC (shoulder) – Sent to Triple-A for rehab
Joe Mauer, C, MIN (legs) – Threw and swung bat, but no timetable
Carlos Guillen, 2B, DET (knee) – Has been hitting off a tee, but not ready to get back on field
Dan Wheeler, RP, BOS (undisclosed) – Placed on DL
Phil Hughes, SP, NYY (shoulder) – Will begin throwing in two weeks
Dallas Braden, SP, OAK (shoulder) – Getting a second opinion
Josh Hamilton, OF, TEX (shoulder) – Progressing well
Tommy Hunter, SP, TEX (groin) – Had four-inning rehab start in Double-A Wednesday
Carlos Carrasco, SP, CLE (elbow) – Making rehab start Friday in Double-A
Shawn Kelley, RP, SEA (elbow) – On pace for rehab assignment next week
Andrew Bailey, RP, OAK (forearm) – Could go on rehab soon, be back in two weeks
Neftali Feliz, RP, TEX (shoulder) – Had good rehab appearance Wednesday
Transactions - Players that have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Called Up
Scott Atchison, RP, BOS
Rich Hill, RP, BOS
Mike McClendon, RP, MIL
Jose Valdez, RP, HOU
Eric Hosmer, 1B, KC
Sent Down
Steve Holm, C, MIN
Jordan Smith, RP, CIN
Lucas Duda, OF, NYM
Sean Green, RP, MIL
Barry Enright, SP, ARI
Kila Ka'aihue, 1B, KC
Placed on DL
Brandon Lyon, RP, HOU
Dan Wheeler, RP, BOS
Bobby Jenks, RP, BOS (retroactive to May 2)
Activated from DL
Homer Bailey, SP, CIN
Aaron Heilman, RP, ARI
Activated from Paternity Leave
Jason Bay, OF, NYM
Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (check out our Closer Grid with the link to the left).
St. Louis – Eduardo Sanchez walked a pair on Thursday, but collected his third save. At the moment, he seems to be the man more in the chair than anyone else, as at least he's collected two in a row and three of the Cardinals' last six saves.
Houston – With Brandon Lyon hitting the DL, Mark Melancon is now the closer. Have fun with that.
Toronto – Frank Francisco made his return to the role Wednesday against the Rays, and it could have gone better. He allowed three baserunners and a run before escaping with the save, leaving Jon Rauch owners cautiously optimistic. I wouldn't rush to cut ties with Rauch, is what I'm saying.
Key Matchups
Hot
Vladimir Guerrero v. James Shields – 14-for-38 (.368), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .947 OPS
Luke Scott v. James Shields – 12-for-34 (.353), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3:5 BB:K, .964 OPS
Adam Jones v. James Shields – 11-for-28 (.393), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0:3 BB:K, 1.143 OPS
Felix Pie v. James Shields – 5-for-13 (.385), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:2 BB:K, 1.044 OPS
Hunter Pence v. Paul Maholm –12-for-37 (.324), 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2:2 BB:K, .999 OPS
Bill Hall v. Paul Maholm – 18-for-31 (.581), 3 HR, 9 RBI, 4:2 BB:K, 1.671 OPS
Clint Barmes v. Paul Maholm – 12-for-21 (.571), 2 HR, 9 RBI, 1:1 BB:K, 1.686 OPS
Matt Diaz v. Wandy Rodriguez – 6-for-17 (.353), 0 HR, 4 RBI, 1:3 BB:K, .892 OPS
Alex Gonzalez v. Cliff Lee – 5-for-14 (.357), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2:2 BB:K, 1.080 OPS
Carl Crawford v. Scott Baker – 6-for-14 (.429), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2:1 BB:K, 1.286 OPS
Justin Morneau v. Tim Wakefield – 7-for-19 (.368), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:2 BB:K, .821 OPS
David Wright v. Hiroki Kuroda – 6-for-12 (.500), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2:3 BB:K, 1.071 OPS
Jose Reyes v. Hiroki Kuroda – 5-for-12 (.417), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:0 BB:K, .917 OPS
Alex Cora v. Ricky Nolasco – 5-for-11 (.455), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:1 BB:K, 1.266 OPS
Jerry Hairston v. Ricky Nolasco – 4-for-11 (.364), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, 1.091 OPS
Nick Swisher v. Matt Harrison – 4-for-10 (.400), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1:0 BB:K, .900 OPS
Corey Hart v. Jaime Garcia – 6-for-14 (.429), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:6 BB:K, .895 OPS
Casey McGehee v. Jaime Garcia – 4-for-12 (.333), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1:1 BB:K, 1.024 OPS
Torii Hunter v. Justin Masterson – 6-for-12 (.500), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2:1 BB:K, 1.533 OPS
Bobby Abreu v. Justin Masterson – 5-for-12 (.417), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:2 BB:K, 1.000 OPS
Troy Tulowitzki v. Matt Cain – 16-for-49 (.327), 3 HR, 5 RBI, 3:10 BB:K, .998 OPS
Ryan Spilborghs v. Matt Cain – 7-for-21 (.333), 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3:5 BB:K, 1.083 OPS
Wandy Rodriguez v. Pirates – Magic Wandy has been a Pirate killer, posting an insane 34:4 K:BB against these Bucs hitters and limiting them to an unsightly .210 average and .512 OPS. In 110 plate appearances, none of these Pirates hitters have homered off Rodriguez.
Derek Lowe v. Phillies – The powerful Phillies lineup has seen a lot of Derek Lowe, and it hasn't gone well for them, as evidenced by the six Phillies regulars (including regulars-of-the-moment Brian Schneider and Wilson Valdez) who appear in the cold column. The combined line is a sickly .196/.229/.260. Ryan Howard's seen him 45 times without homering. Vicious.
Randy Wolf v. Cardinals – Wolf has mostly been able to hold these Redbird hitters in check, with the exception of Albert Pujols, but even Pujols' numbers against him aren't quite Pujols-like (just .300? Meh). The overall line by the Cardinals against Wolf is .212/.297/.371, but there is a warning sign for Wolf, as these Cards have walked 17 times against him and struck out just 22 times.
Felix Hernandez v. White Sox – This is King Felix we're talking about, so there's no surprise at the sad-sack .209/.261/.279 line these ChiSox hitters have managed against him. They've managed to hit all of one homer (good job, Paul Konerko!) against Hernandez in 138 plate appearances and have struck out 35 times against nine walks.
Ubaldo Jimenez v. Giants – Extended experience against Jimenez hasn't done these Rockies hitters a whole ton of good, as they've hit just a combined .205 off him with a .579 OPS. Of the four Giants hitters with the most at-bats against The Bald One (that's what Ubaldo means in Spanish, right?), three have sub-.200 averages off him.
Matt Cain v. Rockies – Pitchers' duel! Like Jimenez, Cain has seen a lot of his opponent, but that hasn't helped the Rockies' high-flying offense hit him, as they've got just a .202/.292/.368 line off him. There are a few Rockies who see Cain quite well, though, so he'd better not make mistakes in front of them.
Cold
Carlos Lee v. Paul Maholm – 10-for-47 (.213), 0 HR, 5 RBI, 1:4 BB:K, .506 OPS
Michael Bourn v. Paul Maholm – 4-for-19 (.211), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:8 BB:K, .581 OPS
Chris Johnson v. Paul Maholm – 1-for-12 (.083), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .167 OPS
Ronny Cedeno v. Wandy Rodriguez – 2-for-13 (.154), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .308 OPS
Garrett Jones v. Wandy Rodriguez – 1-for-10 (.100), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .200 OPS
Ryan Howard v. Derek Lowe – 9-for-45 (.200), 0 HR, 6 RBI, 2:6 BB:K, .456 OPS
Raul Ibanez v. Derek Lowe – 6-for-40 (.150), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2:3 BB:K, .490 OPS
Jimmy Rollins v. Derek Lowe – 9-for-42 (.214), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K, .476 OPS
Shane Victorino v. Derek Lowe – 5-for-32 (.156), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1:3 BB:K, .432 OPS
Brian Schneider v. Derek Lowe – 2-for-11 (.182), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:3 BB:K, .630 OPS
Wilson Valdez v. Derek Lowe – 2-for-13 (.154), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0:5 BB:K, .308 OPS
Lance Berkman v. Randy Wolf – 3-for-27 (.111), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 6:6 BB:K, .458 OPS
Ryan Theriot v. Randy Wolf – 5-for-23 (.217), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:2 BB:K, .511 OPS
Yadier Molina v. Randy Wolf – 3-for-23 (.130), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:1 BB:K, .391 OPS
Vernon Wells v. Justin Masterson – 2-for-12 (.167), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:2 BB:K, .481 OPS
Jason Bartlett v. Armando Galarraga – 1-for-10 (.100), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:2 BB:K, .282 OPS
A.J. Pierzynski v. Felix Hernandez – 5-for-22 (.227), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:6 BB:K, .625 OPS
Omar Vizquel v. Felix Hernandez – 1-for-13 (.077), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3:3 BB:K, .327 OPS
Juan Pierre v. Felix Hernandez – 2-for-11 (.182), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:0 BB:K, .364 OPS
Aaron Rowand v. Ubaldo Jimenez – 6-for-34 (.176), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1:11 BB:K, .587 OPS
Aubrey Huff v. Ubaldo Jimenez – 2-for-14 (.143), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:3 BB:K, .508 OPS
Nate Schierholtz v. Ubaldo Jimenez – 2-for-11 (.182), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:6 BB:K, .455 OPS
Todd Helton v. Matt Cain – 10-for-48 (.208), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 7:5 BB:K, .712 OPS
Carlos Gonzalez v. Matt Cain – 3-for-23 (.130), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 4:6 BB:K, .390 OPS
Ian Stewart v. Matt Cain – 5-for-22 (.227), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2:10 BB:K, .746 OPS
Seth Smith v. Matt Cain – 1-for-15 (.067), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:1 BB:K, .243 OPS
Jonathan Herrera v. Matt Cain – 1-for-11 (.091), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:1 BB:K, .245 OPS
Jason Giambi v. Matt Cain – 0-for-11 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:5 BB:K, .000 OPS
James Shields v. Orioles – These O's hitters have seen Shields quite well, racking up a slightly ridiculous .318/.362/.504 line against him over a nice, big sample – 293 plate appearances. Baltimore's got four guys in the hot column for a reason, but Shields has been excellent this year – including pitching very well against the O's back on April 2 – so he doesn't necessarily need to be avoided.
Paul Maholm v. Astros – It's hard to start Maholm in fantasy in general, but these Astros hitters make it even harder with another big line over a fairly large sample – 236 plate appearances, .317/.350/.507. Probably best to avoid him.
Recommended Pickup
Josh Tomlin, SP, CLE – Tomlin isn't going to blow anyone away with his sub-90 fastball from the right side and his 5.09 K/9 rate this year, but all he's done so far is shut opposing offenses down, largely thanks to a 41.3% ground-ball rate. The 2.43 ERA is almost certainly a mirage – his .157 BABIP against is simply unsustainable – but Tomlin has great command despite his mediocre stuff and can be quite useful in deeper mixed and AL-only leagues.
Other recent recommendations: Mark Melancon, Tom Gorzelanny, Justin Smoak, Michael Brantley, Alex White
As a new feature to The Daily Lineup Card, we'll be providing a recommended lineup for your DraftStreet salary cap team. If you're not familiar with DraftStreet it's time to take notice as they're quickly becoming the future of fantasy sports. DraftStreet offers countless fantasy leagues of all types and sizes with payouts every night. Since the leagues are run daily and weekly, instead of season long, it's never too late to get in the game and start making some money. Register for a free account at DraftStreet.com and keep coming back to the Daily Lineup Card for all the tips, hints, and matchup analysis you need to dominate your leagues.
C – Alex Avila, DET ($5,910)
1B – Justin Morneau, MIN ($6,082)
2B – Ian Kinsler, TEX ($8,043)
3B – David Wright, NYM ($6,258)
SS – Troy Tulowitzki, SS, COL ($7,183)
OF – Hunter Pence, HOU ($6,140)
OF – Matt Kemp, LAD ($7,879)
OF – Bobby Abreu, LAA ($6,611)
UTIL – Vladimir Guerrero, BAL ($5,067)
UTIL – Jed Lowrie, BOS ($5,792)
SP – Wandy Rodriguez, HOU ($12,329)
SP – Ubaldo Jimenez, COL ($11,898)
RP – Brandon League, SEA ($2,087)
P – Derek Lowe, ATL ($8,434)
Total: $99,713
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