Saturday Lineup Card: May The Fourth Be With Walker

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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

Reds (Tony Cingrani - L) at Cubs (Jeff Samardzija - R), 1:05 PM
Twins (Kevin Correia - R) at Indians (Scott Kazmir - L), 1:05 PM
Athletics (Bartolo Colon - R) at Yankees (Phil Hughes - R), 1:05 PM
Mariners (Hisashi Iwakuma - R) at Blue Jays (R.A. Dickey - R), 1:07 PM
Orioles (Freddy Garcia - R) at Angels (Tommy Hanson - R), 4:05 PM
Cardinals (Adam Wainwright - R) at Brewers (Yovani Gallardo - R), 4:05 PM
Nationals (Stephen Strasburg - R) at Pirates (Jeff Locke - L), 4:05 PM
Marlins (Jose Fernandez - R) at Phillies (Cole Hamels - L), 7:05 PM
White Sox (Dylan Axelrod - R) at Royals (Jeremy Guthrie - R), 7:10 PM
Tigers (Max Scherzer - R) at Astros (Lucas Harrell - R), 7:10 PM
Mets (Jon Niese - L) at Braves (Julio Teheran - R), 7:10 PM
Red Sox (John Lackey - R) at Rangers (Alexi Ogando - R), 8:05 PM
Rays (David Price - L) at Rockies (Jon Garland - R), 8:10 PM
Diamondbacks (Patrick Corbin - L) at Padres (Clayton Richard - L), 8:40 PM
Dodgers (Matt Magill - R) at Giants (Ryan Vogelsong - R), 9:05 PM

Day Game After Night Game: MIN/CLE, OAK/NYY, SEA/TOR, BAL/LAA, STL/MIL, WAS/PIT

Injuries

Day-to-Day
Andrew Bailey, RP, BOS (biceps) - Biceps injury flared up April 28. Unavailable for save opportunity Thursday. Threw on flat ground Friday.
Carl Crawford, OF, LAD (hamstring) - Not in lineup on Friday.
Jordan Danks, OF, CHW (knee) - Scratched from lineup on Tuesday.
R.A. Dickey, SP, TOR (neck) - Clean MRI on neck. Expected to start on Saturday.
Scott Downs, RP, LAA (ribs) - Weighing possible DL stint.
Mark Ellis, 2B, LAD (quad) - May head to DL if unable to go by Friday.
Chris Getz, 2B, KC (illness) - Battling allergies and should return soon.
Clayton Kershaw, SP, LAD (personal) - Expected to start Friday against the Giants.
Mat Latos, SP, CIN (hip) - Still in line for scheduled start on Sunday.
Jose Mijares, RP, SF (personal) - Placed on bereavement list Monday.
Jake Peavy, SP, CHW (back) - He felt better Friday. Could possibly start Monday.
David Robertson, RP, NYY (knee) - Unavailable until at least Tuesday.
Travis Snider, OF, PIT (oblique) - Not in lineup Friday after pinch-hitting Wednesday.
Stephen Strasburg, SP, WAS (forearm) - Still expected to make scheduled start Saturday.
Nick Swisher, OF, CLE (shoulder) - Was not in the lineup Friday.
Jose Tabata, OF, PIT (hamstring) - Could head to DL if hamstring does not improve by Tuesday.
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, COL (upper leg) - Not in lineup on Friday. Could return Saturday if soreness dissipates.
Jayson Werth, OF, WAS (hamstring) - Not in lineup on Friday. Could miss a few more games.
DeWayne Wise, OF, CHW (neck) - Scratched from lineup on Thursday with sore neck.
Chris Young, OF, OAK (quad) - Running in batting practice Friday. Hopes to return Saturday.

Players on the DL
Tony Abreu, 2B, SF (knee) - Will begin rehab assignment at Triple-A Friday.
Matt Adams, 1B, STL (oblique) - Began rehab assignment with Double-A Friday.
Brandon Beachy, SP, ATL (elbow) - Threw bullpen on Friday. Still targeting return in late-June or early-July.
Chris Capuano, SP, LAD (calf) - Threw a bullpen session Friday. Could return in a few days.
Johnny Cueto, SP, CIN (triceps) - Friday rehab start pushed back after soreness in oblique.
John Danks, SP, CHW (shoulder) - Pitched seven scoreless in rehab start at Double-A Thursday.
Gavin Floyd, SP, CHW (elbow) - Leaning towards undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Kyuji Fujikawa, RP, CHC (forearm) - Begins rehab assignment at Triple-A on Sunday.
Rafael Furcal, SS, STL (elbow) - Transferred to the 60-day DL.
Matt Garza, SP, CHC (arm) - Will make rehab start at Triple-A on Monday.
Kevin Jepsen, RP, LAA (shoulder) - Played catch for first time Thursday since being placed on DL.
Derek Jeter, SS, NYY (ankle) - Working on recumbent bike and swimming.
Jeff Karstens, SP, PIT (shoulder) - Will pitch in extended Spring Training game Wednesday.
John Lannan, SP, PHI (knee) - Scheduled to be re-evaluated by team doctor Saturday. Likely still 4-6 weeks until return.
Darin Mastroianni, OF, MIN (ankle) - Will keep his foot in a walking boot for another week.
Brian McCann, C, ATL (shoulder) - Still expected to come off DL on Monday.
Jason Motte, RP, STL (elbow) - Will undergo Tommy John surgery on Monday.
Brett Myers, SP, CLE (elbow) - Cleared to begin playing catch.
Mark Teixeira, 1B, NYY (wrist) - Heads to team facility in Tampa on Monday for rehab.

Placed on the DL
Ted Lilly, SP, LAD
Neil Walker, 2B, PIT

Activated from the DL
Aramis Ramirez, 3B, MIL
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, WAS

Called Up
Andrew Brown, OF, NYM
Jose Contreras, RP, PIT
Carlos Martinez, RP, STL
Jordy Mercer, SS, PIT
Ricky Romero, SP, TOR

Sent Down (to Triple-A, unless otherwise noted)
Mitchell Boggs, RP, STL
Collin Cowgill, OF, NYM
Jared Hughes, RP, PIT
Josh Prince, OF, MIL
Anthony Rendon, 3B, WAS (to Double-A)
Ian Stewart, 3B, CHC

Closer Watch

Cardinals -- Edward Mujica earned his seventh save of the season on Thursday against the Brewers further locking in his spot as the closer. His job security increased when the team sent down struggling reliever Mitchell Boggs on Friday and the unfortunate news that Jason Motte will undergo Tommy John surgery were announced. The only worry for Mujica is that the Cardinals do have some strong bullpen arms around him in Trevor Rosenthal, Fernando Salas, and the newly summoned Carlos Martinez that could push him if he struggles.

Reds -- Aroldis Chapman entered the game Friday against the Cubs in a non-save situation, but three runs, 32 pitches, four hits, and two walks later, he left only recording two outs. J.J. Hoover came to the rescue to strike out Darwin Barney and earn the save. Chapman is as safe in the closer role as anyone and this game is just proof that every pitcher can have a rough outing from time to time.

Red Sox -- With Andrew Bailey unavailable to pitch on Thursday, Joel Hanrahan notched his fourth save of the season. Hanrahan essentially lost his closing job to Bailey while on the shelf with an injury and could return the favor if Bailey is unable to return promptly. This closing situation seems unsettled and will tip to the hot hand on the mound.

Key Matchups

Recommended Pickup

Matt Joyce, OF, TB - Joyce is in a tough lineup position as he does not usually start against left-handed pitchers, but he has been crushing right-handers. It is easy to be scared off by the inconsistent playing time and .224/.280/.474 batting line, but he already has six home runs on the season. His .256 batting average and .807 OPS over the last three seasons suggest his batting line will only go upwards. Another indication of improvement is his .216 BABIP that could mean he has had some unfortunate defensive plays against him. He could be a solid addition to a team with the roster flexibility to play matchups with him in the lineup to compensate for days off he will have against lefties.

Other Recent Recommendations: Delmon Young, Yuniesky Betancourt, Michael Saunders, Dan Straily, and Nolan Arenado

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DraftStreet Lineup
C: Yadier Molina, STL ($6,782)
1B: Joey Votto, CIN ($8,844)
2B: Ian Kinsler, TEX ($9,079)
3B: Aramis Ramirez, MIL ($6,719)
SS: Starlin Castro, CHC ($6,570)
OF: Carlos Beltran, STL ($7,896)
OF: Josh Hamilton, LAA ($6,760)
OF: David Murphy, TEX ($5,461)
U: Pablo Sandoval, SF ($7,466)
SP: Max Scherzer, DET ($17,838)
SP: Tony Cingrani, CIN ($13,984)
P: Rafael Soriano, WAS ($2,566)

Total: $99,965

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