Friday Lineup Card: Surprise Help Down The Stretch

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Updated on August 20, 2015 11:09PM EST

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

Braves (Shelby Miller – R) at Cub (Kyle Hendricks – R), 4:05
Indians (Carlos Carrasco – R) at Yankees (Masahiro Tanaka – R), 7:05
Brewers (Jimmy Nelson – R) at Nationals (Gio Gonzalez – L), 7:05
Twins (Tommy Milone – L) at Orioles (Wei-Yin Chen – L), 7:05
Giants (Madison Bumgarner – L) at Pirates (Jeff Locke – L), 7:05
Rangers (Colby Lewis – R) at Tigers (Justin Verlander – R), 7:08
Royals (Johnny Cueto – R) at Red Sox (Henry Owens – L), 7:10
Phillies (Aaron Harang – R) at Marlins (Kendry Flores – R), 7:10
Diamondbacks (Rubby De La Rosa – R) at Reds (David Holmberg – L), 7:10
Dodgers (Brett Anderson – L) at Astros (Mike Fiers – R), 8:10
Mets (Bartolo Colon – R) at Rockies (Jonathan Gray – R), 8:40
Rays (Drew Smyly – L) at Athletics (Chris Bassitt – R), 10:05
Blue Jays (David Price – L) at Angels (Hector Santiago – L), 10:05
White Sox (Chris Sale – L) at Mariners (Felix Hernandez – R), 10:10
Cardinals (John Lackey – R) at Padres (Andrew Cashner – R), 10:10

Day Game After Night Game: None

Injuries

Day-to-Day

Glen Perkins, RP, MIN (Neck) – Not expected to return to action until Tuesday.
Omar Infante, 2B, KC (Back) – Did not play on Thursday.
Mark Teixeira, 1B, NYY (Leg) – Did not play on Thursday.
Brandon Phillips, 2B, CIN (Biceps) – Expected to miss some time.

Players on the DL

Steven Matz, SP, NYM (Side) – Pitched 41 pitches in 2.2 innings on Thursday.
David Freese, 3B, LAA (Finger) – Hoping to begin a rehab assignment over the next few days.
Mike Wright, RP, BAL (Calf) – Expected to throw a three-inning simulated game on Saturday.
Alex Gordon, OF, KC (Groin) – Will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday.
Giancarlo Stanton, OF, MIA (Wrist) – Hoping to rejoin the team before Sept. 1.
Jordy Mercer, SS, PIT (Leg) – May return this weekend.
Josh Harrison, 3B, PIT (Thumb) – May return this weekend.
Anibal Sanchez, SP, DET (Shoulder) – Was placed on the 15-day DL.
Jeremy Hellickson, SP, ARI (Leg) – Was placed on the 15-day DL.
Josh Hamilton, OF, TEX (Knee) – Was placed on the 15-day DL.
Jake McGee, RP, TB (Knee) – Will undergo surgery on Friday.
Steve Pearce, OF, BAL (Oblique) – Will begin a rehab assignment on Friday.
Howie Kendrick, 2B, LAD (Hamstring) – May see a reduction in playing time with the acquisition of Chase Utley.
Michael Pineda, SP, NYY (Forearm) – Will make a rehab start on Friday.
Daniel Norris, SP, DET (Oblique) – Was placed on the 15-day DL.
Randal Grichuk, OF, STL (Elbow) – Will not return to action for 14-20 days.

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

Activated from the DL

Gerald Laird, C, ARI
Nori Aoki, OF, SF

Placed on the DL (15-day DL, unless otherwise noted)

Daniel Norris, SP, DET
Anibal Sanchez, SP, DET
Aaron Hicks, OF, MIN
Josh Hamilton, OF, TEX
Jeremy Hellickson, SP, ARI
Hunter Pence, OF, SF

Called Up

Scott McGough, RP, MIA
Ryan LaMarre, OF, CIN
Darnell Sweeney, 2B, PHI
Guido Knudson, RP, DET
Vincent Velasquez, SP, HOU
Nick Tropeano, RP, LAA
Jose Valdez, RP, DET
Chase Anderson, SP, ARI
Byron Buxton, OF, MIN

Sent Down (to Triple-A, unless otherwise noted)

Gerald Laird, C, ARI
Mike Morin, RP, LAA
Tomas Tellis, C, MIA
Josh Fields, RP, HOU

Traded

Randy Wolf, RP, DET – from Toronto Blue Jays for cash
Marlon Byrd, OF, SF – from Cincinnati Reds for Stephen Johnson, RP.

Released

Drew Stubbs, OF, COL
Garrett Jones, OF, NYY

Signed

Ryan Gebhardt, OF, ATL
Travis Snider, OF, PIT

Closer Watch

Boston Red Sox – I love saying "Junichi Tazawa". Seriously, it's a rad name. Tazawa snatched his second save in two days, shutting down the Royals on 10 pitches, as he struck out one hitter and retired the others on minimal pitches. It's doubtful that Tazawa is there on your free agent list for saves, but, if he is, you'd be smart to snag him.

Key Matchups

Hot Batter Matchups – August 21, 2015

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
C. Davis	1B	BAL vs MIN 7:05PM	T. Milone	11	4	3	2	2	1	2	.364	.417	1.000	1.417
J. Hardy	SS	BAL vs MIN 7:05PM	T. Milone	12	5	1	0	0	0	1	.417	.417	.500	.917
M. Machado	3B	BAL vs MIN 7:05PM	T. Milone	11	5	2	1	1	0	1	.455	.455	.818	1.273
A. Lind	1B	MIL @ WAS 7:05PM	G. Gonzalez	11	4	1	0	1	1	3	.364	.462	.455	.916
B. Dozier	2B	MIN @ BAL 7:05PM	W. Chen	13	5	1	1	1	1	2	.385	.429	.615	1.044
E. Nunez	SS	MIN @ BAL 7:05PM	W. Chen	11	4	2	0	1	0	0	.364	.364	.545	.909
T. Plouffe	3B	MIN @ BAL 7:05PM	W. Chen	13	4	3	1	4	1	3	.308	.357	.692	1.049
A. Ramirez	3B	PIT vs SF 7:05PM	M. Bumgarner	18	6	4	1	3	2	0	.333	.381	.667	1.048
M. Byrd	OF	SF @ PIT 7:05PM	J. Locke	14	5	3	2	5	1	5	.357	.375	.857	1.232
A. Avila	C	DET vs TEX 7:08PM	C. Lewis	15	5	3	2	2	3	3	.333	.444	.800	1.244
V. Martinez	1B	DET vs TEX 7:08PM	C. Lewis	17	9	3	0	3	0	0	.529	.529	.706	1.235
M. Moreland	1B	TEX @ DET 7:08PM	J. Verlander	15	6	4	0	5	2	5	.400	.471	.667	1.137
D. DeJesus	OF	LAA vs TOR 10:05PM	D. Price	10	4	1	0	1	1	0	.400	.417	.500	.917
C. Iannetta	C	LAA vs TOR 10:05PM	D. Price	18	6	2	1	1	1	4	.333	.368	.556	.924
B. Butler	1B	OAK vs TB 10:05PM	D. Smyly	14	7	2	1	1	1	2	.500	.533	.786	1.319
R. Cano	2B	SEA vs CWS 10:10PM	C. Sale	16	5	3	0	0	1	5	.313	.353	.500	.853
N. Cruz	OF	SEA vs CWS 10:10PM	C. Sale	13	6	2	2	4	2	1	.462	.533	.923	1.456
J. Montero	1B	SEA vs CWS 10:10PM	C. Sale	10	3	1	1	1	0	2	.300	.300	.600	.900

Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS

Hot Pitcher Matchups – August 21, 2015

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Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Carlos Carrasco	CLE @ NYY 7:05PM	74	15	5	3	5	5	18	.203	.272	.345	.617
Felix Hernandez	SEA vs CWS 10:10PM	112	23	7	2	11	4	25	.205	.229	.304	.533

Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS

Cold Batter Matchups – August 21, 2015

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
S. Castro	SS	CHC vs ATL 4:05PM	S. Miller	11	1	1	0	0	0	4	.091	.091	.182	.273
A. Jones	OF	BAL vs MIN 7:05PM	T. Milone	12	2	1	0	0	0	1	.167	.167	.250	.417
J. Ellsbury	OF	NYY vs CLE 7:05PM	C. Carrasco	14	3	0	0	0	0	4	.214	.214	.214	.429
M. Teixeira	1B	NYY vs CLE 7:05PM	C. Carrasco	11	1	0	0	0	2	3	.091	.231	.091	.322
A. McCutchen	OF	PIT vs SF 7:05PM	M. Bumgarner	10	2	0	0	0	2	2	.200	.333	.200	.533
M. Morse	OF	PIT vs SF 7:05PM	M. Bumgarner	10	2	1	1	2	1	3	.200	.273	.500	.773
D. Murphy	OF	LAA vs TOR 10:05PM	D. Price	10	2	1	0	2	1	5	.200	.250	.300	.550
A. Pujols	1B	LAA vs TOR 10:05PM	D. Price	15	3	2	2	2	0	0	.200	.200	.600	.800
J. Donaldson	3B	TOR @ LAA 10:05PM	H. Santiago	16	2	1	1	2	2	4	.125	.211	.313	.523
G. Beckham	2B	CWS @ SEA 10:10PM	F. Hernandez	29	5	3	2	3	2	5	.172	.226	.414	.640
A. Ramirez	SS	CWS @ SEA 10:10PM	F. Hernandez	30	8	2	0	2	0	6	.267	.267	.333	.600
M. Kemp	OF	SD vs STL 10:10PM	J. Lackey	13	2	0	0	0	0	7	.154	.154	.154	.308
M. Upton Jr.	OF	SD vs STL 10:10PM	J. Lackey	32	6	3	2	5	1	13	.188	.212	.406	.618
A. Jackson	OF	SEA vs CWS 10:10PM	C. Sale	30	2	1	0	2	2	12	.067	.125	.100	.225

Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS

Cold Pitcher Matchups – August 21, 2015

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Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Wei-Yin Chen	BAL vs MIN 7:05PM	73	23	10	3	8	6	11	.315	.367	.544	.911
Colby Lewis	TEX @ DET 7:08PM	98	34	12	4	14	8	11	.347	.400	.543	.943

Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS

Recommended Pickup

Travis Shaw, 1B, Boston Red Sox – Okay, Shaw is just someone that can't be ignored. I know this isn't going to last, but I wouldn't feel right if I didn't suggest Shaw. I mean, come on, dude has been lighting the world on fire to the tune of a .382 AVG, 4 HR, 8 RBI over his last eight games. Snag Shaw if you need the CI help down the stretch. Cha-ching!

Other Recent Recommendations:Travis Shaw, Raisel Iglesias, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Rodon, Eugenio Suarez and Danny Valencia

DraftKings Value Picks

SP: Wei-Yin Chen, BAL ($8,300)
C: J.T. Realmuto, MIA ($3,600)
1B: Greg Bird, NYY ($3,900)
2B: Justin Turner, LAD ($3,400)
SS: Eugenio Suarez, CIN ($3,100)
3B: Matt Carpenter, STL ($3,900)
OF: Ender Inciarte, ARI ($3,900)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Dave Hunter plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: TheRolyPolyBoy, DraftKings: TheRolyPolyBoy.