Monday Lineup Card: Don't Go it A-Loney

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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

Cubs (Jeff Samardzija - R) at Reds (Alfredo Simon - R), 7:10
Athletics (Sonny Gray - R) at Rangers (Yu Darvish - R), 8:00
Rays (Jake Odorizzi - R) at White Sox (Andre Rienzo - R), 8:10
Brewers (Yovani Gallardo - R) at Cardinals (Michael Wacha - R), 8:15
Rockies (Franklin Morales - L) at Diamondbacks (Wade Miley - L), 9:40
Indians (Justin Masterson - R) at Angels (Tyler Skaggs - L), 10:05
Padres (Tyson Ross - R) at Giants (Madison Bumgarner - L), 10:15

Day Game After Night Game: None

Injuries

Day-to-Day
Ryan Braun, OF, MIL (Ribs) - Expected to be sidelined the next 3-to-5 days as a result of the right intercostal strain that he sustained Saturday.
Yoenis Cespedes, OF, OAK (Hamstring) - Didn't make an appearance off the bench Sunday, marking his third absence in a row due to a strained hamstring.
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, TEX (Ankle) - Sidelined for a fifth consecutive game Sunday due to a left ankle sprain.
Alcides Escobar, SS, KC (Knee) - Remained in Saturday's game, after seeming to hurt his left knee in a collision with the Orioles' Jonathan Schoop.
Danny Espinosa, 2B, WAS (Knee) - Suffered a bruised kneecap during a hit by pitch Sunday, resulting in his removal from the game in the fifth inning.
Josh Fields, P, HOU (Quadriceps) - Unavailable out of the bullpen Sunday due to a tight quad.
Brett Gardner, OF, NYY (Foot) - Missed Sunday's game due to a sore foot, but X-rays were returned negative.
Gio Gonzalez, P, WAS (Shoulder) - Appears on track to start Tuesday in Houston, after taking batting practice Friday and tossing a bullpen session Sunday.
Raul Ibanez, OF, LAA (Illness) - Sat out Sunday as a result of an illness.
Bud Norris, P, BAL (Hamstring) - Threw a bullpen session Sunday to test out his hamstring and is in line to make his upcoming start Wednesday against the Pirates.
Hanley Ramirez, SS, LAD (Thumb) - Wasn't in the starting lineup Sunday but tallied a pinch-hit single in the ninth inning.
Wilin Rosario, C, COL (Hand) - Didn't play Sunday due to a left hand injury.
Jean Segura, SS, MIL (Head) - Unlikely to play Monday, but a concussion was avoided in his unfortunate bat to the face from Ryan Braun.
Yangervis Solarte, 2B, NYY (Shoulder) - Scratched from the lineup Sunday due to a sore shoulder.

Players on the DL
Oswaldo Arcia, OF, MIN (Wrist) - Went 3-for-3 as the designated hitter in his first rehab outing Saturday at Triple-A Rochester.
Jake Arrieta, P, CHC (Shoulder) - Surrendered two runs (one earned) on two hits and one walk in a two-inning rehab game Saturday at Double-A Tennessee.
Trevor Bell, P, CIN (Elbow) - Rebooted a throwing program and is currently playing catch.
Jhoulys Chacin, P, COL (Shoulder) - Likely won't be able to make the start Tuesday at Arizona.
Chris Davis, 1B, BAL (Oblique) - Will likely miss more than the minimum 15 days as a result of the strained left oblique that he suffered Friday.
Doug Fister, P, WAS (Back) - Made his first of two rehab starts Sunday at High-A Potomac.
Gavin Floyd, P, ATL (Elbow) - Slated for one more rehab start, before debuting with the Braves.
Rafael Furcal, SS, MIA (Hamstring) - Unsure if he'll miss additional time, after leaving Friday's rehab game due to a tight right quad.
Jeremy Hellickson, P, TB (Elbow) - Fired 20 fastballs off a mound Sunday, his first such occasion doing so since elbow surgery in January.
Derek Holland, P, TEX (Knee) - Threw live batting practice Saturday in Arizona for the first time since undergoing surgery on his knee in mid-January.
Hisashi Iwakuma, P, SEA (Finger) - Allowed two runs on six hits in four innings during a rehab start Sunday.
Casey Janssen, P, TOR (Back) - Tossed a positive bullpen session Sunday.
Russell Martin, C, PIT (Hamstring) - Had an MRI performed, which confirmed a left hamstring strain.
Mike Minor, P, ATL (Shoulder) - Could take the rotation spot occupied by David Hale upon his activation from the DL this week.
Jurickson Profar, 2B, TEX (Shoulder) - Undergoing an MRI on Tuesday, after which he could be cleared to swing a bat.
Wandy Rodriguez, P, PIT (Knee) - Emerged unscathed from a 47-pitch bullpen session Sunday and could be activated from the DL after his next rehab start at Double-A Altoona, if it goes well.
Darin Ruf, OF, PHI (Oblique) - Scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this week.
Logan Schafer, OF, MIL (Hamstring) - Slated to start a rehab assignment Monday at High-A Brevard County.
Mark Trumbo, OF, ARI (Foot) - May miss more than the six weeks prescribed for his recovery from a stress fracture in his left foot.
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, WAS (Thumb) - Not close to having the ability to grip a baseball again.

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

Activated from the DL
Matt Harrison, P, TEX
Cameron Maybin, OF, SD

Placed on the DL
Bruce Billings, P, NYY
Chris Davis, 1B, BAL
Avisail Garcia, OF, CHW (transferred to 60-day DL)
Bryce Harper, OF, WAS
Anibal Sanchez, P, DET

Called Up
Preston Claiborne, P, NYY
Justin Miller, P, DET
Mike Morin, P, LAA
Casey Sadler, P, PIT
Steve Souza, OF, WAS
Carlos Triunfel, SS, LAD

Sent Down (to Triple-A, unless otherwise noted)
Brennan Boesch, OF, LAA
Jose Dominguez, P, LAD
Jared Hughes, P, PIT
Erik Johnson, P, CHW
Kevin Quackenbush, P, SD
Luis Sardinas, SS, TEX

Contract Selected
Scott Carroll, P, CHW

Signed
Lars Davis, C, PHI (to minor league contract)

Closer Watch

Pirates - News arrived suddenly Friday that Jason Grilli was dealing with a strained left oblique, and he was promptly placed on the disabled list. Mark Melancon is the next man up in Pittsburgh, a role in which he has experience due to Grilli's bout with a forearm strain last season, resulting in 14 saves in 15 chances during a six-week stretch in the second half. On Saturday, Melancon's first appearance since his installation as the interim closer arose, but the non-save situation was relatively uneventful, as he struck out one Cardinal in a scoreless frame. With a six-inning stretch of blank baseball on his ledger, he should be up to the task for any save opportunities that arrive on his doorstep.

Hot Batter Matchups – April 28, 2014

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
T. Frazier	3B	CIN vs CHC 7:10PM	J. Samardzija	19	6	3	2	2	4	4	.316	.435	.684	1.119
D. Barton	1B	OAK @ TEX 8:05PM	Y. Darvish	10	5	1	1	2	2	2	.500	.583	.800	1.383
C. Crisp	OF	OAK @ TEX 8:05PM	Y. Darvish	17	6	2	1	7	3	4	.353	.429	.647	1.076
J. Jaso	C	OAK @ TEX 8:05PM	Y. Darvish	17	5	3	2	3	2	7	.294	.368	.706	1.074
B. Moss	1B	OAK @ TEX 8:05PM	Y. Darvish	18	6	5	4	6	2	4	.333	.429	1.056	1.484
M. Carpenter	3B	STL vs MIL 8:15PM	Y. Gallardo	13	4	3	0	3	0	3	.308	.357	.538	.896
A. Craig	1B	STL vs MIL 8:15PM	Y. Gallardo	10	3	1	1	3	0	3	.300	.273	.600	.873
M. Holliday	OF	STL vs MIL 8:15PM	Y. Gallardo	30	8	4	3	8	4	8	.267	.353	.633	.986
J. Jay	OF	STL vs MIL 8:15PM	Y. Gallardo	28	10	2	2	5	0	3	.357	.357	.571	.929
Y. Molina	C	STL vs MIL 8:15PM	Y. Gallardo	33	8	6	2	6	8	5	.242	.405	.545	.950
C. Gonzalez	OF	COL @ ARI 9:40PM	W. Miley	18	7	1	1	1	0	1	.389	.389	.556	.944
W. Rosario	C	COL @ ARI 9:40PM	W. Miley	16	8	4	1	3	1	4	.500	.529	.875	1.404
C. Denorfia	OF	SD @ SF 10:15PM	M. Bumgarner	44	15	7	0	2	1	7	.341	.356	.523	.878
W. Venable	OF	SD @ SF 10:15PM	M. Bumgarner	13	4	2	1	1	0	2	.308	.308	.615	.923
A. Pagan	OF	SF vs SD 10:15PM	T. Ross	10	4	1	0	0	0	2	.400	.400	.500	.900

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

Hot Pitcher Matchups – April 28, 2014

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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
Justin Masterson	CLE @ LAA 10:05PM	76	14	2	0	3	11	14	.184	.287	.213	.501
Madison Bumgarner	SF vs SD 10:15PM	160	35	17	4	10	4	46	.219	.237	.384	.621

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 – April 28, 2014

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
R. Bernadina	OF	CIN vs CHC 7:10PM	J. Samardzija	12	2	0	0	1	0	3	.167	.167	.167	.333
B. Phillips	2B	CIN vs CHC 7:10PM	J. Samardzija	31	7	0	0	3	0	7	.226	.226	.226	.452
J. Donaldson	3B	OAK @ TEX 8:05PM	Y. Darvish	16	3	0	0	0	2	8	.188	.278	.188	.465
J. Lowrie	SS	OAK @ TEX 8:05PM	Y. Darvish	13	2	0	0	1	5	5	.154	.421	.154	.575
J. Reddick	OF	OAK @ TEX 8:05PM	Y. Darvish	16	1	0	0	1	1	8	.063	.111	.063	.174
J. Pacheco	3B	COL @ ARI 9:40PM	W. Miley	11	2	0	0	0	1	2	.182	.250	.182	.432
J. Rutledge	2B	COL @ ARI 9:40PM	W. Miley	13	2	2	0	2	0	4	.154	.154	.308	.462
E. Aybar	SS	LAA vs CLE 10:05PM	J. Masterson	18	2	0	0	0	4	7	.111	.273	.111	.384
R. Ibanez	OF	LAA vs CLE 10:05PM	J. Masterson	14	1	1	0	0	0	2	.071	.071	.143	.214
Y. Alonso	1B	SD @ SF 10:15PM	M. Bumgarner	11	1	1	1	2	0	2	.091	.091	.364	.455
E. Cabrera	SS	SD @ SF 10:15PM	M. Bumgarner	16	0	0	0	1	1	6	.000	.059	.000	.059
N. Hundley	C	SD @ SF 10:15PM	M. Bumgarner	25	7	4	1	2	0	7	.280	.280	.520	.800
C. Maybin	OF	SD @ SF 10:15PM	M. Bumgarner	21	5	2	1	1	1	8	.238	.273	.476	.749
X. Nady	OF	SD @ SF 10:15PM	M. Bumgarner	12	2	0	0	0	0	6	.167	.167	.167	.333
B. Crawford	SS	SF vs SD 10:15PM	T. Ross	10	2	0	0	0	0	3	.200	.200	.200	.400

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

Cold Pitcher Matchups – April 28, 2014

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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
Yu Darvish	TEX vs OAK 8:05PM	158	43	16	9	26	24	53	.272	.371	.491	.862
Yovani Gallardo	MIL @ STL 8:15PM	138	39	17	9	28	14	28	.283	.355	.542	.897

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

James Loney, 1B, TB - Although his streak of reaching base in 14 consecutive contests came to a halt Sunday following a 0-for-4 performance, Loney has more than impressed at the plate this season, entering Monday's game with a .306/.381/.435 line. He only boasts modest power historically, with a homer every 43.7 at-bats, leaving him due to strike his second long ball of the season. In steps Monday's starter for the White Sox, Andre Rienzo, who has allowed 12 home runs in 63.1 career innings, including one in his previous nod Wednesday in Detroit. Meanwhile, Loney has strafed right-handed pitching in 2014 to the tune of a .153 ISO and .881 OPS in 59 at-bats. Consequently, the stars may be aligned for the firstbaseman to at least take advantage of Rienzo's propensity to serve up healthy offerings.

Other Recent Recommendations:Matt Harrison, Mark Melancon, Alberto Callaspo, Jenrry Mejia

DraftStreet Lineup

SP - Justin Masterson, CLE ($14,868)
C - Yadier Molina, STL ($5,936)
1B - Matt Adams, STL ($4,924)
2B - DJ LeMahieu, COL ($4,614)
SS - Jhonny Peralta, STL ($4,236)
3B - Aramis Ramirez, MIL ($5,612)
OF - Mike Morse, SF ($5,694)