Monday Lineup Card: The Never-Ending Torii

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Updated on May 11, 2015 1:58AM EST

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

Blue Jays (Marco Estrada – R) at Orioles (Ubaldo Jimenez – R), 7:05
Pirates (Gerrit Cole – R) at Phillies (Jerome Williams – R), 7:05
Braves (Shelby Miller – R) at Reds (Mike Leake – R), 7:10
Yankees (CC Sabathia – L) at Rays (Alex Colome – R), 7:10
White Sox (Jeff Samardzija – R) at Brewers (Wily Peralta – R), 7:20
Mets (Jacob deGrom – R) at Cubs (Jon Lester – L), 8:05
Royals (Danny Duffy – L) at Rangers (Colby Lewis – R), 8:05
Nationals (Max Scherzer – R) at Diamondbacks (Josh Collmenter – R), 9:40
Red Sox (Rick Porcello – R) at Athletics (Scott Kazmir – L), 10:05
Marlins (Tom Koehler – R) at Dodgers (Zack Greinke – R), 10:10

Day Game After Night Game: None

Injuries

Day-to-Day

David Price, SP, DET (hamstring) – Making his next start Saturday
Stephen Strasburg, SP, WAS (shoulder) – Getting extra rest day; starting Tuesday
David Wright, 3B, NYM (hamstring/back) – Resuming baseball activities Monday
Devin Mesoraco, C, CIN (hip) – 2-for-4 with an RBI triple as DH on Sunday
Travis d'Arnaud, C, NYM (hand) – Having exam Tuesday to determine next step
Matt Carpenter, 3B, STL (undisclosed) – No cause found for his extreme fatigue yet
Jason Grilli, RP, ATL (back) – Unavailable due to spasms over weekend
Trevor Plouffe, 3B, MIN (personal) – Out Sunday; could return Monday
Angel Pagan, OF, SF (finger) – Out of Sunday's lineup
Aramis Ramirez, 3B, MIL (back) – Didn't go again Sunday; Monday status uncertain
Chris Taylor, SS, SEA (hand) – X-rays negative
Jon Jay, OF, STL (thumb) – Bruise knocked him out Saturday, kept him out Sunday
Hector Noesi, RP, CHW (back) – Available in relief Sunday after leaving Saturday's start

Players on the DL

Yasiel Puig, OF, LAD (hamstring) – Having MRI on Monday
Masahiro Tanaka, SP, NYY (forearm) – Throwing from 90 feet; looking at late-May return
Drew Smyly, SP, TB (shoulder) – Had second MRI Sunday; torn labrum looks likely
Kenley Jansen, RP, LAD (foot) – Looking good on rehab trip; should be back this week
Sean Doolittle, RP, OAK (shoulder) – Facing live hitters again Monday
Alex Rios, OF, KC (hand) – Supposed to resume hitting next week
Justin Verlander, SP, DET (triceps) – Throwing light bullpen Tuesday
Josh Hamilton, OF, TEX (shoulder) – 1-for-3 in first rehab game Sunday
Mike Moustakas, 3B, KC (personal) – Rejoining team Monday
Jaime Garcia, SP, STL (shoulder) – Struggled in rehab start Sunday
Jarrod Parker, SP, OAK (elbow) – Needs surgery for fracture
Jonathan Schoop, 2B, BAL (knee) – Could resume baseball activities next week
Everth Cabrera, SS, BAL (foot) – Could start rehab assignment Thursday
Dillon Gee, SP, NM (groin) – Heading to Florida for rehab soon
Kevin Gausman, SP, BAL (shoulder) – Visiting specialist Monday, having MRI Tuesday
Tsuyoshi Wada, SP, CHC (groin) – Good rehab start Thursday; could be activated soon
T.J. House, SP, CLE (shoulder) – Long tossed Sunday
Charlie Morton, SP, PIT (hip) – Will make rehab start in Triple-A on Thursday
Melvin Upton Jr., OF, SD (foot) – DHing in extended spring Monday; in field Tuesday
Ryan Brett, 2B, TB (shoulder) – Heading out on rehab assignment within a week
Chris Martin, RP, NYY (elbow) – Has tendinitis
Dallas Beeler, SP, CHC (shoulder) – Not looking good in Triple-A
Felipe Rivero, RP, WAS (stomach) – Threw a bullpen Sunday

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

Called Up

J.C. Ramirez, RP, ARI
Steven Wright, P, BOS
Jackie Bradley, OF, BOS
Steve Tolleson, 2B, TOR

Sent Down (to Triple-A unless otherwise noted)

Jorge Rondon, RP, BAL (following waiver claim from COL)
Chris Beck, RP, CHW
Jayson Aquino, RP, PIT
Javy Guerra, RP, CHW (outrighted)
Pedro Villarreal, RP, CIN
Robbie Ross, RP, BOS
Allen Craig, OF, BOS
Danny Dorn, 1B, ARI

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

Michael Saunders, OF, TOR (knee)

Designated For Assignment

Preston Guilmet, RP, TOR

Traded

Jayson Aquino, RP, PIT (from TOR)
Edward Mujica, RP, OAK (From BOS)

Closer Watch

Braves -- Back spasms kept Jason Grilli out over the weekend, and he's only appeared in two games this month, most recently May 6. Atlanta didn't generate any save chances for Jim Johnson over the weekend, but he's the man to gamble with if Grilli remains unavailable this week.

Pirates -- Mark Melancon gave up a pair of hits Sunday, but recorded a strikeout and his seventh save. It's his first whiff in three appearances, and just his ninth in 13.1 innings this year -- a far cry from the 71 strikeouts he posted in 71 innings last season. Nonetheless, Melancon hasn't given up a run in any of his last eight appearances, so it appears he's regained a pretty good degree of job security.

Dodgers -- Kenley Jansen looks like he should be ready to return this week, bringing some clarity to a closing situation that currently vaguely involves both Chris Hatcher and young stud Yimi Garcia.

Mariners -- Fernando Rodney collected another save Sunday, but he gave up a home run for the second time in his last three appearances. With a 5.40 ERA and a 14:7 K:BB, he's been far from automatic at the back end of the Seattle bullpen. The bright side? There's no one really coming for his job yet – Danny Farquhar isn't pitching well, one-time closer Tom Wilhelmsen just got back from the DL, and theoretical future closers Yoervis Medina and Dominic Leone are in the minors right now.

Diamondbacks -- Sunday saw fantasy owners treated to a rare sight in 2015: an Addison Reed save. Reed required just 11 pitches to toss a perfect inning against San Diego, striking out a batter. He gave up a run in three of his prior four outings coming in, though, so Reed's hardly out of the woods yet. But even if someone takes his job away at some point, the D-Backs aren't creating a lot of save chances. For what it's worth, if I was gonna bet on anyone in this bullpen to end up taking the job away from Reed, it'd be Randall Delgado.

Key Matchups

Hot Batter Matchups – May 11, 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
K. Johnson	3B	ATL @ CIN 7:10PM	M. Leake	16	5	2	1	2	1	1	.313	.353	.563	.915
D. Mesoraco	C	CIN vs ATL 7:10PM	S. Miller	10	3	2	1	2	0	1	.300	.300	.700	1.000
B. Phillips	2B	CIN vs ATL 7:10PM	S. Miller	17	6	2	1	1	0	5	.353	.353	.588	.941
J. Votto	1B	CIN vs ATL 7:10PM	S. Miller	12	3	3	1	4	4	5	.250	.438	.667	1.104
A. Cabrera	SS	TB vs NYY 7:10PM	C. Sabathia	11	3	1	1	1	1	3	.273	.333	.545	.879
E. Longoria	3B	TB vs NYY 7:10PM	C. Sabathia	58	24	14	6	14	13	5	.414	.528	.862	1.390
R. Braun	OF	MIL vs CWS 7:20PM	J. Samardzija	18	9	4	3	7	3	0	.500	.571	1.056	1.627
G. Parra	OF	MIL vs CWS 7:20PM	J. Samardzija	11	4	1	1	1	2	1	.364	.462	.636	1.098
E. Hosmer	1B	KC @ TEX 8:05PM	C. Lewis	10	4	2	0	4	0	0	.400	.400	.600	1.000
C. Granderson	OF	NYM @ CHC 8:05PM	J. Lester	40	11	5	2	4	3	15	.275	.341	.525	.866
D. Pedroia	2B	BOS @ OAK 10:05PM	S. Kazmir	38	19	8	2	5	9	3	.500	.596	.842	1.438
M. Morse	OF	MIA @ LAD 10:10PM	Z. Greinke	14	4	1	1	3	1	6	.286	.375	.500	.875

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

Hot Pitcher Matchups – May 11, 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
Ubaldo Jimenez	BAL vs TOR 7:05PM	149	27	10	3	14	20	40	.181	.277	.286	.563
Mike Leake	CIN vs ATL 7:10PM	76	17	5	2	4	7	9	.224	.289	.336	.625
Shelby Miller	ATL @ CIN 7:10PM	119	26	13	5	13	13	32	.218	.292	.414	.706

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 – May 11, 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
T. Snider	OF	BAL vs TOR 7:05PM	M. Estrada	12	1	0	0	0	1	7	.083	.154	.083	.237
J. Bautista	OF	TOR @ BAL 7:05PM	U. Jimenez	29	2	1	0	0	4	6	.069	.182	.103	.285
J. Donaldson	3B	TOR @ BAL 7:05PM	U. Jimenez	12	1	0	0	1	2	5	.083	.214	.083	.298
J. Smoak	1B	TOR @ BAL 7:05PM	U. Jimenez	17	2	1	1	2	0	9	.118	.118	.294	.412
F. Freeman	1B	ATL @ CIN 7:10PM	M. Leake	15	1	1	1	2	3	4	.067	.222	.267	.489
J. Bruce	OF	CIN vs ATL 7:10PM	S. Miller	12	1	1	0	1	4	3	.083	.294	.167	.461
M. Byrd	OF	CIN vs ATL 7:10PM	S. Miller	12	2	1	0	0	2	6	.167	.286	.250	.536
Z. Cozart	SS	CIN vs ATL 7:10PM	S. Miller	14	2	0	0	0	1	4	.143	.200	.143	.343
T. Frazier	3B	CIN vs ATL 7:10PM	S. Miller	17	3	1	1	3	0	4	.176	.176	.353	.529
B. Hamilton	OF	CIN vs ATL 7:10PM	S. Miller	12	2	1	0	0	2	2	.167	.286	.333	.619
B. Guyer	OF	TB vs NYY 7:10PM	C. Sabathia	15	1	0	0	0	0	5	.067	.067	.067	.133
J. Segura	SS	MIL vs CWS 7:20PM	J. Samardzija	18	5	0	0	3	0	4	.278	.278	.278	.556
A. Escobar	SS	KC @ TEX 8:05PM	C. Lewis	11	2	0	0	1	0	1	.182	.182	.182	.364
A. Gordon	OF	KC @ TEX 8:05PM	C. Lewis	12	2	1	0	0	2	1	.167	.286	.250	.536
K. Morales	1B	KC @ TEX 8:05PM	C. Lewis	10	2	2	0	2	0	2	.200	.200	.400	.600
A. Hill	2B	ARI vs WAS 9:40PM	M. Scherzer	12	2	0	0	0	0	4	.167	.167	.167	.333
D. Uggla	2B	WAS @ ARI 9:40PM	J. Collmenter	11	2	0	0	0	0	1	.182	.182	.182	.364
M. Napoli	1B	BOS @ OAK 10:05PM	S. Kazmir	10	1	0	0	0	1	6	.100	.182	.100	.282
M. Prado	3B	MIA @ LAD 10:10PM	Z. Greinke	23	5	1	0	2	0	6	.217	.217	.261	.478

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

Cold Pitcher Matchups – May 11, 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
CC Sabathia	NYY @ TB 7:10PM	170	53	26	10	25	14	33	.312	.371	.602	.972
Jeff Samardzija	CWS @ MIL 7:20PM	79	25	11	6	16	7	16	.316	.377	.621	.999
Scott Kazmir	OAK vs BOS 10:05PM	114	34	13	4	14	19	24	.298	.398	.500	.899

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
Torii Hunter, OF, MIN – Fantasy drafters this year wrote off Hunter, and his ownership is still hovering in the modest neighborhood of 50 percent on Yahoo, ESPN and CBS alike. But – 39 years old and all – he's been on fire so far in May, having put up the following absolutely silly batting line over nine games: 18-for-39 (.462), four homers, 12 RBI, 11 runs. Few have been better with the bat recently than Hunter, and although it's hard to count on him to maintain this power outburst – he's hit 16, 17 and 17 homers over the last three seasons – the veteran's always a good bet to hit for average and he's seeing very regular time in the Minnesota lineup.

Other Recent Recommendations:Addison Russell, Billy Burns, Kyle Blanks, Logan Morrison, Anthony Gose

DraftKings Value Picks

SP: Jacob deGrom, NYM ($8,100)
C: Salvador Perez, KC ($3,800)
1B: Stephen Vogt, OAK ($3,700)
2B: Alex Guerrero, LAD ($2,800)
3B: Alex Rodriguez, NYY ($3,800)
SS: Jean Segura, MIL ($3,800)
OF: Steven Souza, TB ($3,800)

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.