Saturday Lineup Card: Closers in Command

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)

Orioles (Rick VandenHurk - R) at Blue Jays (Henderson Alvarez - R), 1:07
Cubs (Randy Wells - R) at Mets (Chris Capuano - L), 1:10
Reds (Bronson Arroyo - R) at Rockies (Alex White - R), 4:10
Indians (Fausto Carmona - R) at White Sox (Philip Humber - R), 4:10
Twins (Anthony Swarzak - R) at Tigers (Max Scherzer - R), 4:10
A's (Trevor Cahill - R) at Rangers (Alexi Ogando - R), 4:10
Marlins (Anibal Sanchez - R) at Pirates (Jeff Locke - L), 7:05
Astros (Wandy Rodriguez - L) at Nationals (John Lannan - L), 7:05
Red Sox (Kyle Weiland - R) at Rays (Jeremy Hellickson - R), 7:05
Phillies (Cliff Lee - L) at Brewers (Randy Wolf - L), 7:10
Braves (Derek Lowe - R) at Cardinals (Jaime Garcia - L), 7:15
Padres (Tim Stauffer - R) at Diamondbacks (Wade Miley - L), 8:10
Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda - R) at Giants (Ryan Vogelsong - R), 9:05
Yankees (CC Sabathia - L) at Angels (Dan Haren - R), 9:05
Royals (Felipe Paulino - R) at Mariners (Michael Pineda - R), 10:10

Day game after a night game: BAL, TOR, CHC, NYM, CIN, COL, CLE, CWS, MIN, DET, OAK, TEX

Injuries - A brief look at players who have been missing time with minor ailments and their expected returns

Day-to-Day
Josh Beckett, P, BOS - (Ankle) Felt better after receiving treatment Thursday, but will miss at least one start
Mike Stanton, OF, FLA - (Hamstring) Returned to the lineup Friday
Jimmy Rollins, SS, PHI - (Groin) Took part in pregame drills Thursday; date for return to starting lineup remains uncertain
Justin Morneau, 1B, MIN - (Concussion) Could return within the next few days
Adam Lind, 1B, TOR - (Wrist) Returned to the lineup Friday
Johnny Damon, OF, TB - (Leg) Returned to the lineup Friday
Todd Helton, 1B, COL - (Back) Returned to the lineup Friday
Mike Cameron, OF, FLA - (Hamstring) Was not in Friday's lineup
Aubrey Huff, 1B, SF - (Back) Was not in Friday's lineup
Jeff Karstens, SP, PIT - (Shoulder) Scheduled to start Tuesday
Casper Wells, OF, SEA - (Wrist) Returned to the lineup Friday
Tsuyoshi Nishioka, 2B, MIN - (Oblique/Back) Returned to the starting lineup Friday
Brian Duensing, P, MIN - (Oblique) Threw a bullpen session Friday; could return next week
Jose Lobaton, C, TB - (Knee) Was not in Friday's lineup
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, COL - Was not in Friday's lineup due to mild soreness in his left hip; considered day-to-day
Kevin Youkilis, 3B, BOS - Returned to Boston on Friday to have his hip checked out
Erik Bedard, SP, BOS - Returned to Boston on Friday to get his sore left lat looked at
Nick Swisher, OF, NYY - Did not start Friday because of a sore elbow
Sergio Escalona, P, HOU - Suffered a sprained ankle during batting practice Friday

Players on the DL
Chase Utley, 2B, PHI - (Concussion) Will likely miss the rest of team's current road trip
Clay Buchholz, SP,. BOS - (Back) Made 70 throws from 120 feet Friday
Colby Rasmus, OF, TOR - (Wrist) Will appear in rehab games Saturday and Sunday
Ike Davis, 1B, NYM - (Ankle) Will avoid surgery and continue rehab after undergoing medical exam Thursday
Juan Uribe, 2B, LAD - (Hip) Underwent sports hernia surgery Wednesday; will begin rehab within two weeks
Scott Hairston, OF, NYM - (Ribs) Still dealing with soreness; return this season is questionable
Nate McLouth, OF, ATL - (Sports Hernia) Not close to returning

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

Placed on the DL (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Brennan Boesch, OF, DET
Brent Lillibridge, OF, CWS

Activated from the DL
Edgmer Escalona, P, COL

Called Up
Matt LaPorta, 1B, CLE
Chris Nelson, 2B, COL
Dale Thayer, RP, NYM
Scott Atchison, P, BOS

Sent Down
Jerad Head, OF, CLE
Drew Sutton, 3B, BOS

Claimed off Waivers
Lance Pendleton, P, HOU

Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (also check out our Closer Grid)

Atlanta - Craig Kimbrel notched his league-leading 43rd save Thursday. As further illustration of his dominance, he has recorded at least two strikeouts in all but one of his last 12 appearances - each covering only one inning.

Los Angeles (NL) - Javy Guerra picked up save number 16 with a perfect inning in Thursday's victor over the Nationals. Guerra has solidified his grasp on the closer's role lately, giving up just one earned run over his last eight innings.

Seattle - Brandon League pitched a clean ninth inning Thursday to pick up his 34th save of the season. League picked up four consecutive losses in mid-May, but he has been spectacular ever since. In 40 games since May 17, League has given up four earned runs and is 25-for-26 in save opportunities.

Recommended Pickup

David Murphy, OF, TEX - Murphy has been hot for a couple weeks now, totaling four home runs and 17 RBI in his last 12 games. However, he remains available in a lot of leagues. Murphy has seen regular playing time in spurts this season, but with the way he is swinging the bat, and Nelson Cruz (hamstring) out a couple weeks, he should continue seeing regular at-bats the rest of the way. Give Murphy a look if you are looking to add some additional pop to your team.

Other recent recommendations:Lucas Duda, Dee Gordon, Jerry Sands, Yonder Alonso, Jason Motte

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Be sure to come back to RotoWire's Daily Lineup Card every day for all the analysis you need to dominate the competition and take home cash on DraftStreet.

Draft Street Lineup

C - Alex Avila, DET ($6,050)
1B - Paul Konerko, CWS ($7,839)
2B - Dan Uggla, ATL ($6,858)
3B - David Wright, NYM ($7,629)
SS - Alexei Ramirez, CWS ($6,433)
OF - Desmond Jennings, TB ($7,659)
OF - Lance Berkman, STL ($7,531)
OF - Matt Holliday, STL ($7,435)
UTIL - Kevin Kouzmanoff, COL ($3,491)
UTIL - Adam Dunn, CWS ($2,304)
SP - CC Sabathia, NYY ($16,720)
SP - Max Scherzer, DET ($9,759)
RP - Joel Hanrahan, PIT ($2,547)
P - Alexi Ogando, TEX ($7,745)

Total: $100,000

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