This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters - A look at Sunday's matchups (all times Eastern)NYY (Luis Severino – R) at TOR (Drew Hutchison – R) 1:07 PM
PIT (Jeff Locke – L) at NYM (Matt Harvey – R) 1:10 PM
OAK (Kendall Graveman – R) at BAL (Wei-Yin Chen – R) 1:10 PM
SEA (Vidal Nuno – L) at BOS (Henry Owens – L) 1:35 PM
ARI (Rubby De La Rosa – R) at ATL (Shelby Miller – R) 1:35 PM
CHC (Dan Haren – R) at CWS (Chris Sale – L) 2:10 PM
PHI (Aaron Harang – R) at MIL (Taylor Jungmann – R) 2:10 PM
CLE (Carlos Carrasco – R) at MIN (Tommy Milone – L) 2:10 PM
DET (Matt Boyd – L) at HOU (Mike Fiers – R) 2:10 PM
MIA (David Phelps – R) at STL (Carlos Martinez – R) 2:15 PM
TB (Drew Smyly – L) at TEX (Yovani Gallardo – R) 3:05 PM
WAS (Joe Ross – R) at SF (Madison Bumgarner – L) 4:05 PM
CIN (Anthony DeSclafani – R) at LAD (Zack Greinke – R) 4:10 PM
SD (Ian Kennedy – R) at COL (Chris Rusin – L) 4:10 PM
LAA (Hector Santiago – L) at KC (Yordano Ventura – R) 8:00 PM
Day Game After Night Game: PIT/NYM, OAK/BAL, ARI/ATL, CHC/CWS, PHI/MIL, CLE/MIN, DET/HOU, MIA/STL, TB/TEX
Injuries
Day-to-Day
Erick Aybar, SS, LAA - (Back) Missed Saturday's game, but does not expect to necessitate a DL stint.
Michael Brantley, OF, CLE - (Shoulder) MRI returned clean Friday, but remains unlikely to play Sunday.
Rusney Castillo, OF, BOS - (Foot) Was unavailable to play Saturday.
Lucas Duda, 1B, NYM - (Back) Expects to return Tuesday.
Maikel Franco, 3B, PHI - (Wrist) Did not play Saturday.
Sonny Gray, SP, OAK - (Back) Could return to rotation Monday.
Bryce Harper, OF, WAS - (Leg) Left Saturday's game after fouling a ball of his shin.
Starling Marte, OF, PIT - (Hand) Missed his third straight game Saturday.
Pablo Sandoval, 3B, BOS - (Elbow) Left Saturday's game after suffering a contusion.
Chris Tillman, SP, BAL - (Triceps) Expected to make his scheduled start Monday.
Scott Van Slyke, OF, LAD – (Illness) Did not start Saturday.
Matt Wieters, C, BAL - (Hamstring) Did not start Saturday.
Players on the DL
Mike Leake, SP, SF - (Hamstring) Set to start Tuesday's game against the Cardinals.
Nick Tepesch, SP, TEX - (Elbow) Will have Thoracic surgery next week.
David Hale, SP, COL - (Groin) Favorite to start Tuesday's game against the Nationals.
George Springer, OF, HOU - (Wrist) Has been cleared to resume baseball activities.
Freddie Freeman, 1B, ATL - (Oblique) Expected to be activated from the DL on Wednesday.
Rafael Soriano, RP, CHC - (Shoulder) Close to throwing simulated games.
David Wright, 3B, NYM - (Back) Could join the team in Colorado during its roadtrip Aug. 21-23.
Steven Matz, SP, NYM - (Side) Felt no discomfort in his strained lat muscle during his first rehab start Saturday.
James Paxton, SP, SEA - (Finger) Will throw a simulated game Tuesday and could begin a rehab assignment thereafter.
Rick Porcello, SP, BOS - (Triceps) Threw just 36 of 65 scheduled pitches in his lightning-shortened rehab start Saturday; will make one more rehab appearance before he is reevaluated.
George Springer, OF, HOU - (Wrist) Has been cleared to resume baseball activities.
Sean Doolittle, RP, OAK - (Shoulder) Will make at least one more rehab appearance before being activated.
Derek Holland, SP, TEX - (Shoulder) Could rejoin the rotation as early as next week.
Transactions - Players who have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Placed on the DL
Christian Yelich, OF, MIA - (Knee)
Steven Wright, RP, BOS - (Concussion)
Called Up
Henry Urrutia, OF, BAL
Josh Tomlin, SP, CLE
Marcell Ozuna, OF, MIA
Pat Venditte, RP, OAK
Dan Otero, RP, OAK
Garin Cecchini, 3B, BOS
Danny Farquhar, RP, SEA
Caleb Cotham, RP, NYY
Sent Down (to Triple-A, unless otherwise noted)
Aaron Brooks, RP, OAK
Brad Mills, RP, OAK
Junior Lake, OF, CHC
Zach Walters, 2B, CLE
Chris Capuano, RP, NYM
Mayckol Guaipe, RP, SEA
Shawn Armstrong, RP, CLE
Released
Travis Snider, OF, BAL
Closer Watch
Houston Astros – When the Astros failed to secure a closer at the trade deadline, Luke Gregerson owners thought they were off the hook. Two clean performances this week help to make that a reality, but he those in this situation are far from out of the woods yet. A contingency plan for Gregerson owners involves grabbing Pat Neshek, owned in just 15 percent of Yahoo leagues. Though he has little experience in a ninth-inning role, the reliable set-up man has been extremely productive this season. A 2.70 ERA and 0.76 WHIP with outstanding walk rates and serviceable K rate makes him a likely – if not ideal – closer candidate, and the next man in line. There is no way of knowing exactly how long a leash Gregerson has, but the smart move would be to go ahead and grab Neshek as insurance if you have an open roster spot.
Hot Batter Matchups – August 16, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| B. Gardner | OF | NYY @ TOR 1:07PM | D. Hutchison | 20 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | .250 | .318 | .800 | 1.118 |
| B. McCann | C | NYY @ TOR 1:07PM | D. Hutchison | 12 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | .250 | .500 | .750 | 1.250 |
| M. Teixeira | 1B | NYY @ TOR 1:07PM | D. Hutchison | 13 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | .231 | .333 | .538 | .872 |
| B. Butler | 1B | OAK @ BAL 1:35PM | W. Chen | 20 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | .450 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.500 |
| C. Santana | 1B | CLE @ MIN 2:10PM | T. Milone | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .455 | .500 | .545 | 1.045 |
| R. Braun | OF | MIL vs PHI 2:10PM | A. Harang | 37 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 8 | .216 | .293 | .486 | .779 |
| T. Hunter | OF | MIN vs CLE 2:10PM | C. Carrasco | 18 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | .333 | .368 | .833 | 1.202 |
| J. Mauer | 1B | MIN vs CLE 2:10PM | C. Carrasco | 11 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .545 | .583 | .636 | 1.220 |
| D. Gordon | 2B | MIA @ STL 2:15PM | C. Martinez | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .417 | .417 | .500 | .917 |
| B. Harper | OF | WAS @ SF 4:05PM | M. Bumgarner | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .364 | .417 | .909 | 1.326 |
| T. Frazier | 3B | CIN @ LAD 4:10PM | Z. Greinke | 16 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | .250 | .333 | .625 | .958 |
| J. Votto | 1B | CIN @ LAD 4:10PM | Z. Greinke | 24 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | .417 | .500 | .917 | 1.417 |
| D. Descalso | 2B | COL vs SD 4:10PM | I. Kennedy | 11 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | .364 | .417 | .727 | 1.144 |
| D. LeMahieu | 2B | COL vs SD 4:10PM | I. Kennedy | 20 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | .400 | .478 | .750 | 1.228 |
| A. Rios | OF | KC vs LAA 8:10PM | H. Santiago | 13 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | .231 | .286 | .692 | .978 |
| C. Gillaspie | 3B | LAA @ KC 8:10PM | Y. Ventura | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .273 | .385 | .545 | .930 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Hot Pitcher Matchups – August 16, 2015Hot Pitcher Matchups – August 16, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Anibal Sanchez | DET @ HOU 2:10PM | 96 | 24 | 9 | 3 | 16 | 5 | 31 | .250 | .284 | .408 | .693 |
| Drew Smyly | TB @ TEX 3:05PM | 71 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 22 | .197 | .240 | .336 | .576 |
| Zack Greinke | LAD vs CIN 4:10PM | 147 | 33 | 13 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 34 | .224 | .279 | .414 | .693 |
Cold Batter Matchups – August 16, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| C. Headley | 3B | NYY @ TOR 1:07PM | D. Hutchison | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .100 | .100 | .100 | .200 |
| S. Fuld | OF | OAK @ BAL 1:35PM | W. Chen | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .167 | .211 | .167 | .377 |
| G. Beckham | 2B | CWS vs CHC 2:10PM | D. Haren | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .200 | .200 | .300 | .500 |
| J. Castro | C | HOU vs DET 2:10PM | A. Sanchez | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | .143 | .143 | .286 | .429 |
| J. Lowrie | SS | HOU vs DET 2:10PM | A. Sanchez | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .125 | .222 | .125 | .347 |
| C. Rasmus | OF | HOU vs DET 2:10PM | A. Sanchez | 21 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 12 | .190 | .280 | .333 | .613 |
| J. Lucroy | C | MIL vs PHI 2:10PM | A. Harang | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .154 | .214 | .231 | .445 |
| B. Dozier | 2B | MIN vs CLE 2:10PM | C. Carrasco | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | .182 | .250 | .455 | .705 |
| E. Andrus | SS | TEX vs TB 3:05PM | D. Smyly | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .200 | .250 | .333 | .583 |
| S. Choo | OF | TEX vs TB 3:05PM | D. Smyly | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | .077 | .077 | .077 | .154 |
| M. Napoli | 1B | TEX vs TB 3:05PM | D. Smyly | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .083 | .083 | .333 | .417 |
| T. Moore | OF | WAS @ SF 4:05PM | M. Bumgarner | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | .083 | .083 | .167 | .250 |
| J. Werth | OF | WAS @ SF 4:05PM | M. Bumgarner | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .182 | .250 | .364 | .614 |
| R. Zimmerman | 3B | WAS @ SF 4:05PM | M. Bumgarner | 17 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .176 | .222 | .412 | .634 |
| J. Bruce | OF | CIN @ LAD 4:10PM | Z. Greinke | 30 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | .167 | .167 | .267 | .433 |
| M. Byrd | OF | CIN @ LAD 4:10PM | Z. Greinke | 23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 | .130 | .231 | .261 | .492 |
| B. Phillips | 2B | CIN @ LAD 4:10PM | Z. Greinke | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .158 | .200 | .211 | .411 |
| C. Blackmon | OF | COL vs SD 4:10PM | I. Kennedy | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | .222 | .300 | .222 | .522 |
| C. Gonzalez | OF | COL vs SD 4:10PM | I. Kennedy | 32 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | .125 | .152 | .281 | .433 |
| L. Cain | OF | KC vs LAA 8:10PM | H. Santiago | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .200 | .182 | .300 | .482 |
| M. Moustakas | 3B | KC vs LAA 8:10PM | H. Santiago | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | .154 | .000 | .154 |
| S. Perez | C | KC vs LAA 8:10PM | H. Santiago | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .100 | .182 | .100 | .282 |
Cold Pitcher Matchups – August 16, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Drew Hutchison | TOR vs NYY 1:07PM | 91 | 21 | 11 | 7 | 17 | 15 | 24 | .231 | .348 | .517 | .865 |
| Aaron Harang | PHI @ MIL 2:10PM | 89 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 6 | 15 | .270 | .316 | .551 | .867 |
Recommended Pickup
Carlos Rodon, SP, CWS – In one of the more improbable statistical quirks of the season, the most interesting of the White Sox lefty's splits is not his home/away or day/night scenario. The most telling item on how the rookie's start is going to go on any particular day is the man behind the plate. Of the 19 starts Rodon has made this season, Tyler Flowers has caught 12 of them. In those starts, the hurler sports a 2.86 ERA and sparkling 9.8 K/9 rate, along with a promising percentage of ground balls induced. With Geovany Soto catching, however, his ERA balloons to 9.12 and hitters are batting a robust .330 against him. Owned in just 23 percent of Yahoo leagues – even after the surge in adds stemming from a dazzling start his last time out – Rodon makes for the ideal streaming option for someone just out of reach of first place in the standings. Check who's catching for the South Side on the day in question and deploy responsibly.
Other Recent Recommendations:Eugenio Suarez, Danny Valencia, Khris Davis, Chris Bassitt, Jose Peraza and Hector Olivera
Draft Kings Value Picks
SP: Luis Severino, NYY ($5,500)
C: Jonathan Lucroy, MIL ($3,200)
1B: Albert Pujols, LAA ($3,800)
2B: Neil Walker, PIT ($3,100)
SS: Ian Desmond, WAS ($3,100)
3B: Ryan Zimmerman, WAS ($3,100)
OF: Joc Pederson, LAD ($3,700)
