The Lineup Card: The Wright Stuff

Projected Starters - A look at Monday's matchups:

Orioles (Kevin Millwood - R) at Tigers (Andrew Oliver - L), 1:05
Giants (Jonathan Sanchez - L) at Brewers (David Bush - R), 4:10
Cubs (Tom Gorzelanny - L) at Diamondbacks (Ian Kennedy - R), 4:10
Braves (Derek Lowe - R) at Phillies (Roy Halladay - R), 7:05
Angels (Scott Kazmir - L) or (Trevor Bell - R) at White Sox (Gavin Floyd - R), 7:05
Reds (Aaron Harang - R) at Mets (Mike Pelfrey - R), 7:10
Red Sox (Daisuke Matsuzaka - R) at Rays (Matt Garza - R), 7:10
Indians (Aaron Laffey - L) at Rangers (Omar Beltre - R), 8:05
Marlins (Nate Robertson - L) at Dodgers (John Ely - R), 9:10
Yankees (Javier Vazquez - R) at A's (Ben Sheets - R), 10:05
Royals (Brian Bannister - R) at Mariners (Felix Hernandez - R), 10:10

Day game following night game: None.

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

Day-to-Day (includes players expected to make their return from the DL)

Jose Reyes, SS, NYN - (Oblique) Did not play on Sunday. Status for Monday has yet to be determined
Brad Hawpe, OF, COL - (Ribs) Did not play on Sunday. Remains day-to-day
Juan Rivera, OF, LAA - (Eyes) Vision issues being blamed on stress. Remains day-to-day
Mike Cameron, OF, BOS - (Abdomen) Did not play on Sunday. Remains day-to-day
Clay Buchholz, SP, BOS - (Hamstring) Will not pitch Tuesday and is likely headed to the disabled list until after the All-Star break
Conor Jackson, OF, OAK - (Hamstring) Did not play on Sunday. Remains day-to-day
Tommy Manzella, SS, HOU - (Finger) Will undergo x-rays on Tuesday
Kelly Johnson, 2B, AZ - (Illness) Returned to the lineup on Sunday
Aaron Hill, 2B, TOR - Did not play on Sunday due to a stomach virus. Likely to return following Monday's off day
Vernon Wells, OF, TOR - Sat out on Sunday with flu-like symptoms as well. Status for Tuesday has yet to be determined
Aramis Ramirez, 3B, CHN - Re-injured his thumb on Friday, which is likely why he was held out of the lineup on Sunday
Yovani Gallardo, SP, MIL - Left Sunday's game with a right oblique strain. The severity of the injury has yet to be determined
Jorge Posada, C, NYA - Left Sunday's game with a sprained left finger. Considered day-to-day
Coco Crisp, OF, OAK - Left Sunday's game with hamstring tightness but expects to play on Monday
Luke Gregerson, RP, SD - Unavailable on Sunday due to a sore back

Players on the DL

Doug Davis, SP, MIN - (Chest) Will return to the rotation on Friday
Jason Heyward, OF, ATL - (Thumb) Had cast removed on Sunday. Could return for the All-Star Game, but more likely after the break
Brad Penny, SP, STL - (Back) Threw a bullpen session on Saturday and is scheduled to pitch a simulated game on Tuesday
Jorge De La Rosa, SP, COL - (Finger) Struggled in Saturday's rehab start, so he may make one more start in the minors before being activated
Felix Pie, OF, BAL - (Shoulder) Will be activated on Tuesday
Carlos Ruiz, C, PHI - (Head) Will be examined on Tuesday and could return later this week
Clay Condrey, RP, MIN - (Elbow) Promoted to Triple-A Rochester as part of rehab assignment
Brandon Webb, SP, AZ - (Shoulder) Hopes to begin throwing to live hitters within the week but will still need a few weeks before returning to the majors
Brett Tomko, SP, OAK - (Elbow) Hip soreness will pause rehab assignment for the time being
Rich Harden, SP, TEX - (Strained glute) Could begin rehab assignment prior to All-Star break barring any setbacks
Carlos Beltran, OF, NYN - (Knee) Now expected to return around July 15

Transactions - Players that 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)
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, CLE (retroactive to July 3)
Geoff Blum, 3B, HOU (retroactive to July 2)

Activated from DL
Marcus Thames, OF, NYA

Called Up
Michael Brantley, OF, CLE
Jordan Norberto, RP, AZ
Jason Bourgeois, OF, HOU
Paul McAnulty, 1B, LAA
Cory Aldridge, OF, LAA

Sent Down
Chad Huffman, OF, NYA
Sean O'Sullivan, RP, LAA

Designated For Assignment
Dontrelle Willis, SP, AZ

Closer Watch

New York (AL) - Mariano Rivera blew his second save of the season after giving up three hits and the game-tying run in the ninth inning on Sunday, but the Yankees still managed to pull out the victory in the bottom of the 10th. This is just an FYI considering no other closer in history has had a firmer a grasp on his role than Rivera.

San Diego - Heat Bell pitched a perfect ninth inning on Sunday with the game tied and picked up his fourth win of the season when the Padres brought home the game-winning run in the bottom of the frame. Bell has allowed just one unearned run in his last eight appearances and has a 13:3 K:BB ratio over that span.

Tampa Bay - Rafael Soriano recorded a save on Sunday for the third time in four days. He has allowed just five earnd runs this sseason and now has a sparkling 28:5 K:BB ratio in 30.2 innings.

Key Matchups - Spotlight on hitters and pitchers with favorable matchups against their opponent on a particular day (generally, individual matchups with fewer than 10 at-bats are not included).

Hot

Miguel Cabrera v. Kevin Millwood - 10-for-31 (.323), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2:4 BB:K (.364 OBP)
Magglio Ordonez v. Kevin Millwood - 9-for-24 (.375), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:3 BB:K (.423 OBP)
Freddy Sanchez v. David Bush - 11-for-30 (.367), 0 HR, 6 RBI, 0:3 BB:K (.406 OBP)
Pat Burrell v. David Bush - 5-for-13 (.385), 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1:1 BB:K (.429 OBP)
Edgar Renteria v. David Bush - 6-for-12 (.500), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:0 BB:K (.500 OBP) **4 doubles
Justin Upton v. Tom Gorzelanny - 4-for-10 (.400), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1:2 BB:K (.455 OBP) **career cycle
Chris Young v. Tom Gorzelanny - 4-for-7 (.571), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4:1 BB:K (.727 OBP) **2.013 OPS
Paul Konerko v. Scott Kazmir - 9-for-20 (.450), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3:3 BB:K (.522 OBP)
Bobby Abreu v. Gavin Floyd - 5-for-16 (.313), 0 HR, 6 RBI, 2:5 BB:K (.368 OBP)
Juan Rivera v. Gavin Floyd - 6-for-16 (.375), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0:4 BB:K (.375 OBP)
Jason Bay v. Aaron Harang - 17-for-46 (.370), 5 HR, 9 RBI, 1:11 BB:K (.408 OBP)
David Wright v. Aaron Harang - 8-for-12 (.667), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2:3 BB:K (.714 OBP)
Brandon Phillips v. Mike Pelfrey - 5-for-12 (.417), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1:0 BB:K (.462 OBP)
Carlos Pena v. Daisuke Matsuzaka - 6-for-20 (.300), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 9:7 BB:K (.517 OBP)
Adrian Beltre v. Matt Garza - 8-for-19 (.421), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 0:2 BB:K (.421 OBP)
Coco Crisp v. Javier Vazquez - 5-for-16 (.313), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1:3 BB:K (.353 OBP)
David DeJesus v. Felix Hernandez - 7-for-20 (.350), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0:2 BB:K (.350 OBP)

Derek Lowe v. Phillies - A quick glance at the 'Cold' section below will show you the troubles the Phillies have had against Lowe. He has limited current Phillies to just a combined .187 batting average and has done a good job keeping not only Ryan Howard in the ballpark (0 HR), but also everyone else (3 total HR). So, it's not surprising that Lowe is 7-3 against the Braves in 13 starts, including an impressive 4-1 at Citizens Bank Park, the site of Monday's game. Lowe has a tough matchup against Roy Halladay, but the stats show that he'll be up to the task.

Cold

Brandon Inge v. Kevin Millwood - 6-for-33 (.182), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 4:8 BB:K (.270 OBP)
Carlos Guillen v. Kevin Millwood - 2-for-24 (.083), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2:8 BB:K (.154 OBP)
Aubrey Huff v. Dave Bush - 5-for-24 (.208), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0:4 BB:K (.208 OBP)
Ryan Howard v. Derek Lowe - 8-for-34 (.235), 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2:6 BB:K (.278 OBP)
Raul Ibanez v. Derek Lowe - 4-for-34 (.118), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2:3 BB:K (.167 OBP)
Shane Victorino v. Derek Lowe - 2-for-20 (.100), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:3 BB:K (.143 OBP)
Greg Dobbs v. Derek Lowe - 4-for-18 (.222), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:4 BB:K (.263 OBP)
Melky Cabrera v. Roy Halladay - 9-for-42 (.214), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 0:6 BB:K (.214 OBP)
Eric Hinske v. Roy Halladay 7-for-31 (.226), 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1:10 BB:K (.242 OBP)
Alexis Rios v. Scott Kazmir - 7-for-35 (.200), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2:10 BB:K (.243 OBP)
Torii Hunter v. Gavin Floyd - 3-for-18 (.167), 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1:4 BB:K (.211 OBP)
Jeff Francoeur v. Aaron Harang - 3-for-16 (.188), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0:3 BB:K (.176 OBP)
Jose Reyes v. Aaron Harang - 2-for-13 (.154), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:2 BB:K (.214 OBP)
Carl Crawford v. Daisuke Matsuzaka - 3-for-17 (.176), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:3 BB:K (.222 OBP)
Jason Bartlett v. Daisuke Matsuzaka - 2-for-16 (.125), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:6 BB:K (.125 OBP)
B.J. Upton v. Daisuke Matsuzaka - 1-for-13 (.077), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2:4 BB:K (.200 OBP)
Kevin Youkilis v. Matt Garza - 6-for-31 (.194), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 5:8 BB:K (.324 OBP)
J.D. Drew v. Matt Garza - 3-for-21 (.143), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3:6 BB:K (.240 OBP)
Mark Ellis v. Javier Vazquez - 3-for-18 (.167), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:2 BB:K (.211 OBP)
Franklin Gutierrez v. Brian Bannister - 2-for-16 (.125), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:4 BB:K (.176 OBP)
Ichiro Suzuki v. Brian Bannister - 3-for-13 (.231), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:! BB:K (.286 OBP)
Jason Kendall v. Felix Hernandez - 2-for-22 (.091), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1:4 BB:K (.130 OBP)

Recommended Pickup

Gaby Sanchez, 1B, FLA - Though not as highly touted as fellow Marlins first base prospect Logan Morrison, Sanchez is doing everything he can to stake his claim to that spot before Morrison gets to the bigs. Since June 1, Sanchez has recorded multiple hits in 13 games to help raise his batting average to a season-high .309. He has also smacked five home runs in his last 28 games after hitting just four in the season's first 49 games. Sanchez does not have the monster power of other first basemen, but his 19 doubles are a sign that he's spraying the ball all over the park. Sanchez is in a comfortable spot in the Marlins' lineup behind ultra-hot Chris Coghlan and stud Hanley Ramirez, so he'll continue to be productive even when he the inevitable cool down comes. And, the Marlins have even been playing Morrison in the outfield at Triple-A New Orleans recently, a sign that they are likely committing to Sanchez at first at least for the rest of this season. Sanchez's value in both one-year leagues and keeper leagues is on the rise; and while he's probably not available in many keeper leagues, he is owned in just 29% of all Yahoo! leagues and 56% of all ESPN leagues right now. Give the youngster a shot if he's available in yours.

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