Thursday Lineup Card: Boesch Bashers

Thursday Lineup Card: Boesch Bashers

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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

Blue Jays (Ricky Romero - L) v. Royals (Luke Hochevar - R) 4:10
Diamondbacks (Josh Collmenter - R) v. Pirates (Jeff Karstens - R) 7:05
Red Sox (Josh Beckett - R) v. Yankees (CC Sabathia - L) 7:05
Cubs (Randy Wells - R) v. Phillies (Kyle Kendrick - R) 7:05
Mariners (Doug Fister - R) v. Tigers (Justin Verlander - R) 7:05
Braves (Jair Jurrjens - R) v. Marlins (Chris Volstad - R) 7:10
Cardinals (Jaime Garcia - L) v. Astros (J.A. Happ - L) 8:05
Mets (Jon Niese - L) v. Brewers (Yovani Gallardo - R) 8:10
A's (Trevor Cahill - R) v. White Sox (Mark Buehrle - L) 8:10
Rangers (Derek Holland - L) v. Twins (Nick Blackburn - R) 8:10
Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw - L) v. Rockies (Juan Nicasio - R) 8:40
Nationals (Livan Hernandez - R) v. Padres (Aaron Harang - R) 10:05
Reds (Johnny Cueto - R) v. Giants (Madison Bumgarner - L) 10:15

Day Game After Night Game: TOR/KC

Injuries

Day-to-Day
Nolan Reimold, OF, BAL - (neck) - spasms will keep him out of the lineup for a couple of days
Bobby Jenks, RP, BOS - (back) - scheduled for precautionary MRI on Wednesday
Jed Lowrie, SS, BOS - (shoulder) - dull ache lingering for last 10 days; awaiting results of MRI
Ramon Santiago, SS, DET - (forearm) - may miss a couple of days before he can play without pain
Nick Blackburn, SP, MIN - (back) - threw bullpen session on Tuesday; scheduled to start on Thursday
Denard Span, OF, MIN - (illness) - lingering neck stiffness and dizziness will keep him out a couple of days
Mark Teixeira, 1B, NYY - (knee) - surprise starter Wednesday after being hit by pitch on Tuesday
Jorge Posada, DH, NYY - (personal) - his 11-year old son is facing cranial surgery and Jorge will be with him
Evan Longoria, 3B, TB - (illness) - immune system may need a day or two to recover
Endy Chavez, OF, TEX - (foot) - experiencing soreness and swelling in left foot
Matt Harrison, SP, TEX - (upper body) - has yet to pass a kidney stone
Yunel Escobar, SS, TOR - (quadriceps) - left Tuesday's game with stiffness in the limb
Edgar Renteria, SS, CIN - (back) - will travel with Reds to SF for weekend series
Scott Rolen, 3B, CIN - (illness) - dealing with strep throat
Jimmy Rollins, SS, PHI - (knee) - likely return to lineup in a day or two
Allen Craig, OF, STL - (knee) - bruised knee after running into outfield wall on Tuesday
Jayson Werth, OF, WAS - (ankle) - late scratch on Tuesday; should start in a day or two
Jerry Hairston Jr., SS, WAS - (back) - right side and lower back spasms

Players on the DL
Junichi Tazawa, RP, BOS - (elbow) - tossed three scoreless innings for High-A Salem on Monday
Travis Hafner, DH, CLE - (oblique) - hopes to take batting practice this weekend
Magglio Ordonez, OF, DET - (ankle) - expects to rejoin Tigers on Thursday
Bruce Chen, SP, KC  - (back) - scheduled to start Wednesday at Double-A
Kyle Davies, SP, KC - (shoulder) - scheduled to pitch Wednesday at Double-A
Jason Kendall, C, KC - (shoulder) - took batting practice for first time this season; aims to be back in a month
Kevin Slowey, SP, MIN - (abdomen) - began a throwing program in Fort Myers
Glen Perkins, P, MINN - (oblique) - threw bullpen session on Tuesday and will repeat later in the week
Brandon Beachy, SP, ATL - (oblique) - threw bullpen session on Wednesday; still faces a rehab stint
Nate McLouth, OF, ATL - (oblique) - eligible to come off DL; may take a couple of days to be game-ready 
Jason Heyward, OF, ATL - (shoulder) - may start swinging the bat on the weekend
Reed Johnson, OF, CHI-N - (back) - assigned to Triple-A Iowa for rehab stint
Jeff Baker, 2B, CHI-N - (groin) - begins a rehab assignment on Thursday at Triple-A Iowa
Alfonso Soriano, OF, CHI-N - (quadriceps) - will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday
Homer Bailey, P, CIN - (shoulder) - begins a rehab assignment on Saturday at Triple-A Louisville
Aroldis Chapman, P, CIN - (shoulder) - sent to Double-A Carolina for rehab assignment
Matt Daley, P, COL - (shoulder) - MRI confirms nothing more than an inflammation; rest will be the tonic
Brandon Lyon, RP, HOU - (shoulder) - registered second straight scoreless Triple-A outing
Jonathan Broxton, RP, LAD - (elbow) - scheduled for bullpen session on Thursday after good Tuesday session
Vicente Padilla, P, LAD - (neck) - out indefinitely with bulging disk
Kenley Jansen, P, LAD - (shoulder) - begins rehab assignment with Double-A Chattanooga on Thursday
Brian Schneider, C, PHI - (hamstring) - may begin rehab assignment next week
Brad Lidge, RP, PHI - (shoulder) - targeting a return around the All-Star break
Nick Hundley, C, SD - (oblique) - to be re-evaluated after fourth straight rehab game in Tucson
Barry Zito, SP, SF - (foot) - looked good in first of three rehab starts for High-A San Jose
Mike Fontenot, 2B, SF - (groin) - will begin running and taking batting practice next week
Pablo Sandoval, 3B, SF - (wrist) - homered for Triple-A Fresno on Tuesday, may rejoin Giants on weekend

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

Called Up
Mike Carp, OF, SEA
Cord Phelps, CLE, 2B

Sent Down
Mike Wilson, OF, SEA
Shelley Duncan, OF, CLE
Omir Santos, C., DET

Placed on DL
Alex White , P, CLE (finger - moved from 15 day to 60 day DL)
Jake Peavy, SP, CHI- A (groin)
Brett Anderson, SP, OAK (elbow)
Dexter Fowler, OF, COL (abdomen)
Eric Chavez, 3B, NYY (foot - moved from 15 day to 60 day DL)

Activated from DL
Vernon Wells, OF, ANA
Marco Scutaro, SS, BOS
Phil Coke, SP, DET

Claimed off Waivers
Jeff Marquez, P, NYY (from CWS)

Closer Watch

Toronto - The flip-flop in the back end of the Jays' pen continues, largely due to the continuing ineffectiveness of projected closer Frank Francisco. He has not had a clean, hit-free outing in his last seven appearances and has a 6.06 ERA over 16.1 innings of work. His struggles have once again opened the door for Jon Rauch, who has recorded two saves and allowed only one run in his last five appearances. More impressive than these two options is Octavio Dotel, who has allowed one hit and no walks in his last five appearances, while striking out four batters in those 4.1 innings of work. It's anybody's guess as to who will get the next save opportunity here.

Pittsburgh - The Pirates are hovering around the .500 mark for the first time in the color tv era (not quite, though it seems that way to long-suffering fans) and much of the credit for this new-found competitiveness is a lock-down closer in Joel Hanrahan. The big righty (6'4", 245 lbs) who had middling success in a similar role with the Nationals earlier in his career has been rock solid for the Bucs this season. He has converted 15 of 16 save opportunities and boasts an impressive 1.63 ERA in 27.2 innings of work.

Washington - Though he was knocked around for three earned runs on two hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning last Sunday, Nats closer Drew Storen can point to four very impressive outings in the early days of June. Most recent among them was a quick six-pitch inning to earn his 12th save of the year on Tuesday night. If you need help at the back of your pen, don't ignore a pitcher on a perceived second-rate club because he will earn his share of saves, too. His 2.59 ERA in 31.1 innings of work marks an impressive beginning to the 2011 season.

Boston - Despite registering his 200th career save in 227 opportunities, and doing so in dramatic fashion with a strikeout of Alex Rodriguez last Tuesday, the little whispers are getting louder around Jonathan Papelbon. He now sports an ugly 4.50 ERA over 26 innings pitched and that bloated figure is not based on one bad outing. In fact, he has surrendered runs in five of his last seven appearances. That trend needs to be stopped if he expects to maintain the closer role in Beantown through the end of this season.

KEY MATCHUPS: HOT

Hot Batter MatchupsAt-BatsAVGHRXBHRBIBBKSLGOBPOPS
Mike Cameron - OFBOS @ NYY
6/9 7:05 PM
CC Sabathia8-17.47105112.882.5261.408
Kevin Youkilis - 1BBOS @ NYY
6/9 7:05 PM
CC Sabathia10-24.41714355.708.5331.241
Robinson Cano - 2BNYY vs BOS
6/9 7:05 PM
Josh Beckett20-59.3393101257.610.4091.019
Alex Rodriguez - 3BNYY vs BOS
6/9 7:05 PM
Josh Beckett16-56.2863711712.518.365.883
Nick Swisher - OFNYY vs BOS
6/9 7:05 PM
Josh Beckett10-35.286337510.543.375.918
Franklin Gutierrez - OFSEA @ DET
6/9 7:05 PM
Justin Verlander9-32.28124629.531.324.855
Ichiro Suzuki - OFSEA @ DET
6/9 7:05 PM
Justin Verlander16-44.36413517.500.391.891
Martin Prado - 2BATL @ FLA
6/9 7:10 PM
Chris Volstad5-14.35702001.500.357.857
Emilio Bonifacio - OFFLA vs ATL
6/9 7:10 PM
Jair Jurrjens5-10.50000011.500.5451.045
Albert Pujols - 1BSTL @ HOU
6/9 8:05 PM
J.A. Happ4-12.33312310.667.3851.052
A.J. Pierzynski - CCWS vs OAK
6/9 8:10 PM
Trevor Cahill4-14.28612111.571.333.904
Omar Vizquel - 3BCWS vs OAK
6/9 8:10 PM
Trevor Cahill7-15.46700001.467.467.934
Jose Reyes - SSNYM @ MIL
6/9 8:10 PM
Yovani Gallardo5-10.50003101.900.5001.400
Coco Crisp - OFOAK @ CWS
6/9 8:10 PM
Mark Buehrle15-44.34124516.523.356.879
Kurt Suzuki - COAK @ CWS
6/9 8:10 PM
Mark Buehrle8-21.38113600.619.364.983
David Murphy - OFTEX @ MIN
6/9 8:10 PM
Nick Blackburn4-11.36402211.636.4171.053
Chris Iannetta - CCOL vs LAD
6/9 8:40 PM
Clayton Kershaw5-17.29411434.471.400.871
Jorge Cantu - 3BSD vs WAS
6/9 10:05 PM
Livan Hernandez6-16.37513411.688.3891.077
Brad Hawpe - OFSD vs WAS
6/9 10:05 PM
Livan Hernandez9-26.34615474.654.4851.139
Chase Headley - 3BSD vs WAS
6/9 10:05 PM
Livan Hernandez4-10.40011142.700.5711.271
Alex Cora - SSWAS @ SD
6/9 10:05 PM
Aaron Harang6-11.54502201.727.5451.272
 
Hot Pitcher MatchupsAt-BatsOpp
AVG
HR
Allow
XBH
Allow
RBI
Allow
BBKOpp
SLG
Opp
OBP
Opp
OPS
Doug FisterSEA @ DET
6/9 7:05 PM
Tigers Batters15-60.25003949.298.297.595

 

KEY MATCHUPS: COLD

Cold Batter MatchupsAt-BatsAVGHRXBHRBIBBKSLGOBPOPS
Carl Crawford - OFBOS @ NYY
6/9 7:05 PM
CC Sabathia16-58.276043113.362.288.650
J.D. Drew - OFBOS @ NYY
6/9 7:05 PM
CC Sabathia5-22.227011110.273.261.534
Jacoby Ellsbury - OFBOS @ NYY
6/9 7:05 PM
CC Sabathia1-13.07700006.077.077.154
Adrian Gonzalez - 1BBOS @ NYY
6/9 7:05 PM
CC Sabathia2-10.20000134.200.429.629
Dustin Pedroia - 2BBOS @ NYY
6/9 7:05 PM
CC Sabathia4-26.15400028.154.241.395
Jason Varitek - CBOS @ NYY
6/9 7:05 PM
CC Sabathia2-19.10512413.316.190.506
Austin Jackson - OFDET vs SEA
6/9 7:05 PM
Doug Fister2-10.20001303.300.200.500
Brett Gardner - OFNYY vs BOS
6/9 7:05 PM
Josh Beckett6-26.23101118.269.259.528
Curtis Granderson - OFNYY vs BOS
6/9 7:05 PM
Josh Beckett5-24.208232110.542.240.782
Mark Teixeira - 1BNYY vs BOS
6/9 7:05 PM
Josh Beckett7-36.194224814.361.341.702
Jack Cust - DHSEA @ DET
6/9 7:05 PM
Justin Verlander4-20.200123112.400.238.638
Chone Figgins - 2BSEA @ DET
6/9 7:05 PM
Justin Verlander5-28.179011412.214.273.487
Adam Kennedy - 2BSEA @ DET
6/9 7:05 PM
Justin Verlander3-15.20000012.200.250.450
Brian McCann - CATL @ FLA
6/9 7:10 PM
Chris Volstad3-18.16711212.333.211.544
Paul Konerko - 1BCWS vs OAK
6/9 8:10 PM
Trevor Cahill1-10.10000111.100.182.282
Juan Pierre - OFCWS vs OAK
6/9 8:10 PM
Trevor Cahill2-12.16701011.250.231.481
Ronny Paulino - CNYM @ MIL
6/9 8:10 PM
Yovani Gallardo2-12.16701302.250.154.404
Daric Barton - 1BOAK @ CWS
6/9 8:10 PM
Mark Buehrle1-11.09100120.091.231.322
David DeJesus - OFOAK @ CWS
6/9 8:10 PM
Mark Buehrle13-75.17313339.240.215.455
Hideki Matsui - DHOAK @ CWS
6/9 8:10 PM
Mark Buehrle3-16.18800204.188.235.423
Carlos Gonzalez - OFCOL vs LAD
6/9 8:40 PM
Clayton Kershaw2-15.13300128.133.278.411
Ryan Spilborghs - OFCOL vs LAD
6/9 8:40 PM
Clayton Kershaw6-30.200235611.433.333.766
Ryan Ludwick - OFSD vs WAS
6/9 10:05 PM
Livan Hernandez1-10.10001002.200.100.300
Jayson Werth - OFWAS @ SD
6/9 10:05 PM
Aaron Harang2-11.18211116.455.250.705
 
Cold Pitcher MatchupsAt-BatsOpp
AVG
HR
Allow
XBH
Allow
RBI
Allow
BBKOpp
SLG
Opp
OBP
Opp
OPS
Nick BlackburnMIN vs Tex
6/9 8:10 PM
Rangers Batters30-80.3751513311.480.393.874
Livan HernandezWAS @ SD
6/9 10:05 PM
Padres Batters25-79.31631191210.561.402.964
 

***For a deeper look at the matchups please consult the new Batter v. Pitcher tool in the left hand menu.***

Recommended Pickup

Brennan Boesch, OF, DET - This young slugger has registered 12 hits in his last five games (22 at bats) yet is starting in fewer than half of the fantasy leagues out there right now. There is a lot to like about this big (6'4", 235 lbs) left-handed power hitter. He is on pace to improve on all of his core numbers from a decent rookie season and he is well-protected in this veteran-filled batting order. A 20+ homer, 90+ RBI season is not out of the question. Don't wait on him if he's still available in your pool.

Other recent recommendations: Charlie Morton, Dee Gordon, Freddie Freeman, Adam Kennedy, Brian Matusz

Draft Street Competition

If you missed out on our recent free roll with DraftStreet, don't worry - we have another chance for you to take home some serious cash.

Register for a free account at DraftStreet.com today and start practicing. Remember to use bonus code Rotowire on your first deposit to get some extra cash released into your account as you play.

As a reminder, the competition will be an MLB Salary Cap league where values for each player are set based on projected fantasy value each day and your mission is to find the bargains and make the best 14 player team possible within the $100,000 budget.

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 – Jonathan Lucroy, MIL ($5,723)
1B – Prince Fielder, MIL ($7,394)
2B - Robinson Cano, NYY ($8,271)
3B – Alex Rodriguez, NYY ($7,397)
SS – Troy Tulowitzki, COL ($6,776)
OF – Coco Crisp, OAK ($7,693)
OF – Ichiro Suzuki, SEA ($5,994)
OF – Carl Crawford, BOS ($5,679)
UTIL – Carlos Gonzalea, COL ($5,045)
UTIL – Eric Hinske, ATL ($4,117)
SP – Yovani Gallardo, MIL ($14,437)
SP – Madison Bumgarner, SF ($9,427)
RP – Ryan Madson, PHI ($2,759)
P – Doug Fister, SEA ($9,173)

Total: $99,885

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul Bruno
Paul Bruno is co-host of the RotoWire fantasy hockey podcast, PUCKCAST with Statsman and AJ. He has been an accredited member of the Toronto sports media for more than 20 years. Paul also helps with RW's DFS podcast and is a contributing writer for RW NFL, MLB and CFL content. Follow him on twitter: @statsman22.
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