This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters -- A look at Thursday's matchups (all times Eastern)
Dodgers (Zack Greinke -- R) at Reds (Alfredo Simon -- R), 12:35
Padres (Eric Stults -- L) at Phillies (Kyle Kendrick -- R), 1:05
Braves (Ervin Santana -- R) at Rockies (Jhoulys Chacin -- R), 3:10
Nationals (Blake Treinen -- R) at Giants (Tim Hudson -- R), 3:45
Cubs (Jeff Samardzija -- R) at Pirates (Edinson Volquez -- R), 7:05
Blue Jays (Mark Buehrle -- L) at Orioles (Kevin Gausman -- R), 7:05
Indians (Josh Tomlin -- R) at Red Sox (Jon Lester -- L), 7:10
Brewers (Kyle Lohse -- R) at Mets (Jon Niese -- L), 7:10
Diamondbacks (Wade Miley -- L) at Astros (Scott Feldman -- R), 8:10
Tigers (Max Scherzer -- R) at White Sox (Chris Sale -- L), 8:10
Yankees (Chase Whitley -- R) at Mariners (Roenis Elias -- L), 10:10
Day Game After Night Game: LAD/CIN, SD/PHI, ATL/COL, WSH/SF
Injuries
Day-To-Day
Jose Altuve, 2B, HOU (oblique) -- Apparently tweaked his oblique while swinging the bat in Tuesday's game and was left out of Wednesday's lineup. Expected to return to action Thursday.
Henderson Alvarez, SP, MIA (hip) -- Will make next start Sunday vs. the Pirates.
Carlos Beltran, OF, NYY (elbow) -- Continues to serve as only a DH, but has resumed catch and light tossing from 60 feet while wearing a brace on elbow.
Alberto Callaspo, 3B, OAK (personal) -- Will miss the Athletics' upcoming three-game series with the Yankees while awaiting the birth of his third child.
Coco Crisp, OF, OAK (neck) -- Returned to the lineup Wednesday.
Brian Dozier, 2B, MIN (back) -- Was removed as a precaution Tuesday due to lower-back tightness.
Aaron Hicks, OF, MIN (shoulder) -- Will travel back to Minnesota for an exam on his ailing shoulder.
Adam Jones, OF, BAL (general soreness) -- Returned to center field duties in Thursday's game.
Manny Machado, 3B, BAL (suspension) -- Will proceed with appeal for his five-game suspension, hoping for a reduction of one or two games.
Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP, NYM (hamstring) -- Deemed fine after he was hit by a line drive Tuesday and will make next scheduled start.
Hanley Ramirez, SS, LAD (shoulder) -- Was scratched from Wednesday's lineup due to right AC joint irritation.
Pablo Sandoval, 3B, SF (illness) -- Scratched from starting lineup Wednesday.
Michael Saunders, OF, SEA (shoulder) -- Dealing with sore shoulder and considered day-to-day.
George Springer, OF, HOU (knee) -- Returned to the lineup Wednesday after a two-game absence.
Justin Upton, OF, ATL (hamstring) -- Returned to the lineup Wednesday after exiting Tuesday's game due to injury.
Adam Wainwright, SP, STL (elbow) -- Was set to undergo an MRI on his elbow in St. Louis on Wednesday. Manager Mike Matheny said the team hasn't ruled Wainwright out for his next start.
Disabled List
Mike Adams, RP, PHI (shoulder) -- Expected to miss about a month due to shoulder injury.
Brett Anderson, SP, COL (finger) -- Scheduled to throw his first bullpen session Friday.
Cody Asche, 3B, PHI (hamstring) -- Expected to begin a rehab assignment at Low-A Lakewood on Friday.
Chad Billingsley, SP, LAD (elbow) -- Felt renewed discomfort in elbow during bullpen session Tuesday.
Tyler Chatwood, SP, COL (elbow) -- Scheduled to throw his first bullpen session Friday.
Gerrit Cole, SP, PIT (shoulder) -- Threw long toss from 90 feet Wednesday.
Felix Doubront, SP, BOS (shoulder) -- Made his second rehab start at Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday, allowing two runs and striking out three batters over 4.2 innings.
Robbie Erlin, SP, SD (elbow) -- Will undergo a second MRI before Padres make a decision on whether or not to clear him to throw again.
Sam Fuld, OF, MIN (concussion) -- Homered while playing in rehab game at Double-A New Britain on Tuesday and could be activated from 7-day DL before Friday's game.
Dillon Gee, SP, NYM (back) -- Expected to throw off a mound this weekend.
Carlos Gonzalez, OF, COL (finger) -- Could be out five weeks due to injury.
Miguel Gonzalez, SP, BAL (oblique) -- Began a rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie on Wednesday, tossing 4.1 shutout innings. Could return to rotation early next week for Orioles.
Matt Harvey, SP, NYM (elbow) -- Mets no longer appear to be considering a return for Harvey this season.
Dan Hudson, SP, ARI (elbow) -- Threw a bullpen session Tuesday, consisting of about 25-30 pitches.
Cliff Lee, SP, PHI (elbow) -- Took part in some light tossing Tuesday.
Will Middlebrooks, 3B, BOS (finger) -- Will begin a rehab assignment Friday at Triple-A Pawtucket, but will serve as a DH instead of playing third base.
Wilson Ramos, C, WSH (hamstring) -- Was forced out of Tuesday's game due to tightness in his right hamstring.
Josh Reddick, OF, OAK (knee) -- Slated to begin baseball activities Friday.
Nick Swisher, 1B, CLE (knee) -- Played five innings in his first rehab game Tuesday. Could rejoin Indians over the weekend.
Shane Victorino, OF, BOS (hamstring) -- Could begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket over the weekend.
Transactions -- Players who have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Activated from the Disabled List (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Gonzalez Germen, RP, NYM
Ryan Hanigan, C, TB
Shawn Kelley, RP, NYY
Logan Morrison, 1B, SEA
Stolmy Pimentel, RP, PIT
Placed on the Disabled List (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Francisco Liriano, SP, PIT
Wilson Ramos, C, WSH
Tanner Scheppers, RP, TEX
Justin Smoak, 1B, SEA
Called Up (from Triple-A unless otherwise noted)
Bobby Korecky, RP, TOR (prior to Wednesday's game)
Sandy Leon, C, WSH
Darin Mastroianni, OF, TOR
Tyler Matzek, SP, COL
Ben Rowen, RP, TEX
Sent Down (to Triple-A unless otherwise noted)
Chad Bettis, RP, COL
Matt Daley, RP, NYY
Bobby Korecky, RP, TOR (after Wednesday's game)
Kevin Pillar, OF, TOR
Josmil Pinto, C, MIN
Scott Rice, RP, NYM
Traded
David Huff, RP, from SF to NYY
Manny Pina, C, from SEA to DET
Signed
Andres Torres, OF, BOS (minor-league contract)
Released
Gorkys Hernandez, OF, CWS
Henry Rodriguez, RP, MIA
Closer Watch
New York Mets -- Though a save situation didn't arise in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Brewers, it was worth noting how manager Terry Collins elected to line up his relievers in the victory. Despite concerns that he might be on thin ice as the closer after allowing at least one run in each of his last three appearances, Jenrry Mejia was called upon in the ninth inning and pitched a perfect frame to close out the win. Meanwhile, the top two threats to the closer's mantle, Vic Black and Jeurys Familia, were used in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. It looks like Mejia will enjoy the top spot on the team's bullpen depth chart for now, but further slipups could soon open the door for yet another change at closer for the Mets.
Twins -- Casey Fien recorded his first save of the season in rather unconventional fashion Wednesday against the Blue Jays, with the save coming in a game the Twins won 7-2. Fien entered the game with two outs and two runners on in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Twins holding a four-run lead. He would retire the threat by getting Steve Tolleson to pop out, then tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save. Fien has been highly impressive in a setup capacity for the Twins this season, but he's no serious contender to usurp Glen Perkins for the closer role.
Hot Batter Matchups – June 12, 2014Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| J. Votto | 1B | CIN vs LAD 12:35PM | Z. Greinke | 21 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | .381 | .480 | .905 | 1.385 |
| S. Smith | OF | SD @ PHI 1:05PM | K. Kendrick | 14 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .571 | .600 | .929 | 1.529 |
| J. Morneau | 1B | COL vs ATL 3:10PM | E. Santana | 26 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 5 | .231 | .344 | .615 | .959 |
| K. Frandsen | 2B | WAS @ SF 3:45PM | T. Hudson | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 |
| J. Werth | OF | WAS @ SF 3:45PM | T. Hudson | 39 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 6 | .385 | .442 | .718 | 1.160 |
| C. Davis | 1B | BAL vs TOR 7:05PM | M. Buehrle | 16 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | .375 | .444 | .750 | 1.194 |
| A. Jones | OF | BAL vs TOR 7:05PM | M. Buehrle | 26 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | .385 | .429 | .577 | 1.005 |
| N. Markakis | OF | BAL vs TOR 7:05PM | M. Buehrle | 42 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 3 | .429 | .478 | .667 | 1.145 |
| D. Young | OF | BAL vs TOR 7:05PM | M. Buehrle | 45 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 4 | .378 | .404 | .622 | 1.026 |
| D. Barney | 2B | CHC @ PIT 7:05PM | E. Volquez | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .500 | .571 | .583 | 1.155 |
| A. McCutchen | OF | PIT vs CHC 7:05PM | J. Samardzija | 26 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | .385 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 |
| J. Lucroy | C | MIL @ NYM 7:10PM | J. Niese | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .455 | .455 | .455 | .909 |
| A. Ramirez | 3B | MIL @ NYM 7:10PM | J. Niese | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | .286 | .286 | .571 | .857 |
| R. Weeks | 2B | MIL @ NYM 7:10PM | J. Niese | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .400 | .500 | .800 | 1.300 |
| C. Granderson | OF | NYM vs MIL 7:10PM | K. Lohse | 17 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | .471 | .550 | 1.000 | 1.550 |
| D. Wright | 3B | NYM vs MIL 7:10PM | K. Lohse | 21 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | .429 | .429 | .762 | 1.190 |
| A. Dunn | 1B | CWS vs DET 8:10PM | M. Scherzer | 40 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 19 | .225 | .311 | .450 | .761 |
| D. Viciedo | OF | CWS vs DET 8:10PM | M. Scherzer | 25 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 9 | .360 | .385 | .800 | 1.185 |
| M. Cabrera | 3B | DET @ CWS 8:10PM | C. Sale | 21 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | .286 | .444 | .571 | 1.016 |
| T. Hunter | OF | DET @ CWS 8:10PM | C. Sale | 17 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .235 | .278 | .588 | .866 |
| I. Kinsler | 2B | DET @ CWS 8:10PM | C. Sale | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | .357 | .471 | .571 | 1.042 |
| V. Martinez | DH | DET @ CWS 8:10PM | C. Sale | 22 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | .545 | .565 | .818 | 1.383 |
| D. Fowler | OF | HOU vs ARI 8:10PM | W. Miley | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | .286 | .444 | .571 | 1.016 |
| J. Guzman | OF | HOU vs ARI 8:10PM | W. Miley | 20 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 | .350 | .409 | .600 | 1.009 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Hot Pitcher Matchups – June 12, 2014Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Zack Greinke | LAD @ CIN 12:35PM | 176 | 39 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 8 | 49 | .222 | .258 | .385 | .643 |
| Jeff Samardzija | CHC @ PIT 7:05PM | 142 | 31 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 36 | .218 | .287 | .330 | .616 |
| Jon Lester | BOS vs CLE 7:10PM | 101 | 26 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 36 | .257 | .270 | .356 | .626 |
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 – June 12, 2014Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| J. Bruce | OF | CIN vs LAD 12:35PM | Z. Greinke | 28 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | .179 | .179 | .286 | .464 |
| Z. Cozart | SS | CIN vs LAD 12:35PM | Z. Greinke | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .077 | .077 | .077 | .154 |
| R. Ludwick | OF | CIN vs LAD 12:35PM | Z. Greinke | 17 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | .118 | .167 | .294 | .461 |
| D. Mesoraco | C | CIN vs LAD 12:35PM | Z. Greinke | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | .200 | .200 | .400 | .600 |
| B. Phillips | 2B | CIN vs LAD 12:35PM | Z. Greinke | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .188 | .235 | .250 | .485 |
| R. Santiago | SS | CIN vs LAD 12:35PM | Z. Greinke | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .182 | .231 | .182 | .413 |
| J. Upton | OF | ATL @ COL 3:10PM | J. Chacin | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 10 | .063 | .211 | .125 | .336 |
| G. Dobbs | 1B | WAS @ SF 3:45PM | T. Hudson | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 4 | .200 | .242 | .200 | .442 |
| D. Espinosa | 2B | WAS @ SF 3:45PM | T. Hudson | 27 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | .185 | .267 | .333 | .600 |
| A. LaRoche | 1B | WAS @ SF 3:45PM | T. Hudson | 29 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | .207 | .273 | .207 | .480 |
| D. Span | OF | WAS @ SF 3:45PM | T. Hudson | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .154 | .154 | .154 | .308 |
| N. Cruz | OF | BAL vs TOR 7:05PM | M. Buehrle | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | .067 | .000 | .067 |
| J. Hardy | SS | BAL vs TOR 7:05PM | M. Buehrle | 25 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | .120 | .120 | .280 | .400 |
| S. Castro | SS | CHC @ PIT 7:05PM | E. Volquez | 18 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .222 | .222 | .444 | .667 |
| P. Alvarez | 3B | PIT vs CHC 7:05PM | J. Samardzija | 25 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 | .200 | .200 | .360 | .560 |
| C. Barmes | SS | PIT vs CHC 7:05PM | J. Samardzija | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| G. Sanchez | 1B | PIT vs CHC 7:05PM | J. Samardzija | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .100 | .100 | .100 | .200 |
| T. Snider | OF | PIT vs CHC 7:05PM | J. Samardzija | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .100 | .100 | .100 | .200 |
| J. Tabata | OF | PIT vs CHC 7:05PM | J. Samardzija | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .200 | .200 | .200 | .400 |
| M. Aviles | SS | CLE @ BOS 7:10PM | J. Lester | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .182 | .250 | .273 | .523 |
| M. Brantley | OF | CLE @ BOS 7:10PM | J. Lester | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .273 | .273 | .364 | .636 |
| A. Cabrera | SS | CLE @ BOS 7:10PM | J. Lester | 21 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | .333 | .348 | .429 | .776 |
| D. Murphy | OF | CLE @ BOS 7:10PM | J. Lester | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .214 | .200 | .357 | .557 |
| R. Raburn | OF | CLE @ BOS 7:10PM | J. Lester | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .167 | .167 | .167 | .333 |
| C. Young | OF | NYM vs MIL 7:10PM | K. Lohse | 17 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | .176 | .222 | .471 | .693 |
| P. Konerko | 1B | CWS vs DET 8:10PM | M. Scherzer | 42 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 16 | .238 | .273 | .381 | .654 |
| A. Ramirez | SS | CWS vs DET 8:10PM | M. Scherzer | 47 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | .106 | .189 | .128 | .316 |
| A. Jackson | OF | DET @ CWS 8:10PM | C. Sale | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | .067 | .125 | .100 | .225 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Cold Pitcher Matchups – June 12, 2014Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Mark Buehrle | TOR @ BAL 7:05PM | 187 | 57 | 20 | 9 | 26 | 10 | 21 | .305 | .343 | .512 | .855 |
| Jon Niese | NYM vs MIL 7:10PM | 63 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 12 | .349 | .431 | .522 | .953 |
| Kyle Lohse | MIL @ NYM 7:10PM | 76 | 25 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 9 | .329 | .378 | .659 | 1.037 |
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
Charlie Morton, SP, PIT -- With a feeble 6.0 K/9 rate for his career, Morton justifiably doesn't receive much attention in the fantasy game, meriting limited ownership in CBS (34%), Yahoo! (12%) and ESPN (7%) leagues. However, that's not to say that Morton comes without any usefulness, as his strong groundball rates have helped him keep his ERA and WHIP at respectable levels for each of the past two seasons. Morton (3-7) currently carries a 3.14 ERA (3.77 FIP) and 1.24 WHIP on the campaign, figures that are probably good enough in mid-sized or deeper leagues to warrant more ownership than he's currently receiving. He's settled into quite the groove of late when on the mound, surrendering two or fewer runs in seven of his last eight starts, while covering at least five innings each time. Morton might not produce the sexiest stat lines out there, but his ability to keep the ball down in the zone will allow him to avoid the blowups that more strikeout-heavy pitchers may be liable to experience on occasion.
Other Recent Recommendations: Eugenio Suarez, Kendrys Morales, Danny Santana, Collin McHugh and Eddie Butler
DraftStreet Value Picks
SP: Chase Whitley, NYY ($9,915)
C: Yan Gomes, CLE ($4,593)
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, LAD ($5,666)
2B: Tommy La Stella, ATL ($5,795)
3B: Matt Dominguez, HOU ($4,453)
SS: J.J. Hardy, BAL ($3,679)
OF: Starling Marte, PIT ($5,177)
