Thursday Lineup Card: Wada Ya Got To Lose?

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Updated on August 21, 2014 12:18AM EST

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

Astros (Dallas Keuchel -- L) at Yankees (Brandon McCarthy -- R), 1:05
Indians (Corey Kluber -- R) at Twins (Phil Hughes -- R), 1:10
Tigers (David Price -- L) at Rays (Alex Cobb -- R), 1:10
Diamondbacks (Wade Miley -- L) at Nationals (Gio Gonzalez -- L), 4:05
Giants (Yusmeiro Petit -- R) at Cubs (Jacob Turner -- R), 5:05 (*Continuation of previously protested game from Tuesday. Cubs lead 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning.*)
Braves (Julio Teheran -- R) at Reds (David Holmberg -- L), 7:10
Angels (Matt Shoemaker -- R) at Red Sox (Rubby De La Rosa -- R), 7:10
Giants (Madison Bumgarner -- L) at Cubs (Travis Wood -- L), 8:05
Padres (Tyson Ross -- R) at Dodgers (Zack Greinke -- R), 10:10

Day Game After Night Game: None

Injuries

Day-to-Day
Dustin Ackley, 2B, SEA (back) -- Has been dealing with a stiff back the last few days and was held out of Wednesday's lineup.
Carlos Beltran, OF, NYY (elbow) -- Held out of Wednesday's lineup with right elbow soreness, and it's uncertain how much further game action he'll miss beyond Thursday.
Kris Bryant, 3B, CHC (foot) -- Returned to the lineup at Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday.
Starlin Castro, SS, CHC (personal) -- Scratched from Wednesday's lineup due to a family emergency and was placed on bereavement list.
Aroldis Chapman, RP, CIN (shoulder) -- Indicated that his shoulder feels OK and doesn't expect to miss further game action.
Michael Cuddyer, OF, COL (hamstring) -- Missed his second straight game due to injury but expects to return to the lineup Friday.
Zack Greinke, SP, LAD (elbow) -- Will have next start pushed back to Saturday against the Mets.
Jenrry Mejia, RP, NYM (back) -- Was unavailable Wednesday due to back tightness, but is expected to be ready to go for the Mets' weekend series with the Dodgers.
Will Middlebrooks, 3B, BOS (hamstring) -- Was diagnosed with a hamstring strain and was held out of lineup Wednesday, but isn't expected to miss much time.
Mike Napoli, 1B, BOS (back) -- Missed Wednesday's game due to back spasms.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF, NYM (neck) -- Scratched from Wednesday's lineup.
Hector Noesi, SP, CWS (lower body) -- Was cleared to make the start Wednesday vs. the Orioles.
Derek Norris, C, OAK (back) -- Held out of Wednesday's lineup with a minor back issue.
Joe Panik, 2B, SF (finger) -- Returned to the lineup Wednesday.
Salvador Perez, C, KC (knee) -- Was a late scratch from Wednesday's game with right knee discomfort.
Buster Posey, C, SF (hip) -- Left out of Wednesday's lineup with left hip tightness.
Chad Qualls, RP, HOU (back) -- Was not used in save situation Wednesday due to minor back discomfort.
Garrett Richards, SP, LAA (knee) -- Left Wednesday's start with a left patellar injury, with manager Mike Scioscia calling the ailment "significant". He'll fly back to Los Angeles on Friday for further evaluation.
Alex Rios, OF, TEX (thumb) -- Returned to the lineup Wednesday.
Andrelton Simmons, SS, ATL (hip) -- Returned to the lineup Wednesday against the Braves.
Justin Verlander, SP, DET (shoulder) -- Scheduled to toss a light bullpen session Thursday with the hope to receive clearance to start one game of Saturday's doubleheader at Minnesota.

Disabled List
Brandon Belt, 1B, SF (concussion) -- Will miss at least two-to-three more weeks.
Christian Bergman, SP, COL (hand) -- Will start Sunday against the Marlins.
Everth Cabrera, SS, SD (hamstring) -- Will resume baseball activities Thursday.
Andrew Cashner, SP, SD (shoulder) -- Will start Saturday's game vs. the Diamondbacks.
Andy Dirks, OF, DET (hamstring) -- Has been shut down again after Wednesday's MRI revealed a Grade 1 strain.
Adam Eaton, OF, CWS (oblique) -- Will head out on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Charlotte over the weekend and will likely return to the White Sox after the weekend.
Grant Green, 2B, LAA (lumbar strain) -- Expected to start a rehab assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake by Friday and rejoin the Angels next week.
Micah Johnson, 2B, CWS (hamstring strain) -- Shut down by the White Sox for the rest of the season.
Charlie Morton, SP, PIT (sports hernia) -- Right hip inflammation was reclassified as a sports hernia, which could require surgery. Morton plans on pitching through the ailment.
David Phelps, SP, NYY (elbow) -- May return to the bullpen in an effort to speed up recovery.
Luke Putkonen, RP, DET (elbow) -- Threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Wednesday.
Hyun-Jin Ryu, SP, LAD (leg) -- Not expected to need a rehab assignment, putting him on track for a return at the end of the month.
Shae Simmons, RP, ATL (shoulder) -- Will be shut down for at least a few days due to recurring soreness in his shoulder.
Nick Swisher, OF, CLE (knees) -- Will undergo season-ending surgery on both knees Wednesday.
Masahiro Tanaka, SP, NYY (elbow) -- Completed a 35-pitch bullpen session Wednesday.
Joe Thatcher, RP, LAA (ankle) -- Doing some light throwing off the mound in Arizona but is "not close" to a return.
Juan Uribe, 3B, LAD (hamstring) -- Took batting practice prior to Wednesday's game and looks in line to return at end of the month.

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

Activated from the Disabled List (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Gerrit Cole, SP, PIT
Cameron Maybin, OF, SD (restricted list -- finished serving 25-game suspension)
Wil Myers, OF, TB (60-day DL)
David Ross, C, BOS

Placed on the Disabled List (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Starlin Castro, SS, CHC (bereavement list)
Jerry Sands, OF, TB (60-day DL)

Called Up (from Triple-A unless otherwise noted)
Alex Hassan, OF, BOS

Sent Down (to Triple-A unless otherwise noted)
Vincent Belnome, 2B, TB
Dan Butler, C, BOS
Bobby LaFromboise, RP, SD (designated for assignment)
Brent Morel, 3B, PIT
Jace Peterson, SS, SD
Steven Wright, RP, BOS

Released
Charles Leesman, P, CWS

Closer Watch

Houston -- With Chad Qualls dealing with a minor back ailment, the Astros turned to Jose Veras to close out the Yankees on Wednesday. Veras, Houston's closer for most of the first half of last season before he was dealt to the Tigers, worked around a walk and a hit to claim his first save of the season in the 5-2 victory. Qualls isn't expected to miss much time due to the injury, but Veras' usage in the ninth-inning makes him the top closer in waiting over the likes of Josh Fields and Tony Sipp.

New York Mets -- Jenrry Mejia's fragile health reemerged yet again Wednesday, as the Mets closer was deemed unavailable due to back tightness that first manifested itself a day earlier. In his stead, Jeurys Familia stepped in to record his fourth save of the season, as he stranded two baserunners over 1.2 innings while striking out two batters. In considering that Mejia has recently dealt with a calf injury and a hernia that will require surgery at season's end, the latest ailment opens up the possibility that he could ultimately end up on the DL. If available in deeper or NL-only formats, Familia certainly remains worth owning in the event that the Mets end up shutting Mejia down for a period of time.

Hot Batter Matchups – August 21, 2014

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
T. Hunter	OF	DET @ TB 1:10PM	A. Cobb	15	6	1	0	3	1	0	.400	.438	.467	.904
I. Kinsler	2B	DET @ TB 1:10PM	A. Cobb	12	4	2	0	2	1	4	.333	.429	.500	.929
J. Mauer	C	MIN vs CLE 1:10PM	C. Kluber	13	5	3	1	3	3	1	.385	.500	.846	1.346
T. Plouffe	3B	MIN vs CLE 1:10PM	C. Kluber	14	6	2	2	4	0	4	.429	.429	.857	1.286
S. Hairston	OF	WAS vs ARI 4:05PM	W. Miley	13	5	4	1	8	0	1	.385	.385	.846	1.231
H. Pence	OF	SF @ CHC 8:05PM	T. Wood	18	6	2	1	4	0	3	.333	.333	.611	.944
C. Crawford	OF	LAD vs SD 10:10PM	T. Ross	10	6	2	0	0	3	2	.600	.692	.800	1.492
Y. Puig	OF	LAD vs SD 10:10PM	T. Ross	11	3	1	1	3	1	2	.273	.333	.545	.879
Y. Grandal	C	SD @ LAD 10:10PM	C. Kershaw	11	5	1	0	1	1	3	.455	.500	.545	1.045

Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS

Hot Pitcher Matchups – August 21, 2014

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Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Clayton Kershaw	LAD vs SD 10:10PM	71	16	2	1	3	9	19	.225	.312	.286	.599

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 – August 21, 2014

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
B. Dozier	2B	MIN vs CLE 1:10PM	C. Kluber	11	1	1	0	0	1	1	.091	.167	.182	.348
J. Molina	C	TB vs DET 1:10PM	D. Price	15	4	0	0	0	0	6	.267	.267	.267	.533
A. Hill	2B	ARI @ WAS 4:05PM	G. Gonzalez	10	2	1	0	0	1	1	.200	.273	.300	.573
B. Posey	C	SF @ CHC 8:05PM	T. Wood	12	2	1	0	1	0	4	.167	.167	.250	.417
C. Maybin	OF	SD @ LAD 10:10PM	C. Kershaw	18	2	0	0	0	3	5	.111	.238	.111	.349

Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS

Cold Pitcher Matchups – August 21, 2014

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Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Alex Cobb	TB vs DET 1:10PM	66	23	7	0	8	9	9	.348	.446	.465	.911
Corey Kluber	CLE @ MIN 1:10PM	61	16	8	4	8	6	13	.262	.328	.540	.868

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

Tsuyoshi Wada, SP, CHC -- The Cubs were expected to barely tread water in their rotation after dealing away Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the Athletics on July 4, but that couldn't be further from the truth at the moment. The emergence of Jake Arrieta has garnered most of the attention among the Cubs' post-Samardzija/Hammel rotation, but their respective replacements, Kyle Hendricks and Wada, have pitched superbly as well. Hendricks' numbers are even more impressive than Wada's, but the Japanese import certainly isn't a slouch. In shutting out the Giants in Tuesday's rain-shortened victory, Wada now carries a 3-1 record, 2.75 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 7.5 K/9 IP rate over his seven starts. The 33-year-old may not have much of a track record at the major league level, but he was one of the more dominant arms in Nippon Professional Baseball before coming to America in 2012 on a two-year deal with the Orioles. He never did pitch an inning for Baltimore thanks to Tommy John surgery, but with that operation firmly in the rearview mirror, he looks like he's back to full strength. The lefty doesn't have overpowering stuff, but the deception of his pitches and hitters' lack of familiarity with his repertoire should allow him to sustain a decent level of success the rest of the way.

Other Recent Recommendations: Carlos Carrasco, Carl Crawford, Michael Cuddyer, Avisail Garcia and Mike Fiers

DraftKings Value Picks
SP: Julio Teheran, ATL ($8,600)
C: Andrew Susac, SF ($2,500)
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, LAD ($4,000)
2B: Arismendy Alcantara, CHC ($3,300)
3B: Brock Holt, BOS ($4,300)
SS: Andrelton Simmons, ATL ($3,500)
OF: Evan Gattis, ATL ($3,800)

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