This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters - A look at Tuesday's matchups (all times Eastern)
Braves (Julio Teheran – R) at Orioles (Ubaldo Jimenez – R), 7:05
Phillies (Adam Morgan – L) at Blue Jays (Felix Doubront – L), 7:07
Padres (James Shields – R) at Mets (Noah Syndergaard – R), 7:10
White Sox (Jeff Samardzija – R) at Red Sox (Wade Miley – L), 7:10
Royals (Chris Young – R) at Indians (Trevor Bauer – R), 7:10
Nationals (Jordan Zimmermann – R) at Marlins (Jose Fernandez – R), 7:10
Tigers (David Price – L) at Rays (Jake Odorizzi – R), 7:10
Yankees (Chris Capuano – L) at Rangers (Martin Perez – L), 8:05
Rockies (Yohan Flande – L) at Cubs (Dallas Beeler – R), 8:05
Pirates (Charlie Morton – R) at Twins (Mike Pelfrey – R), 8:10
Angels (C.J. Wilson – L) at Astros (Collin McHugh – R), 8:10
Reds (Mike Leake – R) at Cardinals (Jaime Garcia – L) 8:15
Diamondbacks (Zack Godley – R) at Mariners (Hisashi Iwakuma – R), 10:10
Athletics (Sonny Gray – R) at Dodgers (Brett Anderson – L), 10:10
Brewers (Wily Peralta – R) at Giants (Matt Cain – R), 10:15
Day Game After Night Game: None
Injuries
Day-to-Day
Ryan Braun, OF, MIL (back) – Late scratch with back tightness Monday
Adam Lind, 1B, MIL (back) – Feeling better; will be back in Tuesday
Randal Grichuk, OF, STL (groin) – MRI came back clean; should be short absence
Yadier Molina, C, STL (illness) – Left Monday's game due to dehydration
Brock Holt, 3B, BOS (knee) – Out of Monday's lineup; sounds minor
Ivan Nova, SP, NYY (arm) – Left Monday's start early with arm fatigue
Kevin Kiermaier, OF, TB (eye) – Suffered minor injury prior to Monday's game
Ryan Raburn, OF, CLE (illness) – Out Monday after leaving Sunday
Players on the DL
Miguel Cabrera, 1B, DET (calf) – Could be ready to return by mid-August
Stephen Strasburg, SP, WAS (oblique) – First of two rehab starts coming Wednesday
Travis d'Arnaud, C, NYM (elbow) – Caught seven innings Monday; back this week
David Wright, 3B, NYM (back) – Starting baseball activities Tuesday or Wednesday
Jered Weaver, SP, LAA (hip) – Rehab assignment commences Thursday
Jayson Werth, OF, WAS (wrist) – Will return Tuesday
Steve Pearce, OF, BAL (oblique) – Not expected to be activated after minimum time
Jed Lowrie, SS, HOU (finger) – 3-for-10 on rehab assignment so far
Kyle Lobstein, SP, DET (shoulder) – Threw bullpen Monday; close to rehab action
Josh Johnson, SP, SD (elbow) – Will return in a relief role when healthy
Tommy La Stella, 2B, CHC (oblique) – Could go on rehab assignment this week
Transactions - Players who have been called up, sent down, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Called Up
Rusney Castillo, OF, BOS
Buck Farmer, SP, DET
Phil Klein, RP, TEX
Kyle Skipworth, C, CIN
Sent Down (to Triple-A unless otherwise noted)
Brandon Finnegan, SP, CIN
Kyle Ryan, SP, DET
Steve Lombardozzi, 2B, PIT (outrighted)
Ross Ohlendorf, RP, TEX (DFA)
Anthony Bass, RP, TEX
Dominic Leone, RP, ARI
Joaquin Arias, 3B, SF (DFA)
Mitch Harris, RP, STL
John Lamb, SP, CIN
Activated From DL
Nori Aoki, OF, SF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, ARI
Mitch Harris, RP, STL
Placed On DL
Traded
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, TOR (from COL)
LaTroy Hawkins, RP, TOR (from COL)
Jose Reyes, SS, COL (from TOR)
Miguel Castro, RP, COL (from TOR)
Tyler Clippard, RP, NYM (from OAK)
Shane Victorino, OF, LAA (from BOS)
Josh Rutledge, 2B, BOS (from LAA)
Released
Edwin Jackson, RP, CHC
Closer Watch
Athletics -- The A's showed their commitment to building for the future by flipping Tyler Clippard to the Mets for prospect Casey Meisner on Monday, leaving a power vacuum and some uncertainty in Oakland. Edward Mujica is expected to get the first crack at closing and Eric O'Flaherty is supposed to factor in as well, but both of those guys have had uninspiring seasons. The best arm in this bullpen has been 31-year-old Fernando Rodriguez, who's been pretty much the only one to miss bats.
Mets -- The acquisition of Clippard shouldn't displace Jeurys Familia, but after blowing two saves in a row, Familia's going to be looking over his shoulder until he stabilizes things.
Diamondbacks -- Andrew Chafin got the 10th-inning save despite a pair of baserunners Monday night; earlier, Daniel Hudson and Oliver Perez combined to blow a ninth-inning lead. It was Chafin's second save of the year, but the last one came more than a month ago. He is, however, a candidate to take over the ninth if Brad Ziegler gets dealt.
Mariners -- Apparently, the Mariners think that Fernando Rodney has been tipping his pitches, which is a cute, but misguided sentiment. His problem is that he's just not good anymore. Rodney did manage to get four outs without allowing a baserunner Monday, but he didn't strike anyone out either. Meanwhile, Carson Smith struggled and ended up with the loss.
Giants -- Sergio Romo netted his second save with a scoreless ninth Monday night, but he was just filling in after Santiago Casilla nailed two down over the weekend.
Cubs -- The Cubs and Rockies (below) traded blown saves Monday, with the Jason Motte-Rafael Soriano combo giving up four runs in the top of the ninth before Kris Bryant's two-run homer won it for them in the bottom. Motte has just not been very good, nor has Soriano looked like his old self, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Cubs go back to Hector Rondon – or maybe they'll actually give Pedro Strop his shot.
Rockies -- In their pursuit of a Coors Field-style game away from home, the Rockies succeeded, but it didn't work out quite the way they'd hope, as their big ninth-inning comeback was erased by John Axford giving up the homer to Bryant. Axford has been atrocious recently, but as usual, no one's very good in this bullpen. LaTroy Hawkins, perhaps still their best reliever, was shipped off to Toronto on Tuesday.
Braves -- Jim Johnson failed to record the save Monday, giving up a run in the ninth against Baltimore. The Braves seem to be using him as their closer strictly due to inertia, as there are several arms in their pen with shinier numbers; keep an eye out to see if they make a change.
Key Matchups
Hot Batter Matchups – July 28, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| J. Gomes | OF | ATL @ BAL 7:05PM | U. Jimenez | 19 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 6 | .368 | .455 | .895 | 1.349 |
| H. Ramirez | SS | BOS vs CWS 7:10PM | J. Samardzija | 19 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | .421 | .421 | .526 | .947 |
| M. Bourn | OF | CLE vs KC 7:10PM | C. Young | 11 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .545 | .583 | .727 | 1.311 |
| B. Moss | 1B | CLE vs KC 7:10PM | C. Young | 17 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | .294 | .368 | 1.000 | 1.368 |
| L. Cain | OF | KC @ CLE 7:10PM | T. Bauer | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .273 | .333 | .636 | .970 |
| A. Escobar | SS | KC @ CLE 7:10PM | T. Bauer | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .455 | .500 | .545 | 1.045 |
| M. Prado | 3B | MIA vs WAS 7:10PM | J. Zimmermann | 23 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .391 | .391 | .522 | .913 |
| D. DeJesus | DH | TB vs DET 7:10PM | D. Price | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .400 | .417 | .500 | .917 |
| P. Fielder | 1B | TEX vs NYY 8:05PM | C. Capuano | 11 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | .364 | .364 | 1.000 | 1.364 |
| C. Carter | DH | HOU vs LAA 8:10PM | C. Wilson | 27 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 11 | .333 | .471 | .630 | 1.100 |
| M. Joyce | OF | LAA @ HOU 8:10PM | C. McHugh | 10 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .300 | .364 | .600 | .964 |
| A. Pujols | 1B | LAA @ HOU 8:10PM | C. McHugh | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | .333 | .412 | .533 | .945 |
| A. McCutchen | OF | PIT @ MIN 8:10PM | M. Pelfrey | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .429 | .529 | .429 | .958 |
| J. Bourgeois | OF | CIN @ STL 8:15PM | J. Garcia | 11 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .545 | .545 | .909 | 1.455 |
| B. Phillips | 2B | CIN @ STL 8:15PM | J. Garcia | 41 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 8 | .317 | .317 | .561 | .878 |
| M. Holliday | OF | STL vs CIN 8:15PM | M. Leake | 39 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | .385 | .429 | .538 | .967 |
| M. Reynolds | 1B | STL vs CIN 8:15PM | M. Leake | 11 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | .364 | .462 | .727 | 1.189 |
| K. Wong | 2B | STL vs CIN 8:15PM | M. Leake | 18 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | .333 | .350 | .500 | .850 |
| R. Braun | OF | MIL @ SF 10:15PM | M. Cain | 25 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | .360 | .385 | .600 | .985 |
| J. Lucroy | C | MIL @ SF 10:15PM | M. Cain | 18 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 1.000 |
| A. Pagan | OF | SF vs MIL 10:15PM | W. Peralta | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .600 | .600 | .700 | 1.300 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Hot Pitcher Matchups – July 28, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Jordan Zimmermann | WAS @ MIA 7:10PM | 129 | 32 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 24 | .248 | .265 | .345 | .610 |
| James Shields | SD @ NYM 7:10PM | 110 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 28 | .155 | .184 | .276 | .460 |
| Mike Pelfrey | MIN vs PIT 8:10PM | 72 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 15 | .222 | .280 | .321 | .601 |
| Jaime Garcia | STL vs CIN 8:15PM | 146 | 41 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 5 | 33 | .281 | .303 | .434 | .737 |
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 – July 28, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| A. Pierzynski | C | ATL @ BAL 7:05PM | U. Jimenez | 26 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | .192 | .222 | .385 | .607 |
| A. De Aza | OF | BOS vs CWS 7:10PM | J. Samardzija | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .143 | .200 | .143 | .343 |
| R. Hanigan | C | BOS vs CWS 7:10PM | J. Samardzija | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .200 | .200 | .200 | .400 |
| E. Hosmer | 1B | KC @ CLE 7:10PM | T. Bauer | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .200 | .333 | .200 | .533 |
| K. Morales | 1B | KC @ CLE 7:10PM | T. Bauer | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .250 | .250 | .333 | .583 |
| M. Moustakas | 3B | KC @ CLE 7:10PM | T. Bauer | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .250 | .250 | .333 | .583 |
| S. Perez | C | KC @ CLE 7:10PM | T. Bauer | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .077 | .077 | .154 | .231 |
| A. Hechavarria | SS | MIA vs WAS 7:10PM | J. Zimmermann | 28 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .250 | .250 | .321 | .571 |
| C. McGehee | 3B | MIA vs WAS 7:10PM | J. Zimmermann | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .222 | .263 | .222 | .485 |
| C. Granderson | OF | NYM vs SD 7:10PM | J. Shields | 61 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 14 | .115 | .143 | .279 | .422 |
| K. Johnson | 3B | NYM vs SD 7:10PM | J. Shields | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | .125 | .125 | .125 | .250 |
| A. Cabrera | SS | TB vs DET 7:10PM | D. Price | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .200 | .250 | .267 | .517 |
| A. Beltre | 3B | TEX vs NYY 8:05PM | C. Capuano | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .200 | .200 | .200 | .400 |
| J. Castro | C | HOU vs LAA 8:10PM | C. Wilson | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | .167 | .154 | .167 | .321 |
| E. Aybar | SS | LAA @ HOU 8:10PM | C. McHugh | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .133 | .188 | .133 | .321 |
| M. Trout | OF | LAA @ HOU 8:10PM | C. McHugh | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | .182 | .250 | .545 | .795 |
| F. Cervelli | C | PIT @ MIN 8:10PM | M. Pelfrey | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .100 | .182 | .100 | .282 |
| A. Ramirez | 3B | PIT @ MIN 8:10PM | M. Pelfrey | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .182 | .250 | .273 | .523 |
| N. Walker | 2B | PIT @ MIN 8:10PM | M. Pelfrey | 17 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | .176 | .176 | .412 | .588 |
| J. Bruce | OF | CIN @ STL 8:15PM | J. Garcia | 36 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 9 | .250 | .263 | .333 | .596 |
| T. Frazier | 3B | CIN @ STL 8:15PM | J. Garcia | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .143 | .143 | .143 | .286 |
| J. Heyward | OF | STL vs CIN 8:15PM | M. Leake | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| J. Peralta | SS | STL vs CIN 8:15PM | M. Leake | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .118 | .167 | .176 | .343 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Cold Pitcher Matchups – July 28, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Ubaldo Jimenez | BAL vs ATL 7:05PM | 69 | 22 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 13 | .319 | .369 | .678 | 1.047 |
| Chris Young | KC @ CLE 7:10PM | 70 | 24 | 14 | 5 | 16 | 8 | 12 | .343 | .401 | .707 | 1.108 |
| C.J. Wilson | LAA @ HOU 8:10PM | 118 | 38 | 16 | 8 | 26 | 13 | 35 | .322 | .397 | .586 | .983 |
| Matt Cain | SF vs MIL 10:15PM | 118 | 36 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 6 | 23 | .305 | .344 | .470 | .814 |
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
Rusney Castillo, OF, BOS – With Shane Victorino shipped out, Castillo returned to the Red Sox on Monday, going 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs. Even though he hasn't outperformed with Triple-A Pawtucket – just a .722 OPS – Castillo's 162-game pace in the minors would have him hitting a dozen homers and stealing 40 bases. And there's little doubt that he can actually be a better hitter than that. Castillo will have to win time away from Alejandro De Aza, but that seems doable. However, if he can't, he'll be stuck on the wrong side of a platoon.
Other Recent Recommendations:Ryan Zimmerman, Mike Leake, Michael Conforto, Jose Iglesias, Jake McGee
DraftKings Value Picks
SP: Jordan Zimmermann, WAS ($7,700)
C: Jonathan Lucroy, MIL ($3,000)
1B: Brandon Moss, CLE ($3,500)
2B: Joe Panik, SF ($3,600)
3B: Daniel Murphy, NYM ($3,200)
SS: Starlin Castro, CHC ($2,900)
OF: Nori Aoki, SF ($3,500)
