This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters - A look at Friday's matchups (all times Eastern)
Cardinals (Lance Lynn – R) at Cubs (Dan Haren – R), 2:20
Marlins (Jose Fernandez – R) at Nationals (Max Scherzer – R), 7:05
Red Sox (Wade Miley – L) at Blue Jays (Marcus Stroman – R), 7:07
Royals (Johnny Cueto – R) at Tigers (Justin Verlander – R), 7:08
Orioles (Wei-Yin Chen – L) at Rays (Drew Smyly – L), 7:10
White Sox (Chris Sale – L) at Indians (Cody Anderson – R), 7:10
Yankees (Masahiro Tanaka – R) at Mets (Steven Matz – L), 7:10
Phillies (Adam Morgan – L) at Braves (Williams Perez – R), 7:35
Mariners (James Paxton – L) at Rangers (Yovani Gallardo – R), 8:05
Angels (Andrew Heaney – L) at Twins (Mike Pelfrey – R), 8:10
Reds (Brandon Finnegan – L) at Brewers (Zach Davies – R), 8:10
Athletics (Felix Doubront – L) at Astros (Mike Fiers – R), 8:10
Padres (Ian Kennedy – R) at Rockies (Chad Bettis – R), 8:40
Pirates (Jeff Locke – L) at Dodgers (Zack Greinke – R), 10:10
Diamondbacks (Rubby De La Rosa – R) at Giants (Madison Bumgarner – L), 10:15
Day Game After Night Game: STL/CHC
Injuries
Day-to-Day
Billy Burns, OF, OAK (Hamstring) – Expected to return to the lineup over the weekend.
Xavier Cedeno, RP, TB (Side) – Threw to batters Thursday.
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS, TB (Knee) – After an MRI showed no damage, hopes to return to action over the next few days.
Jung-Ho Kang, SS, PIT (Knee) – Left Thursday's game after being taken out by a hard slide.
Stephen Vogt, C, OAK (Groin) – Did not start Thursday.
Trayce Thompson, OF, CHW (Elbow) – Did not start Thursday.
Carlos Gonzalez, OF, COL (Foot) – Did not play on Wednesday due to fouling a ball off his foot.
Trevor May, RP, MIN (Hip) – May miss Thursday and Friday's game action.
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, ATL (Oblique) – Did not start on Thursday.
Carlos Gomez, OF, HOU (Back) – Went through drills on Thursday, but did not swing a bat.
J.B. Shuck, OF, CHW (Hamstring) – Left Thursday's game with soreness.
Adeiny Hechavarria, SS, MIA (Hamstring) – Did not start on Thursday.
Out
Logan Darnell, RP, MIN (Illness) – Has been diagnosed with pneumonia.
Manny Banuelos, SP, ATL (Elbow) – Underwent surgery to remove a bone spur.
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, TOR (Shoulder) – Visited a specialist in Boston on Thursday.
Players on the DL
Elvis Araujo, RP, PHI (Groin) – Threw a bullpen session on Thursday.
Devon Travis, 2B, TOR (Shoulder) – Will undergo shoulder surgery next Wednesday.
Jake McGee, RP, TB (Knee) – Will pitch a simulated game on Sunday.
Transactions - Players who have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Activated from the DL
Jorge Soler, OF, CHC
Jason Castro, C, HOU
Closer Watch
Chicago Cubs – You have to love the unexpected pitcher snagging a save, right? I guess most of us really don't, but it's still an interesting topic of conversation. The question being: Does Travis Wood continue to get saves down the stretch? No, of course not. Still, it was neat to see him come on and pitch two innings and strike out FIVE hitters. Wood threw 18-of-25 pitches for strikes and picked up his second save of the year as he shut down the Pirates in a close divisional matchup that certainly has playoff implications.
Key Matchups
Hot Batter Matchups – September 18, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| D. Fowler | OF | CHC vs STL 2:20PM | L. Lynn | 12 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .417 | .500 | .750 | 1.250 |
| A. Rizzo | 1B | CHC vs STL 2:20PM | L. Lynn | 27 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 5 | .296 | .406 | .593 | .999 |
| M. Holliday | OF | STL @ CHC 2:20PM | D. Haren | 26 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 7 | .308 | .379 | .731 | 1.110 |
| J. Jay | OF | STL @ CHC 2:20PM | D. Haren | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .400 | .400 | .500 | .900 |
| B. Moss | 1B | STL @ CHC 2:20PM | D. Haren | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | .300 | .300 | .700 | 1.000 |
| M. Prado | 3B | MIA @ WAS 7:05PM | M. Scherzer | 19 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .474 | .474 | .737 | 1.211 |
| D. Barney | 2B | TOR vs BOS 7:07PM | W. Miley | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .364 | .462 | .455 | .916 |
| T. Collins | OF | DET vs KC 7:08PM | J. Cueto | 10 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .300 | .300 | .600 | .900 |
| K. Morales | 1B | KC @ DET 7:08PM | J. Verlander | 30 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 7 | .367 | .367 | .700 | 1.067 |
| S. Perez | C | KC @ DET 7:08PM | J. Verlander | 41 | 20 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 6 | .488 | .465 | .805 | 1.270 |
| A. Rios | OF | KC @ DET 7:08PM | J. Verlander | 46 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 10 | .370 | .420 | .543 | .963 |
| R. Raburn | OF | CLE vs CWS 7:10PM | C. Sale | 33 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 11 | .303 | .378 | .758 | 1.136 |
| C. Rasmus | OF | HOU vs OAK 8:10PM | F. Doubront | 17 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | .412 | .444 | .941 | 1.386 |
| C. Iannetta | C | LAA @ MIN 8:10PM | M. Pelfrey | 13 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | .462 | .611 | .692 | 1.303 |
| D. Descalso | 2B | COL vs SD 8:40PM | I. Kennedy | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | .308 | .357 | .615 | .973 |
| D. LeMahieu | 2B | COL vs SD 8:40PM | I. Kennedy | 25 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | .400 | .483 | .760 | 1.243 |
| A. McCutchen | OF | PIT @ LAD 10:10PM | Z. Greinke | 24 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | .292 | .346 | .625 | .971 |
| M. Morse | OF | PIT @ LAD 10:10PM | Z. Greinke | 17 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | .353 | .421 | .529 | .950 |
| W. Castillo | C | ARI @ SF 10:15PM | M. Bumgarner | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | .333 | .385 | .667 | 1.051 |
| P. Goldschmidt | 1B | ARI @ SF 10:15PM | M. Bumgarner | 36 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 8 | .278 | .372 | .528 | .900 |
| B. Crawford | SS | SF vs ARI 10:15PM | R. De La Rosa | 12 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | .417 | .417 | .917 | 1.333 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Hot Pitcher Matchups – September 18, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Max Scherzer | WAS vs MIA 7:05PM | 138 | 36 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 30 | .261 | .282 | .400 | .682 |
| Jose Fernandez | MIA @ WAS 7:05PM | 82 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 30 | .159 | .231 | .236 | .467 |
| Johnny Cueto | KC @ DET 7:08PM | 102 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 16 | .216 | .278 | .349 | .627 |
| Drew Smyly | TB vs BAL 7:10PM | 84 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 32 | .143 | .200 | .272 | .472 |
| Yovani Gallardo | TEX vs SEA 8:05PM | 82 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 19 | .207 | .293 | .303 | .596 |
| Zack Greinke | LAD vs PIT 10:10PM | 140 | 34 | 12 | 6 | 20 | 5 | 34 | .243 | .278 | .425 | .703 |
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 – September 18, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| M. Montero | C | CHC vs STL 2:20PM | L. Lynn | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | .091 | .286 | .091 | .377 |
| M. Carpenter | 3B | STL @ CHC 2:20PM | D. Haren | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .000 | .083 | .000 | .083 |
| M. Reynolds | 1B | STL @ CHC 2:20PM | D. Haren | 16 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | .125 | .176 | .375 | .551 |
| J. Bour | 1B | MIA @ WAS 7:05PM | M. Scherzer | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .200 | .200 | .200 | .400 |
| J. Mathis | C | MIA @ WAS 7:05PM | M. Scherzer | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .200 | .200 | .300 | .500 |
| I. Desmond | SS | WAS vs MIA 7:05PM | J. Fernandez | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| J. Werth | OF | WAS vs MIA 7:05PM | J. Fernandez | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | .083 | .143 | .333 | .476 |
| N. Castellanos | 3B | DET vs KC 7:08PM | J. Cueto | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .100 | .182 | .100 | .282 |
| V. Martinez | 1B | DET vs KC 7:08PM | J. Cueto | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .000 | .059 | .000 | .059 |
| A. Escobar | SS | KC @ DET 7:08PM | J. Verlander | 63 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | .190 | .227 | .238 | .465 |
| O. Infante | 2B | KC @ DET 7:08PM | J. Verlander | 25 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | .160 | .192 | .320 | .512 |
| M. Moustakas | 3B | KC @ DET 7:08PM | J. Verlander | 53 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 11 | .189 | .204 | .245 | .449 |
| C. Davis | 1B | BAL @ TB 7:10PM | D. Smyly | 14 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | .143 | .143 | .571 | .714 |
| A. Jones | OF | BAL @ TB 7:10PM | D. Smyly | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | .133 | .133 | .333 | .467 |
| S. Pearce | OF | BAL @ TB 7:10PM | D. Smyly | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .100 | .308 | .100 | .408 |
| M. Aviles | 2B | CLE vs CWS 7:10PM | C. Sale | 27 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .148 | .207 | .259 | .466 |
| M. Brantley | OF | CLE vs CWS 7:10PM | C. Sale | 29 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12 | .138 | .194 | .207 | .400 |
| L. Morrison | 1B | SEA @ TEX 8:05PM | Y. Gallardo | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .056 | .150 | .056 | .206 |
| S. Smith | OF | SEA @ TEX 8:05PM | Y. Gallardo | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | .125 | .222 | .125 | .347 |
| C. Blackmon | OF | COL vs SD 8:40PM | I. Kennedy | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | .250 | .308 | .292 | .599 |
| C. Dickerson | OF | COL vs SD 8:40PM | I. Kennedy | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .133 | .133 | .200 | .333 |
| C. Gonzalez | OF | COL vs SD 8:40PM | I. Kennedy | 35 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 15 | .143 | .167 | .371 | .538 |
| J. Reyes | SS | COL vs SD 8:40PM | I. Kennedy | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .182 | .250 | .182 | .432 |
| C. Heisey | OF | LAD vs PIT 10:10PM | J. Locke | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .091 | .091 | .091 | .182 |
| T. Snider | OF | PIT @ LAD 10:10PM | Z. Greinke | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .091 | .091 | .091 | .182 |
| N. Walker | 2B | PIT @ LAD 10:10PM | Z. Greinke | 21 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | .190 | .261 | .524 | .785 |
| C. Owings | SS | ARI @ SF 10:15PM | M. Bumgarner | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .105 | .105 | .105 | .211 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Cold Pitcher Matchups – September 18, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Lance Lynn | STL @ CHC 2:20PM | 124 | 38 | 16 | 3 | 20 | 12 | 29 | .306 | .372 | .497 | .869 |
| Wade Miley | BOS @ TOR 7:07PM | 62 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 18 | .323 | .402 | .524 | .926 |
Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Thomas Pham, OF, St. Louis Cardinals – Anytime a hitter smacks three homers over his last two games played, you take notice. Pham is more of an NL-only play, although as long as he sneaks in at-bats he could be of mixed-league value. There is a question of at-bats with Matt Holliday being recently activated from the DL, and assuming Randal Grichuk gets healthy enough to start every day; however, I'm willing to take the chance on Pham in case Grichuk is a relegated pinch hitter with his health in question. Even if the Cardinals play Pham sparingly, the bump in power is intriguing enough to take a chance on the 27-year old "youngster".
Other Recent Recommendations:Kelby Tomlinson, Nolan Reimold, Corey Seager, Steven Souza, Colby Rasmus, Marcus Stroman and Vidal Nuno.
DraftKings Value Picks
SP: Johnny Cueto, KC ($7,700)
C: J.P. Arencibia, TB ($4,200)
1B: Eric Hosmer, KC ($4,000)
2B: Robinson Cano, SEA ($3,800)
SS: Jean Segura, MIL ($3,800)
3B: Matt Duffy, SF ($3,900)
OF: Jay Bruce, CIN ($3,900)
