Monday Lineup Card: McCall on McCullers

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

CLE (Corey Kluber - R) at CHC (Jon Lester - L) 2:05 PM
HOU (Scott Feldman - R) at NYY (Nathan Eovaldi - R) 7:05 PM
NYM (Jacob deGrom - R) at PHI (Adam Morgan - L) 7:05 PM
COL (Jorge De La Rosa - L) at ATL (Julio Teheran - R) 7:10 PM
DET (Buck Farmer - R) at CIN (Keyvius Sampson - R) 7:10 PM
PIT (J.A. Happ - L) at MIA (Tom Koehler - R) 7:10 PM
BOS (Joe Kelly - R) at CWS (Jeff Samardzija - R) 8:10 PM
BAL (Ubaldo Jimenez - R) at KC (Kris Medlen - R) 8:10 PM
STL (Lance Lynn - R) at ARI (Robbie Ray - L) 10:00 PM
OAK (Felix Doubront - L) at SEA (Hisashi Iwakuma - R) 10:10 PM

Day Game After Night Game: - None

Injuries

Day-to-Day

Yunel Escobar, SS, WAS (neck) -- Missed his second straight start Sunday.
Derek Norris, C, SD (wrist) -- Expected to rejoin the Padres' lineup on Tuesday.
Glen Perkins, P, MIN (neck) -- Returned Sunday and earned the win for the Twins in extra innings.
Addison Russell, SS, CHC (groin) -- Exited Sunday's game due to groin tightness and could miss Monday as well.
CC Sabathia, P, NYY (knee) -- Exited Sunday's start and will undergo an MRI.
Andrelton Simmons, SS, ATL (knee) -- Was out of the lineup Sunday after tweaking his knee during Saturday's game.
Mark Teixeira, 1B, NYY (leg) -- Missed his sixth straight start Sunday.

Out

None

Players on the DL

Corey Dickerson, OF, COL (ribs) -- Has been working out in a pool but has not been cleared to swing a bat.
Lucas Duda, 1B, NYM (back) -- Dealing with back issues.
Jose Fernandez, P, MIA (biceps) -- Is confident he'll return this season, but remains out with a strained biceps.
Maikel Franco, 3B, PHI (wrist) -- There's a possibility he could return before the end of the season.
Alex Gordon, OF, KC (groin) -- Began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.
Randal Grichuk, OF, STL (elbow) -- Is two or three weeks away from returning to the Cardinals.
Billy Hamilton, OF, CIN (shoulder) -- Expected to miss only the minimum 15 days on the DL.
Aaron Hicks, OF, MIN (hamstring) -- Expected to miss only the minimum 15 days on the DL.
Matt Holliday, OF, STL (quadriceps) -- Is likely to return this season.
Howie Kendrick, 2B, LAD (leg) -- Expected to return in early September and will be the Dodgers' everyday second baseman upon his return.
Steven Matz, P, NYM (side) -- Will make his next minor league rehab start on Wednesday.
Joe Panik, 2B, SF (back) -- Began hitting off a tee Sunday.
Dustin Pedroia, 2B, BOS (hamstring) -- Not expected to return until September 10 at the earliest.
Hunter Pence, OF, SF (oblique) -- Expected to miss only a couple of weeks.
Michael Pineda, P, NYY (shoulder) -- Expected to start Wednesday at Houston.
Steven Souza, OF, TB (hand) -- Aiming to rejoin the Rays by mid-September.
Denard Span, OF, WAS (back) -- Has moved his rehab assignment to Double-A Harrisburg and may only need a couple more appearances in the minors before returning to the Nationals' lineup.
George Springer, OF, HOU (wrist) -- Expected to take batting practice Monday.
Giancarlo Stanton, OF, MIA (wrist) -- Still has minor discomfort but hopes to rejoin the Marlins before September 1.
Devon Travis, 2B, TOR (shoulder) -- Unlikely to rejoin the Blue Jays' until at least early September.
Christian Yelich, OF, MIA (knee) -- Dealing with a right knee contusion.

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

Called Up

Jonathan Aro, P, BOS
Collin Balester, P, CIN
Simon Castro, P, COL
Jairo Diaz, P, COL
Roenis Elias, P, SEA
Greg Garcia, SS, STL
Logan Kensing, P, SEA
Lance McCullers, P, HOU
Matt Reynolds, P, ARI
Josh Thole, C, TOR

Sent Down (to Triple-A unless otherwise noted)

Matt Barnes, P, BOS
Brooks Brown, P, COL
Danny Farquhar, P, SEA
Matt Hague, 1B, TOR
Keith Hessler, P, ARI
David Lough, OF, BAL
Tyler Lyons, P, STL
Justin Miller, P, COL
Preston Tucker, OF, HOU
Josh Wall, P, PIT

Activated from the DL (15-day, unless otherwise noted)

Jordy Mercer, SS, PIT

Placed on the DL (15-day, unless otherwise noted)

Travis Ishikawa, 1B, PIT
Manny Parra, P, CIN

Claimed

None

Designated for Assignment

Rafael Betancourt, P, COL
Donn Roach, P, CIN
Fernando Rodney, P, SEA

Signed

None

Released

Adam Rosales, 2B, TEX

Traded

None

Closer Watch

Cleveland Indians - Cody Allen struck out three over 1.1 perfect innings Sunday against the Yankees to earn his 26th save of the season.

Kansas City Royals - Wade Davis pitched a scoreless ninth inning Sunday against the Red Sox to earn his 11th save of the season.

Minnesota Twins - Tommy Milone pitched a scoreless 12th inning Sunday against the Orioles to earn his first career save. Glen Perkins earned the win after holding Baltimore scoreless in the 11th inning.

Philadelphia Phillies - Ken Giles pitched a scoreless ninth inning Sunday against the Marlins to earn his 10th save of the season.

Seattle Mariners - Tom Wilhelmsen pitched a scoreless ninth inning Sunday against the White Sox to earn his third save of the season.

Texas Rangers - Shawn Tolleson pitched a scoreless ninth inning against the Tigers to earns his 25th save of the season.

Key Matchups

Hot Batter Matchups – August 24, 2015

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
S. Drew	SS	NYY vs HOU 7:05PM	S. Feldman	13	6	4	2	5	4	5	.462	.588	1.231	1.819
C. Headley	3B	NYY vs HOU 7:05PM	S. Feldman	10	5	1	1	1	0	4	.500	.500	.800	1.300
A. Rodriguez	3B	NYY vs HOU 7:05PM	S. Feldman	16	5	2	2	3	1	5	.313	.353	.688	1.040
M. Prado	3B	MIA vs PIT 7:10PM	J. Happ	16	4	3	1	1	3	1	.250	.368	.563	.931
H. Ramirez	SS	BOS @ CWS 8:10PM	J. Samardzija	23	10	2	0	3	0	7	.435	.435	.522	.957
P. Sandoval	3B	BOS @ CWS 8:10PM	J. Samardzija	10	4	2	2	6	0	0	.400	.400	1.000	1.400
L. Cain	OF	KC vs BAL 8:10PM	U. Jimenez	14	6	1	1	5	2	3	.429	.500	.643	1.143
E. Hosmer	1B	KC vs BAL 8:10PM	U. Jimenez	26	9	2	2	6	6	5	.346	.469	.577	1.046
K. Morales	1B	KC vs BAL 8:10PM	U. Jimenez	16	4	3	2	3	0	6	.250	.250	.688	.938
C. Crisp	OF	OAK @ SEA 10:10PM	H. Iwakuma	16	3	3	2	3	2	0	.188	.278	.625	.903
N. Cruz	OF	SEA vs OAK 10:10PM	F. Doubront	11	5	1	0	3	2	1	.455	.538	.545	1.084

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

Hot Pitcher Matchups – August 24, 2015

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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
Jon Lester	CHC vs CLE 2:05PM	72	19	3	0	5	3	25	.264	.289	.304	.593
Ubaldo Jimenez	BAL @ KC 8:10PM	191	41	13	5	25	25	43	.215	.305	.343	.648
Hisashi Iwakuma	SEA vs OAK 10:10PM	76	17	7	2	4	4	16	.224	.262	.401	.663

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 24, 2015

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
R. Raburn	OF	CLE @ CHC 2:05PM	J. Lester	15	3	0	0	0	0	4	.200	.200	.200	.400
B. Gardner	OF	NYY vs HOU 7:05PM	S. Feldman	15	3	1	0	0	4	4	.200	.429	.267	.695
R. Howard	1B	PHI vs NYM 7:05PM	J. deGrom	12	2	1	1	3	0	4	.167	.167	.417	.583
C. Maybin	OF	ATL vs COL 7:10PM	J. De La Rosa	19	4	1	1	1	0	5	.211	.211	.368	.579
A. De Aza	OF	BOS @ CWS 8:10PM	J. Samardzija	17	3	1	0	0	2	5	.176	.263	.235	.498
R. Hanigan	C	BOS @ CWS 8:10PM	J. Samardzija	10	2	0	0	0	0	3	.200	.200	.200	.400
A. Escobar	SS	KC vs BAL 8:10PM	U. Jimenez	28	4	2	0	4	3	4	.143	.219	.214	.433
O. Infante	2B	KC vs BAL 8:10PM	U. Jimenez	18	3	1	0	4	1	3	.167	.211	.278	.488
M. Moustakas	3B	KC vs BAL 8:10PM	U. Jimenez	28	4	2	0	0	2	10	.143	.200	.214	.414
S. Perez	C	KC vs BAL 8:10PM	U. Jimenez	19	3	0	0	0	0	2	.158	.158	.158	.316
A. Rios	OF	KC vs BAL 8:10PM	U. Jimenez	20	2	0	0	2	4	3	.100	.250	.100	.350
E. Inciarte	OF	ARI vs STL 10:10PM	L. Lynn	10	1	1	0	0	0	3	.100	.100	.200	.300
B. Lawrie	3B	OAK @ SEA 10:10PM	H. Iwakuma	11	2	1	0	0	1	4	.182	.250	.364	.614
R. Cano	2B	SEA vs OAK 10:10PM	F. Doubront	21	2	0	0	1	5	6	.095	.269	.095	.364

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

Cold Pitcher Matchups – August 24, 2015

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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
Scott Feldman	HOU @ NYY 7:05PM	120	35	11	6	16	12	28	.292	.369	.513	.882
Jeff Samardzija	CWS vs BOS 8:10PM	84	27	7	2	10	4	17	.321	.352	.456	.808

Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS

Lance McCullers, P, HOU - McCullers, who was recalled Sunday to start against the Dodgers, more than held his own against the opposing Clayton Kershaw, allowing two runs on seven hits with no walks and eight strikeouts over seven innings. Prior to the outing, he had been impressive in the majors with a 3.17 ERA (3.07 FIP), 79 strikeouts and 28 walks over 76.2 innings. The Astros want to preserve his arm to keep him fresh for the playoff-chase, however, so it's unclear whether he will pitch in the rotation or out of the bullpen moving forward. Regardless, he's extremely talented with a great strikeout rate (9.27 K/9) and should be owned in most formats.

Other Recent Recommendations:Byron Buxton, Derek Dietrich, Travis Shaw, Gregor Blanco, Raisel Iglesias and Carlos Beltran.

DraftKings Value Picks

SP - Julio Teheran, ATL ($8,100)
C - James McCann, DET ($2,800)
1B - Travis Shaw, BOS ($3,600)
2B - Neil Walker, PIT ($3,600)
3B - Mark Reynolds, STL ($3,000)
SS - Adeiny Hechavarria, MIA ($3,200)
OF - David Peralta, ARI ($3,200)