This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters - A look at Saturday's matchups (all times Eastern)
Rays (Chris Archer - R) at Yankees (Ivan Nova - R), 1:05 PM
Astros (Dallas Keuchel - L) at Blue Jays (Josh Johnson - R), 1:07 PM
Angels (Garrett Richards - R) at Athletics (Tommy Milone - L), 3:05 PM
Mets (Dillon Gee - R) at Nationals (Dan Haren - R), 3:05 PM
Cardinals (Joe Kelly - R) at Braves (Julio Teheran - R), 3:05 PM
Twins (Samuel Deduno - R) at Mariners (Aaron Harang - R), 4:10 PM
Red Sox (Ryan Dempster - R) at Orioles (Scott Feldman - R), 7:05 PM
Rangers (Yu Darvish - R) at Indians (Justin Masterson - R), 7:05 PM
Phillies (Raul Valdes - L) at Tigers (Max Scherzer - R), 7:08 PM
Royals (Wade Davis - R) at White Sox (Chris Sale - L), 7:10 PM
Pirates (Charlie Morton - R) at Marlins (Tom Koehler - R), 7:10 PM
Brewers (Tom Gorzelanny - L) at Rockies (Collin McHugh - R), 8:10 PM
Padres (Andrew Cashner - R) at Diamondbacks (Tyler Skaggs - L), 8:10 PM
Cubs (Chris Rusin - L) at Giants (Madison Bumgarner - L), 9:05 PM
Reds (Bronson Arroyo - R) at Dodgers (Hyun-Jin Ryu - L), 9:10 PM
Day Game After Night Game: TB/NYY, HOU/TOR, LAA/OAK, NYM/WAS, STL/ATL, MIN/SEA
Injuries
Day-to-Day
Gordon Beckham, 2B, CHW (Wrist) - Returned to the lineup Friday.
Miguel Cabrera, 3B, DET (Hip) - Remained out of the lineup Friday.
Carlos Gonzalez, OF, COL (Finger) - Was not in the starting lineup Friday against the Brewers.
Bryce Harper, OF, WAS (Knee) - Left Game 1 of a doubleheader Friday with a knee injury.
Torii Hunter, OF, DET (Achilles) - Scratched from the lineup Friday.
Howie Kendrick, 2B, LAA (Undisclosed) - Was out of the lineup Friday.
Cliff Lee, SP, PHI (Neck) - Scratched from his start Saturday due to a stiff neck.
Joe Mauer, C, MIN (Personal) - Will still be out through the weekend following the birth of twins.
Miguel Montero, C, ARI (Back) - Still out of the lineup Friday.
Marco Scutaro, 2B, SF (Back) - Is still dealing with a sore back.
Drew Storen, RP, WAS (Illness) - Is unlikely to be available Friday due to illness.
Jose Tabata, OF, PIT (Forearm) - Remained out of the lineup for game on Friday.
Eric Young Jr., OF, NYM (Knee) - Was out of the lineup for both games of a doubleheader Friday.
Players on the DL
Brandon Beachy, SP, ATL (Elbow) - Will return to the Atlanta rotation Monday in place of Tim Hudson.
Trevor Cahill, SP, ARI (Hip) - Expects his next rehab assignment to be with Triple-A.
Francisco Cervelli, C, NYY (Hand) - Is dealing with soreness in his finger.
Chris Coghlan, OF, MIA (Back) - Lengthened throwing program to 120 feet Friday.
Jesse Crain, RP, CHW (Shoulder) - Stopped throwing program Thursday. He will rest for five days before throwing again.
Trevor Crowe, OF, HOU (Shoulder) - Transferred his rehab assignment to Triple-A.
Lucas Duda, OF, NYM (Oblique) - Played a full game with GCL Mets on Friday.
John Gast, RP, STL (Shoulder) - Had season-ending shoulder surgery Friday.
Curtis Granderson, OF, NYY (Finger) - Played in a rehab game Thursday and could be back in a little over a week.
Jason Grilli, RP, PIT (Forearm) - Will be re-evaluated in 10-14 days.
Matt Holliday, OF, STL (Hamstring) - Will come off the disabled list Saturday.
Tim Hudson, SP, ATL (Ankle) - Will have season-ending surgery Friday.
Omar Infante, 2B, DET (Ankle) - Return has been pushed back for another week or two.
Darin Mastroianni, OF, MIN (Ankle) - Will begin a rehab assignment with GCL Twins on Saturday.
Franklin Morales, RP, BOS (Shoulder) - Will begin a rehab assignment Monday.
Mike Morse, OF, SEA (Quad) - Will still need a few more rehab games at Triple-A before coming off the DL.
Jayson Nix, 3B, NYY (Hamstring) - Played in a rehab game with High-A on Thursday.
Marcell Ozuna, OF, MIA (Thumb) - Had successful surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
Steve Pearce, OF, BAL (Wrist) - Began rehab assignment with GCL Orioles on Friday.
Jordan Schafer, OF, ATL (Ankle) - Ran on the field Friday.
B.J. Upton, OF, ATL (Leg) - Ran on the field Friday.
Alex Wilson, RP, BOS (Thumb) - Will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday.
Mike Zunino, C, SEA (Hand) - Will miss six weeks with a broken left hamate bone.
Placed on the DL
Drew Pomeranz, SP, COL
Mike Zunino, C, SEA
Activated from the DL
Ryan Mattheus, RP, WAS
Jenrry Mejia, SP, NYM (from the 60-day DL)
Called Up
Corey Dickerson, OF, COL
Eduardo Sanchez, RP, CHC
Rob Wooten, RP, MIL
Sent Down (to Triple-A, unless otherwise noted)
Sean Halton, OF, MIL
Thomas Neal, OF, NYY
Traded
Corey Black, SP, CHC (from NYY)
Guillermo Moscoso, RP, SF (from CHC)
Alfonso Soriano, OF, NYY (from CHC)
Signed
Jair Jurrjens, SP, DET
Closer Watch
Diamondbacks: On Wednesday, manager Kirk Gibson officially named Brad Ziegler the closer for the time being. Ziegler took the ball in the ninth for the Diamondbacks on Thursday and converted the save. He escaped a near home run by Nate Schierholtz to finish off a scoreless inning for his fifth save of the season. He has converted all of his save opportunities since unofficially taking over the closer role. His job security as closer does remain low, considering the experienced options behind him, and that the Diamondbacks are in a playoff race.
Key Matchups
KEY MATCHUPS: HOT | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hot Batter Matchups | At-Bats | AVG | HR | XBH | RBI | BB | K | SLG | OBP | OPS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desmond Jennings - OF | TB @ NYY 7/27 1:05 PM | Ivan Nova | 4-13 | .308 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .538 | .400 | .938 | |||||||
| Sean Rodriguez - SS | TB @ NYY 7/27 1:05 PM | Ivan Nova | 5-12 | .417 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .833 | .417 | 1.250 | |||||||
| Marlon Byrd - OF | NYM @ WAS 7/27 3:05 PM | Dan Haren | 8-16 | .500 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .750 | .556 | 1.306 | |||||||
| Ian Desmond - SS | WAS vs NYM 7/27 3:05 PM | Dillon Gee | 4-15 | .267 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | .667 | .353 | 1.020 | |||||||
| Ryan Doumit - C | MIN @ SEA 7/27 4:10 PM | Aaron Harang | 10-29 | .345 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 6 | .724 | .367 | 1.091 | |||||||
| Nate McLouth - OF | BAL vs BOS 7/27 7:05 PM | Ryan Dempster | 6-20 | .300 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | .550 | .440 | .990 | |||||||
| Mike Napoli - C | BOS @ BAL 7/27 7:05 PM | Scott Feldman | 11-23 | .478 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | .739 | .500 | 1.239 | |||||||
| Elvis Andrus - SS | TEX @ CLE 7/27 7:05 PM | Justin Masterson | 5-10 | .500 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .500 | .545 | 1.045 | |||||||
| A.J. Pierzynski - C | TEX @ CLE 7/27 7:05 PM | Justin Masterson | 14-33 | .424 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | .545 | .429 | .974 | |||||||
| Michael Young - 3B | PHI @ DET 7/27 7:08 PM | Max Scherzer | 6-18 | .333 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .611 | .429 | 1.040 | |||||||
| Paul Konerko - 1B | CWS vs KC 7/27 7:10 PM | Wade Davis | 4-13 | .308 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .462 | .400 | .862 | |||||||
| Billy Butler - 1B | KC @ CWS 7/27 7:10 PM | Chris Sale | 7-22 | .318 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 4 | .727 | .360 | 1.087 | |||||||
| Lorenzo Cain - OF | KC @ CWS 7/27 7:10 PM | Chris Sale | 5-14 | .357 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .643 | .357 | 1.000 | |||||||
| Alcides Escobar - SS | KC @ CWS 7/27 7:10 PM | Chris Sale | 10-23 | .435 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .478 | .480 | .958 | |||||||
| Chris Getz - 2B | KC @ CWS 7/27 7:10 PM | Chris Sale | 6-14 | .429 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .429 | .429 | .857 | |||||||
| Dexter Fowler - OF | COL vs MIL 7/27 8:10 PM | Tom Gorzelanny | 4-10 | .400 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .800 | .400 | 1.200 | |||||||
| Starlin Castro - SS | CHC @ SF 7/27 9:05 PM | Madison Bumgarner | 8-18 | .444 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .500 | .444 | .944 | |||||||
| Hanley Ramirez - SS | LAD vs CIN 7/27 9:10 PM | Bronson Arroyo | 7-21 | .333 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | .571 | .333 | .905 | |||||||
| Hot Pitcher Matchups | At-Bats | Opp AVG | HR Allow | XBH Allow | RBI Allow | BB | K | Opp SLG | Opp OBP | Opp OPS | |||||||||
| Ivan Nova | NYY vs TB 7/27 1:05 PM | Rays Batters | 22-121 | .182 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 28 | .330 | .259 | .589 | |||||||
| Ryan Dempster | BOS @ BAL 7/27 7:05 PM | Orioles Batters | 12-65 | .185 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 16 | .301 | .257 | .559 | |||||||
| Wade Davis | KC @ CWS 7/27 7:10 PM | White Sox Batters | 9-61 | .148 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 11 | .265 | .223 | .488 | |||||||
KEY MATCHUPS: COLD | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cold Batter Matchups | At-Bats | AVG | HR | XBH | RBI | BB | K | SLG | OBP | OPS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yunel Escobar - SS | TB @ NYY 7/27 1:05 PM | Ivan Nova | 2-13 | .154 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .231 | .313 | .543 | |||||||
| Matt Joyce - OF | TB @ NYY 7/27 1:05 PM | Ivan Nova | 2-16 | .125 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | .188 | .263 | .451 | |||||||
| Evan Longoria - 3B | TB @ NYY 7/27 1:05 PM | Ivan Nova | 3-15 | .200 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .400 | .250 | .650 | |||||||
| Jose Molina - C | TB @ NYY 7/27 1:05 PM | Ivan Nova | 2-15 | .133 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .333 | .133 | .467 | |||||||
| Ben Zobrist - 2B | TB @ NYY 7/27 1:05 PM | Ivan Nova | 2-18 | .111 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .111 | .238 | .349 | |||||||
| John Buck - C | NYM @ WAS 7/27 3:05 PM | Dan Haren | 2-13 | .154 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .154 | .214 | .368 | |||||||
| Roger Bernadina - OF | WAS vs NYM 7/27 3:05 PM | Dillon Gee | 2-11 | .182 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .455 | .182 | .636 | |||||||
| Ryan Zimmerman - 3B | WAS vs NYM 7/27 3:05 PM | Dillon Gee | 3-15 | .200 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .267 | .250 | .517 | |||||||
| Jamey Carroll - SS | MIN @ SEA 7/27 4:10 PM | Aaron Harang | 4-19 | .211 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .263 | .211 | .474 | |||||||
| J.J. Hardy - SS | BAL vs BOS 7/27 7:05 PM | Ryan Dempster | 2-27 | .074 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | .111 | .103 | .215 | |||||||
| Adrian Beltre - 3B | TEX @ CLE 7/27 7:05 PM | Justin Masterson | 3-17 | .176 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .176 | .222 | .399 | |||||||
| Nelson Cruz - OF | TEX @ CLE 7/27 7:05 PM | Justin Masterson | 2-10 | .200 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .500 | .200 | .700 | |||||||
| Ian Kinsler - 2B | TEX @ CLE 7/27 7:05 PM | Justin Masterson | 2-10 | .200 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .300 | .333 | .633 | |||||||
| Gordon Beckham - 2B | CWS vs KC 7/27 7:10 PM | Wade Davis | 0-12 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .000 | .071 | .071 | |||||||
| Alex Rios - OF | CWS vs KC 7/27 7:10 PM | Wade Davis | 0-13 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | |||||||
| Eric Hosmer - 1B | KC @ CWS 7/27 7:10 PM | Chris Sale | 2-12 | .167 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .250 | .167 | .417 | |||||||
| Mark Ellis - 2B | LAD vs CIN 7/27 9:10 PM | Bronson Arroyo | 1-11 | .091 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .364 | .091 | .455 | |||||||
| Adrian Gonzalez - 1B | LAD vs CIN 7/27 9:10 PM | Bronson Arroyo | 4-29 | .138 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | .241 | .194 | .435 | |||||||
| Cold Pitcher Matchups | At-Bats | Opp AVG | HR Allow | XBH Allow | RBI Allow | BB | K | Opp SLG | Opp OBP | Opp OPS | |||||||||
| Justin Masterson | CLE vs Tex 7/27 7:05 PM | Rangers Batters | 32-89 | .360 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 18 | .509 | .389 | .898 | |||||||
| Scott Feldman | BAL vs Bos 7/27 7:05 PM | Red Sox Batters | 25-61 | .410 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 9 | .684 | .433 | 1.116 | |||||||
| Chris Sale | CWS vs KC 7/27 7:10 PM | Royals Batters | 48-147 | .327 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 35 | .471 | .363 | .834 | |||||||
Recommended Pickup
Mark Melancon, RP, PIT - With Jason Grilli expected to miss four-to-eight weeks with a strained right forearm, Melancon is next in line to pick up the save chances. Grilli is tied for the lead in the National League with 30 saves, so the opportunities are aplenty in Pittsburgh. The All-Star Melancon has been having a career year in the Pirate bullpen, posting a 0.93 ERA in 49 appearances. With the Pirates in a playoff race, and Grilli out for an extended period, Melancon has a great opportunity to rack up saves.
Other Recent Recommendations: Brandon Beachy, Wily Peralta, Christian Yelich, Jonathan Villar, and Henry Urrutia
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