This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters - A look at Saturday's matchups (all times Eastern)
Red Sox (Jon Lester - L) at Blue Jays (R.A. Dickey - R), 1:07
Marlins (Tom Koehler - R) at Mets (Dillon Gee - R), 1:10
Reds (Johnny Cueto - R) at Braves (Julio Teheran - R), 1:35
Royals (James Shields - R) at Orioles (Miguel Gonzalez - R), 1:35
Padres (Ian Kennedy - R) at Nationals (Taylor Jordan - R), 1:35
Cubs (Jason Hammel - R) at Brewers (Wily Peralta - R), 2:10
Tigers (Justin Verlander - R) at Twins (Kyle Gibson - R), 2:10
Athletics (Tommy Milone - L) at Astros (Collin McHugh - R), 2:10
Rays (David Price - L) at White Sox (Scott Carrolll), 2:10
Pirates (Edinson Volquez - R) at Cardinals (Adam Wainwright - R), 2:15
Indians (Danny Salazar - R) at Giants (Ryan Vogelsong - R), 4:05
Rockies (Jorge De La Rosa - L) at Dodgers (Hyun-Jin Ryu - L), 4:10
Phillies (A.J. Burnett - R) at Diamondbacks (Brandon McCarthy - R), 4:10
Rangers (Matt Harrison - L) at Mariners (Brandon Maurer - R), 4:10
Angels (Garrett Richards - R) at Yankees (Masahiro Tanaka - R). 8:05
Day Game After Night Game: KC/BAL, CHC/MIL, CIN/ATL, MIA/NYM, OAK/HOU, TB/CWS, PHI/ARZ, COL/LAD, TEX/SEA
Injuries
Day-to-Day
Trevor Plouffe, 3B, MIN - (Triceps) Left Saturday's game with a contusion.
Francisco Liriano, P, PIT - (Illness) Left Saturday's game due to dizziness and flu-like symptoms.
Chris Young, OF, NYM - (Illness) Sat out of Saturday's game.
Chris Davis, 1B, BAL - (Oblique) Feels good, but is awaiting word of results from an MRI.
Bryce Harper, OF, WAS - (Thumb) X-rays were negative, but he will undergo an MRI.
Yeonis Cespedes, OF, OAK - (Hamstring) Missed second straight start Saturday.
Anibal Sanchez, P, DET - (Finger) Left Saturday's game after 2.2 innings of hitless ball with a laceration.
Alex Avila, C, DET - (Shin) Expected to return to the lineup Sunday.
Todd Frazier, 3B, CIN - (Leg) Wasn't in Saturday's lineup because of tightness from Friday.
Seth Smith, OF, SD - (Groin) Sat for second straight day Saturday.
Players on the DL
Hisashi Iwakuma, P, SEA - (Finger) Scheduled to throw five innings in Sunday's rehab start.
Jose Veras, P, CHC - (Oblique) Placed on the 15-day disable list Saturday.
Devin Mesoraco, C, CIN - (Hamstring) Placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday.
Conor Gillaspie, 3B, CWS - (Hand) Placed on the disabled list Saturday.
Aroldis Chapman, P, CIN - (Head) Threw live batting practice without a protective screen Saturday.
Russell Martin, C, PIT - (Hamstring) Headed back to Pittsburgh for an MRI.
Jason Grilli, P, PIT - (Oblique) Officially placed on 15-day DL on Saturday.
Joe Kelly, P, STL - (Hamstring) Threw from 150 feet Friday.
Francisley Bueno, P, KC - (Finger) Scheduled for live batting practice for Tuesday.
Lorenzo Cain, OF, KC - (Groin) Took batting practice and "did some agility stuff" Friday.
Rafael Furcal, SS, MIA - (Hamstring) Suffered tightness in quadriceps in rehab game Friday.
Clayton Kershaw, P, LAD - (Back) Threw 56 pitches in rehab game Friday.
Manny Machado, 3B, BAL - (Knee) Friday was the first of five or six rehab games.
Mark Trumbo, OF, ARZ - (Foot) Will miss six weeks with stress fracture.
Placed on the DL
Matt Albers, P, HOU
Jason Grilli, P, PIT
Russell Martin, C, PIT
Conor Gillaspie, 3B, CWS
Devin Mesoraco, C, CIN
Jose Veras, P, CHC
Called Up
Chad Jenkins, P, TOR
Chris Leroux, P, NYY
Jared Hughes, P, PIT
Tony Sanchez, C, PIT
Jose Ortega, P DET
Hector Noesi, P, CWS
Jemile Weeks, 2B, BAL
Tucker Barnhart, C, CIN
Brian Schlitter, P, CHC
Sent Down (to Triple-A, unless otherwise noted)
T.J. McFarland, P, BAL
Neil Wagner, P, TOR
Shane Greene, P, NYY
Justin Miller, P, DET
Signed
Travis Ishikawa, 1B, SF (minor league contract)
Released
Nik Turley, P, NYY
Ernesto Mejia, 1B, PIT
Closer Watch
Marlins - Steve Cishek was looking to extend his team record of consecutive saves Friday from 33 to 34, but the Mets would have none of it. With a one-run lead Chishek in the bottom of the ninth Cishek gave up four hits and two runs to end his club record run. Before Friday Cishek had only given up three hits over seven innings while striking out nine in 2014, so it would appear that as long as this blown save was just a blip on the radar he will be the Marlins closer for the indefinite future.
Rays - Entering the ninth of Friday night's game against the White Sox the Rays were tied at four, but were able to get two runs in the top of the frame. Unfortunately Grant Balfour was not able to keep the lead after giving up one run on a fielder's choice, and four more to Jose Abreu who hit a walk off grand slam. This was Balfour's first blown save of the season, so it will likely to take a string of bad performances before Joe Maddon even considers anyone else for the closers role.
Key Matchups
Hot Batter Matchups – April 27, 2014Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| D. Ortiz | DH | BOS @ TOR 1:07PM | R. Dickey | 12 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | .333 | .429 | .750 | 1.179 |
| A. Pierzynski | C | BOS @ TOR 1:07PM | R. Dickey | 12 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .417 | .462 | .750 | 1.212 |
| J. Bautista | OF | TOR vs BOS 1:07PM | J. Lester | 54 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 11 | .204 | .297 | .481 | .778 |
| D. Murphy | 2B | NYM vs MIA 1:10PM | T. Koehler | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .364 | .364 | .636 | 1.000 |
| J. Upton | OF | ATL vs CIN 1:35PM | J. Cueto | 15 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | .267 | .353 | .733 | 1.086 |
| C. Davis | 1B | BAL vs KC 1:35PM | J. Shields | 12 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | .333 | .333 | .917 | 1.250 |
| A. Jones | OF | BAL vs KC 1:35PM | J. Shields | 39 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 7 | .333 | .350 | .590 | .940 |
| N. Markakis | OF | BAL vs KC 1:35PM | J. Shields | 66 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 10 | .303 | .387 | .470 | .856 |
| J. Werth | OF | WAS vs SD 1:35PM | I. Kennedy | 11 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .364 | .385 | .727 | 1.112 |
| S. Castro | SS | CHC @ MIL 2:10PM | W. Peralta | 16 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | .438 | .438 | .688 | 1.125 |
| A. Rizzo | 1B | CHC @ MIL 2:10PM | W. Peralta | 13 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | .385 | .467 | .923 | 1.390 |
| P. Konerko | 1B | CWS vs TB 2:10PM | D. Price | 20 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | .500 | .524 | .850 | 1.374 |
| R. Braun | OF | MIL vs CHC 2:10PM | J. Hammel | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .455 | .571 | .545 | 1.117 |
| J. Mauer | C | MIN vs DET 2:10PM | J. Verlander | 62 | 23 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 10 | .371 | .473 | .581 | 1.054 |
| C. Barmes | SS | PIT @ STL 2:15PM | A. Wainwright | 23 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .348 | .400 | .609 | 1.009 |
| A. McCutchen | OF | PIT @ STL 2:15PM | A. Wainwright | 31 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | .419 | .441 | .742 | 1.183 |
| J. Tabata | OF | PIT @ STL 2:15PM | A. Wainwright | 19 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | .316 | .350 | .579 | .929 |
| N. Walker | 2B | PIT @ STL 2:15PM | A. Wainwright | 21 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | .333 | .440 | .524 | .964 |
| M. Ellis | 2B | STL vs PIT 2:15PM | E. Volquez | 22 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | .318 | .423 | .500 | .923 |
| M. Holliday | OF | STL vs PIT 2:15PM | E. Volquez | 22 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | .364 | .417 | .682 | 1.098 |
| A. Gonzalez | 1B | LAD vs COL 4:10PM | J. De La Rosa | 32 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 12 | .375 | .447 | .719 | 1.166 |
| M. Kemp | OF | LAD vs COL 4:10PM | J. De La Rosa | 26 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 3 | .423 | .429 | .885 | 1.313 |
| H. Ramirez | SS | LAD vs COL 4:10PM | J. De La Rosa | 21 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | .381 | .480 | .714 | 1.194 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Hot Pitcher Matchups – April 27, 2014Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Jon Lester | BOS @ TOR 1:07PM | 217 | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 22 | 44 | .194 | .268 | .333 | .602 |
| Jason Hammel | CHC @ MIL 2:10PM | 65 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 11 | .246 | .312 | .279 | .591 |
| Matt Harrison | TEX @ SEA 4:10PM | 102 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 15 | .206 | .276 | .308 | .584 |
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 – April 27, 2014Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| D. Pedroia | 2B | BOS @ TOR 1:07PM | R. Dickey | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .167 | .231 | .167 | .397 |
| M. Cabrera | OF | TOR vs BOS 1:07PM | J. Lester | 36 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | .278 | .297 | .306 | .603 |
| E. Encarnacion | 1B | TOR vs BOS 1:07PM | J. Lester | 36 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 7 | .194 | .275 | .472 | .747 |
| B. Lawrie | 3B | TOR vs BOS 1:07PM | J. Lester | 25 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .160 | .250 | .320 | .570 |
| C. Rasmus | OF | TOR vs BOS 1:07PM | J. Lester | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | .200 | .200 | .200 | .400 |
| J. Reyes | SS | TOR vs BOS 1:07PM | J. Lester | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .063 | .118 | .063 | .180 |
| C. Johnson | 3B | ATL vs CIN 1:35PM | J. Cueto | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .286 | .267 | .357 | .624 |
| N. Cruz | OF | BAL vs KC 1:35PM | J. Shields | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | .214 | .267 | .214 | .481 |
| J. Hardy | SS | BAL vs KC 1:35PM | J. Shields | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .167 | .375 | .250 | .625 |
| W. Castillo | C | CHC @ MIL 2:10PM | W. Peralta | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .300 | .300 | .400 | .700 |
| N. Schierholtz | OF | CHC @ MIL 2:10PM | W. Peralta | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| L. Valbuena | 3B | CHC @ MIL 2:10PM | W. Peralta | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .154 | .267 | .154 | .421 |
| G. Beckham | 2B | CWS vs TB 2:10PM | D. Price | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .136 | .208 | .136 | .345 |
| A. Ramirez | SS | CWS vs TB 2:10PM | D. Price | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .174 | .240 | .174 | .414 |
| L. Overbay | 1B | MIL vs CHC 2:10PM | J. Hammel | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .105 | .150 | .105 | .255 |
| M. Reynolds | 1B | MIL vs CHC 2:10PM | J. Hammel | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .182 | .250 | .182 | .432 |
| T. Plouffe | 3B | MIN vs DET 2:10PM | J. Verlander | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .167 | .167 | .208 | .375 |
| P. Alvarez | 3B | PIT @ STL 2:15PM | A. Wainwright | 21 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 8 | .190 | .292 | .381 | .673 |
| I. Davis | 1B | PIT @ STL 2:15PM | A. Wainwright | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | .200 | .333 | .500 | .833 |
| J. Jay | OF | STL vs PIT 2:15PM | E. Volquez | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .267 | .267 | .400 | .667 |
| Y. Molina | C | STL vs PIT 2:15PM | E. Volquez | 23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | .130 | .200 | .261 | .461 |
| C. Pennington | SS | ARI vs PHI 4:10PM | A. Burnett | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .167 | .231 | .250 | .481 |
| A. Ethier | OF | LAD vs COL 4:10PM | J. De La Rosa | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | .158 | .158 | .211 | .368 |
| B. Revere | OF | PHI @ ARI 4:10PM | B. McCarthy | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .250 | .250 | .417 | .667 |
| D. Ackley | 2B | SEA vs TEX 4:10PM | M. Harrison | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .053 | .050 | .053 | .103 |
| K. Seager | 3B | SEA vs TEX 4:10PM | M. Harrison | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .158 | .200 | .158 | .358 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Cold Pitcher Matchups – April 27, 2014Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| R.A. Dickey | TOR vs BOS 1:07PM | 93 | 26 | 15 | 6 | 18 | 9 | 26 | .280 | .343 | .586 | .929 |
| Adam Wainwright | STL vs PIT 2:15PM | 149 | 45 | 20 | 7 | 27 | 15 | 34 | .302 | .371 | .537 | .908 |
| Jorge De La Rosa | COL @ LAD 4:10PM | 133 | 41 | 17 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 38 | .308 | .372 | .547 | .919 |
Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Matt Harrison, P, TEX - Sunday will mark the first time Harrison has pitched for the Rangers since April 6 of last year when he went down with a season ending injury. The Rangers sent Harrison on a rehab assignment to Double-A Frisco where he looked superb in his final start by going eight innings while only giving up three hits, one walk, and no runs. The 28-year-old southpaw is sure to have a chance to stick in the Rangers rotation especially if he is able to get close to where he was in 2011-2012 where he won 32 of his 63 starts with a 3.34 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Any fantasy team that is looking to add value to their pitching staff should give Harrison a hard look at least for a spot start Sunday in which current Mariners batters only have a .206 average and .584 OPS against him.
Other Recent Recommendations:Mark Melancon, Alberto Callaspo, Jenry Mejia, Corey Dickerson, and Trevor Plouffe
DraftStreet Value Picks
C - Matt Wieters, BAL ($5,907)
1B - Adam Dunn, CWS ($5,148)
2B - Neil Walker, PIT ($5,545)
3B - Ian Stewart, LAA ($5,958)
SS - Alcides Escobar, KC ($5,588)
OF - B.J. Upton, ATL ($4,405)
SP - Miguel Gonzalez, BAL ($11,233)
