This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters - A look at Sunday's matchups (all times Eastern)Blue Jays (Drew Hutchison – R) at Indians (Trevor Bauer – R), 1:10
Nationals (Doug Fister – R) at Mets (Dillon Gee – R) 1:10
Phillies (Severino Gonzalez – R) at Marlins (Jarred Cosart – R), 1:10
Rays (Nathan Karns – R) at Orioles (Wei-Yin Chen – L), 1:35
Reds (Johnny Cueto – R) at Braves (Julio Teheran – R), 1:35
Tigers (Anibal Sanchez – R) at Royals (Justin Vargas – L), 2:10
White Sox (John Danks – L) at Twins (Mike Pelfrey – R), 2:10
Mariners (J.A. Happ – L) at Astros (Roberto Hernandez – R), 2:10
Pirates (Vance Worley – R) at Cardinals (Michael Wacha – R), 2:15
Brewers (Jimmy Nelson – R) at Cubs (Jason Hammel – R), 2:20
Athletics (Sonny Gray – R) at Rangers (Yovani Gallardo – R), 3:05
Angels (Jered Weaver – R) at Giants (Tim Lincecum – R), 4:05
Diamondbacks (Chase Anderson – R) at Dodgers (Brett Anderson – L), 4:10
Rockies (Tyler Matzek – L) at Diamondbacks (James Shields – R), 4:10
Yankees (Adam Warren – R) at Red Sox (Joe Kelly – R), 8:00
Day Game After Night Game: WAS/NYM, TB/BAL, CIN/ATL, DET/KC, SEA/HOU, OAK/TEX, ARI/LAD, COL/SD
Injuries
Day-to-Day
Aramis Ramirez, 3B, MIL – (Hamstring) Expects to return to the lineup Sunday.
Adam Eaton, OF, CWS – (Illness) Missed second straight start Saturday.
Michael Bourn, OF, CLE – (Neck) Scratched Saturday with a cervical strain.
Denard Span, OF, WAS – (Abdomen) Remained out of the lineup Saturday; expected to return Sunday.
Out
Joaquin Benoit, P, LAD – Dealing with a dead arm; could eventually be headed to the DL.
Desmond Jennings, OF, TB – Missed seventh consecutive start Saturday; DL stint possible.
Players on the DL
Shane Victorino, OF, BOS – (Hamstring) Should be able to begin rehab assignment next week.
Matt Moore, SP, TB – (Elbow) Will throw to hitters Sunday; could return in mid-June.
Anthony Rendon, 2B, WAS – (Knee) Continued rehab assignment Saturday; return date uncertain.
Scooter Gennett, 2B, MIL – (Shoulder) Made first of four rehab starts Friday.
Chris Capuano, SP, NYY – (Quad) Began rehab assignment Saturday; could return by mid-to-late May.
Jake Peavy, SP, SF – (Back) Threw off a mound Saturday for the first time since his injury.
Jonathan Schoop, 2B, BAL – (Knee) Hopes to begin pool walking next week.
Ryan Flaherty, 2B, BAL – (Groin) Ran the bases Saturday; expected to be out until at least the All-Star break.
Yasiel Puig, OF, LAD – (Hamstring) Could start rehab assignment by the end of the week.
Hyun-Jin Ryu, SP, LAD – (Shoulder) Will throw live batting practice during next week's road trip.
Greg Holland, RP, KC – (Pectoral) Could return to the bullpen as early as Tuesday.
Matt Harrison, SP, TEX – (Back) Could make his first start in extended spring training May 13.
Hyun-Jin Ryu, SP, LAD – (Shoulder) Could begin throwing bullpen session in the next few days.
David Hernandez, RP, ARI – (Elbow) Threw 16 pitches Saturday in bullpen session.
Hisashi Iwakuma, SP, SEA – (Shoulder) MRI reveals lat strain; will remain out 2-to-4 weeks.
Transactions - Players who have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Placed on the DL
Ryan Hanigan, C, BOS – (Hand)
Eric O'Flaherty, RP, OAK – (Shoulder)
Called Up
Blake Swihart, C, BOS
Billy Burns, OF, OAK
R.J. Alvarez, RP, OAK
Elvis Araujo, RP, PHI
Sent Down (to Triple-A, unless otherwise noted)
Matt West, RP, TOR
Andy Wilkins, 1B, TOR
Luis Jimenez, 3B, MIL
Ian Thomas, RP, ATL
Cody Ross, OF, OAK
David Buchanan, SP, PHI
Claimed
Alex Hassan, OF, OAK
Closer Watch
Pittsburgh Pirates – Through the first month of the season, Mark Melancon's ERA ranks fourth-worst among active closers. The relatively small sample size has produced mixed results for the Pirates, as he does have five saves in 11 appearances. Two particularly rough outings skew the data, so perhaps manager Clint Hurdle is not ready to make a change, but Pittsburgh's is on the growing list of situations to monitor moving forward. Between veteran relievers Tony Watson, Jared Hughes and Antonio Bastardo, the Pirates have plenty of options with experience closing games. Arquimedes Caminero also profiles as a closer-in-waiting with his prodigious velocity, averaging 98 mph with his fastball. Should Melancon stumble twice more, Pirate fans may not be quite as patient as Hurdle has been to make a move.
Hot Batter Matchups – May 3, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| J. Lagares | OF | NYM vs WAS 1:10PM | D. Fister | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .455 | .500 | .455 | .955 |
| I. Desmond | SS | WAS @ NYM 1:10PM | D. Gee | 41 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 10 | .268 | .311 | .488 | .799 |
| B. Harper | OF | WAS @ NYM 1:10PM | D. Gee | 19 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | .368 | .429 | .684 | 1.113 |
| C. Maybin | OF | ATL vs CIN 1:35PM | J. Cueto | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 1.000 |
| L. Forsythe | 2B | TB @ BAL 1:35PM | W. Chen | 14 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .286 | .375 | .714 | 1.089 |
| E. Longoria | 3B | TB @ BAL 1:35PM | W. Chen | 25 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | .320 | .414 | .440 | .854 |
| A. LaRoche | 1B | CWS @ MIN 2:10PM | M. Pelfrey | 15 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | .667 | .737 | 1.000 | 1.737 |
| A. Avila | C | DET @ KC 2:10PM | J. Vargas | 16 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | .313 | .389 | .750 | 1.139 |
| M. Cabrera | 1B | DET @ KC 2:10PM | J. Vargas | 19 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 2 | .316 | .500 | .684 | 1.184 |
| Y. Cespedes | OF | DET @ KC 2:10PM | J. Vargas | 27 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 8 | .222 | .250 | .593 | .843 |
| I. Kinsler | 2B | DET @ KC 2:10PM | J. Vargas | 59 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | .322 | .365 | .542 | .907 |
| V. Martinez | 1B | DET @ KC 2:10PM | J. Vargas | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .385 | .467 | .385 | .851 |
| C. Rasmus | OF | HOU vs SEA 2:10PM | J. Happ | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | .250 | .438 | .417 | .854 |
| O. Arcia | OF | MIN vs CWS 2:10PM | J. Danks | 18 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | .333 | .333 | .722 | 1.056 |
| B. Dozier | 2B | MIN vs CWS 2:10PM | J. Danks | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .308 | .400 | .615 | 1.015 |
| E. Escobar | SS | MIN vs CWS 2:10PM | J. Danks | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .308 | .308 | .615 | .923 |
| T. Hunter | OF | MIN vs CWS 2:10PM | J. Danks | 50 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 7 | .320 | .393 | .600 | .993 |
| J. Mauer | 1B | MIN vs CWS 2:10PM | J. Danks | 58 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 8 | .397 | .470 | .448 | .918 |
| E. Nunez | SS | MIN vs CWS 2:10PM | J. Danks | 11 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .455 | .455 | 1.000 | 1.455 |
| N. Cruz | OF | SEA @ HOU 2:10PM | R. Hernandez | 21 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 | .286 | .348 | .810 | 1.157 |
| J. Heyward | OF | STL vs PIT 2:15PM | V. Worley | 12 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | .571 | .750 | 1.321 |
| R. Braun | OF | MIL @ CHC 2:20PM | J. Hammel | 13 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .385 | .529 | .462 | .991 |
| A. Lind | 1B | MIL @ CHC 2:20PM | J. Hammel | 17 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | .294 | .333 | .647 | .980 |
| C. Iannetta | C | LAA @ SF 4:05PM | T. Lincecum | 15 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 4 | .400 | .640 | .733 | 1.373 |
| M. Trumbo | OF | ARI @ LAD 4:10PM | B. Anderson | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | .286 | .353 | .500 | .853 |
| C. Gonzalez | OF | COL @ SD 4:10PM | J. Shields | 11 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .455 | .500 | 1.091 | 1.591 |
| J. Morneau | 1B | COL @ SD 4:10PM | J. Shields | 50 | 16 | 10 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 7 | .320 | .340 | .680 | 1.020 |
| D. Stubbs | OF | COL @ SD 4:10PM | J. Shields | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | .286 | .286 | .571 | .857 |
| J. Upton | OF | SD vs COL 4:10PM | K. Kendrick | 26 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | .308 | .424 | .577 | 1.001 |
| M. Napoli | 1B | BOS vs NYY 8:05PM | A. Warren | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | .273 | .385 | .545 | .930 |
| D. Nava | OF | BOS vs NYY 8:05PM | A. Warren | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | .545 | .615 | 1.091 | 1.706 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Hot Pitcher Matchups – May 3, 2015Hot Pitcher Matchups – May 3, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Doug Fister | WAS @ NYM 1:10PM | 82 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 18 | .280 | .306 | .438 | .744 |
| Julio Teheran | ATL vs CIN 1:35PM | 70 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 14 | .157 | .224 | .288 | .512 |
| Anibal Sanchez | DET @ KC 2:10PM | 132 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 18 | .197 | .243 | .238 | .481 |
| Sonny Gray | OAK @ TEX 3:05PM | 122 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 23 | .156 | .231 | .162 | .393 |
| Joe Kelly | BOS vs NYY 8:05PM | 70 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 20 | .186 | .256 | .275 | .531 |
Cold Batter Matchups – May 3, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| D. Murphy | 2B | NYM vs WAS 1:10PM | D. Fister | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .167 | .167 | .167 | .333 |
| D. Espinosa | 2B | WAS @ NYM 1:10PM | D. Gee | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .200 | .368 | .200 | .568 |
| D. Uggla | 2B | WAS @ NYM 1:10PM | D. Gee | 29 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | .172 | .226 | .276 | .502 |
| A. Pierzynski | C | ATL vs CIN 1:35PM | J. Cueto | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .100 | .100 | .400 | .500 |
| M. Byrd | OF | CIN @ ATL 1:35PM | J. Teheran | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | .118 | .167 | .235 | .402 |
| M. Cabrera | OF | CWS @ MIN 2:10PM | M. Pelfrey | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .200 | .304 | .200 | .504 |
| N. Castellanos | 3B | DET @ KC 2:10PM | J. Vargas | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .071 | .071 | .286 | .357 |
| L. Cain | OF | KC vs DET 2:10PM | A. Sanchez | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .188 | .188 | .188 | .375 |
| J. Dyson | OF | KC vs DET 2:10PM | A. Sanchez | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .105 | .105 | .105 | .211 |
| E. Hosmer | 1B | KC vs DET 2:10PM | A. Sanchez | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .227 | .227 | .273 | .500 |
| O. Infante | 2B | KC vs DET 2:10PM | A. Sanchez | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | .167 | .200 | .167 | .367 |
| M. Moustakas | 3B | KC vs DET 2:10PM | A. Sanchez | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .200 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| S. Perez | C | KC vs DET 2:10PM | A. Sanchez | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .133 | .235 | .133 | .369 |
| T. Plouffe | 3B | MIN vs CWS 2:10PM | J. Danks | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .182 | .250 | .182 | .432 |
| K. Suzuki | C | MIN vs CWS 2:10PM | J. Danks | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | .150 | .250 | .250 | .500 |
| A. Jackson | OF | SEA @ HOU 2:10PM | R. Hernandez | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .263 | .263 | .263 | .526 |
| I. Davis | 1B | OAK @ TEX 3:05PM | Y. Gallardo | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | .000 | .333 | .000 | .333 |
| A. Beltre | 3B | TEX vs OAK 3:05PM | S. Gray | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .111 | .158 | .111 | .269 |
| R. Chirinos | C | TEX vs OAK 3:05PM | S. Gray | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .077 | .200 | .077 | .277 |
| L. Martin | OF | TEX vs OAK 3:05PM | S. Gray | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .100 | .217 | .100 | .317 |
| R. Odor | 2B | TEX vs OAK 3:05PM | S. Gray | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .143 | .250 | .214 | .464 |
| C. Barmes | SS | SD vs COL 4:10PM | K. Kendrick | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .250 | .250 | .250 | .500 |
| D. Pedroia | 2B | BOS vs NYY 8:05PM | A. Warren | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .133 | .188 | .133 | .321 |
| G. Jones | 1B | NYY @ BOS 8:05PM | J. Kelly | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .154 | .267 | .308 | .574 |
Cold Pitcher Matchups – May 3, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Jason Vargas | KC vs DET 2:10PM | 190 | 53 | 26 | 11 | 26 | 16 | 35 | .279 | .337 | .538 | .875 |
| John Danks | CWS @ MIN 2:10PM | 207 | 68 | 21 | 9 | 36 | 18 | 27 | .329 | .389 | .517 | .905 |
| Mike Pelfrey | MIN vs CWS 2:10PM | 116 | 40 | 10 | 3 | 16 | 11 | 11 | .345 | .404 | .491 | .895 |
| James Shields | SD vs COL 4:10PM | 125 | 40 | 22 | 9 | 22 | 6 | 24 | .320 | .355 | .649 | 1.004 |
Recommended Pickup
Andre Ethier, OF, LAD – Despite entering the season as the team's fourth outfielder, Ethier has become arguably the most valuable member of the current trio. With Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford on the disabled list, Ethier has been getting regular at-bats. He has four home runs and nine RBIs to go along with a .327/.424/.653 slash line in just 49 at-bats, so the 32-year-old veteran should be rostered in far more than the 17 percent of Yahoo league in which he is claimed. If available, he makes for an excellent option to provide a boost in several categories as an all-around offensive asset.
Other Recent Recommendations :Odubel Herrera, Kevin Pillar, Luis Valbuena, Jake Marisnick, Rafael Montero and Jimmy Paredes
Draft Kings Value Picks
SP: Jarred Cosart, MIA ($6,500)
C: Blake Swihart, BOS ($3,500)
1B: Yonder Alonso, SD ($3,600)
2B: Joe Panik, SF ($2,900)
SS: Andrelton Simmons, ATL ($3,200)
3B: DJ LeMahieu, COL ($3,000)
OF: Charlie Blackmon, COL ($3,600)
