The Lineup Card: Commissioner Gordon

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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Projected Starters- A look at Thursday's Matchups (All times ET)

Dodgers (Chad Billingsley - R) vs. Nationals (Ross Detwiler - L) 1:05
Yankees (Ivan Nova - R) vs. Orioles (Alfredo Simon - R) 1:05
Braves (Julio Teheran - R) vs. Mets (Chris Schwinden - R) 4:10
Braves (Mike Minor - L) vs. Mets (Dillon Gee - R) 7:40
Red Sox (Andrew Miller - L) vs. Blue Jays (Ricky Romero - L) 7:07
Indians (David Huff - L) vs. White Sox (Gavin Flloyd - R) 8:10
Phillies (Cole Hamels - L) vs. Brewers (Chris Narveson - L) 8:10
Padres (Cory Luebke - L) vs. Diamondbacks (Ian Kennedy - R) 9:40
Royals (Luke Hochevar - R) vs. Mariners (Jason Vargas - L) 10:10

Day After Night: LAD/WAS

Injuries

Day-to-Day

Josh Beckett, P, BOS (ankle) - MRI revealed minor ankle strain; will miss his next start
Conor Jackson, OF, BOS (arm) - took batting practice on Tuesday and is close to returning
Tsuyoshi Nishioka, 2B, MIN (oblique) - not expected back in lineup until Friday
Brian Duensing, P, MIN (oblique) - is pain-free and should be throwing soon
Coco Crisp, OF, OAK (foot) - scratched on Tuesday; may return by Friday
Jose Lobaton, C, TB (knee) - left Tuesday's game and may need a couple of days of rest
Johnny Damon, OF, TB (leg) - may be back by Thursday
Todd Helton, 1B, COL (back) - may need another day or two to rest
Mike Cameron, OF, FLA (hamstring) - left Tuesday's game with a tight hamstring
Jerry Hairston, SS, MIL (neck) - out of the lineup after leaving Monday's game early
Johan Santana, P, NY-N (shoulder) - threw another bullpen session before Tuesday's game
Jose Tabata, OF, PIT (wrist) - minor fracture will be re-evaluated in 10 days
Pablo Sandoval, 3B, SF (quadriceps) - struggling to swing right-handed

Players on the DL

Clay Buchholz, P, BOS (back) - threw from 90 feet on Tuesday and reported no pain
Carlos Quentin, OF, CHI-A (shoulder) - took batting practice prior to Tuesday's game
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, CHI-A (abdomen) - plans to return from DL when eligible on Sep 13
Carlos Carrasco, P, CLE (elbow) - will undergo Tommy John surgery
Denard Span, OF, MIN (concussion) - had a full workout on Tuesday and remains unsure of 2011 return
Justin Morneau, 1B, MIN (concussion) - expected to take batting practice on Wednesday
Scott Baker, P, MIN (elbow) - will throw a bullpen by the end of the week
Francisco Liriano, P, MIN (shoulder) - threw long toss on Tuesday; plans to return this season
Nelson Cruz, OF, TEX (hamstring) - took batting practice on Tuesday; will run the bases on the weekend
Colby Rasmus, OF, TOR (wrist) - hit off a tee on Tuesday; likely at least a week away from return
Ryan Spilborghs, OF, COL (foot) - re-aggravated his foot injury and will be shut down for the season
Casey Blake, 3B, LAD (neck) - had season-ending surgery on Tuesday
Jonathon Niese, P, NY-N (ribs) - still experiencing twinges of pain

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

Called Up

Yunesky Maya, P, WAS
Jeremy Accardo, P, BAL
Clay Rapada, P, BAL
Adam Loewen, OF, TOR
Brad Mills, P, TOR
Luis Valbuena, 2B, CLE
Matt Tolbert, 2B, MIN

Sent Down

Jerad Head, OF, CLE (dfa'd)
Alfredo Amezaga, 2B, FLA (dfa'd)
Chuck James, P, MIN (dfa'd)
Blake Davis, 2B, BAL (dfa'd)
Lance Pendleton, P, NY-A (dfa'd)
Michael O'Connor, P, NY-N (dfa'd)
Mark Hendrickson, P, BAL (dfa'd)

Placed on DL

Nate McLouth, OF, ATL (abdomen)
Jon Herrera, SS, COL (finger-moved to 60 day dl)
Kevin Correia, P, PIT (oblique-moved to 60 day dl)
Paul Maholm, P, PIT (shoulder- moved to 60 day dl)
Rajai Davis, OF, TOR (hamstring - moved to 60 day dl)
Vicente Padilla, P, LAD (moved to 60 day dl)
Cole Kimball, P, WAS (moved to 60 day dl)
Franklin Gutierrez, OF, SEA (strained left oblique - 60 day dl)
Carlos Carrasco, P, CLE (moved to 60 day dl)
Ike Davis, 1B, NY-N (moved to 60 day dl)
Hanley Ramirez, SS, FLA (moved to 60 day dl)
Paul Maholm, P, PIT (moved to 60 day dl)

Activated from DL

Trevor Crowe, OF, CLE
Jimmy Rollins, SS, PHI
Chris Davis, 1B, BAL
Nick Punto, 2B, STL
Eric Hamman, P, SD
Evan Meek, P, PIT
Jason Kipnis, 2B, CLE
Sergio Escalona, P, HOU
Garrett Richards, P, LA-A
Ramiro Pena, SS, NY-A

Closer Watch

Phillies - A team doesn't boast the best record in the majors without great contributions throughout their roster, and the Phillies have relied on closer Ryan Madson to preserve 26 wins so far this season. He seems to be revving up for the post-season with his outstanding work in shutting out all opponents in his last seven appearances. He has allowed only four hits and no walks in those games, working 6.1 innings and striking out six batters. He is enjoying his best personal season, in terms of saves and has a 1.14 WHIP, which is well below his career mark.

Astros - At the other end of the spectrum, jobs are up for grabs in Houston and Mark Melancon is doing his best to finish the year and leave a positive last impression. The rookie righty has compiled 17 saves in 22 chances, with an ordinary 3.18 ERA in 63 games this year. However, over his last 10 outings, he has been more impressive, pitching to a 2.53 ERA over 10.2 innings pitched, earning six saves and only giving up runs in two of those games.

White Sox- A club in that middle tier of teams that is not a contender and not one of the league's bottom feeders, has a closer in Sergio Santos, who is having a decent (not spectacular) year, in line with the club's overall performance. He has been up and down all year and a 5.40 ERA in the last 10 outings is indicative of that inconsistency. On the season he now has 29 saves in 34 opportunities, to go with an impressive 1.04 WHIP. On the down side, his 3.18 ERA is nowhere near that of the top closers in the game.

Mariners - If this club has an MVP vote, consideration should begin and end with closer Brandon League, who has now racked up 33 saves for a team that has only 59 wins. The dominant righty has been formidable of late, showing pinpoint control in not allowing even one walk in his last 10 outings. He was only touched for two runs in one appearance during the month of August, during which he registered seven saves.

***For a deeper look at the matchups please consult the new Batter v. Pitcher tool in the left-hand menu.***

Recommended Pickup

Dee Gordon, SS, LAD - Gordon had been a fringe element to the Dodgers' roster for part of this season, but is certainly making his mark with six straight starts in early September. In recent years, offensively productive shortstops have become a relatively scarce commodity, so when a guy goes on a tear, posting 12 hits in 26 at bats, fantasy owners need to notice that output. In 137 at-bats this season, in limited play, he has shown impressive plate discipline, with 16 walks and only 21 strikeouts. He has also proven to be a talented basestealer with 16 thefts in 19 attempts.

Other recent recommendations: Jerry Sands, Yonder Alonso, Jason Motte, Julio Teheran

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Draft Street Lineup

C - Brian McCann, $5,558 1B - Mark Teixeira, $7,294 2B - Dan Uggla, $6,721 3B - Ryan Zimmerman, $5,599 SS - Jose Reyes, $8,283 OF - Matt Kemp, $8,644 OF - Michael Bourn, $6,498 OF - Melky Cabrera, $7,421 UTIL - Dustin Pedroia, $6,384 UTIL - Asdrubal Cabrera, $6,189 SP - Cole Hamels, $14,906 SP - Mike Minor, $11,085 RP - Craig Kimbrel, $3,597 P - Jonny Venters, $1,664

Total: $99,843

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