This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters - A look at Tuesday's matchups (all times Eastern)
Royals (James Shields – R) at Indians (Danny Salazar – R), 7:05
Reds (Johnny Cueto – R) at Pirates (Edinson Volquez – R), 7:05
Angels (Tyler Skaggs – L) at Nationals (Taylor Jordan – R), 7:05
Orioles (Miguel Gonzalez – R) at Blue Jays (R.A. Dickey – R), 7:07
White Sox (Charles Leesman – L) at Tigers (Justin Verlander – R), 7:08
Cardinals (Adam Wainwright – R) at Mets (Dillon Gee – R), 7:10
Yankees (Masahiro Tanaka – R) at Red Sox (Jon Lester – L), 7:10
Marlins (Jose Fernandez – R) at Braves (Alex Wood – L), 7:10
Twins (Kyle Gibson – R) at Rays (David Price – L), 7:10
Diamondbacks (Brandon McCarthy – R) at Cubs (Jason Hammel – R), 8:05
Padres (Ian Kennedy – R) at Brewers (Yovani Gallardo – R), 8:10
Giants (Madison Bumgarner – L) at Rockies (Franklin Morales – L), 8:40
Rangers (Nick Martinez – R) at Athletics (Tommy Milone – L), 10:05
Astros (Collin McHugh – R) at Mariners (Erasmo Ramirez – R), 10:10
Phillies (A.J. Burnett – R) at Dodgers (Hyun-Jin Ryu – L), 10:10
Day Game After Night Game: None
Injuries
Day-to-Day
Yoenis Cespedes, OF, OAK (heel) – Pinch-hit and stayed in Monday
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, TEX (ankle) – Pulled from Monday's game, but sounds fairly minor
Adam Eaton, OF, CHW (hamstring) – Hopes to play Tuesday
Jonathan Papelbon, RP, PHI (illness) – Questionable (but not needed) Monday
Coco Crisp, OF, OAK (ribs) – Has a "ribcage thing"; sounds minor
J.J. Hardy, SS, BAL (hamstring) – Out Monday after leaving Sunday
Khris Davis, OF, MIL (illness) – Late scratch Monday
A.J. Pollock, OF, ARI (neck) – Sat out Monday after being pulled Sunday
Jordy Mercer, SS, PIT (ankle) – Pinch-hit both Sunday and Monday
David Huff, RP, SF (quad) – Likely to hit DL after leaving Monday's game
Players on the DL
Clayton Kershaw, SP, LAD (back) – First rehab start slated for Friday
Chris Sale, SP, CHW (arm) – Likely to miss minimum time
Aroldis Chapman, RP, CIN (head) – Tentatively scheduled to throw BP Wednesday
Mike Minor, SP, ATL (shoulder) – Will debut Saturday for Braves
Michael Cuddyer, OF, COL (hamstring) – Ended up unable to avoid DL
James Paxton, SP, SEA (back) – Could be cleared to throw Wednesday
Taijuan Walker, SP, SEA (shoulder) – Also seeing doctor Wednesday and could be cleared
Jake Arrieta, SP, CHC (shoulder) – Mediocre rehab start Monday, but could return Saturday
Jhoulys Chacin, SP, COL (shoulder) – Next rehab start Friday; one more after that
Matt Harrison, SP, TEX (back) – Could make season debut Friday
Cameron Maybin, OF, SD (arm) – Could return during current road trip
Sean Burnett, RP, LAA (elbow) – Sim game will be next rehab step
Darin Ruf, OF, PHI (oblique) – Hitting off a tee
Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, SP, PHI (shoulder) – Could face hitters by end of month
Ethan Martin, RP, PHI (shoulder) – Could start throwing to hitters by end of month too
Luke Putkonen, RP, DET (elbow) – No structural damage, just inflammation
Dane De La Rosa, RP, LAA (shoulder) – First pen session slated for Tuesday
Brandon Kintzler, RP, MIL (neck) – Successful pen session Monday; could return Friday
Tom Gorzelanny, RP, MIL (shoulder) – No target date for return yet
Andy Dirks, OF, DET (back) – Shifted to 60-day DL
Jake Elmore, SS, OAK (quad) – Getting closer to rehab assignment
Transactions – Players who have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Placed on DL
Chris Sale, SP, CHW (arm)
Luke Putkonen, RP, DET (elbow)
Wandy Rodriguez, SP, PIT (knee)
Scott Feldman, SP, HOU (biceps)
Michael Cuddyer, OF, COL (hamstring)
Activated From DL
Juan Oviedo, RP, TB
Jason Giambi, DH, CLE
Jarrod Dyson, OF, KC (from bereavement list)
Called Up
Charlie Culberson, OF, COL
Bobby Abreu, OF, NYM
Tyler Lyons, SP, STL
Jared Hughes, SP, PIT
Jose Dominguez, RP, LAD
Nick Maronde, RP, LAA
J.D. Martinez, OF, DET
Alfredo Figaro, RP, MIL
Sent Down
Josh Wall, RP, LAA
Andrew Brown, OF, NYM
Chone Figgins, 3B, LAD
Blake Wood, RP, CLE
Matt Daley, RP, NYY
C.J. Riefenhauser, RP, TB
Rob Wooten, RP, MIL
Jorge Rondon, RP, STL
Bryan Mitchell, RP, NYY
Closer Watch
Mets – On Monday, Kyle Farnsworth earned his first save since taking over the job from Jose Valverde, working around a hit in a scoreless ninth. Farnsworth's been a find so far for the Mets, with a 0.96 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in the early going, and though his job security can't be considered terribly high – after all, he did post a 5.76 ERA last year – he seems to be less hittable so far and the Mets don't exactly have a wealth of options to replace him. They don't seem to want to go to Gonzalez Germen, whose limited track record and bouts of inconsistency don't necessarily make him a great fit for the role.
Brewers – After Monday's action, Francisco Rodriguez leads MLB in saves with eight and has allowed five hits, two walks and zero runs while striking out 16 in his first 11 innings this year. Most of K-Rod's fantasy owners paid exactly nothing for him on draft day, while Jim Henderson's owners are wallowing in misery.
White Sox – Matt Lindstrom reappeared Monday, collecting his second save (to go with three blown saves) of the year. No other White Stocking has recorded a save, so insofar as Chicago can be considered to have a closer, Lindstrom's it. Keep an eye on the flamethrowing Maikel Cleto, who has the stuff to close, but has more walks (seven) than strikeouts (three) despite having allowed just one run in 6.2 innings so far. Not a lot of good closing options in this bullpen; even Lindstrom's a desperation play on this team, which has been on one end or the other of a lot of blowouts.
Braves – Should we start getting concerned about Craig Kimbrel? Although he struck out the side Monday, he blew the save, allowing a hit, a walk and an unearned run (which he earned, in truth) against the Marlins. This after being pulled in a non-save situation Saturday against the Mets, when he allowed four of the five batters he faced to reach base. Kimbrel still sports a 16:3 K:BB in his 7.1 innings, but something's wrong here – he's not quite his usual dominant self, and his fastball velocity's down nearly a full tick from last year. It could be that the shoulder soreness that was bothering him a week ago is still affecting him; just in case, deeper-league owners should look into the availability of Jordan Walden and perhaps David Carpenter.
Angels – Ernesto Frieri successfully converted his second save Monday, but not without trouble, as he surrendered a leadoff homer to Ian Desmond and then walked a batter before finishing the Nats off by striking out the side. Frieri's been particularly rough over his last four outings, allowing a stunning nine hits over 3.1 innings, but he's still got some leash here, with Joe Smith his only real competition in the Angels' bullpen.
Hot Batter Matchups – April 22, 2014Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| M. Aviles | SS | CLE vs KC 7:05PM | J. Shields | 30 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | .333 | .375 | .567 | .942 |
| A. Cabrera | SS | CLE vs KC 7:05PM | J. Shields | 21 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | .286 | .375 | .571 | .946 |
| J. Hardy | SS | BAL @ TOR 7:07PM | R. Dickey | 15 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .333 | .600 | .933 |
| T. Flowers | C | CWS @ DET 7:08PM | J. Verlander | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | .300 | .417 | .900 | 1.317 |
| K. Suzuki | C | MIN @ TB 7:10PM | D. Price | 14 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | .286 | .333 | .643 | .976 |
| D. Murphy | 2B | NYM vs STL 7:10PM | A. Wainwright | 11 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .545 | .583 | .909 | 1.492 |
| D. Wright | 3B | NYM vs STL 7:10PM | A. Wainwright | 14 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | .357 | .412 | .500 | .912 |
| M. Prado | 3B | ARI @ CHC 8:05PM | J. Hammel | 13 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .385 | .429 | .615 | 1.044 |
| R. Braun | OF | MIL vs SD 8:10PM | I. Kennedy | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .333 | .385 | .667 | 1.051 |
| Y. Alonso | 1B | SD @ MIL 8:10PM | Y. Gallardo | 15 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | .400 | .400 | .667 | 1.067 |
| C. Headley | 3B | SD @ MIL 8:10PM | Y. Gallardo | 17 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | .353 | .476 | .529 | 1.006 |
| W. Venable | OF | SD @ MIL 8:10PM | Y. Gallardo | 15 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | .467 | .579 | .800 | 1.379 |
| C. Gonzalez | OF | COL vs SF 8:40PM | M. Bumgarner | 33 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 7 | .364 | .432 | .909 | 1.342 |
| J. Pacheco | 3B | COL vs SF 8:40PM | M. Bumgarner | 25 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | .360 | .385 | .600 | .985 |
| J. Rutledge | 2B | COL vs SF 8:40PM | M. Bumgarner | 16 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | .438 | .500 | .750 | 1.250 |
| E. Andrus | SS | TEX @ OAK 10:05PM | T. Milone | 18 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .389 | .421 | .444 | .865 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Hot Pitcher Matchups – April 22, 2014Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Johnny Cueto | CIN @ PIT 7:05PM | 180 | 32 | 11 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 43 | .178 | .239 | .278 | .517 |
| Miguel Gonzalez | BAL @ TOR 7:07PM | 88 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 17 | .148 | .192 | .302 | .495 |
| Justin Verlander | DET vs CWS 7:08PM | 193 | 41 | 15 | 11 | 21 | 13 | 52 | .212 | .266 | .408 | .674 |
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 22, 2014Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| R. Ludwick | OF | CIN @ PIT 7:05PM | E. Volquez | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | .200 | .385 | .300 | .685 |
| J. Giambi | DH | CLE vs KC 7:05PM | J. Shields | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | .059 | .238 | .059 | .297 |
| D. Murphy | OF | CLE vs KC 7:05PM | J. Shields | 27 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | .185 | .241 | .296 | .538 |
| N. Swisher | 1B | CLE vs KC 7:05PM | J. Shields | 50 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 16 | .180 | .212 | .380 | .592 |
| C. Barmes | SS | PIT vs CIN 7:05PM | J. Cueto | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .143 | .143 | .214 | .357 |
| R. Martin | C | PIT vs CIN 7:05PM | J. Cueto | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .091 | .091 | .182 | .273 |
| G. Sanchez | 1B | PIT vs CIN 7:05PM | J. Cueto | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .200 | .273 | .400 | .673 |
| T. Snider | OF | PIT vs CIN 7:05PM | J. Cueto | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| J. Tabata | OF | PIT vs CIN 7:05PM | J. Cueto | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| N. Walker | 2B | PIT vs CIN 7:05PM | J. Cueto | 31 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 6 | .194 | .306 | .226 | .531 |
| C. Davis | 1B | BAL @ TOR 7:07PM | R. Dickey | 18 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | .278 | .278 | .556 | .833 |
| A. Jones | OF | BAL @ TOR 7:07PM | R. Dickey | 16 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | .188 | .188 | .375 | .563 |
| S. Lombardozzi | 2B | BAL @ TOR 7:07PM | R. Dickey | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .143 | .143 | .143 | .286 |
| M. Wieters | C | BAL @ TOR 7:07PM | R. Dickey | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .182 | .250 | .182 | .432 |
| E. Encarnacion | 1B | TOR vs BAL 7:07PM | M. Gonzalez | 17 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | .118 | .211 | .471 | .681 |
| B. Lawrie | 3B | TOR vs BAL 7:07PM | M. Gonzalez | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .125 | .118 | .125 | .243 |
| C. Rasmus | OF | TOR vs BAL 7:07PM | M. Gonzalez | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .083 | .083 | .167 | .250 |
| A. De Aza | OF | CWS @ DET 7:08PM | J. Verlander | 21 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | .190 | .227 | .476 | .703 |
| A. Dunn | 1B | CWS @ DET 7:08PM | J. Verlander | 25 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 11 | .200 | .259 | .560 | .819 |
| P. Konerko | 1B | CWS @ DET 7:08PM | J. Verlander | 58 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 16 | .172 | .250 | .310 | .560 |
| D. Viciedo | OF | CWS @ DET 7:08PM | J. Verlander | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .200 | .200 | .400 | .600 |
| J. Mauer | C | MIN @ TB 7:10PM | D. Price | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | .143 | .294 | .214 | .508 |
| C. Young | OF | NYM vs STL 7:10PM | A. Wainwright | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | .167 | .333 | .167 | .500 |
| B. Gardner | OF | NYY @ BOS 7:10PM | J. Lester | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .182 | .250 | .182 | .432 |
| K. Johnson | 2B | NYY @ BOS 7:10PM | J. Lester | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .067 | .176 | .067 | .243 |
| A. Soriano | OF | NYY @ BOS 7:10PM | J. Lester | 16 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | .313 | .313 | .500 | .813 |
| M. Holliday | OF | STL @ NYM 7:10PM | D. Gee | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .167 | .333 | .500 |
| Y. Molina | C | STL @ NYM 7:10PM | D. Gee | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .250 | .250 | .417 | .667 |
| A. Hill | 2B | ARI @ CHC 8:05PM | J. Hammel | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .154 | .214 | .154 | .368 |
| M. Montero | C | ARI @ CHC 8:05PM | J. Hammel | 18 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 5 | .167 | .250 | .389 | .639 |
| C. Ross | OF | ARI @ CHC 8:05PM | J. Hammel | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .083 | .083 | .083 | .167 |
| R. Weeks | 2B | MIL vs SD 8:10PM | I. Kennedy | 18 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .167 | .211 | .389 | .599 |
| C. Denorfia | OF | SD @ MIL 8:10PM | Y. Gallardo | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .273 | .273 | .273 | .545 |
| S. Smith | OF | SD @ MIL 8:10PM | Y. Gallardo | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .083 | .154 | .083 | .237 |
| N. Arenado | 3B | COL vs SF 8:40PM | M. Bumgarner | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .273 | .300 | .573 |
| D. LeMahieu | 2B | COL vs SF 8:40PM | M. Bumgarner | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .133 | .235 | .133 | .369 |
| D. Stubbs | OF | COL vs SF 8:40PM | M. Bumgarner | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | .167 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| A. Gonzalez | 1B | LAD vs PHI 10:10PM | A. Burnett | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .200 | .333 | .300 | .633 |
| J. Uribe | 3B | LAD vs PHI 10:10PM | A. Burnett | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .143 | .250 | .143 | .393 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Cold Pitcher Matchups – April 22, 2014Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Adam Wainwright | STL @ NYM 7:10PM | 73 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 10 | 16 | .301 | .382 | .466 | .848 |
| Yovani Gallardo | MIL vs SD 8:10PM | 99 | 33 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 19 | .333 | .416 | .486 | .902 |
| Madison Bumgarner | SF @ COL 8:40PM | 161 | 50 | 19 | 7 | 26 | 16 | 34 | .311 | .377 | .535 | .912 |
Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Recommended Pickup
Trevor Plouffe, 3B, MIN – Chris Colabello has been the story of the young season for the Twins, somewhat obscuring the incredible strides that Plouffe has made so far this year. Always known for plate discipline ranging from mediocre to poor, Plouffe has stunningly posted a 12:13 BB:K so far, and though his .313 average is somewhat BABIP-inflated, he's sitting on a sparkling 27.8 percent line-drive rate. Impressively, he's literally swinging at pitches outside the zone half as often as he has previously in his career. With nine extra-base hits, 13 RBI and 14 runs already, plus a secure spot in the middle of the lineup, he's been quite the fantasy find at third base – and with just one homer so far, the best could be yet to come. Plouffe smacked 24 long balls in just 119 games two years ago.
Other Recent Recommendations: Kevin Kouzmanoff, Robbie Ross, Ike Davis, Rajai Davis, Russell Martin
DraftStreet Value Picks
SP: Erasmo Ramirez, SEA ($14,224)
C: Mike Zunino, SEA ($5,167)
1B: Matt Adams, STL ($5,871)
2B: Jedd Gyorko, SD ($3,827)
SS: Starlin Castro, CHC ($5,513)
3B: Pablo Sandoval, SF ($5,451)
OF: Mike Morse, SF ($5,886)
