Wednesday Lineup Card: Aces in Many Places

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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Projected Starters - A look at Wednesday's matchups (all times Eastern)

Angels (Ervin Santana – R) at Indians (David Huff – L), 12:05
Mariners (Felix Hernandez – R) at Yankees (Phil Hughes – R), 1:05
Tigers (Max Scherzer – R) at White Sox (John Danks – R), 2:10
Giants (Tim Lincecum – R) at Phillies (Cole Hamels – L), 7:00
Marlins (Javier Vazquez – R) at Nationals (Livan Hernandez – R), 7:05
Orioles (Alfredo Simon – R) at Blue Jays (Ricky Romero – L), 7:07
Royals (Bruce Chen – L) at Red Sox (John Lackey – R), 7:10
Pirates (Paul Maholm – L) at Braves (Jair Jurrjens – R), 7:10
Mets (Mike Pelfrey – R) at Reds (Bronson Arroyo – R), 7:10
Twins (Brian Duensing – L) at Rangers (Colby Lewis – R), 8:05
Cubs (Carlos Zambrano – R) at Brewers (Zack Greinke – R), 8:10
Astros (Bud Norris – R) at Cardinals (Chris Carpenter – R), 8:15
Rays (James Shields – R) at Athletics (Trevor Cahill – R), 10:05
Diamondbacks (Ian Kennedy – R) at Padres (Cory Luebke – L), 10:05
Rockies (Aaron Cook – R) at Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda – R), 10:10

Day game after a night game: LAA, CLE, SEA, NYY, DET, CWS

Injuries - A brief look at players who have been missing time with minor ailments and their expected returns

Day-to-Day
Josh Willingham, OF, OAK – (Neck) Served as DH in Tuesday's game.
Kevin Youkilis, 1B, BOS – (Hamstring) Not in Tuesday's lineup.
Ernesto Frieri, P, SD – (Personal) On paternity leave for up to three days.
Kerry Wood, P, CHI-N – (Illness) Suffering from flu-like symptoms; missed Tuesday's game.
Jordan Schafer, OF, ATL – (Finger) Late scratch from Tuesday's lineup.
Chase d'Arnaud, 3B, PIT – (Finger) Available off the bench despite fractured pinky.
Juan Uribe, 2B, LA – (Abdomen) Out of the lineup again Tuesday.
Matt Holliday, OF, STL – (Illness) Out of the lineup again Tuesday due to food poisoning.
Tim Lincecum, P, SF – (Illness) Scratched from Tuesday's start due to the flu.
Lance Berkman, 1B, STL – (Shoulder) Started Tuesday's game.
Angel Pagan, OF, NYM – (Illness) Hopes to return to the lineup Wednesday.
Gaby Sanchez, 1B, FLA – (Hamstring) Scratched from Tuesday's lineup.
Chipper Jones, 3B, ATL – (Quadriceps) Out of Tuesday's starting lineup.
Jose Bautista, 3B, TOR – Left Tuesday's game after being hit by a pitch in the head; left field under own power

Players on the DL
Cesar Izturis, SS, BAL – (Elbow) Continuing rehab in Double-A.
Justin Morneau, 1B, MIN – (Neck) Limited recently due to migraines.
Ross Ohlendorf, P, PIT – (Shoulder) Felt good after a 50-pitch bullpen session Tuesday.
Johan Santana, P, NYM – (Shoulder) Will make 45-pitch rehab start for High-A St. Lucie Thursday.
Mitch Stetter, P, MIL – (Hip) Likely facing season-ending surgery.
Cole Kimball, P, WAS – (Shoulder) Hopes to return to action next July.
Joe Blanton, P, PHI – (Elbow) Unlikely to rejoin Phillies rotation this season.
Adam Wainwright, P, STL – (Elbow) Throwing 75 pitches in blocks of 25, three times a week.
Allen Craig, OF, STL – (Knee) Began rehab Monday but looked "rusty."
Jose Contreras, P, PHI – (Elbow) Scheduled to receive second platelet-rich plasma injection Tuesday.
Roy Oswalt, P, PHI – (Back) Remains to be seen if multiple rehab starts will be necessary.
Placido Polanco, 3B, PHI – (Back) Said two injections have allowed him to resume exercise.

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

Placed on the DL (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
J.D. Drew, OF, BOS
Geoff Blum, 1B, ARI
Ernesto Frieri, RP, SD – paternity leave

Activated from DL
Vladimir Guerrero, DH, BAL
Eric Chavez, 3B, NYY
J.J. Putz, P, ARI

Called Up
Yonder Alonso, 1B, CIN
Pat Neshek, P, SD
Drew Sutton, 3B, BOS
Collin Cowgill, 1B, ARI
Luis Martinez, C, SD
Jay Buente, P, TB

Sent Down
Brandon Laird, 3B, NYY
Adam Russell, P, TB
Wilkin Ramirez, OF, ATL
Kyle Phillips, C, SD
Brandon Inge, 3B, DET
Mark Worrell, RP, BAL
Cesar Ramos, P, TB

Traded
Jonny Gomes, OF – from CIN to WAS

Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (also check out our Closer Grid)

Los Angeles (AL) – Jordan Walden blew his seventh save of the season Monday, a game in which Scott Downs recorded his 18th hold and lowered his ERA to 1.31. It's hard to say if Scioscia's patience with Walden is waning, but it's pretty clear that Downs is making a case to get some saves opportunities if Scioscia opts to make a change or simply give Walden a break.

Recommended Pickup

Javy Guerra, RP, LAD - Guerra picked up his eighth save of the season Monday thanks to a meltdown by the rest of the Dodgers bullpen. He recorded the vaunted one-out save after a four-run rally closed the gap to three runs with one out to go. Guerra gives up a few too many flyballs (only 36% grounders), but as long as he has Don Mattingly's confidence and a 1.93 ERA – likely related – Guerra could be a source of cheap saves.

Other recent recommendations: Pedro Alvarez, Josh Reddick, Desmond Jennings, Edward Mujica, Cameron Maybin

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Draft Street Lineup

C - Mike Napoli, TEX ($8,236)
1B - Paul Konerko, CWS ($7,065)
2B - Rickie Weeks, MIL ($7,024)
3B - Ryan Zimmerman, WAS ($5,820)
SS - Alexei Ramirez, CWS ($5,774)
OF - Jay Bruce, CIN ($5,823)
OF - Andre Ethier, LAD ($6,041)
OF - Desmond Jennings, TB ($5,995)
UTIL - Adrian Gonzalez, BOS ($7,688)
UTIL - Nelson Cruz, TEX ($7,375)
SP - Ervin Santana, LAA ($10,938)
SP - Hiroki Kuroda, LAD ($10,293)
RP - Jose Valverde, DET ($2,512)
P - Cory Luebke, SD ($9,355)

Total: $99,939

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