This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters – A look at Sunday's matchups (all times Eastern):
AL
White Sox (John Danks – L) at Tigers (Max Scherzer – R), 1:05
Rays (James Shields – R) at Blue Jays (Ricky Romero – L), 1:07
Yankees (Freddy Garcia – R) at Orioles (Chris Tillman – R), 1:35
Indians (Carlos Carrasco – R) at Twins (Carl Pavano – R), 2:10
Royals (Bruce Chen – L) at Rangers (C.J. Wilson – L), 3:05
Red Sox (John Lackey – R) at Angels (Matt Palmer – R), 3:35
Athletics (Brett Anderson – L) at Mariners (Doug Fister – R), 4:10
NL
Diamondbacks (Armando Galarraga – R) at Mets (Jonathon Niese – L), 1:10
Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez – R) at Marlins (Josh Johnson – R), 1:10
Nationals (Jason Marquis – R) at Pirates (Kevin Correia – R), 1:35
Astros (Wandy Rodriguez – L) at Brewers (Randy Wolf – L), 2:10
Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda – R) at Cubs (Carlos Zambrano – R), 2:20
Phillies (Roy Halladay – R) at Padres (Wade LeBlanc – L), 4:05
Braves (Brandon Beachy – R) at Giants (Jonathan Sanchez – L), 4:05
Reds (Sam LeCure – R) at Cardinals (Jake Westbrook – R), 8:05
Day Game After a Night Game: NYY, BAL, KC, TEX, BOS, LAA, OAK, SEA, WAS, PIT, HOU, MIL, COL, FLA, PHI, SD
Injuries -
Projected Starters – A look at Sunday's matchups (all times Eastern):
AL
White Sox (John Danks – L) at Tigers (Max Scherzer – R), 1:05
Rays (James Shields – R) at Blue Jays (Ricky Romero – L), 1:07
Yankees (Freddy Garcia – R) at Orioles (Chris Tillman – R), 1:35
Indians (Carlos Carrasco – R) at Twins (Carl Pavano – R), 2:10
Royals (Bruce Chen – L) at Rangers (C.J. Wilson – L), 3:05
Red Sox (John Lackey – R) at Angels (Matt Palmer – R), 3:35
Athletics (Brett Anderson – L) at Mariners (Doug Fister – R), 4:10
NL
Diamondbacks (Armando Galarraga – R) at Mets (Jonathon Niese – L), 1:10
Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez – R) at Marlins (Josh Johnson – R), 1:10
Nationals (Jason Marquis – R) at Pirates (Kevin Correia – R), 1:35
Astros (Wandy Rodriguez – L) at Brewers (Randy Wolf – L), 2:10
Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda – R) at Cubs (Carlos Zambrano – R), 2:20
Phillies (Roy Halladay – R) at Padres (Wade LeBlanc – L), 4:05
Braves (Brandon Beachy – R) at Giants (Jonathan Sanchez – L), 4:05
Reds (Sam LeCure – R) at Cardinals (Jake Westbrook – R), 8:05
Day Game After a Night Game: NYY, BAL, KC, TEX, BOS, LAA, OAK, SEA, WAS, PIT, HOU, MIL, COL, FLA, PHI, SD
Injuries - A brief look at players that have been missing time with minor ailments and their expected returns.
Day-to-Day (includes players expected to make their return from the DL)
AL
Milton Bradley, OF, SEA – (Back) Left Friday's game with back spasms and could miss a couple days.
Kevin Youkilis, 3B, BOS – (Leg) Expected to play against the Angels on Saturday.
Delmon Young, OF, MIN – (Ribs) Could return soon but he was held out of the lineup again Saturday.
Justin Smoak, 1B, SEA – (Personal) Expected to rejoin the team in Detroit on Tuesday.
Aaron Hill, 2B, TOR – (Hamstring) Did light jogging Saturday and the team will decide Sunday whether to put him on the DL.
NL
Jose Ascanio, RP, PIT – (Face) Took a liner off his face in a rehab outing Friday
Juan Uribe, 2B, LAD – (Thigh) Out of the lineup Saturday with tightness in his right thigh
Willie Bloomquist, OF, ARI – (Hamstring) Poised to miss a third straight game Saturday but is ready to return when needed
Scott Rolen, 3B, CIN – (Shoulder) Out of Saturday's lineup and may get a couple days off
Chipper Jones, 3B, ATL – (Knee) Out Saturday to rest his knee. His status for Sunday is unknown.
Melvin Mora, 3B, ARI – (Foot) Out Saturday following a rain delay but should be good to play Sunday
Mike Pelfrey, SP, NYM – (Illness) Sent home Saturday with a cold
Rickie Weeks, 2B, MIL – (Finger) Out of Saturday's lineup after spraining his left pinky Friday
Players on the DL
AL
Joe Mauer, C, MIN – (Legs/Illness) Still fighting off the flu and there is no timetable for his return at this time
Kevin Slowey, RP, MIN – (Shoulder) Scheduled to make a rehab appearance Saturday and could return to the majors near the end of this coming week.
Francisco Cervelli, C, NYY – (Foot) Foot is improving and could be activated on their next homestand that begins Monday.
Jayson Nix, 3B, TOR – (Knee) Placed on the 15-day DL Saturday. Injured his knee/shin Friday. An MRI was taken, but the results have not been released yet
Neftali Feliz, RP, TEX – (Shoulder) Placed on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation Saturday
Brian Matusz, SP, BAL – (Back) Will make at least three rehab starts and isn't expected to return to the majors until mid-May at the earliest
NL
Santiago Casilla, RP, SF – (Elbow) Threw first bullpen session Friday since going on the DL in early April.
Andres Torres, OF, SF – (Achilles) Hopes to come off the DL when eligible Tuesday but manager Bruce Bochy isn't so optimistic. They'll take another MRI to make sure everything is okay.
Skip Schumaker, 2B, STL – (Elbow) Could miss as much as six weeks
Brian Tallet, RP, STL – (Wrist) Threw a side session Friday and should be able to return within two weeks
Allen Craig, OF, STL – (Groin) Feels that he'll be ready to return when eligible May 2
Takashi Saito, RP, MIL – (Hamstring) Threw a simulated game Friday and could return sometime in the coming week
Hector Gimenez, C, LAD – (Knee) Will undergo an undisclosed knee surgery Tuesday
Aaron Heilman, RP, ARI – (Shoulder) Still no timetable for his return but could start throwing bullpen sessions Monday
Johnny Cueto, SP, CIN – (Shoulder) Will make another rehab start Tuesday
Chris Young, SP, NYM – (Biceps) Will make his return and start Tuesday against the Nationals
Clint Barmes, 2B, HOU – (Hand) Should return sometime new weekend
Transactions - Players that have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Called Up
Mike McCoy, 3B, TOR
Justin Berg, RP, CHC
Carlos Fisher, RP, CIN
Brandon Wood, SS, PIT
Sent Down
Jeff Stevens, RP, CHC
Matt Maloney, RP, CIN
Placed on DL (15-day unless otherwise noted)
Jayson Nix, 3B, TOR
Neftali Feliz, RP, TEX
Eric Hurley, RP, TEX (moved to the 60-day DL)
Activated from DL
Shaun Marcum, SP, TOR (from bereavement list)
Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (also check out our Closer Grid).
Chicago White Sox – The White Sox haven't had a save opportunity in over a week, so we're still waiting to see who manager Ozzie Guillen will throw out there in the ninth. I believe it'll be Chris Sale, but there are a lot of people that think it'll be Sergio Santos or Matt Thornton.
Philadelphia – Ryan Madson picked up a spot save for the Phillies on Friday, because Jose Contreras had pitched the two previous nights. Madson's save was a completely random occurrence due to need. It's nice to know that the team would look Madson's way if Contreras were to go down, but this is an inconsequential event in the current scheme of things. Contreras will get the next save opportunity.
St. Louis – Mitchell Boggs has recorded two consecutive save opportunities and is the man to own out of St. Louis right now. Don't let him sit in your free-agent pool any longer.
Texas – Neftali Feliz went on the 15-day DL with right shoulder stiffness Saturday. Darren O'Day and Arthur Rhodes are the most likely relievers to pick up saves while Feliz is out. Cody Eppley was called up to work out of the bullpen.
Key Matchups
Hot
Batters
Emilio Bonifacio vs. Ubaldo Jimenez - 3-for-9 (.333), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1:2 BB:K
Ryan Doumit vs. Jason Marquis - 6-for-20 (.300), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1:3 BB:K
Ronny Cedeno vs. Jason Marquis - 6-for-13 (.462), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:1 BB:K
Ryan Braun vs. Wandy Rodriguez - 9-for-25 (.360), 3 HR, 5 RBI, 2:4 BB:K
Humberto Quintero vs. Randy Wolf - 5-for-14 (.357), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1:3 BB:K
Andre Ethier vs. Carlos Zambrano - 7-for-15 (.467), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:2 BB:K
Tony Gwynn vs. Carlos Zambrano - 5-for-12 (.417), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:1 BB:K
Martin Prado vs. Jonathan Sanchez - 3-for-8 (.375), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:1 BB:K
Magglio Ordonez vs. John Danks - 14-for-23 (.609), 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1:2 BB:K
Omar Vizquel vs. Max Scherzer - 3-for-8 (.375), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1:2 BB:K
Aaron Hill vs. James Shields - 9-for-33 (.273), 4 HR, 5 RBI, 1:6 BB:K
Adam Lind vs. James Shields - 11-for-32 (.344), 5 HR, 8 RBI, 1:7 BB:K
Juan Rivera vs. James Shields - 7-for-15 (.467), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:1 BB:K
Jose Bautista vs. James Shields - 6-for-14 (.429), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1:3 BB:K
Ben Zobrist vs. Ricky Romero - 6-for-12 (.500), 0 HR, 4 RBI, 2:1 BB:K
Johnny Damon vs. Ricky Romero - 4-for-7 (.571), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 6:0 BB:K
Brian Roberts vs. Freddy Garcia - 10-for-21 (.476), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3:2 BB:K
Robinson Cano vs. Chris Tillman - 7-for-9 (.778), 0 HR, 4 RBI, 1:1 BB:K
Derek Jeter vs. Chris Tillman - 5-for-9 (.556), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:1 BB:K
Shin-Soo Choo vs. Carl Pavano - 4-for-9 (.444), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2:2 BB:K
Michael Young vs. Bruce Chen - 4-for-10 (.400), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2:1 BB:K
Hideki Matsui vs. Doug Fister - 4-for-10 (.400), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1:1 BB:K
Pitchers
Roy Halladay vs. San Diego Padres – Halladay has limited the Padres' current roster to a slash line of .211/.229/.256 over 90 at-bats. He should be starting every game, but tomorrow's trip to the mound should prove particularly fruitful for fantasy owners.
Max Scherzer vs. Chicago White Sox – Scherzer has limited the White Sox's current roster to a slash line of .227/.306/.420 over 88 at-bats. You should be running him out there regardless, but the fact that Scherzer has a good track record against the White Sox and is pitching at home in the roomy Comerica Park makes him a must-start.
Cold
Batters
Seth Smith vs. Josh Johnson - 2-for-10 (.200), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:0 BB:K
Chris Snyder vs. Jason Marquis - 2-for-10 (.200), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:0 BB:K
Alex Cora vs. Kevin Correia - 3-for-13 (.231), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1:1 BB:K
Prince Fielder vs. Wandy Rodriguez - 8-for-33 (.242), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 4:9 BB:K
Carlos Lee vs. Randy Wolf - 5-for-23 (.217), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3:3 BB:K
Bill Hall vs. Randy Wolf - 3-for-18 (.167), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 5:3 BB:K
Aaron Miles vs. Carlos Zambrano - 8-for-31 (.258), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:2 BB:K
Juan Uribe vs. Carlos Zambrano - 6-for-28 (.214), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2:8 BB:K
Jorge Cantu vs. Roy Halladay - 4-for-23 (.174), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1:3 BB:K
Jhonny Peralta vs. John Danks - 7-for-32 (.219), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 5:7 BB:K
Brandon Inge vs. John Danks - 5-for-23 (.217), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1:8 BB:K
Miguel Cabrera vs. John Danks - 4-for-19 (.211), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 4:3 BB:K
Austin Jackson vs. John Danks - 2-for-10 (.200), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:1 BB:K
Carlos Quentin vs. Max Scherzer - 1-for-9 (.111), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:3 BB:K
Mark Teahen vs. Max Scherzer - 0-for-8 (.000), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:4 BB:K
Corey Patterson vs. James Shields - 3-for-24 (.125), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3:5 BB:K
B.J. Upton vs. Ricky Romero - 1-for-11 (.091), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:3 BB:K
Derrek Lee vs. Freddy Garcia - 3-for-11 (.273), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:2 BB:K
Adam Everett vs. Carl Pavano - 6-for-27 (.222), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:3 BB:K
Michael Brantley vs. Carl Pavano - 3-for-14 (.214), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0:1 BB:K
Asdrubal Cabrera vs. Carl Pavano - 0-for-12 (.000), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1:3 BB:K
Matt LaPorta vs. Carl Pavano - 2-for-11 (.182), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0:0 BB:K
Adrian Beltre vs. Bruce Chen - 6-for-23 (.261), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1:3 BB:K
Torii Hunter vs. John Lackey - 10-for-46 (.217), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1:10 BB:K
Vernon Wells vs. John Lackey - 6-for-31 (.194), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2:6 BB:K
Maicer Izturis vs. John Lackey - 1-for-9 (.111), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:0 BB:K
Jack Wilson vs. Brett Anderson - 3-for-12 (.250), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:2 BB:K
Cliff Pennington vs. Doug Fister - 1-for-15 (.067), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:3 BB:K
Pitchers
Jason Marquis vs. Pittsburgh Pirates – Marquis has allowed the Pirates' current roster to hit a slash line of .275/.330/.480 off him over 102 at-bats. He's a terrifically mediocre pitcher and should only be used in the deepest of leagues.
James Shields vs. Toronto Blue Jays – Shields has allowed the Blue Jays' current roster to hit a slash line of .317/.361/.671 over 167 at-bats. He's been hurt the most by giving up too many long-balls (16). If he's able to keep the ball in the park, Shields should be good. Unfortunately, the Jays excel at putting balls over the fence. Sit him Sunday.
Freddy Garcia vs. Baltimore Orioles – Garcia has allowed the Orioles' current roster to post a slash line of .377/.421/.652 over 69 at-bats. Probably the best two things working in Garcia's favor for his start Sunday is having the Yankees' lineup hitting behind him and going against the mediocre arm of Chris Tillman.
Chris Tillman vs. New York Yankees – Tillman has been beat up by the Yankees. Over 67 at-bats, he's allowed their current roster to post a slash line of .450/.528/.627 against him. Leave him benched or in the free-agent pool.
Recommended Pickup
Darren O'Day/Arthur Rhodes, RP, TEX – Neftali Feliz went on the 15-day DL Saturday, and one of either O'Day or Rhodes should get the save chances while Feliz is out. Unfortunately, until the team makes an announcement or we see the results at the end of a game, we won't know who is going to get the opportunity. O'Day is the consensus frontrunner to get saves, but he's followed by Rhodes and possibly even Darren Oliver in the ladder. Feliz went on the DL with right shoulder stiffness. That's an ominous diagnoses that could resolve itself quickly or reveal itself to be much more serious.
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