Friday Lineup Card: Considering Kelly Johnson

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

Marlins (Jose Fernandez – R) at Phillies (A.J. Burnett – R) 7:05
Blue Jays (Dustin McGowan – R) at Orioles (Chris Tillman – R) 7:05
Rays (David Price – L) at Reds (Johnny Cueto – R) 7:10
Red Sox (Jon Lester – L) at Yankees (CC Sabathia – L) 7:10
Nationals (Tanner Roark – R) at Braves (Julio Teheran – R) 7:35
Astros (Scott Feldman – R) at Rangers (Yu Darvish – R) 8:05
Royals (Bruce Chen – L) at Twins (Kyle Gibson - R) 8:10
Indians (Carlos Carrasco – R) at White Sox (Chris Sale – L) 8:10
Pirates (Francisco Liriano – L) at Brewers (Wily Peralta – R) 8:10
Cubs (Jeff Samardzija – R) at Cardinals (Joe Kelly – R) 8:15
Dodgers (Hyun-Jin Ryu – L) at Diamondbacks (Brandon McCarthy – R) 9:40
Mets (Dillon Gee – R) at Angels (Tyler Skaggs – L) 10:05
Tigers (Rick Porcello – R) at Padres (Andrew Cashner – R) 10:10
Athletics (Tommy Milone – L) at Mariners (Felix Hernandez – R) 10:10
Rockies (Jorge De La Rosa – L) at Giants (Madison Bumgarner – L) 10:15

Day Game After Night Game: None

Injuries

Day-to-Day

Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B, CLE – (Personal) Expected to rejoin the Indians on Sunday.
Steve Delabar, P, TOR – (Leg) X-ray came back negative.
Andrelton Simmons, SS, ATL – (Wrist) Scratched from Thursday's lineup.
Adrian Beltre, 3B, TEX – (Quadriceps) Rangers have no immediate plans to place him on the DL.
Yasiel Puig, OF, LAD – (Thumb) Struck out in a pinch-hit appearance Wednesday.
Josh Willingham, OF, MIN – (Hand) Missed Thursday's game.
Coco Crisp, OF, OAK – (Wrist) Possible return on Friday.

Players on the DL

Rafael Furcal, SS, MIA – (Hamstring) May start playing in extended spring training games as soon as Monday.
Ethan Martin, P, PHI – (Shoulder) Will throw first bullpen session since spring training on Friday.
Darin Ruf, OF, PHI – (Oblique) May begin rehab assignment Friday.
Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B, CLE – (Personal) Expected to rejoin the Indians on Sunday.
Gordon Beckham, 2B, CHW – (Oblique) Missed a minor league rehab game Thursday.
Will Middlebrooks, 3B, BOS – (Calf) Expected to hit balls off a tee Friday.
Cole Hamels, P, PHI – (Bicep) Could return as soon as April 22.
Nate Jones, P, CWS – (Back) MRI revealed injury is to his lower back, no activity through April 19.
Mike Adams, P, PHI – (Shoulder) May be activated Monday.
Freddy Galvis, 2B, PHI – (Illness) Could be activated as soon as Friday.
Chris Young, OF, NYM – (Quadriceps) Played in an extended spring training game Thursday and could start rehab assignment Friday.
Michael Bourn, OF, CLE – (Hamstring) May have to wait until Tuesday to be activated.
Avisail Garcia, OF, CWS – (Shoulder) Needs season-ending surgery after suffering a torn labrum Wednesday.
Jacob Turner, P, MIA – (Shoulder) – MRI on Thursday confirmed a right shoulder strain.
Aroldis Chapman, P, CIN – (Head) – Threw from 90 feet on Thursday.
Doug Fister, P, WAS – (Back) Expected to throw bullpen session either Friday or Saturday.
Jake Arrieta, P, CHC – (Shoulder) Completed his second rehab start Thursday.
Brian Wilson, P, LAD – (Elbow) Appears to be in line for an April 15 return.
A.J. Ellis, C, LAD – (Knee) Felt improvement after surgery earlier in the week.
Jesse Crain, P, HOU – (Biceps) Returned to the Astros' spring training complex Tuesday and is on track for a May return.

Placed on the DL (15-day DL, unless otherwise noted)

Avisail Garcia, OF, CWS

Traded

Gorkys Hernandez, OF, CWS (acquired from KC)

Placed on the Paternity List

Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B, CLE

Called Up

Justin Sellers, SS, CLE
Darin Mastroianni, OF, MIN
Jordan Danks, OF, CWS

Sent Down

Bobby LaFromboise, RP, SD
Pedro Ciriaco, RP, KC (designated for assignment)
Trevor Bauer, SP, CLE

Closer Watch

Oakland - Jim Johnson, whom the A's traded for and signed to a one-year, $10 million deal in offseason, didn't make it even a fortnight as closer, as manager Bob Melvin announced Thursday that he's going to give the right-hander "a break" from the ninth inning. The team will go with a closer by committee for the time being, meaning Luke Gregerson, Ryan Cook, Sean Doolittle and Dan Otero are all now in the mix for saves (at least theoretically). Gregerson seems like an obvious candidate to earn chances in the short term, given his track record (2.86 ERA, 9.1 K/9) and the fact that Cook (shoulder) is just back from the DL. The southpaw Doolittle could certainly see some opportunities as well, if the matchups call for him. Otero, while effective, doesn't have the swing-and-miss stuff that's typically valued in the later innings, and he's had some issues against lefties (.308/.357/.364).

New York Yankees - David Phelps did not allow a hit and fanned three over 2.1 innings against the Red Sox on Thursday to earn his first career save. While it was a nice performance, Phelps doesn't seem like a good bet for save chances moving forward. Shawn Kelley, who's now the top option with David Robertson (groin) out, was unavailable after pitching three of the previous four days, as was Adam Warren.

Hot Batter Matchups – April 11, 2014

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
D. Ross	C	BOS @ NYY 7:05PM	C. Sabathia	13	4	2	2	3	2	4	.308	.375	.769	1.144
G. Dobbs	1B	MIA @ PHI 7:05PM	A. Burnett	11	7	1	0	3	0	1	.636	.667	.727	1.394
A. Rios	OF	TEX vs HOU 8:05PM	S. Feldman	29	10	6	2	5	1	2	.345	.367	.690	1.056
R. Braun	OF	MIL vs PIT 8:10PM	F. Liriano	10	3	1	1	5	4	5	.300	.500	.600	1.100
J. Kubel	OF	MIN vs KC 8:10PM	B. Chen	14	6	3	1	1	0	3	.429	.429	.786	1.214
T. Plouffe	3B	MIN vs KC 8:10PM	B. Chen	17	4	3	3	4	1	1	.235	.278	.765	1.042
J. Willingham	OF	MIN vs KC 8:10PM	B. Chen	13	4	3	1	6	0	2	.308	.286	.769	1.055
J. Jay	OF	STL vs CHC 8:15PM	J. Samardzija	12	5	0	0	1	1	2	.417	.462	.417	.878
Y. Molina	C	STL vs CHC 8:15PM	J. Samardzija	15	7	1	0	2	1	2	.467	.500	.533	1.033
K. Seager	3B	SEA vs OAK 10:10PM	T. Milone	12	4	1	1	3	0	5	.333	.333	.583	.917
C. Gonzalez	OF	COL @ SF 10:15PM	M. Bumgarner	22	8	5	2	4	3	2	.364	.440	.773	1.213
T. Tulowitzki	SS	COL @ SF 10:15PM	M. Bumgarner	10	4	1	0	1	1	1	.400	.455	.500	.955
B. Posey	C	SF vs COL 10:15PM	J. De La Rosa	11	4	1	0	3	3	1	.364	.500	.455	.955

Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS

Hot Pitcher Matchups – April 11, 2014

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Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Chris Sale	CWS vs CLE 8:10PM	74	15	7	1	9	6	13	.203	.262	.328	.591
Felix Hernandez	SEA vs OAK 10:10PM	234	51	10	2	14	16	51	.218	.271	.279	.550

Hot Pitcher Matchups – April 11, 2014

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Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Chris Sale	CWS vs CLE 8:10PM	74	15	7	1	9	6	13	.203	.262	.328	.591
Felix Hernandez	SEA vs OAK 10:10PM	234	51	10	2	14	16	51	.218	.271	.279	.550

Cold Batter Matchups – April 11, 2014

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
D. Young	OF	BAL vs TOR 7:05PM	D. McGowan	11	1	0	0	0	1	3	.091	.231	.091	.322
A. Pierzynski	C	BOS @ NYY 7:05PM	C. Sabathia	27	6	3	1	2	0	6	.222	.222	.407	.630
J. Saltalamacchia	C	MIA @ PHI 7:05PM	A. Burnett	10	1	0	0	0	0	7	.100	.100	.100	.200
A. Lind	1B	TOR @ BAL 7:05PM	C. Tillman	14	3	0	0	2	0	4	.214	.214	.214	.429
J. Loney	1B	TB @ CIN 7:10PM	J. Cueto	12	2	0	0	0	3	2	.167	.333	.167	.500
A. Beltre	3B	TEX vs HOU 8:05PM	S. Feldman	16	2	1	1	4	1	1	.125	.167	.313	.479
P. Konerko	1B	CWS vs CLE 8:10PM	C. Carrasco	12	2	0	0	1	1	6	.167	.214	.167	.381
Y. Cespedes	OF	OAK @ SEA 10:10PM	F. Hernandez	16	4	1	0	1	0	5	.250	.333	.313	.646
J. Lowrie	SS	OAK @ SEA 10:10PM	F. Hernandez	13	3	1	1	1	0	6	.231	.231	.462	.692
B. Moss	1B	OAK @ SEA 10:10PM	F. Hernandez	13	4	2	0	0	0	4	.308	.308	.462	.769
J. Reddick	OF	OAK @ SEA 10:10PM	F. Hernandez	25	4	1	0	0	0	5	.160	.160	.200	.360
E. Sogard	SS	OAK @ SEA 10:10PM	F. Hernandez	12	2	0	0	0	0	0	.167	.167	.167	.333
M. Saunders	OF	SEA vs OAK 10:10PM	T. Milone	11	3	1	0	1	0	3	.273	.273	.455	.727
J. Smoak	1B	SEA vs OAK 10:10PM	T. Milone	10	2	0	0	2	1	3	.200	.273	.200	.473
A. Pagan	OF	SF vs COL 10:15PM	J. De La Rosa	15	3	2	0	1	1	2	.200	.250	.333	.583

Cold Pitcher Matchups – April 11, 2014

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Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Bruce Chen	KC @ MIN 8:10PM	86	28	12	5	15	3	11	.326	.342	.599	.941
Jeff Samardzija	CHC @ STL 8:15PM	60	21	3	0	7	13	9	.350	.462	.406	.868
Madison Bumgarner	SF vs COL 10:15PM	87	26	13	3	12	9	14	.299	.365	.556	.921

Recommended Pickup

Kelly Johnson, 2B, NYY - Mark Teixeira's placement on the DL last weekend with a Grade 1 hamstring strain has opened up playing time for Johnson, at least against right-handers. He'll likely sit often against lefties, but Johnson should still see a significant number of at-bats in the short term. The 32-year-old has hit two home runs and has driven in five in his last five games, so while he figures to sit Friday against Jon Lester, he could help owners as a nice, relatively cheap source of power.

Other Recent Recommendations - Yangervis Solarte, Nathan Eovaldi, Charlie Blackmon and Chris Owings

DraftStreet Value Picks
P - Tyler Skaggs, LAA ($10,136)
C - Brian McCann, NYY ($5,293)
1B - Joey Votto, CIN ($5,363)
2B - Howie Kendrick, LAA ($5,060)
SS - Brad Miller, SEA ($5,032)
3B - Josh Donaldson, OAK ($4,163)
OF - Leonys Martin, TEX ($5,444)