Friday Lineup Card: Aoki Is A-OK

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

Orioles (Wei-Yin Chen – L) at Indians (Corey Kluber – R), 7:05
Pirates (Charlie Morton – R) at Nationals (Tanner Roark – R), 7:05
Mariners (James Paxton – L) at Tigers (Rick Porcello – L), 7:08
Cubs (Travis Wood – L) at Mets (Zack Wheeler – R), 7:10
Astros (Dallas Keuchel – L) at Red Sox (Clay Buchholz – R), 7:10
Diamondbacks (Trevor Cahill – R) at Marlins (Brad Hand – L), 7:10
Yankees (Brandon McCarthy – R) at Rays (Alex Cobb – R), 7:10
Athletics (Jason Hammel – R) at Braves (Alex Wood – L), 7:35
Angels (Garrett Richards – R) at Rangers (Nick Martinez – R), 8:05
Royals (Danny Duffy – L) at Twins (Ricky Nolasco – R), 8:10
Blue Jays (Marcus Stroman – R) at White Sox (Hector Noesi – R), 8:10
Padres (Tyson Ross – R) at Cardinals (Lance Lynn – R), 8:15
Reds (Johnny Cueto – R) at Rockies (Franklin Morales – L), 8:40
Brewers (Jimmy Nelson – R) at Dodgers (Zack Greinke – R), 10:10
Phillies (Cole Hamels – L) at Giants (Madison Bumgarner – L), 10:15

Day Game After Night Game: None

Injuries

Day-to-Day

Jayson Werth, OF, WAS (Shoulder) – Could be available to pinch hit on Friday.
Yangervis Solarte, 2B, SD (Oblique) – Reported improvement on injury suffered Wednesday.
Desmond Jennings, OF, TB (Shoulder) – Expected to return to the lineup on Friday.
Jordy Mercer, SS, PIT (Forearm) – May miss Friday's game after being pulled out of the game on Thursday.
Justin Upton, OF, ATL (Hamstring) – Could miss the weekend series after trying to tag up from second base in Thursday's game.
Neil Walker, 2B, PIT (Back) – Missed eight straight games but Walker remains hopeful he won't need a DL trip.
Ryan Braun, OF, MIL (Thumb) – Did not play on Thursday but might be available for Friday's game.
Hyun-Jin Ryu, SP, LAD (Leg) – Will have an MRI on Friday.

Players on the DL

Yu Darvish, SP, TEX (Elbow) – Diagnosed with inflammation and will rest until the pain subsides.
Rafael Furcal, SS, MIA (Hamstring) – Will not play for the rest of the season.
Dan Jennings, RP, MIA (Concussion) – No symptoms since August 7.
Wil Myers, OF, TB (Wrist) – May return to action on Tuesday.
Stolmy Pimentel, RP, PIT (Lower Body) – Will be placed on the DL on Friday.
Andrew Cashner, SP, SD (Shoulder) – Felt fine after rehab start on Wednesday and could return in just over a week.
Mitch Moreland, 1B, TEX (Ankle) – Cast was removed and get walking boot removed in another five weeks.
Yadier Molina, C, STL (Thumb) – Caught a bullpen session on Monday.
Eric Hosmer, 1B, KC (Hand) – Will not be cleared to swing a bat for another week.
Alex Presley, OF, HOU (Oblique) – Was scratched from Thursday rehab game.
Jason Motte, RP, STL (Back) – Not expected to return to action until September.
Jacob deGrom, SP, NYM (Shoulder) – May be cleared to resume throwing on Friday.
Matt Harvey, SP, NYM (Elbow) – Will not pitch this year.
Henderson Alvarez, SP, MIA (Shoulder) – Expected to start on Saturday.
Michael Morin, SP, LAA (Foot) – Expected to be activated off the DL on Saturday.
Brandon Phillips, 2B, CIN (Thumb) – Will begin a rehab assignment on Friday.
Derek Dietrich, 2B, MIA (Wrist) – Expected to rejoin the team in September.
Jed Lowrie, SS, OAK (Finger) – Will be placed on the DL with a hairline fracture.
Michael Saunders, OF, SEA (Oblique) – Has rejoined Triple-A Tacoma for his rehab assignment.
A.J. Pollock, OF, ARI (Hand) – Expected to resume his rehab assignment over the weekend.
Hanley Ramirez, SS, LAD (Oblique) – Threw the ball on Wednesday but has not swung a bat yet.
Carter Capps, RP, MIA (Elbow) – Could return to the team in September if he avoids setbacks.
Michael Cuddyer, OF, COL (Shoulder) – Could be activated from the DL over the weekend.
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, COL (Hip) – Expected to need five months of recovery time after torn labrum surgery on Friday.
Carlos Gonzalez, OF, COL (Knee) – Is expected to miss the remainder of the season, although nothing is official as of yet.
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B, TOR (Quad) – Expected to rejoin the Blue Jays on Friday.

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)

Yonder Alonso, 1B, SD

Called Up

Bradin Hagens, RP, ARI
Alex Wilson, RP, BOS
Luis Avilan, RP, ATL
Jace Peterson, 2B, SD
Robbie Ross, Jr., SP, TEX
Melvin Mercedes, RP, DET

Sent Down (to Triple-A, unless otherwise noted)

Matt Hague, 1B, PIT
Juan Jaime, RP, ATL
Andrew Chafin, SP, ARI
Buck Farmer, RP, DET
Nate Adcock, RP, TEX
Ryan Lavarnway, C, BOS
Brad Mills, RP, TOR

Claimed Off Waivers

John Axford, RP, PIT (from Cleveland)

Closer Watch

Orioles – I don't see Zach Britton losing his grasp on the O's closer's gig but he has given up four earned runs on three hits and two walks over his last two appearances (August 10 and 13), while pushing his ERA and WHIP up to 2.11 and 0.920 respectively on the year. Before Britton's recent poor outings, the last time he gave up a run was on July 18.

Royals – Greg Holland is arguably the best closer in the game right now (Craig Kimbrel owners would disagree, maybe even Huston Street owners?) as he has helped push the Royals into first place with eight saves since July 30.

Key Matchups

Hot Batter Matchups – August 15, 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
J. Werth	OF	WAS vs PIT 7:05PM	C. Morton	12	4	2	2	5	2	1	.333	.429	.833	1.262
R. Cano	2B	SEA @ DET 7:08PM	R. Porcello	18	7	2	0	3	2	0	.389	.450	.500	.950
Y. Cespedes	OF	BOS vs HOU 7:10PM	D. Keuchel	10	5	1	0	0	0	2	.500	.500	.600	1.100
B. Gardner	OF	NYY @ TB 7:10PM	A. Cobb	10	2	1	1	1	3	1	.200	.385	.500	.885
J. Heyward	OF	ATL vs OAK 7:35PM	J. Hammel	12	7	0	0	0	0	1	.583	.583	.583	1.167
A. Escobar	SS	KC @ MIN 8:10PM	R. Nolasco	11	6	2	0	0	0	0	.545	.545	.727	1.273
J. Willingham	OF	KC @ MIN 8:10PM	R. Nolasco	10	4	2	0	4	0	4	.400	.400	.600	1.000
W. Venable	OF	SD @ STL 8:15PM	L. Lynn	10	4	2	1	1	0	2	.400	.400	.800	1.200
C. Gomez	OF	MIL @ LAD 10:10PM	Z. Greinke	11	3	2	1	4	1	5	.273	.333	.636	.970
L. Overbay	1B	MIL @ LAD 10:10PM	Z. Greinke	26	9	4	3	8	1	6	.346	.370	.731	1.101
B. Posey	C	SF vs PHI 10:15PM	C. Hamels	14	8	5	1	5	1	3	.571	.600	1.071	1.671

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

Hot Pitcher Matchups – August 15, 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
Travis Wood	CHC @ NYM 7:10PM	65	13	5	2	5	6	10	.200	.268	.331	.599
Brandon McCarthy	NYY @ TB 7:10PM	79	15	4	2	2	3	16	.190	.220	.293	.513
Alex Cobb	TB vs NYY 7:10PM	85	15	5	3	6	6	21	.176	.231	.321	.551
Madison Bumgarner	SF vs PHI 10:15PM	68	16	4	1	5	1	16	.235	.242	.319	.560

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 – August 15, 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
M. Aviles	SS	CLE vs BAL 7:05PM	W. Chen	11	1	0	0	2	1	3	.091	.154	.091	.245
R. Tejada	SS	NYM vs CHC 7:10PM	T. Wood	13	2	0	0	1	2	4	.154	.267	.154	.421
I. Suzuki	OF	NYY @ TB 7:10PM	A. Cobb	17	3	1	0	0	0	3	.176	.176	.294	.471
D. Jennings	OF	TB vs NYY 7:10PM	B. McCarthy	11	1	1	1	1	0	2	.091	.091	.364	.455
E. Longoria	3B	TB vs NYY 7:10PM	B. McCarthy	12	2	0	0	0	1	3	.167	.231	.167	.397
B. Zobrist	2B	TB vs NYY 7:10PM	B. McCarthy	16	3	2	1	1	2	2	.188	.278	.438	.715
S. Choo	OF	TEX vs LAA 8:05PM	G. Richards	10	2	0	0	1	2	5	.200	.333	.200	.533
R. Ibanez	OF	KC @ MIN 8:10PM	R. Nolasco	22	6	1	0	0	0	3	.273	.273	.318	.591
T. Plouffe	3B	MIN vs KC 8:10PM	D. Duffy	12	1	0	0	0	0	5	.083	.083	.083	.167
M. Byrd	OF	PHI @ SF 10:15PM	M. Bumgarner	15	3	0	0	1	0	2	.200	.200	.200	.400
J. Rollins	SS	PHI @ SF 10:15PM	M. Bumgarner	14	2	0	0	0	0	3	.143	.143	.143	.286
M. Morse	OF	SF vs PHI 10:15PM	C. Hamels	22	5	1	1	1	0	11	.227	.227	.364	.591

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

Cold Pitcher Matchups – August 15, 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
Jason Hammel	OAK @ ATL 7:35PM	81	25	4	2	13	5	15	.309	.355	.413	.768
Ricky Nolasco	MIN vs KC 8:10PM	117	36	13	1	13	2	17	.308	.324	.438	.762
Zack Greinke	LAD vs MIL 10:10PM	109	35	9	6	19	8	26	.321	.368	.516	.883
Cole Hamels	PHI @ SF 10:15PM	154	47	16	5	15	7	33	.305	.340	.476	.815

Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS

Norichika Aoki, OF, KC – There have only been a few players that have been hotter than Aoki over the last couple of weeks, and more importantly the last seven days. Aoki is a nice addition if you need the outfield help, as he has raised his batting average from .262 to .273 since August 1. Aoki has also scored 10 runs, stole four bases, smacked one homer and driven in nine RBI during that same stretch.

Other Recent Recommendations :Derek Jeter, David Peralta, Rymer Liriano, Michael Pineda and Josh Rutledge.

Draft Kings Value Picks

SP: Madison Bumgarner, SF ($8,600)
C: Evan Gattis, ATL ($3,400)
1B: Billy Butler, KC ($3,700)
2B: D.J. LeMahieu, COL ($2,800)
SS: Scooter Gennett, MIL ($3,400)
3B: Conor Gillaspie, CHW ($3,400)
OF: Kole Calhoun, LAA ($3,800)