This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters – A look at Friday's matchups (all times Eastern)Pirates (Gerrit Cole - R) at Cubs (Jon Lester – L), 2:20
White Sox (Carlos Rodon – L) at Yankees (CC Sabathia – L), 7:05
Phillies (Jerad Eickhoff – R) at Nationals (Jordan Zimmermann – R), 7:05
Rays (Jake Odorizzi – R) at Blue Jays (R.A. Dickey – R), 7:07
Twins (Mike Pelfrey – R) at Tigers (Matt Boyd – L), 7:08
Braves (Ryan Weber – R) at Marlins (Jose Fernandez – R), 7:10
Orioles (Kevin Gausman – R) at Red Sox (Rich Hill – L), 7:10
Mets (Noah Syndergaard – R) at Reds (Anthony DeSclafani – R), 7:10
Indians (Carlos Carrasco – R) at Royals (Edinson Volquez – R), 8:10
Dodgers (Michael Bolsinger – R) at Rockies (David Hale – R), 8:10
Rangers (Yovani Gallardo – R) at Astros (Scott Kazmir – L), 8:10
Brewers (Ariel Pena – R) at Cardinals (Carlos Martinez – R), 8:15
Giants (Mike Leake – R) at A's (Sonny Gray – R), 10:05
Mariners (Vidal Nuno – L) at Angels (Garrett Richards – R), 10:05
D-backs (Rubby De La Rosa – R) at Padres (Casey Kelly – R), 10:10
Day Game After Night Game: None
Key Injuries
Out
Greg Holland, RP, KAN (Elbow) – Has a significant tear in his UCL and will likely require Tommy John surgery.
Hanley Ramirez, OF, BOS (Shoulder) – Shut down for the 2015 season.
Pablo Sandoval, 3B, BOS (Illness) – Season may be over due to pneumonia.
Devin Mesoraco, C, CIN (Hip) – Will begin light agility drills soon, could resume hitting and throwing in early November.
Danny Espinosa, SS, WAS (Hamstring) – Has a slight tear, won't return in 2015.
Day-to-Day
Masahiro Tanaka, SP, NYY (Hamstring) – Scheduled to a throw a bullpen session Friday after Thursday's examination came back positive. Expected to start Monday or Tuesday against Boston.
Adam Wainwright, SP, STL (Achilles) – Will throw a simulated game this weekend, but his availability for the postseason remains in question.
Michael Brantley, OF, CLE (Shoulder) – Improving, and questionable to play Friday after missing the last two games.
Adam Jones, OF, BAL (Back) – MRI came back clean, but it's unclear when he will return to the lineup.
Jonathan Lucroy, C, MIL (Concussion) – Formally cleared to play, may start Saturday against Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia.
Ryan Braun, OF, MIL (Back) – Missed his sixth straight game Thursday; season may be over.
Charlie Blackmon, OF, COL (Neck) – Sat for the second straight game Thursday.
Gregory Polanco, OF, PIT (Knee) – Likely to return to the lineup Friday after sitting Thursday.
Zach Britton, RP, BAL (Back) – Expected to play catch Friday.
James Paxton, SP, SEA – Left Thursday's start after 1.1 innings due to a torn fingernail.
Transactions
Dylan Bundy has been called up from Double-A Bowie and placed on the 60-day DL.
The Orioles purchased the contract of David Lough.
The Cardinals outrighted Xavier Scruggs to Triple-A Memphis.
Closer Watch
Kansas City Royals – Wade Davis will take over as the Royals' new closer with the news that Greg Holland is likely going to have Tommy John surgery.
Baltimore Orioles – See below (Recommended Pickup)
Key Matchups
Hot Batter Matchups – September 25, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| A. Rizzo | 1B | CHC vs PIT 2:20PM | G. Cole | 14 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | .357 | .471 | .429 | .899 |
| A. Ramirez | 3B | PIT @ CHC 2:20PM | J. Lester | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .455 | .455 | .545 | 1.000 |
| G. Beckham | 2B | CWS @ NYY 7:05PM | C. Sabathia | 23 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | .435 | .458 | .652 | 1.111 |
| M. Cabrera | OF | CWS @ NYY 7:05PM | C. Sabathia | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .300 | .300 | .900 | 1.200 |
| A. Ramirez | SS | CWS @ NYY 7:05PM | C. Sabathia | 30 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .367 | .387 | .500 | .887 |
| C. Asche | 3B | PHI @ WAS 7:05PM | J. Zimmermann | 15 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | .400 | .438 | .667 | 1.104 |
| A. Cabrera | SS | TB @ TOR 7:07PM | R. Dickey | 16 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | .375 | .474 | .938 | 1.411 |
| A. Gose | OF | DET vs MIN 7:08PM | M. Pelfrey | 12 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .417 | .500 | .583 | 1.083 |
| J. Hardy | SS | BAL @ BOS 7:10PM | R. Hill | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .400 | .500 | .600 | 1.100 |
| D. Pedroia | 2B | BOS vs BAL 7:10PM | W. Chen | 35 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | .486 | .526 | .714 | 1.241 |
| J. Castro | C | HOU vs TEX 8:10PM | Y. Gallardo | 20 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | .350 | .435 | .600 | 1.035 |
| C. Rasmus | OF | HOU vs TEX 8:10PM | Y. Gallardo | 22 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | .318 | .483 | .682 | 1.165 |
| E. Hosmer | 1B | KC vs CLE 8:10PM | C. Carrasco | 17 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | .294 | .368 | .529 | .898 |
| S. Choo | OF | TEX @ HOU 8:10PM | S. Kazmir | 24 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | .292 | .452 | .458 | .910 |
| K. Davis | OF | MIL @ STL 8:15PM | C. Martinez | 10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .400 | .455 | .900 | 1.355 |
| R. Cano | 2B | SEA @ LAA 10:05PM | G. Richards | 22 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .318 | .375 | .500 | .875 |
| L. Morrison | 1B | SEA @ LAA 10:05PM | G. Richards | 15 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | .267 | .389 | .600 | .989 |
| S. Smith | OF | SEA @ LAA 10:05PM | G. Richards | 20 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | .300 | .300 | .550 | .850 |
| Y. Solarte | 3B | SD vs ARI 10:10PM | R. De La Rosa | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .400 | .400 | .600 | 1.000 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Hot Pitcher Matchups – September 25, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Jake Odorizzi | TB @ TOR 7:07PM | 71 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 10 | .169 | .256 | .353 | .610 |
| Scott Kazmir | HOU vs TEX 8:10PM | 230 | 46 | 11 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 51 | .200 | .273 | .295 | .569 |
| Carlos Carrasco | CLE @ KC 8:10PM | 160 | 34 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 41 | .212 | .278 | .339 | .617 |
| Rubby De La Rosa | ARI @ SD 10:10PM | 65 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 15 | .200 | .257 | .270 | .527 |
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 – September 25, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| C. Coghlan | OF | CHC vs PIT 2:20PM | G. Cole | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .182 | .286 | .182 | .468 |
| A. McCutchen | OF | PIT @ CHC 2:20PM | J. Lester | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .100 | .182 | .100 | .282 |
| T. Snider | OF | PIT @ CHC 2:20PM | J. Lester | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | .091 | .091 | .364 | .455 |
| C. Ruiz | C | PHI @ WAS 7:05PM | J. Zimmermann | 22 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .182 | .182 | .318 | .500 |
| K. Kiermaier | OF | TB @ TOR 7:07PM | R. Dickey | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .167 | .200 | .222 | .422 |
| J. Bautista | OF | TOR vs TB 7:07PM | J. Odorizzi | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | .000 | .267 | .000 | .267 |
| E. Encarnacion | 1B | TOR vs TB 7:07PM | J. Odorizzi | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .182 | .250 | .273 | .523 |
| A. Simmons | SS | ATL @ MIA 7:10PM | J. Fernandez | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 | .273 | .300 | .573 |
| M. Betts | OF | BOS vs BAL 7:10PM | W. Chen | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .083 | .083 | .083 | .167 |
| R. Hanigan | C | BOS vs BAL 7:10PM | W. Chen | 13 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .154 | .313 | .385 | .697 |
| J. Altuve | 2B | HOU vs TEX 8:10PM | Y. Gallardo | 28 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .250 | .250 | .250 | .500 |
| A. Escobar | SS | KC vs CLE 8:10PM | C. Carrasco | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | .250 | .250 | .250 | .500 |
| A. Gordon | OF | KC vs CLE 8:10PM | C. Carrasco | 26 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | .154 | .290 | .385 | .675 |
| M. Moustakas | 3B | KC vs CLE 8:10PM | C. Carrasco | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .133 | .235 | .133 | .369 |
| S. Perez | C | KC vs CLE 8:10PM | C. Carrasco | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .222 | .222 | .222 | .444 |
| A. Rios | OF | KC vs CLE 8:10PM | C. Carrasco | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .071 | .133 | .286 | .419 |
| R. Chirinos | C | TEX @ HOU 8:10PM | S. Kazmir | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .091 | .231 | .091 | .322 |
| C. Corporan | C | TEX @ HOU 8:10PM | S. Kazmir | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .091 | .091 | .091 | .182 |
| D. DeShields Jr. | OF | TEX @ HOU 8:10PM | S. Kazmir | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .100 | .100 | .100 | .200 |
| P. Fielder | 1B | TEX @ HOU 8:10PM | S. Kazmir | 21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | .143 | .208 | .286 | .494 |
| M. Napoli | 1B | TEX @ HOU 8:10PM | S. Kazmir | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | .118 | .250 | .118 | .368 |
| R. Odor | 2B | TEX @ HOU 8:10PM | S. Kazmir | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .167 | .167 | .250 | .417 |
| R. Rua | OF | TEX @ HOU 8:10PM | S. Kazmir | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .182 | .250 | .273 | .523 |
| N. Cruz | OF | SEA @ LAA 10:05PM | G. Richards | 22 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .182 | .217 | .273 | .490 |
| B. Miller | SS | SEA @ LAA 10:05PM | G. Richards | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | .188 | .176 | .188 | .364 |
| M. Kemp | OF | SD vs ARI 10:10PM | R. De La Rosa | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .100 | .100 | .100 | .200 |
| J. Upton | OF | SD vs ARI 10:10PM | R. De La Rosa | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | .000 | .167 | .000 | .167 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Cold Pitcher Matchups – September 25, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Gerrit Cole | PIT @ CHC 2:20PM | 98 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 29 | .306 | .364 | .368 | .732 |
| CC Sabathia | NYY vs CWS 7:05PM | 83 | 29 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 14 | .349 | .393 | .554 | .948 |
| Yovani Gallardo | TEX @ HOU 8:10PM | 151 | 45 | 16 | 5 | 15 | 18 | 35 | .298 | .376 | .479 | .855 |
| Edinson Volquez | KC vs CLE 8:10PM | 60 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 14 | .317 | .401 | .550 | .951 |
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
Darren O'Day, RP, BAL – With Zach Britton still working through a back ailment, O'Day is temporarily positioned as the Orioles' closer. O'Day picked up his third save in as many days Thursday in a win over Washington, and his elite ratios (1.44 ERA, 0.91 WHIP) and peripherals (78:13 K:BB) can make him a useful staff filler for the final 10 days of the season even if Britton is healthy enough to close out games again.
Other Recent Recommendations:Jorge Lopez, Tyler Duffey, Starlin Castro, Justin Bour, Cliff Pennington
DraftKings Value Picks
SP: Mike Leake, SF ($5,400)
C: John Jaso, TAM ($3,000)
1B: Justin Bour ($3,500)
2B: Scooter Gennett ($2,400)
SS: Alexei Ramirez ($3,300)
3B: Jake Lamb ($2,900)
OF: Chris Young ($2,700)
