Saturday Lineup Card: Strasburg Almost Ready

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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

Reds (Dontrelle Willis - L) at Pirates (Chralie Morton - R), 4:10
Dodgers (Ted Lilly - L) at Rockies (Esmil Rogers - R), 4:10
Brewers (Randy Wolf - L) at Mets (Chris Capuano - L), 4:10
Cardinals (Edwin Jackson - R) at Cubs (Matt Garza - R), 4:10
Indians (David Huff - L) at Tigers (Doug Fister - R), 7:05
Phillies (Kyle Kendrick - R) at Nationals (John Lannan - L), 7:05
Giants (Madison Bumgarner - L) at Astros (Jordan Lyles - R), 7:05
Diamondbacks (Wade Miley - L) at Braves (Brandon Beachy - R), 7:10
Red Sox (Tim Wakefield - R) at Royals (Felipe Paulino - R), 7:10
Yankees (A.J. Burnett - R) at Twins (Francisco Liriano - L), 7:10
Mariners (Charlie Furbush - L) at Rays (Jeremy Hellickson - R), 7:10
Rangers (Alexi Ogando - R) at White Sox (John Danks- L), 7:10
Marlins (Clay Hensley - R) at Padres (Aaron Harang - R), 8:35
Orioles (Tommy Hunter - R) at Angels (Joel Pineiro - R), 9:05
Blue Jays (Henderson Alvarez - R) at A's (Gio Gonzalez - L), 9:05

Day game after a night game: CIN, PIT, LAD, COL, MIL, NYM

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

Day-to-Day

Cole Hamels, SP, PHI - (Shoulder) Will throw a light bullpen session Saturday; should return next week
Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI - (Hand) Was in the starting lineup Friday
Mike Morse, OF, WAS - (Elbow) Day-to-day with swelling
David Ortiz, DH, BOS - (Heel) Did not start Friday
Michael Cuddyer, OF, MIN - (Neck) Scheduled to take batting practice Saturday
Mitch Moreland, 1B, TEX - (Hamstring) Returned to the lineup Friday as the DH
Carlos Ruiz, C, PHI - (Groin) Returned to the lineup Friday
Jeff Keppinger, 2B, SF - (Wrist) Was not in Friday's lineup
Marco Scutaro, 2B, BOS - (Back) Was not in Friday's lineup
Andre Ethier, OF, LAD - Out of Friday's lineup with an infected toe
Pablo Sandoval, 3B, SF - Scratched from Friday's lineup with an inflamed shoulder

Players on the DL

Jose Reyes, SS, NYM - (Hamstring) Ran Friday but is unlikely to return when first eligible Tuesday
Alex Rodriguez, 3B, NYY - (Knee) Likely won't be activated until Sunday or Tuesday
Scott Baker, SP, MIN - (Elbow) Will begin a throwing program soon
Placido Polanco, 3B, PHI - (Hip) May not return Monday when eligible
Jose Contreras, RP, PHI - (Elbow) Will throw from a mound Saturday for the first time since landing on DL
Al Alburquerque, RP, DET - (Head) Likely at least a week away from returning
A.J. Pierzynski, C, CWS - (Wrist) Resumed baseball activities Friday
Chris Coghlan, OF, FLA - (Knee) Activated from the DL and optioned to Triple-A New Orleans
Peter Moylan, RP, ATL - (Back) Will begin a rehab assignment Monday

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)
Jason Kipnis, 2B, CLE
Freddy Garcia, SP, NYY
Philip Humber, SP, CWS
Jack Wilson, 2B, SEA
Eli Whiteside, C, SF - 7-day DL

Activated from the DL
Brendan Ryan, SS, SEA

Called Up
Mike Trout, OF, LAA
Josh Kinney, P, CWS
Luis Valbuena, 2B, CLE
Shelley Duncan, OF, CLE
Hector Sanchez, C, SF
Joel Carreno, P, TOR

Sent Down
Chris Coghlan, OF, FLA
Ezequiel Carrera, OF, CLE
Horacio Ramirez, P, LAA

Claimed off Waivers
Aaron Laffey, P, NYY

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

Boston - Jonathan Papelbon tossed a perfect ninth inning in Thursday's victory over the Royals, and continued a long stretch of appearances without issuing a walk. Papelbon has not allowed a free baserunner since July 10, a streak that spans 15 appearances and innings. Papelbon's ability to limit his walks has allowed him to 0.95 WHIP and go 29-for-30 in save opportunities.

Cleveland - Chris Perez struggled a bit around the turn of the month, but he has settled down a little bit of late. Perez has allowed just one hit and two walks in his last 6.1 innings and is 4-for-4 in save opportunities since August 9. Perez will be vital to the Indians' pursuit of the Tigers over the remaining few weeks of the season.

Texas - With Neftali Feliz unavailable after pitching four times in five days, Mike Adams was called upon to protect a 1-0 lead on Thursday's game against the Angels. Mark Trumbo prevented Adams from doing his job by doing his, belting a two-run, walk-off home run after Torii Hunter singled to open the ninth. Adams has been decent with the Rangers, giving up zero earned runs in seven of his nine outings, but he has also allowed 13 baserunners in 8.1 innings and picked up two losses. Feliz remains the clear closer in Arlington.

Recommended Pickup

Stephen Strasburg, SP, WAS - This may appear to be an odd recommendation for several reasons, but judging by the fact Strasburg is still available in more than half of ESPN and Yahoo! leagues, he at least deserves a mention. Strasburg has made a smooth recovery in his return from Tommy John surgery and is in line to make starts for the Nationals in September. His strikeout rate provides him the potential to make an impact in the fantasy postseason even if he only starts a few games, so now is the time to take a chance on him. Strasburg is obviously gone in a lot of leagues, but if you play in a one-year league and he's still hanging out on the free agent wire, stash him on your DL or consider burning a roster spot for a couple weeks. The move should pay off in the end.

Other recent recommendations:Will Venable, Mike Carp, Brandon Belt, Ben Revere, Brandon Allen

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Draft Street Lineup - Coming Soon!

C - Brian, McCann, ATL ($5,947)
1B - Prince Fielder, MILI ($6,234)
2B - Chase Utley, PHI ($8,399)
3B - Evan Longoria, TB ($8,364)
SS - J.J. Hardy, BAL - ($7,257)
OF - Matt Kemp, LAD ($8,823)
OF - Adam Jones, BAL ($7,346)
OF - Laynce Nix, WAS ($4,872)
UTIL - David Wright, NYM ($7,913)
UTIL - Matt Diaz, PIT ($2,867)
SP - Jeremy Hellickson, TB ($11,019)
SP - Gio Gonzalez, OAK ($10,098)
RP - Heath Bell, SD ($2,406)
P - Edwin Jackson, STL ($8,331)

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