Sunday Lineup Card: Lefty Showdown in Bay Series

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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

Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez – R) at Brewers (Randy Wolf – L), 2:10
Mets (Mike Pelfrey – R) at Yankees (Ivan Nova – R), 1:05
Reds (Edinson Volquez – R) at Indians (Carlos Carrasco – R), 1:05
Astros (Wandy Rodriguez – L) at Blue Jays (Kyle Drabek – R), 1:07
Rays (James Shields – R) at Marlins (Jay Buente – R), 1:10
Tigers (Rick Porcello – R) at Pirates (Paul Maholm – L), 1:35
Rangers (Matt Harrison – L) at Phillies (Roy Oswalt – R), 1:35
Nationals (Jordan Zimmermann – R) at Orioles (Chris Tillman – R), 1:35
Cardinals (Jaime Garcia – L) at Royals (Sean O'Sullivan – R), 2:10
Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda – R) at White Sox (Edwin Jackson – R), 2:10
Braves (Derek Lowe – R) at Angels (Tyler Chatwood – R), 3:35
Mariners (Felix Hernandez – R) at Padres (Tim Stauffer – R), 4:05
Athletics (Gio Gonzalez – L) at Giants (Jonathan Sanchez – L), 4:05
Twins (Francisco Liriano – L) at Diamondbacks (Daniel Hudson – R), 4:10
Cubs (TBD) at Red Sox (Tim Wakefield – R), 8:05

Day Game After a Night Game: COL, MIL, DET, PIT, NYM, NYY, OAK, SF, TEX, PHI, SEA, SD, ATL, LAA, MIN, ARI

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

Day-to-Day (includes players expected to make their return from the DL)
Howie Kendrick, 2B, LAA – (Hamstring) Did not play Friday, but a DL stint is not imminent.
Josh Beckett, SP, BOS – (Neck) Should make next start.
B.J. Upton, OF, TB – (Lower Body) Out of the lineup Saturday, but could return Sunday.
Tim Hudson, SP, ATL – (Back) Optimistic about making his next start, but experienced lower back stiffness in his rough outing Friday.
Joe Blanton, RP, PHI – (Elbow) Out until at least the end of May.
Aaron Rowand, OF, SF – (Back) Could return sometime this weekend.
Juan Uribe, 2B, LAD – (Hip) Did not play Saturday.
Lance Berkman, 1B, STL – (Wrist) Missed a third straight game Saturday.
Jonathan Lucroy, C, MIL – (Wrist) Returned to the lineup Saturday.
Carlos Gonzalez, OF, COL – (Groin) Back in the lineup Saturday.
Todd Helton, 1B, COL – (Back) Should return in a couple days.
Matt Garza, SP, CHC – (Elbow) Will miss Sunday's start with tightness in his right elbow.

Players on the DL
Travis Hafner, DH, PHI – (Oblique) Placed on the 15-day DL Friday; expected to miss 3-4 weeks.
Jesse Litsch, SP, TOR – (Shoulder) Placed on the 15-day DL Friday; expected to miss at least two starts.
Mitch Talbot, SP, CLE – (Elbow) Will likely pitch as a starter when he returns from the DL.
Junichi Tazawa, RP, BOS – (Elbow) Made his first rehab start Friday since undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Marco Scutaro, SS, BOS – (Oblique) Will not come off the DL when eligible Monday.
Vernon Wells, OF, LAA – (Groin) Could miss several more weeks.
Scott Kazmir, SP, LAA – (Back) Will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday.
Joe Mauer, C, MIN – (Leg) Making progress, but still no timetable for his return.
Brad Thomas, RP, DET – (Elbow) Placed on the 15-day DL.
Nelson Cruz, OF, TEX – (Quad) Expected to be activated from the DL by Monday.
Phil Hughes, SP, NYY – (Shoulder) Progressing in his rehab, but still waiting confirmation to up the intensity of his workouts.
Pedro Feliciano, RP, NYY – (Shoulder) Hopes to return in July.
Eric Chavez, 3B, NYY – (Foot) Should start weight-bearing exercises in the last week of May.
Derrek Lee, 1B, CLE – (Oblique) Believes he'll return from the DL when eligible.
John Lackey, SP, BOS – (Elbow) Threw Saturday for the first time since receiving a cortisone shot Monday.
Grady Sizemore, OF, CLE – (Knee) Hasn't started running yet, but hopes to return before the start of June.
Bobby Jenks, RP, BOS – (Arm) Threw a bullpen session Saturday.
Adam Lind, 1B, TOR – (Back) Still more than a week away from returning.
David Wright, 3B, NYM – (Back) Has been inactive since going on the DL this week.
Angel Pagan, OF, NYM – (Oblique) Nearing a return from the DL.
Jose Contreras, RP, PHI – (Elbow) Scheduled to make possibly his last rehab appearance Saturday.
Rafael Furcal, SS, LAD – (Thumb) Could be activated Sunday.
Marcus Thames, OF, LAD – (Quad) Could start a rehab assignment next week.
Vincente Padilla, RP, LAD – (Forearm) Doesn't expect to miss more than the minimum 15 days.
Casey Blake, 3B, LAD – (Elbow) May begin a rehab assignment Sunday or Monday.
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, WAS – (Abdomen) Expected to start rehab work soon.
Mark DeRosa, OF, SF – (Wrist) No timetable has been offered on when he may return.
Pablo Sandoval, 3B, SF – (Hand) Could return in 2-to-3 weeks.
Randy Wells, SP, CHC – (Forearm) Expected to be activated to start next Friday's game.
Chase Utley, 2B, PHI – (Knee) Could rejoin the Phillies this coming week.
Aroldis Chapman, RP, CIN – (Shoulder) Still no return date set.
Brad Lidge, RP, PHI – (Shoulder) Hopes to return in three weeks, but doesn't expect to close right away.
Donnie Murphy, SS, FLA – (Wrist) Moved to the 60-day DL.
Josh Johnson, SP, FLA – (Shoulder) Hopes to return when eligible June 1.
Manny Parra, SP, MIL – (Elbow) Will be shut down indefinitely with elbow pain.
Esmil Rogers, RP, COL – (Back) Will remain on the DL for several more weeks.

Transactions - Players that have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.

Called Up
Josh Judy, RP, CLE
Charlie Furbish, RP, DET
Micah Owings, SP, ARI
Jay Buente, SP, FLA

Sent Down
Jason Berken, RP, BAL

Placed on DL (15-day unless otherwise noted)
Josh Johnson, SP, FLA
Alex White, SP, CLE
Brad Thomas, RP, DET
Donnie Murphy, 3B, FLA – transferred to the 60-day DL
Pedro Alvarez, 3B, PIT
Cesar Izturis, SS, BAL – transferred to the 60-day DL

Activated from DL
Alfredo Simon, RP, BAL – from restricted list (murder trial)

Released
Russell Branyan, 1B, ARI

Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (check out our Closer Grid with the link to the left).

Arizona – Joe Paterson earned the first save of his career in Friday's win over the Twins. J.J. Putz was unavailable, and the responsibility to close out the game fell to Paterson after Juan Gutierrez and David Hernandez allowed the Twins to pull the score within a run.

Boston – Scott Atchison earned a three-inning save in Friday's win over the Cubs. This was a rare three-inning save in a game that the Red Sox won 15-5. Jonathon Papelbon owners need not worry that the 35-year-old Atchison pose any threat to his job.

Houston – Mark Melancon converted his second save of the season Friday against the Blue Jays. He's serving as the interim closer while Brandon Lyon (shoulder) is on the DL. Considering we haven't had an update on Lyon's status in over 15 days, Melancon remains a great temporary option. Don't let him sit in the free agent pool if you need saves.

Toronto – Octavio Dotel earned his first save of the season Saturday. Frank Francisco pitched in the team's last two games, leaving him unavailable for the day. Jon Rauch was brought in to get the save, but Dotel relieved him after Rauch struggled to close it out. Francisco gave up three runs and was awarded the loss after being brought in with the score tied Friday. The Jays are unlikely to hold Francisco's poor appearance against him, given that it came on in a non-save situation. Rauch, however, may lose his grip on the setup role with Dotel having to step up and save his tail Saturday.

Recommended Pickup

Josh Collmenter, SP, ARI – While we don't expect Collmenter to continue dominating opposing lineups the way he has in his first two starts, he has done so well that I'd be remiss if we didn't give him his due. Since being given the starting gig two turns of the rotation ago, Collmenter has thrown 12 innings of shutout baseball and collected wins against the Braves and Dodgers. Combined with his 14 innings out of the 'pen this season, Collmenter has posted a 0.69 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, and 15:1 K:BB ratio. He's in a zone right now that will get exposed sooner than later, but it's worth grabbing him on a speculative add and riding the hot hand for the time being.

Other Recent Recommendations: Madison Bumgarner, Brad Hawpe, Coco Crisp, Danny Duffy, Laynce Nix

If you missed out on our recent free roll with DraftStreet, don't worry - we have another chance for you to take home some serious cash.

Click here to join this Friday's $1000 giveaway. It costs just $5 per entry and you can have up to 3 entries. It's only open to the first 220 people that sign up, but you can edit your lineups right up until 7pm est on Friday so register now to make sure you don't miss out.

Even if the league doesn't fill up, DraftStreet will still give away the entire $1000 prize pool spread across the top 18 finishers, with the top score for the night guaranteed to take home $250. So, Register for a free account at DraftStreet.com today and start practicing. Remember to use bonus code Rotowire on your first deposit to get some extra cash released into your account as you play.

As a reminder, the competition will be an MLB Salary Cap league where values for each player are set based on projected fantasy value each day and your mission is to find the bargains and make the best 14 player team possible within the $100,000 budget.

Be sure to come back to Rotowire's Daily Lineup Card on Friday for all the analysis you need to dominate the competition and take home cash on DraftStreet .

Draft Street Lineup

C – Carlos Santana, CLE ($7,409)
1B – Prince Fielder, MIL ($9,800)
2B – Ben Zobrist, TB ($6,987)
3B – Maicer Izturis, LAA ($6, 330)
SS – Hanley Ramirez, FLA ($5,758)
OF – Alfonso Soriano, CHC ($4,653)
OF – Torii Hunter, LAA ($4,046)
OF – Corey Patterson, TOR ($5,480)
UTIL – Brett Gardner, NYY ($5,336)
UTIL – Ryan Spilborghs, COL ($4,107)
SP – Felix Hernandez, SEA ($15,074)
SP – Rick Porcello, DET ($7,991)
RP – Jonathon Papelbon, BOS ($2,728)
P – Jonathan Sanchez, SF ($12,065)

Total: $97,764

Register for a free account at DraftStreet.com and start playing daily fantasy sports games today! Use the promo code "Rotowire" and receive a 30% bonus on your first deposit!