This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.
Projected Starters - A look at Sunday's matchups (all times Eastern)Indians (Corey Kluber – R) at Tigers (Alfredo Simon – R) 1:08
Braves (Mike Foltynewicz – R) at Mets (Dillon Gee – R), 1:10
Rockies (Jorge De La Rosa – L) at Marlins (Dan Haren – R), 1:10
White Sox (Chris Sale – L) at Rays (Nathan Karns – R), 1:10
Yankees (Adam Warren – R) at Orioles (Mike Wright – R), 1:35
Blue Jays (Marco Estrada – R) at Red Sox (Eduardo Rodriguez – L), 1:35
Phillies (Cole Hamels – L) at Pirates (A.J. Burnett – R), 1:35
Nationals (Max Scherzer – R) at Brewers (Taylor Jungmann – R), 2:10
Mariners (Roenis Elias – L) at Astros (Lance McCullers – R), 2:10
Royals (Chris Young – R) at Cardinals (John Lackey – R), 2:15
Twins (Phil Hughes – R) at Rangers (Nick Martinez – R), 3:05
Athletics (Sonny Gray – R) at Angels (Matt Shoemaker – R), 3:35
Diamondbacks (Rubby De La Rosa – R) at Giants (Chris Heston – R) 4:05
Dodgers (Mike Bolsinger – R) at Padres (James Shields – R), 4:10
Reds (Anthony DeSclafani – R) at Cubs (Jon Lester – L), 8:00
Day Game After Night Game: NYY/BAL, ARI/SF, OAK/LAD, LAD/SD
Injuries
Day-to-Day
Bryce Harper, OF, WAS - (Knee) Left Saturday's game after getting hit in the leg with a pitch; status uncertain for Sunday.
Mookie Betts, OF, BOS – (Back) Held out of Saturday's lineup; questionable for Sunday.
Aaron Sanchez, SP, TOR – (Upper Body) Experiencing soreness that could threaten his next start Tuesday.
Pablo Sandoval, 3B, BOS – (Quad) Left Saturday's game with tightness in his quad; injury is not considered serious.
Kevin Plawecki, C, NYM – (Head) Remained out of the lineup Saturday; DL stint likely.
Brandon Phillips, 2B, CIN – (Groin) Missed fourth straight game Saturday.
Corey Dickerson, OF, COL – (Foot) Left Saturday's game after he appeared to aggravate the injury.
Aaron Hicks, OF, MIN – (Elbow) Does not have ligament or tendon issues and will not undergo an MRI.
Players on the DL
Jose Fernandez, SP, MIA – (Elbow) Made his second rehab assignment Friday; on track to return in early July.
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, NYY – (Knee) Took batting practice and threw on the field Friday.
Martin Perez, SP, TEX – (Elbow) Aggravated his injury in a rehab start Saturday.
Brad Peacock, SP, HOU – (Ribs) Suffered a setback in his first rehab start Saturday.
Scott Van Slyke, OF, LAD – (Back) Began a rehab assignment Saturday.
Josh Johnson, SP, SD – (Elbow) Threw a bullpen session Saturday and has a simulated game scheduled for Monday.
Collin Cowgill, OF, ARI – (Wrist) Suffered a setback in recovery and will see a specialist early next week.
Transactions - Players who have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.
Placed on the DL
Jason Vargas, SP, KC – (Hip)
Released
Everth Cabrera, SS, BAL
Called Up
Byron Buxton, OF, MIN
Francisco Lindor, SS, CLE
Trevor Gott, RP, LAA
Allen Webster, RP, ARI
Jose Ramirez, RP, NYY
Danny Farquhar, RP, SEA
Brandon Finnegan, RP, KC
Sergio Santos, RP, NYY
Curt Casali, C, TB
Sent Down (to Triple-A, unless otherwise noted)
J.C. Ramirez, RP, ARI
A.J. Griffin, SP, OAK
Drew Rucinski, RP, LAA
Edwin Escobar, RP, BOS
Justin Ruggiano, OF, SEA
Jacob Lindgren, RP, NYY
Rickie Weeks, 2B, SEA
C.C. Lee, RP, CLE
Angel Nesbitt, RP, DET
Mikie Mahtook, OF, TB
Andre Rienzo, RP, MIA
Kendry Flores, RP, MIA
Esmil Rogers, RP, NYY
Closer Watch
Chicago Cubs – Even as St. Louis continues to build the largest division lead in baseball, Joe Maddon has the Cubs right in the thick of the Wild Card race. Chicago sits five games above .500 thanks in no small part to the way Maddon has managed his bullpen. Though Hector Rondon remains the head of the team's closer committee, the manager avoids the exclusive use of the veteran reliver in ninth save situations. Unafraid to turn to Pedro Strop and even Jason Motte if the matchups call for it, his new school approach has yielded favorable results. Without a proven closer on the roster, Maddon's mix and match has put his pitchers in the best positions to foster career seasons. Rondon is certainly having one of those, with 11 saves, a 2.73 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings. He should continue to have the most value of any Cubs reliever moving forward.
Hot Batter Matchups – June 14, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| M. Brantley | OF | CLE @ DET 1:08PM | A. Simon | 15 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .667 | .688 | .933 | 1.621 |
| M. Cabrera | 1B | DET vs CLE 1:08PM | C. Kluber | 33 | 19 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 6 | .576 | .600 | 1.000 | 1.600 |
| Y. Cespedes | OF | DET vs CLE 1:08PM | C. Kluber | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | .400 | .400 | .800 | 1.200 |
| J. Martinez | OF | DET vs CLE 1:08PM | C. Kluber | 12 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .417 | .417 | .750 | 1.167 |
| C. Gonzalez | OF | COL @ MIA 1:10PM | D. Haren | 23 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 | .391 | .462 | 1.043 | 1.505 |
| T. Tulowitzki | SS | COL @ MIA 1:10PM | D. Haren | 37 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 14 | .297 | .297 | .568 | .865 |
| J. Baker | 2B | MIA vs COL 1:10PM | J. De La Rosa | 14 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .357 | .438 | .571 | 1.009 |
| R. Howard | 1B | PHI @ PIT 1:35PM | A. Burnett | 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | .200 | .200 | .650 | .850 |
| B. Revere | OF | PHI @ PIT 1:35PM | A. Burnett | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .500 | .500 | .600 | 1.100 |
| A. Gordon | OF | KC @ STL 2:15PM | J. Lackey | 14 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | .500 | .563 | 1.071 | 1.634 |
| Y. Molina | C | STL vs KC 2:15PM | J. Blanton | 19 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .316 | .381 | .474 | .855 |
| J. Peralta | SS | STL vs KC 2:15PM | J. Blanton | 25 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | .400 | .423 | .720 | 1.143 |
| N. Aoki | OF | SF vs ARI 4:05PM | R. De La Rosa | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .364 | .417 | .545 | .962 |
| A. Gonzalez | 1B | LAD @ SD 4:10PM | J. Shields | 30 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | .333 | .382 | .533 | .916 |
| H. Kendrick | 2B | LAD @ SD 4:10PM | J. Shields | 32 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | .500 | .515 | .844 | 1.359 |
| J. Rollins | SS | LAD @ SD 4:10PM | J. Shields | 14 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | .500 | .533 | .786 | 1.319 |
Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Hot Pitcher Matchups – June 14, 2015Hot Pitcher Matchups – June 14, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Cole Hamels | PHI @ PIT 1:35PM | 114 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 28 | .237 | .266 | .359 | .624 |
| Phil Hughes | MIN @ TEX 3:05PM | 65 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 14 | .169 | .199 | .231 | .430 |
| Sonny Gray | OAK @ LAA 3:35PM | 131 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 37 | .191 | .256 | .264 | .520 |
Cold Batter Matchups – June 14, 2015Matchup Info | Career Matchup Stats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batter | Pos | Game | Pitcher | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| C. Johnson | 3B | ATL @ NYM 1:10PM | D. Gee | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | .200 | .294 | .267 | .561 |
| K. Johnson | 3B | ATL @ NYM 1:10PM | D. Gee | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .250 | .250 | .250 | .500 |
| J. Francoeur | OF | PHI @ PIT 1:35PM | A. Burnett | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .133 | .222 | .133 | .356 |
| N. Walker | 2B | PIT vs PHI 1:35PM | C. Hamels | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .167 | .231 | .167 | .397 |
| O. Infante | 2B | KC @ STL 2:15PM | J. Lackey | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | .200 | .294 | .333 | .627 |
| J. Heyward | OF | STL vs KC 2:15PM | J. Blanton | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .214 | .214 | .286 | .500 |
| E. Andrus | SS | TEX vs MIN 3:05PM | P. Hughes | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | .150 | .150 | .150 | .300 |
| S. Choo | OF | TEX vs MIN 3:05PM | P. Hughes | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .200 | .278 | .200 | .478 |
| K. Calhoun | OF | LAA vs OAK 3:35PM | S. Gray | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | .095 | .240 | .190 | .430 |
| A. Pujols | 1B | LAA vs OAK 3:35PM | S. Gray | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .105 | .100 | .105 | .205 |
Cold Pitcher Matchups – June 14, 2015Matchup Info | Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | Game | AB | H | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Alfredo Simon | DET vs CLE 1:08PM | 87 | 33 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 13 | .379 | .448 | .534 | .982 |
| Corey Kluber | CLE @ DET 1:08PM | 111 | 42 | 14 | 7 | 18 | 4 | 27 | .378 | .407 | .640 | 1.047 |
| Dan Haren | MIA vs COL 1:10PM | 139 | 47 | 23 | 10 | 23 | 5 | 34 | .338 | .361 | .654 | 1.015 |
| Joe Blanton | KC @ STL 2:15PM | 85 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 13 | .306 | .364 | .495 | .860 |
| John Lackey | STL vs KC 2:15PM | 108 | 33 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 24 | .306 | .344 | .469 | .813 |
| James Shields | SD vs LAD 4:10PM | 132 | 43 | 15 | 5 | 16 | 9 | 31 | .326 | .368 | .531 | .899 |
| Jon Lester | CHC vs CIN 8:08PM | 66 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 15 | .333 | .343 | .504 | .848 |
Recommended Pickup
Francisco Lindor, SS, CLE – On any other day, Lindor's call up would have been one of the most significant events of the Major League Baseball news cycle. Instead the Minnesota Twins announced the promotion of the sport's most highly touted prospect just hours beforehand. Both Lindor and Byron Buxton are available in a majority of standard leagues, but that will change almost immediately. Given the hype, Buxton will probably be rostered in more leagues than Lindor this week, but there are a few reasons to believe Lindor might actually be the savvier add. The Indians' top pick in 2011 is slashing .279/.346/.398 this season with the Class AAA Columbus Clippers, but has shown progress recently that would indicate his confidence – and preparedness to hit big league pitching – is at an all-time high. Named International League Player of the Week just days ago, the switch-hitting infielder is hitting .400 through 45 June at bats. Buxton may garner more attention, start stronger and hold more fantasy value long term, but contending teams are unlikely to be in need of production from an outfield pickup. More teams could probably use some speed from a shortstop because there are simply fewer of them to go around.
Other Recent Recommendations:Eugenio Suarez, Avisail Garcia, Trevor May, Ben Paulsen, Carlos Correa and Carson Smith
Draft Kings Value Picks
SP: Chris Heston, SF ($7,400)
C: Stephen Vogt, OAK ($3,400)
1B: Eric Hosmer, KC ($3,800)
2B: Robinson Cano, SEA ($3,700)
SS: Marcus Semien, OAK ($3,200)
3B: Joey Gallo, TEX ($3,400)
OF: Joc Pederson, LAD ($3,800)
