The Lineup Card: Beltin' Beltran

Projected Starters – A look at Monday's matchups:

Reds (Travis Wood - L) at Pirates (Ross Ohlendorf - R), 7:05
Blue Jays (Brandon Morrow - R) at Yankees (A.J. Burnett - R), 7:05
Mets (Johan Santana - L) at Braves (Tim Hudson - R), 7:10
Indians (Fausto Carmona - R) at Red Sox (John Lackey - R), 7:10
Twins (Carl Pavano - R) at Rays (Jeff Niemann - R), 7:10
Brewers (Yovani Gallardo - R) at Cubs (Randy Wells - R), 8:05
Astros (Brett Myers - R) at Cardinals (Jaime Garcia - R), 8:15
Nationals (Livan Hernandez - R) at Diamondbacks (Rodrigo Lopez - R), 9:40
Royals (Brian Bannister - R) at A's (Trevor Cahill - R), 10:05
Padres (Clayton Richard - K) at Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda - R), 10:10

Day game following night game: None

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

Day-to-Day (includes players expected to make their return from the DL)

Andre Ethier, OF, LAD - (Personal) Missed his second straight game on Sunday while attending the birth of his child. His status for Monday is uncertain
Johnny Damon, OF, DET – (Back) Did not play on Sunday, could return to action on Tuesday
Brian Wilson, RP, SF – (Back) Available to pitch on Sunday after missing a couple days
Juan Uribe, 3B, SF – (Leg) Was held out of the starting lineup on Sunday. Remains day-to-day
Martin Prado, 2B, ATL - (Finger) Braves will wait until Monday to decide on a possible DL stint
Joe Mauer, C, MIN - (Shoulder) Received cortisone shot on Saturday and did not play play on Sunday
Josh Hamilton, OF, TEX - (Knee) Did not start on Sunday but entered as a pinch hitter. Remains day-to-day
Raul Ibanez, OF, PHI - (Wrist) Did not play on Sunday. Remains day-to-day
Ryan Raburn, OF, DET - (Personal) Returned on Sunday after missing Saturday's game
Ben Zobrist, OF, TAM - (Back) Did not play on Sunday but hopes to return during the upcoming four-game series with the Twins
Carlos Pena, 1B, TAM - (Foot) Did not play on Sunday. Remains day-to-day
Mike Cameron, OF, BOS - (Abdomen) Did not play on Sunday for the second straight day
Travis Hafner, DH, CLE - (Shoulder) Did not play on Sunday. Remains day-to-day
Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI - Left Sunday's game with a sprained left ankle. X-rays came back negative, considered day-to-day for now
Aramis Ramirez, 3B, CHC - Feeling soreness in his thumb again and did not play on Sunday. Considered day-to-day
Ryan Ludwick, OF, SD - Received the day off on Sunday to rest his sore calf
Matt Lindstrom, RP, HOU - Dealing with a sore back and could be unavailable for a couple more days
Randy Wolf, SP, MIL - Removed from Sunday's game after being struck in the left wrist by a line drive
Dexter Fowler, OF, COL -Removed from Sunday's game in the ninth inning after crashing into the wall while making a spectacular catch
Carlos Silva, SP, CHC - Removed from Sunday's game with an abnormal heart rate
Darnell McDonald, OF, BOS - Scratched from Sunday's starting lineup with tightness in his back but entered as a pinch runner

Players on the DL

Ryan Doumit, C, PIT - (Concussion) Expected to see action in right field during his rehab assignment and will split time between catcher, behind Chris Snyder, and outfield when he is activated
Justin Morneau, 1B, MIN - (Concussion) Will not travel on team's upcoming four-game road trip, unlikely to play this week
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, BOS - (Ribs) Will advance to Triple-A Pawtucket as the next step in his rehab
Mike Adams, RP, SD - (Oblique) Is not expected to require a rehab assignment and will likely be recalled early this week

Transactions - Players that 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)
Robinson Tejada, RP, KC
Oscar Salazar, OF, SD
Tyler Greene, SS, STL

Activated from DL
Derek Holland, SP, TEX - optioned to Triple-A

Called Up
Kila Kaaihue, 1B, KC
Jeanmar Gomez, SP, CLE
John Lannan, SP, WAS
Troy Patton, P, BAL
Justin Thomas, RP, PIT
Russ Springer, RP, CIN

Sent Down
Alejandro Sanabia, SP, FLA
Carlos Fisher, RP, CIN
Cole Gillespie, OF, AZ
Travis Schlichting, RP, LAD

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

Chicago (AL) - Bobby Jenks struck out two batters and pitched a perfect ninth inning on Sunday to record his 22nd save. He has locked up each of his last two opportunities and it's clear manager Ozzie Guillen prefers to keep him Jenks in the closing role.

Cleveland - Chris Perez recorded the save on Sunday for the second time in as many days. He will be the Indians' closer for the remainder of this season and will enter the 2011 season in the same role, yet he's still unowned in quite a few leagues (mainly one-year formats). Snap him up if you are looking for saves.

Houston - Brandon Lyon picked up the save on Sunday with Matt Lindstrom unavailable because of a back injury. Lindstrom could miss a couple more days, and Lyon will likely be the top option should the Astros enter the ninth inning in a save situation. The Astros have a tough series in St. Louis before heading to Milwaukee, but they have won five in a row and could get Lyon a couple of save opportunities.

Philadelphia - Brad Lidge picked up the save on Sunday after giving up a walk-off, three-run home run to Ryan Zimmerman on Saturday. Ryan Madson pitched the ninth in a tie game, so it's not clear if Lidge was used only because the game went to extras. Still, Lidge pitched a perfect inning and at least righted the ship following Saturday's implosion.

Key Matchups – Spotlight on hitters and pitchers with favorable matchups against their opponent on a particular day (generally, individual matchups with fewer than 10 at-bats are not included).

Hot

Joey Votto v. Ross Ohlendorf - 4-for-7 (.571), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2:0 BB:K (.667 OBP) *2.095 OPS, career cycle
Troy Glaus v. Johan Santana - 9-for-29 (.310), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5:11 BB:K (.400 OBP)
Matt Diaz v. Johan Santana - 14-for-26 (.538), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1:1 BB:K (.556 OBP) *check lineup
Carlos Beltran v. Tim Hudson - 23-for-62 (.371), 4 HR, 14 RBI, 7:8 BB:K (.435 OBP)
Marco Scutaro v. Fausto Carmona - 10-for-21 (.476), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:2 BB:K (.500 OBP)
David Ortiz v. Fausto Carmona - 4-for-10 (.400), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1:2 BB:K (.455 OBP)
Shin-Soo Choo v. John Lackey - 6-for-12 (.500), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2:1 BB:K (.600 OBP)
Carl Crawford v. Carl Pavano - 10-for-25 (.400), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0:3 BB:K(.385 OBP)
B.J. Upton v. Carl Pavano - 5-for-11 (.455), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0:3 BB:K (.455 OBP)
Albert Pujols v. Brett Myers - 14-for-38 (.368), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2:4 BB:K (.400 OBP) *career cycle
Skip Schumaker v. Brett Myers - 7-for-21 (.333), 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2:4 BB:K (.391 OBP)
Matt Holliday v. Brett Myers - 7-for-19 (.368), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1:1 BB:K (.400 OBP)
Adrian Gonzalez v. Hiroki Kuroda - 6-for-18 (.333), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5:0 BB:K (.478 OBP)

Johan Santana v. Braves/Tim Hudson v. Mets - Hudson's 3.54 ERA against the Mets is decent, but it is actually higher than his 3.42 career ERA. However, he is 11-5 against the Mets in his 17 career starts. On the flip side, Santana's 2.01 ERA in 10 career starts against the Braves is phenomenal, yet somehow he has managed just a 2-5 record in those contests. Both pitchers tossed seven shutout innings and picked up the victory in their previous start against Monday's opponent, so look for a pitcher's duel in Atlanta.

Cold

Brandon Phillips v. Ross Ohlendorf - 1-for-10 (.100), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2:2 BB:K (.250 OBP)
Jay Bruce v. Ross Ohlendorf - 2-for-10 (.200), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:3 BB:K (.273 OBP)
Derek Jeter v. Brandon Morrow - 1-for-13 (.077), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2:6 BB:K (.200 OBP)
Lyle Overbay v. A.J. Burnett - 2-for-23 (.087), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:9 BB:K (.125 OBP)
Aaron Hill v. A.J. Burnett - 4-for-17 (.235), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1:3 BB:K (.278 OBP)
Adam Lind v. A.J. Burnett - 2-for-13 (.154), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3:4 BB:K (.313 OBP)
Omar Infante v. Johan Santana - 5-for-32 (.156), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1:8 BB:K (.200 OBP)
Melky Cabrera v. Johan Santana - 3-for-15 (.200), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2:1 BB:K (.294 OBP)
David Wright v. Tim Hudson - 10-for-46 (.217), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5:3 BB:K (.308 OBP)
Luis Castillo v. Tim Hudson - 7-for-30 (.233), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1:2 BB:K (.258 OBP)
Travis Hafner v. John Lackey - 5-for-28 (.179), 0 HR, 2 RBI, 5:10 BB:K (.303 OBP)
Asdrubal Cabrera - 1-for-14 (.071), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:4 BB:K (.188 OBP)
Carlos Pena v. Carl Pavano - 1-for-11 (.091), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3:5 BB:K (.286 OBP)
Jason Bartlett v. Carl Pavano - 2-for-10 (.200) 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0:2 BB:K (.273 OBP)
Evan Longoria v. Carl Pavano - 1-for-11 (.091), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1:4 BB:K (.167 OBP)
Willy Aybar v. Carl Pavano - 1-for-10 (.100), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:1 BB:K (.100 OBP)
Yadier Molina v. Brett Myers - 5-for-23 (.217), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0:4 BB:K (.217 OBP)
Kelly Johnson v. Livan Hernandez - 3-for-14 (.214), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 0:2 BB:K (.214 OBP)
Stephen Drew v. Livan Hernandez - 2-for-10 (.200), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:1 BB:K (.200 OBP)
Adam Kennedy v. Rodrigo Lopez - 5-for-26 (.192), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2:7 BB:K (.250 OBP)
Ivan Rodriguez v. Rodrigo Lopez - 2-for-12 (.167), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:4 BB:K (.167 OBP)

Brian Bannister v. A's - In nine career starts against Oakland, Bannister has picked up the win just once. Oakland hitters have just three home runs off him lifetime, but as a group, they are hitting .312 against him and getting on base at an impressive .388 clip. The A's tagged Bannister for five earned runs on six hits and (not surprisingly) six walks just two weeks ago, so they know the formula to beating him. Bannister may be worth a start in some leagues due to the fact that he pitches twice this week and faces Seattle in his next start, but those in leagues with daily lineup changes would be wise to keep him reserved on Monday.

Recommended Pickup

Chris Perez/Joel Hanrahan/Drew Storen - Fantasy owners are always looking for saves, and the trade deadline always opens up the closer's role on a couple non-contending teams. Thus, the pitchers who take over the ninth inning role instantly get a boost in value. This year, these three relief pitchers stand to benefit the most from the deadline deals. Perez is the best option of the bunch because he has 12 saves this year and will be the only pitcher in Cleveland getting save chances. The other two pitchers are rated a little lower because other options are in play. In Pittsburgh, Hanrahan and Evan Meek are expected to share the closer's role. However, Meek has been very successful as a setup man and Hanrahan has a ridiculous 63:14 K:BB ratio in 45.2 innings, so he will likely get the first shot at being the closer. Storen is the Nationals' closer of the future; and although Tyler Clippard and Sean Burnett are also in the mix, Clippard fits better in the setup role and Burnett is more of a situational pitcher. Expect Storen to get the ball in the ninth most often. None of these players pitches for a good team, but each will have a shot at racking up a few saves down the stretch and are still available in many leagues. Perez is still available in roughly half of Yahoo! and ESPN leagues, Storen in about seventy percent, and Hanrahan in over 80 percent on Yahoo! and 90 percent on ESPN. There's a good these players available on your league's waiver wire, so give one or two of them a shot if you have been searching for those elusive saves.

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