Tuesday Lineup Card: Power Plouffe Boy

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

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

Royals (James Shields – R) at Indians (Danny Salazar – R), 7:05
Reds (Johnny Cueto – R) at Pirates (Edinson Volquez – R), 7:05
Angels (Tyler Skaggs – L) at Nationals (Taylor Jordan – R), 7:05
Orioles (Miguel Gonzalez – R) at Blue Jays (R.A. Dickey – R), 7:07
White Sox (Charles Leesman – L) at Tigers (Justin Verlander – R), 7:08
Cardinals (Adam Wainwright – R) at Mets (Dillon Gee – R), 7:10
Yankees (Masahiro Tanaka – R) at Red Sox (Jon Lester – L), 7:10
Marlins (Jose Fernandez – R) at Braves (Alex Wood – L), 7:10
Twins (Kyle Gibson – R) at Rays (David Price – L), 7:10
Diamondbacks (Brandon McCarthy – R) at Cubs (Jason Hammel – R), 8:05
Padres (Ian Kennedy – R) at Brewers (Yovani Gallardo – R), 8:10
Giants (Madison Bumgarner – L) at Rockies (Franklin Morales – L), 8:40
Rangers (Nick Martinez – R) at Athletics (Tommy Milone – L), 10:05
Astros (Collin McHugh – R) at Mariners (Erasmo Ramirez – R), 10:10
Phillies (A.J. Burnett – R) at Dodgers (Hyun-Jin Ryu – L), 10:10

Day Game After Night Game: None

Injuries

Day-to-Day

Yoenis Cespedes, OF, OAK (heel) – Pinch-hit and stayed in Monday
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, TEX (ankle) – Pulled from Monday's game, but sounds fairly minor
Adam Eaton, OF, CHW (hamstring) – Hopes to play Tuesday
Jonathan Papelbon, RP, PHI (illness) – Questionable (but not needed) Monday
Coco Crisp, OF, OAK (ribs) – Has a "ribcage thing"; sounds minor
J.J. Hardy, SS, BAL (hamstring) – Out Monday after leaving Sunday
Khris Davis, OF, MIL (illness) – Late scratch Monday
A.J. Pollock, OF, ARI (neck) – Sat out Monday after being pulled Sunday
Jordy Mercer, SS, PIT (ankle) – Pinch-hit both Sunday and Monday
David Huff, RP, SF (quad) – Likely to hit DL after leaving Monday's game

Players on the DL

Clayton Kershaw, SP, LAD (back) – First rehab start slated for Friday
Chris Sale, SP, CHW (arm) – Likely to miss minimum time
Aroldis Chapman, RP, CIN (head) – Tentatively scheduled to throw BP Wednesday
Mike Minor, SP, ATL (shoulder) – Will debut Saturday for Braves
Michael Cuddyer, OF, COL (hamstring) – Ended up unable to avoid DL
James Paxton, SP, SEA (back) – Could be cleared to throw Wednesday
Taijuan Walker, SP, SEA (shoulder) – Also seeing doctor Wednesday and could be cleared
Jake Arrieta, SP, CHC (shoulder) – Mediocre rehab start Monday, but could return Saturday
Jhoulys Chacin, SP, COL (shoulder) – Next rehab start Friday; one more after that
Matt Harrison, SP, TEX (back) – Could make season debut Friday
Cameron Maybin, OF, SD (arm) – Could return during current road trip
Sean Burnett, RP, LAA (elbow) – Sim game will be next rehab step
Darin Ruf, OF, PHI (oblique) – Hitting off a tee
Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, SP, PHI (shoulder) – Could face hitters by end of month
Ethan Martin, RP, PHI (shoulder) – Could start throwing to hitters by end of month too
Luke Putkonen, RP, DET (elbow) – No structural damage, just inflammation
Dane De La Rosa, RP, LAA (shoulder) – First pen session slated for Tuesday
Brandon Kintzler, RP, MIL (neck) – Successful pen session Monday; could return Friday
Tom Gorzelanny, RP, MIL (shoulder) – No target date for return yet
Andy Dirks, OF, DET (back) – Shifted to 60-day DL
Jake Elmore, SS, OAK (quad) – Getting closer to rehab assignment

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

Placed on DL
Chris Sale, SP, CHW (arm)
Luke Putkonen, RP, DET (elbow)
Wandy Rodriguez, SP, PIT (knee)
Scott Feldman, SP, HOU (biceps)
Michael Cuddyer, OF, COL (hamstring)

Activated From DL
Juan Oviedo, RP, TB
Jason Giambi, DH, CLE
Jarrod Dyson, OF, KC (from bereavement list)

Called Up
Charlie Culberson, OF, COL
Bobby Abreu, OF, NYM
Tyler Lyons, SP, STL
Jared Hughes, SP, PIT
Jose Dominguez, RP, LAD
Nick Maronde, RP, LAA
J.D. Martinez, OF, DET
Alfredo Figaro, RP, MIL

Sent Down
Josh Wall, RP, LAA
Andrew Brown, OF, NYM
Chone Figgins, 3B, LAD
Blake Wood, RP, CLE
Matt Daley, RP, NYY
C.J. Riefenhauser, RP, TB
Rob Wooten, RP, MIL
Jorge Rondon, RP, STL
Bryan Mitchell, RP, NYY

Closer Watch

Mets – On Monday, Kyle Farnsworth earned his first save since taking over the job from Jose Valverde, working around a hit in a scoreless ninth. Farnsworth's been a find so far for the Mets, with a 0.96 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in the early going, and though his job security can't be considered terribly high – after all, he did post a 5.76 ERA last year – he seems to be less hittable so far and the Mets don't exactly have a wealth of options to replace him. They don't seem to want to go to Gonzalez Germen, whose limited track record and bouts of inconsistency don't necessarily make him a great fit for the role.

Brewers – After Monday's action, Francisco Rodriguez leads MLB in saves with eight and has allowed five hits, two walks and zero runs while striking out 16 in his first 11 innings this year. Most of K-Rod's fantasy owners paid exactly nothing for him on draft day, while Jim Henderson's owners are wallowing in misery.

White Sox – Matt Lindstrom reappeared Monday, collecting his second save (to go with three blown saves) of the year. No other White Stocking has recorded a save, so insofar as Chicago can be considered to have a closer, Lindstrom's it. Keep an eye on the flamethrowing Maikel Cleto, who has the stuff to close, but has more walks (seven) than strikeouts (three) despite having allowed just one run in 6.2 innings so far. Not a lot of good closing options in this bullpen; even Lindstrom's a desperation play on this team, which has been on one end or the other of a lot of blowouts.

Braves – Should we start getting concerned about Craig Kimbrel? Although he struck out the side Monday, he blew the save, allowing a hit, a walk and an unearned run (which he earned, in truth) against the Marlins. This after being pulled in a non-save situation Saturday against the Mets, when he allowed four of the five batters he faced to reach base. Kimbrel still sports a 16:3 K:BB in his 7.1 innings, but something's wrong here – he's not quite his usual dominant self, and his fastball velocity's down nearly a full tick from last year. It could be that the shoulder soreness that was bothering him a week ago is still affecting him; just in case, deeper-league owners should look into the availability of Jordan Walden and perhaps David Carpenter.

Angels – Ernesto Frieri successfully converted his second save Monday, but not without trouble, as he surrendered a leadoff homer to Ian Desmond and then walked a batter before finishing the Nats off by striking out the side. Frieri's been particularly rough over his last four outings, allowing a stunning nine hits over 3.1 innings, but he's still got some leash here, with Joe Smith his only real competition in the Angels' bullpen.

Hot Batter Matchups – April 22, 2014

Edit Matchup Criteria

Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
M. Aviles	SS	CLE vs KC 7:05PM	J. Shields	30	10	3	2	3	1	4	.333	.375	.567	.942
A. Cabrera	SS	CLE vs KC 7:05PM	J. Shields	21	6	3	1	2	3	2	.286	.375	.571	.946
J. Hardy	SS	BAL @ TOR 7:07PM	R. Dickey	15	5	2	1	3	0	1	.333	.333	.600	.933
T. Flowers	C	CWS @ DET 7:08PM	J. Verlander	10	3	2	2	2	2	3	.300	.417	.900	1.317
K. Suzuki	C	MIN @ TB 7:10PM	D. Price	14	4	3	1	5	0	5	.286	.333	.643	.976
D. Murphy	2B	NYM vs STL 7:10PM	A. Wainwright	11	6	3	0	2	1	0	.545	.583	.909	1.492
D. Wright	3B	NYM vs STL 7:10PM	A. Wainwright	14	5	2	0	3	2	4	.357	.412	.500	.912
M. Prado	3B	ARI @ CHC 8:05PM	J. Hammel	13	5	1	1	3	1	1	.385	.429	.615	1.044
R. Braun	OF	MIL vs SD 8:10PM	I. Kennedy	12	4	2	1	2	1	0	.333	.385	.667	1.051
Y. Alonso	1B	SD @ MIL 8:10PM	Y. Gallardo	15	6	2	1	4	0	2	.400	.400	.667	1.067
C. Headley	3B	SD @ MIL 8:10PM	Y. Gallardo	17	6	1	1	2	4	5	.353	.476	.529	1.006
W. Venable	OF	SD @ MIL 8:10PM	Y. Gallardo	15	7	3	1	4	4	2	.467	.579	.800	1.379
C. Gonzalez	OF	COL vs SF 8:40PM	M. Bumgarner	33	12	8	5	9	4	7	.364	.432	.909	1.342
J. Pacheco	3B	COL vs SF 8:40PM	M. Bumgarner	25	9	4	1	6	1	3	.360	.385	.600	.985
J. Rutledge	2B	COL vs SF 8:40PM	M. Bumgarner	16	7	2	1	2	2	4	.438	.500	.750	1.250
E. Andrus	SS	TEX @ OAK 10:05PM	T. Milone	18	7	1	0	1	1	2	.389	.421	.444	.865

Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS

Hot Pitcher Matchups – April 22, 2014

Edit Matchup Criteria

Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Johnny Cueto	CIN @ PIT 7:05PM	180	32	11	3	11	12	43	.178	.239	.278	.517
Miguel Gonzalez	BAL @ TOR 7:07PM	88	13	7	2	7	5	17	.148	.192	.302	.495
Justin Verlander	DET vs CWS 7:08PM	193	41	15	11	21	13	52	.212	.266	.408	.674

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 – April 22, 2014

Edit Matchup Criteria

Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
R. Ludwick	OF	CIN @ PIT 7:05PM	E. Volquez	10	2	1	0	3	2	6	.200	.385	.300	.685
J. Giambi	DH	CLE vs KC 7:05PM	J. Shields	17	1	0	0	0	4	5	.059	.238	.059	.297
D. Murphy	OF	CLE vs KC 7:05PM	J. Shields	27	5	1	1	1	2	6	.185	.241	.296	.538
N. Swisher	1B	CLE vs KC 7:05PM	J. Shields	50	9	4	3	10	2	16	.180	.212	.380	.592
C. Barmes	SS	PIT vs CIN 7:05PM	J. Cueto	14	2	1	0	0	0	3	.143	.143	.214	.357
R. Martin	C	PIT vs CIN 7:05PM	J. Cueto	11	1	1	0	1	0	2	.091	.091	.182	.273
G. Sanchez	1B	PIT vs CIN 7:05PM	J. Cueto	10	2	2	0	1	1	4	.200	.273	.400	.673
T. Snider	OF	PIT vs CIN 7:05PM	J. Cueto	11	0	0	0	0	0	4	.000	.000	.000	.000
J. Tabata	OF	PIT vs CIN 7:05PM	J. Cueto	10	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000
N. Walker	2B	PIT vs CIN 7:05PM	J. Cueto	31	6	1	0	3	4	6	.194	.306	.226	.531
C. Davis	1B	BAL @ TOR 7:07PM	R. Dickey	18	5	3	1	4	0	6	.278	.278	.556	.833
A. Jones	OF	BAL @ TOR 7:07PM	R. Dickey	16	3	1	1	2	0	4	.188	.188	.375	.563
S. Lombardozzi	2B	BAL @ TOR 7:07PM	R. Dickey	14	2	0	0	1	0	4	.143	.143	.143	.286
M. Wieters	C	BAL @ TOR 7:07PM	R. Dickey	11	2	0	0	1	1	4	.182	.250	.182	.432
E. Encarnacion	1B	TOR vs BAL 7:07PM	M. Gonzalez	17	2	2	2	4	2	1	.118	.211	.471	.681
B. Lawrie	3B	TOR vs BAL 7:07PM	M. Gonzalez	16	2	0	0	2	0	3	.125	.118	.125	.243
C. Rasmus	OF	TOR vs BAL 7:07PM	M. Gonzalez	12	1	1	0	0	0	6	.083	.083	.167	.250
A. De Aza	OF	CWS @ DET 7:08PM	J. Verlander	21	4	2	2	3	1	8	.190	.227	.476	.703
A. Dunn	1B	CWS @ DET 7:08PM	J. Verlander	25	5	3	3	7	2	11	.200	.259	.560	.819
P. Konerko	1B	CWS @ DET 7:08PM	J. Verlander	58	10	4	2	5	5	16	.172	.250	.310	.560
D. Viciedo	OF	CWS @ DET 7:08PM	J. Verlander	15	3	1	1	1	0	4	.200	.200	.400	.600
J. Mauer	C	MIN @ TB 7:10PM	D. Price	14	2	1	0	2	3	3	.143	.294	.214	.508
C. Young	OF	NYM vs STL 7:10PM	A. Wainwright	12	2	0	0	2	3	4	.167	.333	.167	.500
B. Gardner	OF	NYY @ BOS 7:10PM	J. Lester	11	2	0	0	0	1	3	.182	.250	.182	.432
K. Johnson	2B	NYY @ BOS 7:10PM	J. Lester	15	1	0	0	1	2	4	.067	.176	.067	.243
A. Soriano	OF	NYY @ BOS 7:10PM	J. Lester	16	5	1	1	2	0	5	.313	.313	.500	.813
M. Holliday	OF	STL @ NYM 7:10PM	D. Gee	12	2	2	0	1	0	1	.167	.167	.333	.500
Y. Molina	C	STL @ NYM 7:10PM	D. Gee	12	3	2	0	0	0	3	.250	.250	.417	.667
A. Hill	2B	ARI @ CHC 8:05PM	J. Hammel	13	2	0	0	1	1	1	.154	.214	.154	.368
M. Montero	C	ARI @ CHC 8:05PM	J. Hammel	18	3	2	1	7	2	5	.167	.250	.389	.639
C. Ross	OF	ARI @ CHC 8:05PM	J. Hammel	12	1	0	0	0	0	4	.083	.083	.083	.167
R. Weeks	2B	MIL vs SD 8:10PM	I. Kennedy	18	3	2	1	1	1	4	.167	.211	.389	.599
C. Denorfia	OF	SD @ MIL 8:10PM	Y. Gallardo	11	3	0	0	0	0	3	.273	.273	.273	.545
S. Smith	OF	SD @ MIL 8:10PM	Y. Gallardo	12	1	0	0	0	1	4	.083	.154	.083	.237
N. Arenado	3B	COL vs SF 8:40PM	M. Bumgarner	10	2	1	0	1	0	1	.200	.273	.300	.573
D. LeMahieu	2B	COL vs SF 8:40PM	M. Bumgarner	15	2	0	0	0	2	3	.133	.235	.133	.369
D. Stubbs	OF	COL vs SF 8:40PM	M. Bumgarner	12	2	1	0	2	3	5	.167	.333	.333	.667
A. Gonzalez	1B	LAD vs PHI 10:10PM	A. Burnett	10	2	1	0	1	2	4	.200	.333	.300	.633
J. Uribe	3B	LAD vs PHI 10:10PM	A. Burnett	14	2	0	0	0	2	7	.143	.250	.143	.393

Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS

Cold Pitcher Matchups – April 22, 2014

Edit Matchup Criteria

Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Adam Wainwright	STL @ NYM 7:10PM	73	22	9	1	13	10	16	.301	.382	.466	.848
Yovani Gallardo	MIL vs SD 8:10PM	99	33	9	3	12	14	19	.333	.416	.486	.902
Madison Bumgarner	SF @ COL 8:40PM	161	50	19	7	26	16	34	.311	.377	.535	.912

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
Trevor Plouffe, 3B, MIN – Chris Colabello has been the story of the young season for the Twins, somewhat obscuring the incredible strides that Plouffe has made so far this year. Always known for plate discipline ranging from mediocre to poor, Plouffe has stunningly posted a 12:13 BB:K so far, and though his .313 average is somewhat BABIP-inflated, he's sitting on a sparkling 27.8 percent line-drive rate. Impressively, he's literally swinging at pitches outside the zone half as often as he has previously in his career. With nine extra-base hits, 13 RBI and 14 runs already, plus a secure spot in the middle of the lineup, he's been quite the fantasy find at third base – and with just one homer so far, the best could be yet to come. Plouffe smacked 24 long balls in just 119 games two years ago.

Other Recent Recommendations: Kevin Kouzmanoff, Robbie Ross, Ike Davis, Rajai Davis, Russell Martin

DraftStreet Value Picks
SP: Erasmo Ramirez, SEA ($14,224)
C: Mike Zunino, SEA ($5,167)
1B: Matt Adams, STL ($5,871)
2B: Jedd Gyorko, SD ($3,827)
SS: Starlin Castro, CHC ($5,513)
3B: Pablo Sandoval, SF ($5,451)
OF: Mike Morse, SF ($5,886)