Wednesday Lineup Card: Byrd Watching

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

Braves (Brandon Beachy – R) at Nationals (Chien-Ming Wang – R), 1:05
Cardinals (Edwin Jackson – R) at Brewers (Randy Wolf – L), 2:10
Phillies (Roy Halladay – R) at Rockies (Jason Hammel – R), 3:10
Athletics (Gio Gonzalez - L) at Mariners (Charlie Furbush - L), 3:40
Diamondbacks (Jason Marquis – R) at Giants (Ryan Vogelsong – R), 3:45
Rangers (Matt Harrison - L) at Tigers (Doug Fister – R), 7:05
Cubs (Matt Garza – R) at Pirates (Charlie Morton – R), 7:05
Indians (Carlos Carrasco - R) at Red Sox (Tim Wakefield – R), 7:10
Marlins (Clay Hensley – R) at Mets (Dillon Gee – R), 7:10
Blue Jays (Carlos Villanueva – R), at Rays (James Shields – R), 7:10
Reds (Dontrelle Willis – L) at Astros (Jordan Lyles – R), 8:05
Yankees (A.J. Burnett – R) at White Sox (Gavin Floyd - R), 8:10
Orioles (Jeremy Guthrie - R) at Royals (Luke Hochevar - R), 8:10
Twins (Scott Baker – R) at Angels (Joel Pineiro – R), 10:05
Dodgers (Ted Lilly – L) at Padres (Tim Stauffer – R), 10:05

Day game after a night game: ATL, WAS, STL, MIL, PHI, COL, OAK, SEA, AZ, SF

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

Day-to-Day
Paul Konerko, 1B, CWS – (Calf) "Iffy at best" for Wednesday's game.
Derek Jeter, SS, NYY – (Finger) Returned to the lineup Tuesday.
Aramis Ramirez, 3B, CHC – (Quad) Returned to the lineup Tuesday.
Marco Scutaro, SS, BOS – (Head) Out for Tuesday's game against Cleveland.
David DeJesus, OF, OAK – (Thumb) Hit from a tee Monday; could return Wednesday.
Cliff Pennington, SS, OAK – (Illness) Did not start Tuesday.
Chipper Jones, 3B, ATL – (Quadriceps) Out of Tuesday's lineup.
Chone Figgins, 2B, SEA – (Hip) Did not start Tuesday; remains day-to-day.
Mitchell Boggs, P, STL – (Back) Has a bulging disc but will pitch through it.
Will Venable, OF, SD – (Back) Did not start Tuesday.
Chris Denorfia, OF, SD – (Hamstring) Did not start Tuesday.
Yorvit Torrealba, C, TEX – (Back) Returned to the lineup Tuesday.
Jake Arrieta, P, BAL – Will not start Thursday due to sore elbow; could be shut down.

Players on the DL
Carlos Gonzalez, OF, COL – (Wrist) Felt good after batting practice Monday; could return as soon as Saturday.
Adrian Beltre, 3B, TEX – (Hamstring) Took batting practice prior to Tuesday's game.
Clay Buchholz, P, BOS – (Back) Will not need surgery; still could return this season.
Jed Lowrie, SS, BOS – (Shoulder) Went 0-for-2 in first rehab game Monday.
Alex Rodriguez, 3B, NYY – (Knee) Will begin baseball activities Thursday.
Johan Santana, P, NYM – (Shoulder) Will not make scheduled rehab start Thursday.
Josh Johnson, P, FLA – (Shoulder) Scheduled to resume throwing program Wednesday.
Rubby De La Rosa, P, LAD – (Elbow) Will need Tommy John surgery; out for the season and most, if not all, of 2012.
Scott Rolen, 3B, CIN – (Shoulder) Will not be activated when first eligible Friday.
Chase d'Arnaud, 3B, PIT – (Finger) Still not close to return.
Alex Presley, OF, PIT – (Hand) Progressing nicely, according to ROOT sports.
Roy Oswalt, P, PHI – (Back) Threw 90 pitches in a successful rehab outing Monday.
Andrew Cashner, P, CHC – (Shoulder) Threw a second bullpen session Monday; has another scheduled for Thursday.
John Jaso, C, TB – (Oblique) Still a few weeks away from returning.
Freddy Sanchez, 2B, SF – (Shoulder) Underwent successful surgery Tuesday; out for the season.
Shawn Kelley, P, SEA – (Elbow) Threw one inning in a rehab appearance Tuesday; should return soon.
Jason Giambi, 1B, COL – (Quad) Has resumed hitting and playing catch.
Cesar Izturis, SS, BAL – (Elbow) Sent back to Double-A, but could return Friday.
Alex White, P, COL – (Finger) Will make four rehab starts with Double-A Tulsa; could be activated after.

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)
Barry Zito, P, SF
Luke Scott, DH, BAL – transferred to 60-day DL

Activated from the DL
Juan Cruz, P, TB
Brad Bergesen, P, BAL
Denard Span, OF, MIN

Called Up
Andrew Romine, 3B, LAA
Collin Balester, P, WAS
Everett Teaford, P, KC
Tom Wilhelmsen, P, SEA
Adam Rosales, 2B, OAK

Sent Down
Mike Ekstrom, P, TB
Atahualpa Severino, P, WAS
Drew Sutton, 3B, BOS
Bill Hall, 2B, SF

Designated For Assignment
David Purcey, P, DET
Arthur Rhodes, P, TEX
Jerry Blevins, P, OAK

Claimed off Waivers
Jo-Jo Reyes, P, BAL

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

Colorado – If Leo Nunez has a major home run problem, Huston Street's problem is utterly disastrous. Street blew only his fourth save in 32 chances by serving up a game-tying two-run bomb to John Mayberry Jr. Monday night; but shockingly, the home run was the 10th allowed by Street in only 50 appearances, and his HR/9 sits at an alarming 1.88. The Rockies still count on Street as their closer, but it's hard to imagine his ERA staying at 3.75 if he continues giving up gopher balls like he has up to this point.

Florida – Leo Nunez has had a major problem with the home run ball his entire career, as evidenced by his ugly career HR/9 mark of 1.21. 2011 has been no different, as his ground ball rate has slipped to a meager 33% and his home run rate sits at 1.27 per nine innings. The homer got him again Monday night when Lucas Duda hit a game-tying two-run home run with two outs to tie the game and give Nunez his fourth blown save in 34 chances. Nunez has a hold on the closer's job, but don't be surprised if we see him repeat this scenario down the stretch.

Recommended Pickup

Marlon Byrd, OF, CHC - Byrd is back, and with him his excellent season line of .310/.353/.440. Although his counting stats have been disappointing so far (35 R, 18 RBI in 70 G), he is hitting behind Starlin Castro, and Carlos Pena has begun to pick things up behind him as well. There's no reason to believe Byrd won't continue to hit for a great average, and he'll steal a few bases and hit a few home runs when the wind blows at Wrigley Field, too.

Other recent recommendations:Jason Bourgeois, Dee Gordon, Charlie Furbush, Dexter Fowler, Hideki Matsui

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Draft Street Lineup

C - Joe Mauer, MIN ($6,016)
1B - Adam Lind, TOR ($6,846)
2B - Dan Uggla, ATL ($5,974)
3B - Aramis Ramirez, CHC ($6,101)
SS - Erick Aybar, LAA ($6,872)
OF - Ryan Braun, MIL ($9,725)
OF - Nelson Cruz, TEX ($8,257)
OF - Hunter Pence, PHI ($6,187)
UTIL - Corey Hart, MIL ($5,766)
UTIL - Eric Hinske, ATL ($4,498)
SP - Gio Gonzalez, OAK ($12,837)
SP - Randy Wolf, STL ($9,496)
RP - Andrew Bailey, OAK ($2,650)
P - Ted Lilly, LAD ($8,771)

Total: $99,996

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