Thursday Lineup Card: Betances Still Offers Value

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Updated on April 22, 2015 9:41PM EST

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

Cubs (Kyle Hendricks – R) at Pirates (Jeff Locke – L), 12:35
Marlins (David Phelps – R) at Phillies (Dustin McGowan – R), 1:05
Yankees (Masahiro Tanaka – R) at Tigers (Anibal Sanchez – R), 1:08
Braves (Julio Teheran – R) at Mets (Bartolo Colon – R), 1:10
Reds (Homer Bailey – R) at Brewers (Kyle Lohse – R), 1:40
Padres (Tyson Ross – R) at Rockies (Jordan Lyles – R), 3:10
Dodgers (Zack Greinke – R) at Giants (Undecided), 3:45
Cardinals (Michael Wacha – R) at Nationals (Max Scherzer – R), 4:05
Athletics (Jesse Chavez – R) at Angels (C.J. Wilson – R), 7:05
Orioles (Chris Tillman – R) at Blue Jays (Drew Hutchison – R), 7:07
Red Sox (Clay Buchholz – R) at Rays (Jake Odorizzi – R), 7:10
Royals (Yordano Ventura – R) at White Sox (Chris Sale – L), 8:10

Day Game After Night Game: CHC/PIT, MIA/PHI, NYY/DET, ATL/NYM, CIN/MIL and SD/COL

Injuries

Day-to-Day

Ben Zobrist, 2B, OAK (Heel) – Will take batting practice and ran the bases on Thursday.
Omar Infante, 2B, KC (Groin) – Ran on Wednesday and reported he's about 60 percent.
Mitch Moreland, 1B, TEX (Elbow) – Missed Wednesday's game.
Anthony Recker, C, NYM (Elbow) – Suffering swelling in his elbow.
Matt Harvey, SP, NYM (Foot) – Saw a doctor on Wednesday.
Christian Yelich, OF, MIA (Back) – Did not play on Wednesday.
Jose Bautista, OF, TOR (Shoulder) – Strained his shoulder and did not play on Wednesday.
Jordy Mercer, SS, PIT (Ribs) – Did not play on Wednesday.
Devin Mesoraco, C, CIN (Hip) – Did not play on Wednesday.

Players on the DL

Brian Duensing, RP, MIN (Oblique) – Played catch on Wednesday.
Travis Ishikawa, 1B, SF (Back) – Suffered a setback and is out until further notice.
Ricky Nolasco, SP, MIN (Elbow) – Expected to make a rehab start on Saturday after throwing 60 pitches in a bullpen session on Wednesday.
LaTroy Hawkins, RP, COL (Biceps) – Placed on the 15-day DL.
Greg Holland, RP, KC (Chest) – Expects to resume throwing on Saturday.
Alex Cobb, SP, TB (Forearm) – Played catch on Wednesday without any pain.
Jeff Beliveau, RP, TB (Shoulder) – Will miss the rest of the 2015 season.
Bruce Rondon, RP, DET (Shoulder) – Threw a 15-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday.
Anthony Rendon, 2B, WAS (Knee) – Played five innings in an extended spring training game on Wednesday.
Joe Nathan, RP, DET (Elbow) – Will not be returning anytime soon after hearing a "pop" in his arm in a rehab appearance.
Ryan Brett, 2B, TB (Shoulder) – Was placed on the 15-day DL.
Drew Smyly, SP, TB (Shoulder) – Will start on Friday against the Blue Jays.
Sean O'Sullivan, SP, PHI (Knee) – Was placed on the 15-day DL.
Josh Fields, RP, HOU (Groin) – May be activated from the DL on Friday.
Kenley Jansen, RP, LAD (Foot) – Threw a bullpen session on Tuesday
Tsuyoshi Wada, SP, CHC (Groin) – Threw 89 pitches in a rehab game on Wednesday.
Cory Rasmus, RP, LAA (Upper Body) – Moved to the 60-day DL.
Alex Colome, SP, TB (Pneumonia) – Struck out six hitters in a rehab start over 3.1 innings on Tuesday.
Hunter Pence, OF, SF (Forearm) – Return date is pushed back beyond May 1.
Ian Kennedy, SP, SD (Hamstring) – Likely to be activated as soon as he's eligible.
Matt Harrison, SP, TEX (Back) – Threw bullpen session on Wednesday.
David Hernandez, RP, ARI (Elbow) – Threw 20 pitches in a simulated game on Wednesday.
Patrick Corbin, SP, ARI (Elbow) - Threw 20 pitches in a simulated game on Wednesday.
Ivan Nova, SP, NYY (Elbow) – Threw 35 pitches in a live batting practice on Tuesday.
Chris Capuano, RP, NYY (Quad) – Threw two innings on Wednesday.

Bereavement List

Matt Shoemaker, SP, LAA

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)

LaTroy Hawkins, RP, COL
Jeff Beliveau, RP, TB – to the 60-day DL
Felipe Rivero, RP, WAS
Cory Rasmus, RP, LAA – to the 60-day DL
Sean O'Sullivan, SP, PHI
Ryan Brett, 2B, TB

Activated From the DL

John Axford, RP, COL
Scott Oberg, RP, COL

Called Up

Jake Elmore, SS, TB
Nick Tropeano, RP, LAA
Hector Neris, RP, PHI
Chris Heisey, OF, LAD
Arnold Leon, RP, OAK
Rob Wooten, RP, MIL
Matt Grace, RP, WAS

Claimed

Gary Brown, OF, LAA – (from St. Louis Cardinals)
Matt Tracy, RP, NYY – (from Miami Marlins)

Sent Down

Daniel Corcino, RP, LAD
Gary Brown, OF, LAA
R.J. Alvarez, RP, OAK
Tyler Thornburg, RP, MIL
Matt Tracy, RP, NYY
Adam Liberatore, RP, LAD
Wilin Rosario, C, COL
Kyle Drabek, RP, CHW

Traded

Xavier Cedeno, RP, LAD – (from Washington Nationals for cash)

Closer Watch

New York Yankees – Well, all of you Dellin Betances' owners out there that were expecting a 40-save season? You can take comfort in knowing that Betances will at least nab a few saves here and there, while giving you dominant ratios and strikeouts. Sure, Betances will net a few saves, but there's the chance he'll fill-in for Andrew Miller if there's an injury… just don't expect it. Still, what's the ol' fantasy baseball saying? You own the skills, right? Betances is someone to obviously keep an eye on, but as long as Miller is locking down saves (5th of the year on Tuesday) we can expect to rely on those Betances' skills for other contributing categories.

Key Matchups

Hot Batter Matchups – April 23, 2015

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
A. Rizzo	1B	CHC @ PIT 12:35PM	J. Locke	10	3	2	1	2	2	2	.300	.417	.700	1.117
I. Suzuki	OF	MIA @ PHI 1:05PM	D. McGowan	18	8	1	0	1	3	2	.444	.524	.500	1.024
F. Freeman	1B	ATL @ NYM 1:10PM	B. Colon	13	6	3	0	2	0	1	.462	.462	.692	1.154
J. Gomes	OF	ATL @ NYM 1:10PM	B. Colon	21	8	5	3	3	1	4	.381	.409	.952	1.361
A. Simmons	SS	ATL @ NYM 1:10PM	B. Colon	13	6	2	0	2	0	0	.462	.462	.692	1.154
L. Duda	1B	NYM vs ATL 1:10PM	J. Teheran	20	7	4	2	3	2	4	.350	.409	.750	1.159
C. Granderson	OF	NYM vs ATL 1:10PM	J. Teheran	12	3	2	1	2	2	2	.250	.333	.583	.917
D. Murphy	2B	NYM vs ATL 1:10PM	J. Teheran	15	5	2	0	2	3	5	.333	.444	.467	.911
J. Votto	1B	CIN @ MIL 1:40PM	K. Lohse	33	11	5	1	3	2	9	.333	.378	.545	.924
R. Braun	OF	MIL vs CIN 1:40PM	H. Bailey	31	11	6	2	7	2	9	.355	.412	.677	1.089
K. Davis	OF	MIL vs CIN 1:40PM	H. Bailey	18	7	5	3	5	3	5	.389	.476	1.000	1.476
J. Morneau	1B	COL vs SD 3:10PM	T. Ross	10	4	0	0	0	1	0	.400	.500	.400	.900
A. Amarista	2B	SD @ COL 3:10PM	J. Lyles	11	5	1	0	2	1	0	.455	.500	.636	1.136
A. Ethier	OF	LAD @ SF 3:45PM	R. Vogelsong	19	5	3	1	1	2	2	.263	.333	.526	.860
A. Gonzalez	1B	LAD @ SF 3:45PM	R. Vogelsong	17	5	4	1	4	0	1	.294	.294	.647	.941
J. Uribe	3B	LAD @ SF 3:45PM	R. Vogelsong	22	9	3	0	3	0	2	.409	.409	.591	1.000
E. Aybar	SS	LAA vs OAK 7:05PM	J. Chavez	12	5	1	0	1	0	0	.417	.417	.500	.917
A. Pujols	1B	LAA vs OAK 7:05PM	J. Chavez	14	7	1	1	4	1	0	.500	.533	.714	1.248
M. Trout	OF	LAA vs OAK 7:05PM	J. Chavez	11	4	3	2	5	1	4	.364	.385	1.000	1.385
J. Bautista	OF	TOR vs BAL 7:07PM	C. Tillman	30	8	4	2	5	4	10	.267	.343	.533	.876
J. Reyes	SS	TOR vs BAL 7:07PM	C. Tillman	24	9	4	1	2	0	2	.375	.375	.625	1.000
D. DeJesus	DH	TB vs BOS 7:10PM	C. Buchholz	15	6	1	0	1	3	1	.400	.500	.467	.967
A. Eaton	OF	CWS vs KC 8:10PM	Y. Ventura	11	4	2	0	1	0	1	.364	.333	.545	.879
L. Cain	OF	KC @ CWS 8:10PM	C. Sale	37	13	5	2	6	0	8	.351	.351	.595	.946
A. Escobar	SS	KC @ CWS 8:10PM	C. Sale	45	18	3	1	1	2	7	.400	.426	.511	.937

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

Hot Pitcher Matchups – April 23, 2015

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Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Drew Hutchison	TOR vs BAL 7:07PM	106	26	9	5	16	5	32	.245	.301	.424	.724
Chris Sale	CWS vs KC 8:10PM	247	70	18	4	13	9	54	.283	.311	.387	.698

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 23, 2015

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Matchup Info				Career Matchup Stats
Batter	Pos	Game	Pitcher	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
S. Castro	SS	CHC @ PIT 12:35PM	J. Locke	10	1	0	0	1	0	2	.100	.100	.100	.200
S. Drew	SS	NYY @ DET 1:08PM	A. Sanchez	21	5	1	0	3	0	5	.238	.261	.333	.594
G. Jones	1B	NYY @ DET 1:08PM	A. Sanchez	10	2	1	0	0	0	3	.200	.200	.300	.500
C. Young	OF	NYY @ DET 1:08PM	A. Sanchez	13	1	1	0	1	0	5	.077	.077	.154	.231
K. Johnson	3B	ATL @ NYM 1:10PM	B. Colon	13	2	1	0	1	1	5	.154	.214	.308	.522
R. Tejada	SS	NYM vs ATL 1:10PM	J. Teheran	14	1	0	0	0	0	3	.071	.071	.071	.143
M. Byrd	OF	CIN @ MIL 1:40PM	K. Lohse	13	3	0	0	1	0	2	.231	.231	.231	.462
T. Frazier	3B	CIN @ MIL 1:40PM	K. Lohse	24	3	1	0	1	0	4	.125	.120	.167	.287
B. Hamilton	OF	CIN @ MIL 1:40PM	K. Lohse	10	2	1	1	3	0	2	.200	.182	.500	.682
D. Mesoraco	C	CIN @ MIL 1:40PM	K. Lohse	21	4	1	0	1	2	3	.190	.261	.238	.499
B. Pena	C	CIN @ MIL 1:40PM	K. Lohse	12	2	1	1	2	0	1	.167	.154	.417	.571
N. Arenado	3B	COL vs SD 3:10PM	T. Ross	11	1	0	0	0	0	2	.091	.091	.091	.182
C. Barmes	SS	SD @ COL 3:10PM	J. Lyles	10	2	0	0	1	0	5	.200	.200	.200	.400
A. Ellis	C	LAD @ SF 3:45PM	R. Vogelsong	20	4	1	1	1	6	4	.200	.385	.350	.735
M. Reynolds	1B	STL @ WAS 4:05PM	M. Scherzer	14	1	0	0	1	1	7	.071	.133	.071	.205
R. Flaherty	2B	BAL @ TOR 7:07PM	D. Hutchison	13	2	1	0	1	1	6	.154	.200	.231	.431
A. Jones	OF	BAL @ TOR 7:07PM	D. Hutchison	23	5	1	1	3	0	5	.217	.250	.348	.598
D. Ortiz	DH	BOS @ TB 7:10PM	J. Odorizzi	10	1	0	0	0	0	2	.100	.100	.100	.200
E. Longoria	3B	TB vs BOS 7:10PM	C. Buchholz	40	8	3	0	1	4	14	.200	.289	.275	.564
E. Hosmer	1B	KC @ CWS 8:10PM	C. Sale	28	6	1	0	0	0	8	.214	.214	.250	.464
O. Infante	2B	KC @ CWS 8:10PM	C. Sale	23	3	0	0	0	0	1	.130	.130	.130	.261
M. Moustakas	3B	KC @ CWS 8:10PM	C. Sale	20	4	1	0	0	0	7	.200	.200	.250	.450

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

Cold Pitcher Matchups – April 23, 2015

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Matchup Info		Career Stats Allowed To Batters On Opposing Team
Pitcher	Game	AB	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Homer Bailey	CIN @ MIL 1:40PM	139	40	18	6	21	12	31	.288	.359	.505	.864
Jordan Lyles	COL vs SD 3:10PM	65	23	8	4	14	9	11	.354	.439	.643	1.082
Jesse Chavez	OAK @ LAA 7:05PM	63	22	6	3	13	4	11	.349	.399	.540	.939
Chris Tillman	BAL @ TOR 7:07PM	166	51	21	7	25	12	28	.307	.352	.527	.879

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

Steven Souza, OF, TB – Okay, let's just say that you're a bit behind in the game and you're not too keen on the "hot" free agent pickup. And, you notice that Souza is roaming your free agent pool, and he's lonely, and he wants to occupy your roster. Souza owns a nice set of skills, including power, speed and the ability to hit for average. If you don't have him on roster now, it's a smart idea to reach for him. He's the one with his hand way up, like the eager student that knows the answer in your 4th grade classroom. Over the last four minor league seasons, Souza has averaged double-digit numbers in homers and stolen bases.

Other Recent Recommendations: Addison Russell, Carlos Rodon, Anthony DeSclafani,Everth Cabrera, Devon Travis and Mike Moustakas.
DraftKings Value Picks

SP: Yordano Ventura, KC ($7,100)
C: Salvador Perez, KC ($3,600)
1B: Billy Butler, OAK ($3,600)
2B: Dustin Pedroia, BOS ($3,800)
SS: Xander Bogaerts, BOS ($3,500)
3B: Mike Moustakas, KC ($3,600)
OF: Travis Snider, BAL ($3,900)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Dave Hunter plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: TheRolyPolyBoy, DraftKings: TheRolyPolyBoy.