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Interleague play kicks off on Friday, with "traditional rivalries" like Mets-Yankees, Indians-Reds, Astros-Rangers, Dodgers-Angels, Nationals-Orioles and Royals-Marlins … OK, OK, kidding about that last one. Nevertheless, keep in mind the impact of the designated hitter rule (used in AL parks, not in NL), and before you set your Friday lineup, be sure to check Brendan Roberts' column on top interleague hitters.

The other big Friday story: It's a day of spot starters, or short-rest ones, thanks to Sunday's rainouts. The Blue Jays will throw David Purcey out there, and the Indians will put in Jeremy Sowers, while the Braves' Jair Jurrjens will be going on three days' rest. On the other hand, the Mets get the luxury of pushing back Johan Santana to face the Yankees, a team that not only was in the hunt for his services this past winter but also is especially inept against left-handers.

Time	Visitors		L/R	Record	ERA	WHIP		Home		L/R	Record	ERA	WHIP
2:20 p.m.		Tom Gorzelanny	L	3-3	5.97	1.76	@		Sean Gallagher	R	0-0	6.48	1.68
7:05 p.m.		Shawn Hill	R	0-0	3.56	1.32	@		Garrett Olson	L	2-0	2.95	1.25
7:05 p.m.		Jeff Suppan	R	2-2	4.63	1.56	@		Daisuke Matsuzaka	R	6-0	2.45	1.22
7:05 p.m.		Johan Santana	L	4-2	3.10	1.11	@		Darrell Rasner	R	2-0	3.00	0.83
7:05 p.m.		David Purcey	L	0-0	2.08	2.08	@		Jamie Moyer	L	2-3	5.02	1.67
7:10 p.m.		Jeremy Sowers	L	0-0	5.06	1.50	@		Johnny Cueto	R	2-4	5.91	1.25
7:10 p.m.		Brett Tomko	R	1-4	5.67	1.49	@		Scott Olsen	L	4-1	2.63	1.08
7:35 p.m.		Dana Eveland	L	3-3	3.23	1.25	@		Jair Jurrjens	R	4-3	3.10	1.09
8:05 p.m.		Shawn Chacon	R	0-0	3.53	1.37	@		Sidney Ponson	R	2-0	3.16	1.40
8:15 p.m.		Andy Sonnanstine	R	5-1	5.07	1.33	@		Braden Looper	R	5-2	4.21	1.28
9:05 p.m.		Nick Blackburn	R	3-2	3.93	1.43	@		Ubaldo Jimenez	R	1-3	5.53	1.82
9:40 p.m.		Jeremy Bonderman	R	2-4	4.80	1.67	@		Dan Haren	R	4-2	3.04	0.99
10:05 p.m.		Hiroki Kuroda	R	1-2	3.59	1.32	@		Joe Saunders	L	6-1	2.48	1.12
10:10 p.m.		Chris Young	R	3-3	3.94	1.45	@		Miguel Batista	R	3-4	5.58	1.88
10:15 p.m.		Gavin Floyd	R	3-2	3.32	1.13	@		Jonathan Sanchez	L	2-2	4.89	1.44

All times are ET.

Out
Ryan Doumit, C/OF, Pirates (thumb)
Rafael Furcal, SS, Dodgers (back)
Jeff Keppinger, SS, Reds (knee)
Angel Pagan, OF, Mets (shoulder)
Ryan Speier, RP, Rockies (shoulder)
Santiago Casilla, RP, A's (arm)
Blake DeWitt, 3B, Dodgers (back)
Carlos Gomez, OF, Twins (flu)
Nick Johnson, 1B, Nationals (wrist)
Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves (groin)

Day-to-day
Milton Bradley, OF, Rangers (shoulder)
Coco Crisp, OF, Red Sox (illness)
J.D. Drew, OF, Red Sox (wrist)
Mark Ellis, 2B, A's (hamstring)
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Red Sox (knee)
Ramon Hernandez, C, Orioles (wrist)
Mike Jacobs, 1B, Marlins (quadriceps)
Julio Lugo, SS, Red Sox (concussion)
Melvin Mora, 3B, Orioles (shoulder)
Jose Vidro, DH, Mariners (back)
Ty Wigginton, 2B/3B, Astros (ribs)
David Riske, RP, Brewers (elbow)
Merkin Valdez, RP, Giants (elbow)

Hitters: Which American League hitters might sit because of the absence of the designated hitter in National League parks? Ice-cold Travis Hafner likely will sit for the Indians. Ross Gload likely will sit for the Royals, with Billy Butler at first base against a left-hander (Scott Olsen). Frank Thomas will be relegated to a pinch-hitting role for the A's all weekend. If Gary Sheffield is indeed limited to DH duties again as the Tigers claim, he has no chance of starting all weekend in Arizona. Finally, expect Jim Thome to sit against a left-hander (Jonathan Sanchez). … Not that you'd ever sit him, but Derrek Lee is a standout historically against the Pirates' Tom Gorzelanny; he's 7-for-12 with two doubles and two home runs against the left-hander. Geovany Soto, meanwhile, is 6-for-9 with two doubles and four RBIs lifetime against Gorzelanny. … The Red Sox as a team are 43-for-125 (.344 average) with a 1.004 OPS lifetime against the Brewers' Jeff Suppan, with their most notable standouts being Julio Lugo (5-for-11, 1.136 OPS) and Jason Varitek (8-for-16 with a homer). Of course, check on Lugo's health before slotting him. … It might seem like an obvious decision to sit all Yankees left-handed hitters against the Mets' Johan Santana, but don't be so hasty. Robinson Cano is 4-for-9 lifetime against Santana, while Hideki Matsui is 6-for-15 with a homer against the lefty. Johnny Damon, though, is 5-for-24 with six K's. … Ryan Church remains a must-start, but doubly so against a right-hander. He's hitting .313 with a .918 OPS against that side. … The Blue Jays lit up Jamie Moyer in their previous meeting in Philadelphia last May 19 (3 1/3 IP, 8 H, 7 ER), so don't be afraid to load up with their bats yet again. That includes left-handers Lyle Overbay, 5-for-10 with a homer against Moyer, and Matt Stairs, 10-for-32 with two doubles and two homers lifetime against the southpaw. … Joey Votto is actually a better hitter against left-handers (.308/.964) than right-handers (.260/.846) this season, so keep him in there against the Indians' Jeremy Sowers. … If Mike Jacobs finds his way back into the lineup, get him back in yours, too. He's a .307 hitter with a 1.044 OPS against right-handers, and the Royals' Brett Tomko tends to struggle against Jacobs' left side. … Incredibly, the Rangers' Sidney Ponson has someone's number: Ty Wigginton, who is 0-for-8 with two strikeouts in his career against the right-hander. … Placido Polanco is 8-for-19 (.421 average) lifetime against the Diamondbacks' Dan Haren, and the Tigers as a team hit him fairly well, too (.285/.809 lifetime rates as a team). … Consider Matt Kemp a must-start against left-handers, and probably against most right-handers, too, now that he's playing regularly. He's a .373/1.045 hitter against lefties. … The Padres' Chris Young really seems to have the Mariners' number. Check out their hitters' career numbers against him: Adrian Beltre is 3-for-14 with four strikeouts, Yuniesky Betancourt is 1-for-13 with five K's and Raul Ibanez is 3-for-20. None of the three has an extra-base hit against the right-hander.

Pitchers: Don't bother with Tom Gorzelanny, who is 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in four career starts at Chicago's Wrigley Field. That's a right-handed-heavy Cubs lineup anyway. … Daisuke Matsuzaka was 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in four interleague starts in 2007, and these Brewers are noticeably weaker against right-handed pitchers than they are against left-handers. Expect another stellar outing for Dice-K, who is off to a fabulous start. … Jeff Suppan was 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA and 2.46 WHIP in three starts at Boston's Fenway Park, against his original team, in the 1999-2000 season. You can't expect much better than that this time around, either, not for a guy with a WHIP north of 1.50 already this year. … It seems Eric Gagne is back as the Brewers' closer, though this isn't a great matchup for him to succeed in the role. He'll almost assuredly be the subject of catcalls for his horrible performance for the Red Sox late last year, and he'll be facing an elite offense. … Again, it's not like you'd ever reserve him, but it's nice to know that Johan Santana is 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in six career games (five starts) at New York's Yankee Stadium, postseason included. Oh, and by the way, the Yankees actually rank among the game's bottom five in team OPS against left-handers (.629). … He's a lot riskier today than he was the first week or two of the season, but Johnny Cueto is also 2-1 with a 3.67 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in four home starts. With the Indians looking a bit sluggish offensively, he's worth keeping active in NL-only formats. … Scott Olsen is 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in five home starts this season, and 3-2 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in seven career interleague starts. I'd call those good enough numbers to ride. … A matchup against the A's represents a favorable one for Jair Jurrjens, but that he's pitching on three days' rest for the first time in his big league career somewhat diminishes the appeal. Fortunately, it's a home game, and he's already a perfect 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in three starts at Turner Field this year, but those of you in shallow mixed formats (or with a starts cap) might not prefer the short-rest gamble. … I'd actually be a little careful with Joe Saunders facing the Dodgers lineup. Right-handed hitters still handle him adequately (.252 average, .650 OPS), and the Dodgers represent the game's best against southpaws (.868 team OPS). Again, it's only something to consider in shallow mixed or if you have a starts cap, but I'm just throwing it out there. … Chris Young is 2-0 with a 3.57 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in three career starts at Seattle's Safeco Field, and in his interleague career with San Diego, he's 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in six starts. He's a bit fortunate, too, to draw Miguel Batista as an opponent, rather than Jarrod Washburn. … Jonathan Sanchez's command has been spotty in his past three outings -- 14 1/3 IP, 13 walks -- so don't expect a great outing from him, even against the sluggish White Sox offense. NL-only owners should be the only ones who want him. … Sanchez's opponent, Gavin Floyd, meanwhile, has capitalized nicely on every matchup against a bottom-10 offense thus far. The Giants, incidentally, are a bottom-10 offense.

Hitters: Jayson Werth has started all 16 of the Phillies' games against a left-handed starter this season, and he's a .313 hitter with a 1.014 OPS against that side. … Ryan Freel has started each of the Reds' past seven games against a left-handed starter, so count on him being in there against the Indians' Jeremy Sowers. He's a .349/.833 hitter against southpaws this season, and is running a decent amount, too. … I'll make a prediction here, since predictions are fun: Kevin Mench gets his first career hit at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park on Friday, and I'm not saying that because it's his first-ever game there, either. Incredibly, he's 0-for-18 lifetime at Citizens Bank, but it'll help his cause that he'll be facing the Phillies' Jamie Moyer, against whom he's 10-for-28 with a homer. … Marco Scutaro is 10-for-25 with three homers lifetime against Moyer, making him an intriguing low-priced option, even in mixed formats. … Luis Gonzalez is 15-for-34 with four doubles and three homers lifetime against the Royals' Brett Tomko. … I'd slot Matt Diaz into your lineup against almost any left-hander, as he's a .370 hitter with an .870 OPS against them this season, .335/.887 for his career. … Keep tabs on Hank Blalock's status first, but if Blalock sits again as I'd expect, it's the last time to capitalize on a fantasy-friendly matchup for Ramon Vazquez. He's 4-for-6 lifetime against the Astros' Shawn Chacon, and a .345/.944 hitter against right-handers this season. … Dioner Navarro has one career at-bat against the Cardinals' Braden Looper, and it resulted in a home run. Navarro has been hitting hot lately besides, so keep riding the streak. … The Padres will probably turn to Tony Clark, an underrated power source, now that they'll get the designated hitter all weekend in Seattle. … Fred Lewis is a .313/.908 hitter against right-handers this season, and he continues to get fairly regular at-bats.

Pitchers: Though Shawn Hill has a 6.65 ERA and 1.94 WHIP in four career interleague starts, be aware that much of that is a result of a truly brutal outing against the Red Sox (5 2/3 IP, 12 H, 8 ER on June 21, 2006). Against the Orioles, who predictably have gone quiet as an offense in May, he's a decent deep-mixed or NL-only option. … Hill's opponent, Garrett Olson, though, should be able to keep the Nationals close. Olson might be the weaker bet for a win, if that's your object, but his command has been sharp enough and the Nationals weak enough an offense to make him a useful ERA/WHIP source. … It's a high-risk proposition, but I'll provide the numbers for you: Darrell Rasner is 4-2 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in seven career games (six starts) at Yankee Stadium, while the Mets rank a middling offense against right-handers (.713 team OPS, 20th). It's a matchup that scares me a bit, but the numbers say it's not nuts to use him in a deeper league, so long as you can live without the "W." (He battles Johan Santana.) … Masa Kobayashi picked up the Indians' past save and has a 1.93 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 18 appearances on the season. With Joe Borowski at least another week away from returning from the DL, Kobayashi could sneak in a couple of cheap saves.

Two Friday games are weatherproof: Tigers-Diamondbacks and Padres-Mariners. Beyond that, it's a fairly clear forecast, with the exception of two games in the northeast: Brewers-Red Sox and Mets-Yankees, where prospects of rain are 70 and 60 percent, respectively. There's also a slight chance of showers in Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia, though probably not enough to threaten games there, especially considering teams make an even better effort to try to squeeze in interleague contests than they would ones within their own league. They're among the most difficult to reschedule.

The difficulty of rescheduling interleague affairs is worth noting. Postponed interleague games are often made up as doubleheaders the following day, so don't be quick to unload one-day matchup plays for Friday until you know their games will be played. There's a good chance players you pick for Friday, if their games get washed out, will sneak in two contests for you on Saturday to make up for it. As for pitchers, don't be quick to unload your streamed starters for Friday until you know for sure their games will be played.

Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.