Player Notes

Seth Smith went 2-for-4 with a homer, two walks and three runs scored versus the Rangers on Monday.
Advice: The A's are hoping Smith's slump is over. His OPS dropped from 1.072 on April 23 to .933 on April 30 to .755 on May 17, but he's now gone 4-for-8 in his last two games. Of course, it was in late April and early May that the A's really needed him. Now that Yoenis Cespedes, Coco Crisp and Chris Young are healthy again, Smith isn't so important to the attack anymore.

Matt Lindstrom has allowed an earned run in three of his last five relief appearances.
Advice: The streaky Idahoan didn't allow a run through April 20, then gave up six in his next four appearances, then was perfect in May until the 10th, when his newest batch of concerns cropped up. The 32-year-old reliever, signed to a one-year, $2.8 million contract over the winter, holds a 4.76 ERA over 17 innings. Lindstrom will continue operating out of a middle relief role.

Eric Hinske is batting .188 with a .548 OPS over 34 plate-appearances.
Advice: The Diamondbacks handed Hinske a one-year, $1.35 million contract in December after he batted just .197/.272/.311 with two home runs and 13 RBI in 91 games last season for the Braves. The former Rookie of the Year, now 35, is reaching the end of a respectable 12-year career.

Wesley Wright holds a 2.95 ERA over 21 appearances.
Advice: Wright broke out in 2012, putting up a 3.27 ERA while striking out over a batter per inning. Over his first three seasons, batters teed off to the tune of a 5.33 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 134 games. In the last three years, Wright has turned into a fine LOOGY, posting a 2.94 ERA and 8.4/2.9 K/BB/9 rate. Owners in deep AL-only formats should note that Wright's WHIP this year (1.53) sits right around where it did during the dark years of his career. He's walking fewer batters then he ever has, but has surrendered 23 hits over 18 1/3 frames.

Jason Marquis limited the Cardinals to two runs -- one earned -- on three hits over six innings to improve to 6-2 on Monday.
Advice: Marquis has won each of his last five trips to the bump and has been one of baseball's best starters over that stretch. We aren't here to pimp Marquis, however, as he's benefited from smoke and mirrors and his home park perhaps more than any pitcher in the game. Marquis' 28 walks lead the National League. And that five-game winning streak? He posted a hideous 17/18 K/BB rate over 31 2/3 innings during that stretch. This house of cards is about to topple and you'd be wise to identify the sucker in your league to pay for Marquis' 6-2 record and 3.27 ERA before it does.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer Friday against the White Sox.
Advice: Salty is batting .333 in 42 at-bats this month. The Red Sox are trying to limit the switch-hitter's at-bats against left-handers and it's working so far; he's hitting .302 with all five of his homers and 12 of his 13 RBI against righties.

Dylan Axelrod held the Red Sox to two runs and four hits in six innings to pick up a win Monday.
Advice: It's just Axelrod's second win in nine outings this season, but he's given the White Sox five quality starts, plus two more in which he was pulled in the sixth having allowed three or fewer runs. He's now probably moved back ahead of Hector Santiago with John Danks due back and a rotation spot on the line.

George Kottaras has just two hits this season.
Advice: Kottaras has started only four games this season and hasn't registered a hit since April 28. He's batting .125/.364/.375 this season, somehow drawing six walks in 21 plate appearances despite his limp bat.

Tony Sipp's walk rate (6.0) and strike-to-walk rate (1.38) are the highest and lowest of his career, respectively.
Advice: Sipp's only pitched 12 inning over 18 appearances, so it's not time for Kirk Gibson to panic, but the left-hander will be playing with fire if he can't iron out his control issues. His 3.75 ERA is better than last season's 4.42, but Sipp's peripherals suggest that he was a better hurler in 2012. The improvement in ERA is entirely tied to Sipp keeping the ball in play. He's surrendered only one bomb after giving up nine last year.

Reserve outfielder Logan Schafer has posted a .455 OPS for the Brewers this season.
Advice: Although Shafer at times looks like a high-schooler at the dish -- slashing .182/.250/.205 -- he's actually registered a positive WAR, due to the three runs he's estimated to have saved in the field, per Baseball Reference. That's good enough to keep a roster spot in the majors, of course, but glove-only subs will have to wait until fantasy baseball evolves to include advanced defensive metrics to have any value even in the deepest of leagues.

Pitching exclusively out of the bullpen, Josh Collmenter is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over 22 innings.
Advice: Last year's horrific April that cost him a rotation spot seems like a distant memory. Collmenter finished with a 2.13 ERA in 72 innings (seven starts, 17 relief appearances) over the final five months in 2012 and has carried that success into a new season. Of particular interest is his strikeout and K/BB rate, both improved over last year, which were both improvements over 2010's fifth-place-ROY-voting campaign.

Ty Wigginton went 0-for-2 with a walk in Monday's loss to the Padres.
Advice: He was also caught stealing. Wigginton doesn't draw many starts, and he doesn't do much with them when he does, slashing .194/.286/.226 with no homers or steals and one RBI through 31 at-bats. St. Louis doesn't often make mistakes, but the two-year, $5 million deal they gifted Wigginton in mid-December certainly qualifies.

Jonathan Herrera is batting .283/.327/.370 through 49 plate appearances.
Advice: If his slash numbers hold, Herrera will finish with the best offensive season of his career, topping the .694 OPS he mustered in 2010. Unfortunately, the utility infielder has scuffled in the field recently, recording three errors in his last 12 games.

Pedro Strop was slapped with a loss Monday against the Yankees after allowing two runs over two-thirds of an inning.
Advice: Called upon to begin the 10th inning, Strop gave up consecutive doubles to Ichiro Suzuki and Vernon Wells before recording a pair of outs. He was asked to intentionally walk Robinson Cano before the O's tabbed Brian Matusz, who allowed an inherited runner to score. Strop's stuff is absolutely lethal, but his post-WBC efforts haven't impressed. The 27-year-old holds a 5.19 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 21 appearances. He's got closer's stuff, but is nowhere close to being trusted in the ninth inning.

Joe Thatcher earned his fifth hold by tossing two-thirds of a scoreless inning against the Cardinals on Monday night.
Advice: When healthy, the southpaw has been terrific for the Padres. Between 2009-2011, he posted a 2.66 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 rate. This year he is 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 10/1 K/BB rate over 21 appearances. As an effective LOOGY who calls PETCO home, Thatcher is a solid middle reliever in deeper NL-only formats.

Andres Torres went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Monday's win against Washington.
Advice: Prior to the evening, Torres hadn't collected a hit since May 8. The 35-year-old backup outfielder is batting just .247/.282/.346 over 81 at-bats this season.

Dane De La Rosa has a 4.91 ERA over 21 appearances.
Advice: The 6-foot-7 hurler has allowed four runs over 3 1/3 innings in the last week. His 20/8 K/BB rate in 22 innings is decent, but it doesn't necessarily speak to any potential improvement coming. De La Rosa has never solved the puzzle of major league hitters, posting a 7.08 ERA over 33 games despite a shiny 33/13 K/BB rate.

Craig Stammen was knocked around the park by the Giants Monday, allowing two runs on seven hits over 2 2/3 innings.
Advice: Washington didn't have much of a chance after Zach Duke spotted the Giants an early lead, but Stammen's poor performance sealed their fate. Stammen stranded a handful of runners to limit the damage this game had on his ERA, which jumped from 2.25 to 2.78. As a long reliever, Stammen has fulfilled expectations, adding a 1.19 WHIP and 23/5 K/BB rate over 22 2/3 innings.

Patrick Corbin moved to 7-0 by pitching a three-hitter and striking out 10 as the Diamondbacks topped the Rockies 5-1 on Monday.
Advice: Corbin's April could have been written off as something of a fluke after he went 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA. However, he's now 4-0 with a 0.92 ERA in May. It's a pretty amazing transformation for a guy who went 6-8 with a 4.54 ERA and 14 homers allowed in 107 innings last year.

Rangers optioned C Robinson Chirinos to Triple-A Round Rock.
Advice: He's clearing the way for A.J. Pierzynski's return from the DL on Tuesday. Chirinos picked up three hits in 12 at-bats with the big club.