Player Notes

Yonder Alonso went 2-for-3 with a homer Saturday in the Padres' 2-1 win over the Padres.
Advice: It was his first homer since May 3 and his fifth overall. In 2012, he didn't hit his first bomb until May 11 and his second until June 13, finishing with nine. He'll easily pass that number this year.

Luke Scott finished 0-for-3 with a pair of walks and an RBI during Saturday's 10-6 victory over the O's.
Advice: Scott missed most of April with a strained calf, but he's swiftly made up for lost time, batting .302/.439/.465 in 16 games. He's seeing the ball well, walking nine times in his last eight games. The 34-year-old is likely available in your mixed league and deserves consideration if you're in need of a bench bat.

Jed Lowrie went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice-fly RBI in Saturday's victory against Kansas City.
Advice: Lowrie pounded the ball in April, batting .333 with a .938 OPS and 15 RBI in 102 plate appearances. The 29-year-old suffered a strained neck at the end of the month and hasn't been the same since, batting .232/.328/.286 with no homers, four RBI and one run scored over 56 May plate appearances. It's possible that the oft-injured infielder is trying to play through a malady that would be better treated by rest.

Julio Borbon has stolen three bases since he joined the Cubs last month.
Advice: Borbon hasn't been playing enough to warrant an update over the past month (he's logged more than two at-bats in a game just twice since the Cubs claimed him off waivers from the Rangers on April 19). If he can secure some playing time over the summer, Borbon will be useful in NL-only formats in the batting average and steals departments. Chicago has displayed no willingness to exercise their atrophying 27-year-old outfielder, however.

Dexter Fowler had a monster night in Saturday's 10-2 romp over the Giants, going 3-for-5 with a double, a steal, two RBI and three runs scored.
Advice: Fowler began May in a 5-of-39 funk, failing to steal a base or hit a home run. In his last three games, he's 6-for-15 with two steals, an extra-base hit and five runs. Right hip flexor soreness hobbled Fowler earlier this month. If Saturday's speed is any indication, he's feeling a lot better.

Maicer Izturis went 1-for-4 with a single in Saturday's loss to the Yankees.
Advice: Izturis isn't walking or making contact this season, and you already know his swing is punchless. Toronto was hoping for more than a .218/.242/.331 slash line when they signed Izturis from the Angels over the winter to a three-year, $9 million deal and the Jays recently sat him in three of four games.

Chris Getz hasn't collected a hit since May 4.
Advice: He hasn't played since May 13 and owns an ugly .170 OPS in 18 plate appearances this month. Getz has never been much of a hitter, but his .193/.221/.301 slash line in 2013 resets the bar to a new low. Kansas City is making due with Elliot Johnson and Miguel Tejada at second, which tells you all you need to know about their opinion of Getz. With additional help on the way from the farm, Getz may have just squandered his last opportunity to seize a starting major league gig.

Since May 2, Ryan Raburn is batting an anemic .172/.273/.241 over 33 plate appearances.
Advice: Raburn lived a charmed life in April, slashing .320/.370/.620 in the season's opening month. The wheels have come off since he went 4-for-5 against the Phillies on May 1. Since that time, he's seen his OPS deflate from 1.061 to .871 with no signs of slowing. Raburn began losing playing time when Michael Bourne returned, but there was hope he'd grab some playing time following the demotion of Lonnie Chisenhall. ESPN Fantasy reports that Raburn has been dropped from 35.6% of baseball leagues over the past week. He's now owned in just 32.1%, a number that's still too high.

Donald Lutz logged his first career multi-hit game in Saturday's 10-0 demolition of the Phillies.
Advice: Lutz went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. He's batting .290 with a .419 slugging percentage through 31 at-bats, but Lutz has yet to take a walk. Lutz had 20-plus home runs in two straight minor league seasons and has displayed NL-only upside when given an opportunity, knocking in six runs, jacking a home run and stealing a pair of bases. He'll likely have to wait until 2014, at least, to become fantasy relevant.

Matt Carpenter has hit safely in all but two May games.
Advice: The young infielder is third in the NL with 33 runs scored. Carpenter's slash line of .263/.333/.442 in April was solid, but he's really turned up the heat in May, batting .375/.470/.482. If Carpenter can convert some of his doubles (14) into home runs (three), he'll eradicate a fantasy weakness to this point. Despite his hot stick, Carpenter has driven in only 14 runs. He's not a threat to run, either.

Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored Saturday against the Mets.
Advice: Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt is quickly emerging as one of the game's best young first basemen, but Rizzo is nipping at his heels. The 23-year-old is hitting .390 (32-for-84) over his last 21 games and has 10 homers and 30 RBI on the year.

Gerardo Parra hit a leadoff (but game-winning) home run against the Marlins on Saturday night.
Advice: Parra took Tom Koehler deep on the first pitch of the game, and it turned out to be all the scoring either team would do. The homer was Parra's only hit of the night, and he's now batting .327/.394/.506 on the year. The outfielder has often been the odd-man out in the Diamondbacks outfield -- Arizona expected Jason Kubel and Adam Eaton to be starting at this point -- but it's hard to see how the club will bench him when he's performing like this.

Angels designated OF Scott Cousins for assignment.
Advice: The Angels claimed Chris Nelson off waivers, so it's just a move to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Cousins should go through waivers unclaimed and remain in the organization.

Mark Trumbo slugged his 10th home run of the season Saturday in the Angels' 12-9 win over the White Sox.
Advice: Trumbo's solo shot in the bottom of the fourth inning completely threw off White Sox starter Hector Santiago, who had been on a roll. Trumbo then added a run-scoring double in the fifth against White Sox reliever Nate Jones. Trumbo is currently on pace for 38 homers and 109 RBI, and he's talented enough to come at least somewhat close to those totals.