Smoak heating up for Mariners : Mariners first basemen Justin Smoak continued his hot hitting during Sunday's series finale against the Rockies. Smoak registered his ninth multi-hit game of the year in the 6-4 win, including belting his fifth home run of the season. He ripped the solo shot off starter Jeremy Guthrie in the third inning. He also added a RBI single in the opening frame and finished 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI. "Getting on top of that high fastball the way he did, you've got to do a lot of things right," manager Eric Wedge said of Smoak. "Offensively a lot of these guys are headed in the right direction. We've got some guys that can do some damage once they get it going." (Updated 05/21/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/24/12).
Fantasy Analysis
After getting off to a dreadful start this season, Smoak is finally starting to heat up for Seattle. He hitting .351 with two home runs and four RBI over his last nine games and has registered five multi-hit games over that stretch. Smoak has seen his average increase over 40 points during his hot streak and appears to be finally starting to figure some things out at the plate. While he is certainly moving in right direction, Fantasy owners should continue to roll with Smoak as an AL-only option heading into Week 8 (May 21-27). (Updated 05/21/2012).
05/23/2012 14:54 Setting the Trends: Injuries creating unlikely scenarios
Dayan Viciedo, Sean Rodriguez and Felipe Paulino are drawing the attention of Fantasy owners these days. Our Nando Di Fino breaks down the players you are scooping up in his Setting the Trends.
05/23/2012 00:50 Andrus' two-run 3B puts Rangers on top
Elvis Andrus lined a two-strike pitch into the left-center field gap for a two-run triple, Josh Hamilton made two tremendous catches in center field and added an RBI double, and the Texas Rangers snapped Seattle's win streak at four with a 3-1 win over the Mariners on Tuesday night.
05/21/2012 16:26 Smoak is getting a lot of attention
Seattle first baseman Justin Smoak is one of the most viewed players on CBSSports.com. The Fantasy Baseball 360 crew breaks it all down.
05/20/2012 19:47 Hit Parade for Week 8
Some catchers have been bitten by the injury bug in recent days, leaving some owners scrambling. Our Scott White shares some recommendations and helps set your lineups for Week 8 in his Hit Parade.
05/15/2012 19:25 Beckett throws 7 scoreless, Red Sox win
Josh Beckett redeemed himself less than a week after being booed off the mound, striking out a season-high nine as the Boston Red Sox shut out the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Tuesday and extended their winning streak to five.
Justin Smoak got off to a solid start in his first full season with the Mariners but injuries and inconsistent play hindered him. He batted .291 with five homers, 22 RBI and a .524 slugging percentage over his first 30 games before taking a step back. He hit just .216 after that and finished with 15 homers and 55 RBI. A thumb injury cost him playing time in August and he was never able to fully recover. And when he did, he started losing playing time at first base to Mike Carp. Seattle still believes Smoak can be a franchise-type player and will give him every opportunity to succeed. He should be able to reach the 20-homer plateau in 2012, as long as he can stay healthy. If he can bring up his career .227 average, he will be someone to target in the majority of Fantasy formats. He still has some solid potential at age 24, so owners should target Smoak in deeper mixed leagues on Draft Day. (Updated 2/8/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
