¿Dónde está Matt Kemp? (USAT)

The Dodgers scored a come-from-behind victory over the Angels on Monday, but there's always some leftover angst at Chavez Ravine. Peripheral darling Zack Greinke didn't get out of the fifth inning (10 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), and then there's the ongoing saga of center fielder Matt Kemp (0-for-5, four strikeouts). Slotted fifth overall in the Yahoo! game before the season, Kemp currently sits No. 281 on the overall rankings based on performance to date (.253-21-2-17-7).

Kemp had offseason surgery to his left shoulder after the 2012 season, and as this excellent Peter Gammons piece outlines, the lead shoulder is an integral part of hitting. Kemp hasn't complained during his extended slump, but you get the idea he's playing through mechanical problems at minimum and perhaps shoulder discomfort at maximum. When a player like Kemp is 100 percent, you're never going to see a .333 slugging percentage over 49 games. His walk and strikeouts rates (6.9 and 28.4 percent, respectively) are both moving in the wrong direction.

So what's a fantasy owner to do? If I owned Kemp and could flip him right now for a solid OF2 option, someone like Shin-Soo Choo or Allen Craig (even with his pop absence), I'd probably do it in a second. If an opponent came with an offer of Hunter Pence or Nick Markakis, I'd have to at least think about it. Is Starling Marte enough for Kemp? Norichika Aoki? Discuss your buying and selling plans for Kemp in the comments.

Mr. Met, one of the creepier mascots (USAT)

I know it's a holiday weekend and you might be out living your rock-star lifestyle (or making burgers for 17 relatives). But I always feel better about our fake friendship if we convene once a week. Can you take some time out and head over to a chat?

The usual topics apply, baseball and bullpens, drinks and dames, music and melancholy. We'll keep tabs on the sporting events, too: bases, pucks, and maybe even the hoops. Sneak into your office and settle in at 10:15 pm ET.

A dejected Perez heads for the dugout (USAT)Chris Perez openly admits his shoulder hasn't felt right for a couple of weeks. No one doubted those words on Sunday.

A three-run lead in the ninth is supposed to be an easy save conversion, but Perez had nothing in his 31-pitch stint at Boston. He only retired two of seven batters faced (2 H, 3 BB), eventually exiting with a 2-1 count on Jacoby Ellsbury. Perez felt a pinch in his right shoulder during the Ellsbury at-bat and after a couple of warm-up tosses (one wildly scurrying to the backstop), the Indians had no choice. Perez walked off the field and could be on the DL as soon as Monday.

Cleveland might be fine even without Perez; the Indians have one of the deeper bullpens in the league. But picking a specific closer is a difficult task. Let's open the books and take a look around.

Vinnie Pestano used to be the automatic Perez hedge play, but this doesn't look like his year. He allowed four runs in Saturday's loss to Boston and is sitting on a 5.25 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. A sore elbow cost Pestano some time earlier this year, and he's had control and velocity issues since the return. Pestano is the last speculative pickup I'd consider.

Right-hander Joe Smith has been a consistent hold machine for the Tribe and he's in fine form this year (1.06 ERA, 0.94 WHIP). He allowed the game-ending hit to Ellsbury on Sunday and technically takes the blown save, but let's not worry too much about that - he was entering a spot with no wiggle room (bases loaded, 2-1 inherited count). One pitch isn't going to ruin his case.

Second-year righty Cody Allen is having a lockdown year in the middle of Cleveland's bullpen, with 30 strikeouts and just seven walks over 23.1 innings. A 2.31 ERA and 0.99 WHIP look tidy on the sheet. Another emerging righty, Bryan Shaw, is considered a possible closer-of-the-future type. He's posted a 1.85 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, with a strikeout per inning.

Flying J (USAT)

One unavoidable fact about middle infield this year: it's not deep for fantasy purposes. The fears of the preseason appear justified at the quarter pole.

The prices that follow below are how I'd attack this area (2B/SS) if redrafting right now. The games played to this point are an audition, not a ranking mandate. Expect to disagree with a lot of stuff, that's why we have a game. You know the preamble by now.

We'll use a 5x5 scoring assumption, as most reasonable people do. Don't worry about prices in a vacuum: what matters is how the players relate to one another. Assume similar-ranked commodities are equal.

I'll add comments later in the day and perhaps move a few ranks around. Share your suggestions in the comments but remember the golden rule: no one gains (or loses) 15-20 percent of bonus value simply because you roster them.

Closer down (USAT)Jim Henderson has been so dominant this year, there's been little reason to discuss him. He's allowed just two runs over 19.2 outstanding innings, with five walks against 23 strikeouts. He's 9-for-9 in save chances. The Brewers bullpen has been an open and shut case for a while.

And then on Friday night, Pandora's box swung open again.

Henderson was called upon to close out a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh but his body didn't cooperate. He suffered a right hamstring strain in the ninth and was forced out of the game. "I don't think it's just going to be a day," manager Ron Roenicke told the team's official site.

Francisco Rodriguez inherited Friday's chippie, throwing two pitches, recording one out and shaking many hands. But the Brewers may not have one dedicated closer while Henderson gets hale. Let's go back to Brewers.com for the 411:

If Henderson does miss time, Roenicke said he likely wouldn't count on one pitcher to take over the closer's role. The Brewers have three other pitchers with closer experience on the roster: John Axford, left-hander Michael Gonzalez and Rodriguez.

"I don't know if we want to go with just one person in particular," Roenicke said. "We may look at the matchups and see what they are every night. If there are a couple lefties coming up, we may leave one of our left-handers in there."

K-Rod has only been back with the team for a couple of weeks; he was nothing special in 78 appearances last year (4.38/1.33). But it's interesting to see him summoned into Fridays' spot over a rested John Axford. If I had just one spin to take on a speculative play, I'm using it on Rodriguez. K-Rod is owned in 10 percent of Yahoo! leagues, while Axford trades at 35 percent.

• Has John Lackey pushed his way back into the circle of trust? He had little trouble shutting down the surging Cleveland offense Friday, allowing just one unearned run over seven terrific innings (2 H, 3 BB, 8 K). Lackey has a strikeout per inning and almost four punchouts for every walk in 2013, validating stats. And when batters do make contact against him, they're rapping the ball on the ground 53.6 percent of the time.

The "best shape of his life" meme gets plenty of dismissive waves every spring, but let's not be stubborn about it: when an athlete trims down and takes his craft more seriously, it's a good thing. Lackey came to camp in terrific condition

The Zach Attack (USAT)

Cleveland's surge to the top of the AL Central standings has been primarily fueled by offense. The Indians piled up 12 runs and 16 hits in Thursday's romp at Boston, and for the year they're second in runs scored, trailing only Detroit. The Tribe continues to get on base (fourth in OBP) and knock down the walls (first in homers and slugging). Keep your pitchers away from these guys.

The pitching hasn't been nearly as sharp, posting a 4.07 ERA (19th in the majors). But let's take a second to appreciate Thursday's winning pitcher, emerging 25-year old Zach McAllister.

McAllister scored his fourth win of the year at Fenway and it was, curiously enough, his worst outing of the season (5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K). A captain of consistency, McAllister has allowed three runs or less in all nine of his turns, fashioning a 2.89 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. His strikeout rate is nothing special this year (6.27/9), a dip from his 2012 clip, but he's collecting 2.73 whiffs for every walk. McAllister isn't going to beat himself, you have to beat him.

Oedipus Rex (USAT)

The soul of Closing Time is the bullpen chase, so our logical first step takes us to Colorado. Settle in, Rafael Betancourt owners, and have your copay ready.

The Rockies closer has been working through a groin problem for almost a month now, and it forced him out of Tuesday's appearance in the tenth inning. He's scheduled to have an MRI on Wednesday.

Players are wired to downplay injuries, and Betancourt is no different. Here's what he told MLB.com.

"It's not painful," Betancourt said. "It was feeling weird warming up. I always push a lot from that leg. I came into the game, bounced the first two pitches. Feel like weak. It was getting tight. That's all.

"I'm the kind of guy that it's hard for me to come out of the game. But I think it was the right move to do in that situation. [Wednesday] I get an MRI, but I think everything's going to be fine, and we'll go from there."

It's novel for Betancourt to hope for the best, but we have to prepare for the worst, just in case. If Betancourt misses any significant time, someone's going to get save chances in his stead. Rex Brothers looks like the first name to consider grabbing, with Wilton Lopez and Matt Belisle two other options.

If the numbers were all that mattered, the left-handed Brothers would be a slam-dunk. He's posted a 0.44 ERA and 1.13 WHIP through 22 appearances, with 21 strikeouts against eight walks. The platoon splits haven't bothered him at all; he's actually better against righties (.180 BAA) this year. He looks ready for the ninth if manager Walter Weiss wants to play it that way.

It's raining blown saves in Baltimore (USAT)

Into the middle of May, Jim Johnson was untouchable, on a streak of 35 consecutive saves. Fast forward a week and he's a struggling closer looking for a break. That's life in the ninth inning. It's time for an audit in Baltimore.

Johnson suffered a couple of blown saves last week, mostly death by a thousand cuts (with one homer mixed in). His squandered opportunity from Monday came on one pitch, a plate-centered fastball that Travis Hafner deposited into the Oriole Park seats in left-center field. Baltimore eventually lost the game in ten innings, its sixth straight defeat.

"We will figure it out," Johnson told the team's official site. "I'll figure it out. There's no other option."

Orioles manager Buck Showalter quickly gave Johnson a vote of confidence after Monday's loss. "Come back tomorrow and watch it again, he was one pitch away," Showalter said to Orioles.com. "Jimmy's a very consistent human being. Professional and a great teammate. We didn't do enough to win tonight. ... It's frustrating for him, but he wasn't the only one who could come out of this game a little frustrated."