Venable narrowly misses cycle: San Diego outfielder Will Venable finished a home run shy of the cycle during the Padres' 6-1 victory over Washington on Tuesday. Venable went 4 for 5 with a single, a double and a triple in his first three at-bats before striking out against Nationals reliever Tom Gorzelanny in the sixth inning. He then laced an RBI single in the eighth inning to complete the fifth four-hit outing of his career and improve his batting average to .280. (Updated 05/15/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/23/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Venable has the potential to be a fine Fantasy contributor, but he severely lacks consistency and entered Tuesday's matchup hitting just .255. The 29-year-old, who also stole a base for the fifth time this season, has not received everyday playing time because of his prolonged stretches without a hit. Fantasy owners should consider him a low-end reserve option in NL-only formats at this point. (Updated 05/15/2012).
05/20/2012 22:47 The Lineup: Lucroy explodes, Yu vs. King Felix on tap for Monday
3 Up, 3 Down; On Deck; Pepper. It's The Lineup. Today's version gives some love to Jonathan Lucroy, Ryan Cook and Scott Van Slyke. We also look ahead to Yu Darvish vs. Felix Hernandez and have a video of an instant replay FAIL in Japan.
05/20/2012 20:48 Wild play puts Padres over Angels in 13
Pitcher Clayton Richard scored the winning run from first base on an error by fill-in left fielder Howie Kendrick with two outs in the 13th inning and the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Sunday in an unusual extra-inning game.
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.
05/18/2012 11:18 Interleague Play: A look at possible NL DHs
A look at who each NL team might use at DH when they play an American League team on the road in interleague play this season.
05/15/2012 16:15 Padres slam Strasburg, sink Nats
Stephen Strasburg left after only four innings Tuesday, matching the second-shortest appearance of his 25-start career, and San Diego's Will Venable had four hits, while John Baker delivered three hits and three RBI, leading the Padres to a 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals.
No one led off for the Padres more often last season than Will Venable, but he is not your typical leadoff hitter. He strikes out often and doesn't walk at a notably high rate, but Venable does have speed. That is Venable's main asset for Fantasy owners, since his spot in the lineup doesn't give him many RBI opportunities, and the Padres' lineup doesn't afford him many chances to score runs. Venable also does not hit lefties well, so he will likely need a platoon partner this year. Though the Padres have upgraded their offense somewhat this offseason, given the likely limits on his playing time, as well as his mediocre numbers in most Fantasy categories, Venable is mainly an option for owners in NL-only leagues. (Updated 1/26/12)