Kimbrel surges into saves lead: Atlanta relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel worked a perfect ninth inning to register his 13th save of the season during the Braves' 2-0 win at Tampa Bay in an interleague game on Sunday. Kimbrel racked up his second save in the three-game series to pull out of a tie with Philadelphia's Jonathan Papelbon and take over the National League lead for saves. He had two strikeouts and did not walk a batter while lowering his ERA to 2.25. (Updated 05/20/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/24/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Kimbrel continues to serve as one of the top closers in the majors and has blown just one save in 14 chances this year. The right-hander has also fanned 25 batters in 16 innings, backed by 10 outings with multiple strikeouts this season. Kimbrel is also riding a season-long five-game scoreless streak. Fantasy owners should continue to roll with him in all formats as a dominant relief option. (Updated 05/20/2012).
05/18/2012 22:34 Hanson pitches Braves past Rays
Tommy Hanson pitched seven effective innings, Freddie Freeman drove in two runs and the Atlanta Braves beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Friday night.
05/17/2012 22:12 Beachy stops Marlins, earns first shutout
Brandon Beachy improved his major-league best ERA with a couple of career milestones and the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 7-0 on Thursday night.
05/09/2012 12:27 Dear Mr. Fantasy: New world order for closers
The relief pitching landscape sure has changed on a dime since opening day. Who are the right replacements to target? Our Scott White re-ranks his top closer options and answers your questions in Dear Mr. Fantasy.
05/08/2012 23:11 Uggla's two-run single gives Braves win
Dan Uggla hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 Tuesday night.
Entering 2011, Craig Kimbrel wasn't guaranteed a closing job. Now, he's arguably the top closer in Fantasy. With the retirement of Billy Wagner, the Braves had to decide between Kimbrel and Jonny Venters for the ninth inning last year. Hard to second-guess their choice now. Not only did Kimbrel's NL-leading 46 saves shatter the rookie record of 40 set by Neftali Feliz one year earlier, but his 14.8 strikeouts per nine innings were the most for any reliever with at least 60 innings pitched. Even better, the control problems that plagued him throughout his minor-league career were no longer an issue. In other words, Kimbrel offers all the electricity of a Carlos Marmol without the marked propensity for shooting himself in the foot. The one knock on him is that he posted a 7.36 ERA and blew three saves over the final three weeks of the season, but he was clearly running on fumes at that point, having pitched more innings than any full-time closer. Kimbrel has unhittable stuff, improving command and the inside track on another 40-save season pitching for an expected contender with a deep pitching staff. (Updated 2/21/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
= probable start