Venters diagnosed with calf bruise: Braves reliever Jonny Venters sustained a bruise on his left calf, and according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the line drive that hit him in Wednesday's game against the Reds did not hit him in the bone. Venters exited Wednesday's contest after being struck by the liner. It is not yet known if he will be available for Thursday's series finale. (Updated 05/24/2012)
Injury Report
Calf - Questionable for May 24 at Cincinnati (Updated - 5/24/12)
Fantasy Analysis
This is good news for Venters' owners, as the injury is much less serious than it could have been. Venters is having another superb season in the Braves' setup role, and he is a must-own pitcher in leagues that reward holds. (Updated 05/24/2012).
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.
05/09/2012 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.
Jonny Venters is one of those rare middle relievers with widespread Fantasy appeal. You may look at his final numbers and think, "They're good and all, but not that special," but keep in mind he was a casualty of his MLB-leading 85 appearances. Before allowing nine earned runs over his final 14 1/3 innings, he had a 1.10 ERA in 70 appearances, allowing just 38 hits during that stretch. The performance earned him an All-Star nod and plenty of hype, with some experts saying his 95-mile-per-hour sinker had replaced Mariano Rivera's cutter as the most dominant pitch in baseball. With Craig Kimbrel securing ninth-inning duties in Atlanta last year with a rookie record 46 saves, Venters isn't on the verge of closing anytime soon, but his dominance is enough to make him a relevant Fantasy option regardless. As long as the Braves don't overuse him again, he should finish with a stellar ERA and WHIP to go along with a high strikeout rate. He'll lack the innings of a starter and the saves of a closer, of course, but he'll help enough with the ratio stats to deserve a late-round look in Rotisserie leagues. And if anything ever happens to Kimbrel, watch out. (Updated 1/5/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
= probable start