Fantasy Baseball fantasy player news

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Ellsbury steals two bases Tuesday Boston rookie Jacoby Ellsbury stole two bases against the Orioles on Tuesday to raise his AL-leading total to 40. Ellsbury went 2-for-6 with two runs scored. Although he's been an overall disappointment in his rookie season, he did look good batting leadoff on Tuesday. Continue to start him in deeper mixed Fantasy leagues because of his ability to steal bases.

Kuroda's great run ends Tuesday Dodgers SP Hiroki Kuroda, who had allowed one earned run in at least seven innings in each of his last three starts, struggled by comparison Tuesday against the Rockies. He allowed four runs on six hits in six innings, walking one and striking out three. He suffered the loss. Kuroda still posted an impressive WHIP during Tuesday's game, so you can't really call it a bad start. He clearly looks like a serviceable Fantasy SP in mixed leagues, but his lack of strikeouts makes him a No. 5 or 6 option. His next start is scheduled for Sunday at Philadelphia.

Slowey strikes out a career-high 12 There are no 96 mph heaters from Twins SP Kevin Slowey. No bat-breaking sliders or splitters that feel like bowling balls to opposing hitters. It's all about pitching smarts and location for the 24-year-old right-hander, who struck out a career-high 12 batters against the Athletics on Tuesday, winning for the fourth time in five starts. He allowed two runs -- one earned -- on five hits, walking none. "I'd love to throw it 96 or 97, but I definitely don't. I don't have a slider like Joe Nathan," Slowey said. "But the Twins are huge proponents of location over velocityand I'm always making a big point of that. If you keep the ball low, 92 looks a lot harder than 97 at the belt." Slowey has a 2.14 ERA over that five-start stretch and has adecent strikeout rate despite his lack of overpowering stuff. He looks worthy of owning in all mixed leagues right now, so take a flier on him if he remains unowned in yours. His next start is scheduled for Sunday at the Angels.

Polanco out until at least weekend Tigers 2B Placido Polanco was scratched from the starting lineup about an hour before the first pitch with a sore right knee. He was replaced by Ramon Santiago. Manager JimmyLeyland said after the game Polanco will not play Wednesday. This is too bad, because Polanco was hot and hitting with more power because he has stopped choking up on the bat. Consider him a viable option in any Fantasy league once he is healthy again, but track his progress through the weekendbefore considering him for Fantasy Week 22 (Aug. 25-31).

Braun out of Brewers lineup Tuesday The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Brewers OF Ryan Braun, who left Monday's game against the Astros when his back problem resurfaced, is not in the lineup tonight against Houston. "I think I could play today," said Braun. "It's just one of those nagging injuries that's probably notgoing to go away completely while I'm playing. I'll have to deal with it. I hope it goes away completely. But, realistically, the way this game is, it probably won't." Braun played in only two games in Fantasy Week 20 (Aug. 11-17), and he's off to a bad start in Fantasy Week 21 (Aug.18-24). When healthy, Braun is a must-start OF/3B, and a lotof people left him in their lineup this period as he's starting in 91 percent of leagues. Keep an eye on his statusover the next few days before making plans for Fantasy Week 22 (Aug. 25-31).

Torres doesn't take mound Tuesday Brewers closer Salomon Torres (groin) was not needed during Tuesday's game against the Astros. He has missed the last three games since injuring his groin Saturday. We're not exactly sure how serious this injury is for Torres, so we'll have to wait and see if it keeps him off the field for any significant period of time. When healthy, Torres is a solid low-end No. 1 Fantasy closer in mixed formats. * Wood gets work in Tuesday for Cubs Cubs closer Kerry Wood got some work in Tuesday in a win over the Reds. It was a non-save situation and Wood struck out two and allowed one hit in an inning of work. Wood looks ready to resume his role of closer, making him a must-start Fantasy option on a competitive Cubs squad. Get him back active.