Atomic RoadRunners

From Rotoworld, Rototimes:

Brandon Webb was denied a shot at his 17th victory by a couple of misplays in the eighth inning Tuesday against the Giants. He was removed after allowing two runs — one earned — in eight innings. Webb was pulled from a tie game even though he was at just 85 pitches. In the bottom of the ninth, Randy Choate hit one of the two batters he faced and Brandon Lyon came in to give up a two-run homer to Moises Alou. Although the Arizona offense has let him down in back-to-back outings, Webb has to be considered the clear favorite for Cy Young honors. He has one more win than Chris Carpenter, and he’s beating the St. Louis right-hander in ERA 2.88 to 3.09.

Moises Alou went 2-for-4 and hit a walkoff two-run homer off Brandon Lyon in the bottom of the ninth to give the Giants a 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Alou apparently isn’t going to need any rest this week. He has five homers, four doubles and 11 RBI in his last six games.

John Maine had a side-session on Tuesday and is expected to start for the Mets on Saturday. The Mets are still deciding on whether Maine or Steve Trachsel will be the team’s fourth starter during the playoffs. Trachsel is the favorite to remain in the rotation, but if Maine matches up well with an opponent he could get a start.

Manager Grady Little confirmed that Hong-Chih Kuo will start instead of Chad Billingsley on Friday against the Giants. Greg Maddux will start Saturday and Derek Lowe on Sunday, all pitching on three days’ rest. The way the rotation is setup, if the Dodgers make the playoffs Kuo would start Game 1 of the NLDS.

Chipper Jones was held out of the starting lineup on Tuesday due to ongoing injury concerns, according to the AO. Jones has been able to swing from the left side without discomfort, but he still has trouble right-handed due to a sore left oblique. He also has a sore toe on his right foot.

Chad Tracy committed his 26th error at third base to help the Giants get the tying run in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game. Tracy hasn’t gone into a horrendous slump at any point, but he’s been a mediocre hitter ever since getting his long-term contract in May and he’s also been subpar defensively at third base. Instead of viewing him as one of their building blocks, the Diamondbacks should give serious thought to trading him while he still has plenty of value. He’s unlikely to last as a third baseman, and the club is going to have better options in the future at first base and the outfield corners.