Atomic RoadRunners

Cardinals rookie RP Jason Motte is an elite relief prospect, but he is nothing more than a low-end middle reliever for the deepest of NL-only leagues that use true middle men down the stretch. If the Cardinals go with someone on staff as the closer in spring 2009, it would likely be Perez as the first choice at this point. Motte has 110 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings, so he clearly has good stuff. A converted catcher, he has not played in the majors, but he has good strikeout numbers in the minors. As a reliever, though, he shouldn’t matter much in Fantasy.

Braves rookie SP James Parr, who pitched six shutout innings in each of his first two starts, had worse than a 9.00 ERA for the second straight start Sunday against the Mets. He allowed four runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings, striking out two and walking four. He didn’t factor in the decision. Parr disappointed in his two-start week and no longer looks like a hot commodity off the waiver wire. His four walks are particularly discouraging. He’s not worth starting in the final week of the season, when he goes Saturday at Houston. (CBS Sports)

FAAB Acquisition:

• P Jason Motte, Cardinals [$0 bid, reserve]

Up:

• OF Corey Hart

Down:

• OF Chris Dickerson

Cut:

• P James Parr

Notes:

• This is the final week of roster moves for the 2008 season.
• The Atomic Roadrunners have had 71 different players on the roster this season.
• Of the “original” 36 players from Draft Day, 19 remain.

Brandon Webb notched his 22nd win Monday night by hurling seven innings of two-run ball in a 4-2 victory over the Cardinals. Webb was on top of his game tonight, striking out six and inducing a ton of ground balls. He had a brutal stretch where he remained stuck on 19 wins by posting a 12.51 ERA over three consecutive losses, but since then he’s won three in a row and allowed only four earned runs over 22 innings. (Rotoworld)

Jason Marquis earned his 11th win as the Cubs defeated the Mets 9-5 on Monday night. When we say he “earned” the win, we mean it — Marquis drove in more runs (5) than he allowed (4) over his 6 2/3 innings of work. He broke a 2-2 tie with his fourth-inning grand slam off Jon Niese, then added an RBI groundout in the fifth. Nothing like seeing a pitcher support his own cause. The loss knocks the Mets 2.5 games out in the NL East. Marquis has had his usual mediocre season, posting a 4.43 ERA, but he does have a winning record. As long as he has a spot in the Cubs rotation, he has some Fantasy value, but he might have to fight for that spot next season if he even returns to the team. His next start is scheduled for Sunday at Milwaukee. (Rotoworld, CBS Sports)

Cardinals SP Todd Wellemeyer lost his third consecutive start Monday against the Diamondbacks, yielding three runs on nine hits in six innings. He also walked four and struck out seven. He’s 1-5 in his last six decisions despite a 3.32 ERA in that span. “I felt pretty good and had some good stuff working,” Wellemeyer said. “That’s an aggressive team, and stuff didn’t go our way.” Wellemeyer has had a solid first season as a full-time starting pitcher, which is a bit surprising considering he’d struggled throughout his career as a middle reliever. Think of him as a No. 5 Fantasy SP going into 2009. His next start is scheduled for Saturday against the Reds. (CBS Sports)

Chris Dickerson will undergo surgery Friday for a stress fracture in his heel. He’s been sidelined with what had been considered Achilles’ tendon soreness. “The MRI yesterday showed a stress fracture,” Dickerson said. “It’s kind of relief. I know I’m not going crazy. The orthodics weren’t working. It’s surgery but it’s minor surgery.” Dickerson has made a case to open next year as the Reds’ center fielder, but the team figures to bring in some competition. He hit .304/.413/.608 in 102 at-bats this season. (Rotoworld)

Chipper Jones (shoulder) singled as a pinch hitter in Monday’s loss to Philadelphia. He said he would try to return to the lineup on Tuesday, but a return on Wednesday is more likely, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “It doesn’t hurt as bad as it did, but it still hurts,” Jones said. “I’m still having pain when I simulate throwing. It’s an impingement in the back of my shoulder.” Jones has more problems hitting right handed and a left-handed starter is schedule for Tuesday while a right-handed starter is set for Wednesday. (Rotowire)

Ryan Theriot, who had been in a 3-for-33 slump, had three singles and two walks, according to the Chicago Tribune. Theriot is starting to show signs of coming out of his prolonged slump. As we saw earlier this week with Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs manager Lou Piniella subscribes to the “hit your way out of a slump” school of thought. Watch the starting lineups closely, as Theriot may get in there more than previously expected. (Rotowire)

Mets closer Luis Ayala, working in a non-save situation Monday against the Cubs, allowed one run on three hits and one walk in two-thirds of an inning. He recorded one strikeout. Ayala has eight saves since taking over as Mets closer, but he also has a dreadful 5.53 ERA on the season. He’s a low-end No. 2 Fantasy option for now and will likely enter 2009 as just a middle reliever. (CBS Sports)

John Maine (shoulder) threw 25 pitches Monday in another simulated game, and one teammate who watched him said, “Today the ball was jumping,” the NY Daily News’ Mets blog reports. With the team desperate for bullpen help and needing someone who can get swings and misses, look for Maine to get activated and pitch in relief sometime during the week. (Rotowire)

Overall Standings

Rank Team                Batting Pitching Total Dif  Behind
---- ------------------- ------- -------- ----- ---- ------
 1   Atomic Roadrunners  44.0    38.0     82.0  1.0  0.0
 2   X-Men               31.0    38.0     69.0  -0.5 13.0
 3   Goodfellas          41.0    23.0     64.0  2.0  18.0
 3   Shoeless Jews       32.0    32.0     64.0  0.0  18.0
 5   Stanimals           24.0    37.0     61.0  -1.0 21.0
 6   The Pi Train        23.0    27.0     50.0  -2.0 32.0
 6   Uncle Lester        12.0    38.0     50.0  0.0  32.0
 8   Cover Zero          26.0    17.0     43.0  0.5  39.0
 9   Get Off Kong!       24.0    13.0     37.0  1.0  45.0
 10  Misogynistic Padres 18.0    12.0     30.0  -1.0 52.0

Yesterday's Stats

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (9/22/08)
Player                        BA HR R RBI   SB
------------------------- ------ -- - --- ----
Blake, Casey 3B LA        0.0000  0 0   0    0
DeWitt, Blake 3B LA       0.0000  0 0   0    0
Dickerson, Chris OF CIN   0.0000  0 0   0    0
Fielder, Prince 1B MIL    0.0000  0 0   0    0
Headley, Chase 3B SD      0.0000  0 0   0    0
Iannetta, Chris C COL     0.0000  0 0   0    0
Jones, Chipper 3B ATL     1.0000  0 0   0    0
Milledge, Lastings LF WAS 0.0000  0 0   0    0
Moss, Brandon OF PIT      0.0000  0 0   0    0
Reyes, Jose B. SS NYM     0.4000  0 2   0    0
Sandoval, Pablo C SF      0.0000  0 0   0    0
Teixeira, Mark 1B ANA     0.5000  0 0   0    0
Theriot, Ryan SS CHC      1.0000  0 1   0    0
Victorino, Shane CF PHI   0.7500  0 1   0    0

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (9/22/08)
Player                       ERA  K S   W WHIP
------------------------- ------ -- - --- ----
Ayala, Luis RP NYM         13.50  1 0   0 6.00
Marquis, Jason SP CHC       5.40  4 0   1 1.80
Webb, Brandon SP ARI        2.57  6 0   1 1.43
Wellemeyer, Todd SP STL     4.50  7 0   0 2.17