Atomic RoadRunners

Giants closer Brian Wilson allowed three runs on three hits in one inning Friday against the Dodgers to blow his sixth save of the season. He did, however, record two strikeouts. Wilson has a 4.70 ERA, but his 40 saves go a long way to disguising it. In any case, he has good stuff and should improve as he grows into the closer’s role. Target him as a No. 2 Fantasy option in 2009. (CBS Sports)

Marlins RP Matt Lindstrom allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday at the Mets, recording one strikeout. Lindstrom, serving as closer right now, hasn’t recorded a save since Sept. 13. Lindstrom overtook Kevin Gregg for ninth-inning duties late in the season, but he hasn’t had many opportunities to strut his stuff. Still, he projected as a possible closer of the future, so treat him as a No. 2 Fantasy option if he enters 2009 with that role. (CBS Sports)

Jason Motte and Chris Perez expect to compete for the closer role in St. Louis next spring, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. It’s very possible that the Cardinals will bring in a more established closer, and Ryan Franklin will probably also be in the mix. Still, Motte’s numbers so far in the majors may give him the inside track heading into spring training. (Rotowire)

Chipper Jones (shoulder) is hoping to start against the Astros on Saturday. Jones rode the pine Friday, marking the sixth straight game that the Braves’ slugger hasn’t been in the starting lineup, the Associated Press reports. Chipper took batting practice and played catch Friday. “I’m better,” Jones said. “I’m going to try to play.” He currently holds an eight-point lead over Albert Pujols for the NL batting title. (Rotoworld, Rotowire)

Noah Lowry will undergo surgery Tuesday to remove a bone spur from his left elbow. It sounds like Lowry will avoid Tommy John surgery. The recovery time expected to be about six weeks. Looking forward, manager Bruce Bochy is hopeful that “”this surgery will clear up everything and give him peace of mind. … Hopefully, it’s the last step to getting him fully recovered and being at the point where we can count on him being in the rotation” next season. (Rotoworld, Rotowire)

On Friday, Reds OF Chris Dickerson had a small piece of bone removed from his left ankle related to a stress fracture, an operation done by Reds medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek. Dickerson is expected to be ready for spring training. Dickerson was a nice rookie surprise and might have done enough to be considered a starter entering next season. Consider him a sleeper in deeper leagues on Draft Day 2009. (CBS Sports)

Overall Standings

Rank Team                Batting Pitching Total Dif  Behind
---- ------------------- ------- -------- ----- ---- ------
 1   Atomic Roadrunners  44.0    37.5     81.5  -0.5 0.0
 2   X-Men               31.0    38.0     69.0  0.0  12.5
 3   Shoeless Jews       32.0    32.5     64.5  0.5  17.0
 4   Goodfellas          41.0    23.0     64.0  0.0  17.5
 5   Stanimals           23.5    37.0     60.5  -0.5 21.0
 6   The Pi Train        24.0    27.5     51.5  1.5  30.0
 7   Uncle Lester        12.0    38.0     50.0  0.0  31.5
 8   Cover Zero          26.0    16.0     42.0  -1.0 39.5
 9   Get Off Kong!       22.0    13.5     35.5  -1.5 46.0
 10  Misogynistic Padres 19.5    12.0     31.5  1.5  50.0

Yesterday's Stats

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (9/26/08)
Player                        BA HR R RBI   SB
------------------------- ------ -- - --- ----
Blake, Casey 3B LA        0.0000  0 0   0    0
DeWitt, Blake 3B LA       0.2000  0 1   0    0
Fielder, Prince 1B MIL    0.2500  0 0   0    0
Hart, Corey C. RF MIL     0.5000  0 1   1    0
Headley, Chase 3B SD      0.0000  0 0   0    0
Iannetta, Chris C COL     0.2500  0 0   0    0
Jones, Chipper 3B ATL     0.0000  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     0.0000  0 0   0    0
Sandoval, Pablo C SF      0.7500  0 1   1    0
Teixeira, Mark 1B ANA     0.0000  0 0   0    0
Theriot, Ryan SS CHC      0.6667  0 0   0    0
Victorino, Shane CF PHI   0.2500  0 0   0    2

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (9/26/08)
Player                       ERA  K S   W WHIP
------------------------- ------ -- - --- ----
Ayala, Luis RP NYM           N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Gonzalez, Mike RP ATL        N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Johnson, Josh SP FLA         N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Lincecum, Tim SP SF          N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Lindstrom, Matt RP FLA      0.00  1 0   0 1.00
Marquis, Jason SP CHC        N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Myers, Brett SP PHI          N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Webb, Brandon SP ARI         N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Wellemeyer, Todd SP STL      N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Wilson, Brian RP SF        27.00  2 0   0 3.00

Mets SS Jose Reyes went 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases Thursday against the Cubs. He had gone five games without a stolen base. Reyes now has 55 stolen bases after stealing 78 last season. A drop off of 23 might seem substantial, but he’s still one of the leading base stealers in baseball. Besides, he’s delivered more power as compensation. Expect him to go in the first round of all Fantasy drafts in 2009. (CBS Sports)

Brett Myers, who has been hit hard in his last two starts, apparently has abandoned his fastball, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. That makes us wonder if Myers’ fastball has declined to where it was before his midseason demotion, when he had lost about five MPH on it. (Rotowire)

Mets manager Jerry Manuel said he’s made the decision not to use John Maine for the rest of the season. Doctors have cleared him and upper management activated him from the disabled list, yet Manuel seems to be taking it upon himself not to pitch Maine. The idea that it should be his decision to make is simply ludicrous. But, then again, it’s not like the Mets need bullpen help. Manuel said that being activated is Maine’s reward for working hard to get back, the Westchester Journal-News’ Mets blog reports. Manuel said he’s old school and doesn’t like throwing a young arm out there if there’s a problem. Maine said he still has a little pain in the shoulder thanks to the bone spur and understands, although he held out remote hope of being used for an inning in a game that isn’t tight, if there is one. If you were holding on to Maine with the hope that he could pitch in a key situations, that possibility looks remote. (Rotoworld, Rotowire)

Manager Bob Melvin said Thursday that he expects Chad Qualls to close for the Diamondbacks next season. “I don’t see why (he) shouldn’t,” Melvin said. “We have some quality arms and we feel like any of these guys could close and we’ve had to rotate it around this year. But based on what he’s accomplished, especially here as of late, I don’t see why he wouldn’t be considered the favorite going into spring training next year.” Qualls is 4-for-4 in save opportunities and hasn’t allowed an earned run since he stole the job from Brandon Lyon. (Rotoworld)

Brandon Moss will undergo surgery Friday to repair a divot forming in the bone of his left knee and is expected to be out 4-6 months. The second opinion must have confirmed the original diagnosis. The extent of his microfracture won’t be fully known until the procedure is underway. “We’re not going to have a firm idea of length until Dr. Steadman gets in there and sees what’s inside,” GM Neal Huntington said. It looks as though Moss could miss part of the 2009 season. “(The injury) was caught early,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “We’re optimistic Brandon will be back on the field early next spring.” Moss, who turned 25 last week, has played in 45 games for the Pirates, batting .222 with six homers and 23 RBI in 158 at-bats. This injury could make him an injury risk for the beginning of the 2009 season. He should enter spring 2009 with a starting job, but we don’t see him doing much better than a .280-15-80-75-5 Fantasy line if he gets full-time at-bats. (Rotoworld, Rotowire, CBS Sports)

Noah Lowry might require surgery to rid the pain in his ailing left elbow. Lowry, who was shut down again by team doctors, visited with Dr. Lewis Yocum on Wednesday and threw around the idea of Tommy John surgery. “You’re concerned, when he’s had the setbacks he’s had,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We do have all winter to get it right and get him on track. It’s got to be hard for him. He’s got to be discouraged and frustrated.” Nothing is close to official yet, but if he has that surgery, we can rule out the pitcher for 2009. (Rotoworld)

Overall Standings

Rank Team                Batting Pitching Total Dif  Behind
---- ------------------- ------- -------- ----- ---- ------
 1   Atomic Roadrunners  44.0    38.0     82.0  0.0  0.0
 2   X-Men               31.0    38.0     69.0  0.0  13.0
 3   Goodfellas          41.0    23.0     64.0  0.0  18.0
 4   Shoeless Jews       31.0    32.5     63.5  -0.5 18.5
 5   Stanimals           25.0    37.0     62.0  1.0  20.0
 6   The Pi Train        23.0    27.0     50.0  0.0  32.0
 6   Uncle Lester        12.0    38.0     50.0  0.0  32.0
 8   Cover Zero          26.0    16.0     42.0  -1.0 40.0
 9   Get Off Kong!       23.5    13.5     37.0  0.0  45.0
 10  Misogynistic Padres 18.5    12.0     30.5  0.5  51.5

Yesterday's Stats

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (9/25/08)
Player                        BA HR R RBI   SB
------------------------- ------ -- - --- ----
Blake, Casey 3B LA        0.5000  0 0   0    0
DeWitt, Blake 3B LA       0.0000  0 2   0    0
Fielder, Prince 1B MIL    0.5000  0 0   0    0
Hart, Corey C. RF MIL     0.0000  0 0   0    0
Headley, Chase 3B SD      0.0000  0 0   1    0
Iannetta, Chris C COL     0.0000  0 0   0    0
Jones, Chipper 3B ATL     0.0000  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     0.2500  0 2   1    3
Sandoval, Pablo C SF      0.0000  0 0   0    0
Teixeira, Mark 1B ANA     0.4000  0 1   0    0
Theriot, Ryan SS CHC      0.0000  0 2   0    0
Victorino, Shane CF PHI   0.0000  0 0   0    0

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (9/25/08)
Player                       ERA  K S   W WHIP
------------------------- ------ -- - --- ----
Ayala, Luis RP NYM           N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Gonzalez, Mike RP ATL        N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Johnson, Josh SP FLA         N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Lincecum, Tim SP SF          N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Lindstrom, Matt RP FLA       N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Marquis, Jason SP CHC        N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Myers, Brett SP PHI          N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Webb, Brandon SP ARI         N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Wellemeyer, Todd SP STL      N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Wilson, Brian RP SF          N/A  0 0   0  N/A

Josh Johnson yielded two runs over six innings in a win over the Nationals on Wednesday night. It wasn’t the prettiest game for Johnson, as he allowed six hits and three walks while only recording one strikeout, but he gave his fantasy owners a boost with good ERA and the win. A fine last start in what has to be considered a successful season for Johnson. In 13 starts since making his return from Tommy John surgery rehab on July 10, Johnson went 7-1 with a 3.61 ERA and 77-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 87 1/3 innings. He’s definitely a good bet for success next season. (Rotoworld, Rotowire)