Cards' Motte placed on DL
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The St. Louis Cardinals finalized their roster Friday in advance of Opening Day and among the moves made was the placing of closer Jason Motte on the 15-day disabled list.
Motte, who agreed to a two-year contract in January after tying for the National League lead with 42 saves last season, is sidelined with a strained right elbow.
The hard-throwing Motte took over the closer's role late in the 2011 season and recorded five saves during the team's run to the World Series title.
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Motte, 30, has made 282 relief appearances since breaking into the majors in 2008, going 17-13 with 54 saves and a 2.87 ERA.
The Cardinals also optioned pitcher Maikel Cleto and outfielder Adron Chambers to Triple-A Memphis and assigned catcher Rob Johnson, infielder Greg Garcia and outfielder Oscar Taveras to minor league camp.