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NL East Series Preview 8-10-09 through 8-13-09
Filed Under (Series Preview) by mrose at 3:30 PM on 08-11-2009
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| The Philadelphia Phillies(61-48, 1st in NL East) have actually not been very good since they acquired Cliff Lee at the deadline. Cliff Lee is 2-0 and J.A. Happ has one win, but that is all as the Phillies were most recently swept by the Marlins. Some of the bigger news out of Philly was the controversial ejection of Shane Victorino from centerfield and Pedro Martinez making his 2009 debut as Jamie Moyer goes to the pen. Check out Phillies Phandom for more on both of these issues and the series at hand.
The Chicago Cubs(58-52, 2nd in NL Central 3GB, 3GB in WildCard) were shot down pretty hard this weekend as they lost three out of four to the Rockies to lose ground in both the wildcard and divisional races. The final two games they lost by a combined score of 22-10 and even though the Phillies lost three in a row, this isn’t a welcome matchup for the Cubbies. They will hope to gain ground in both races, as they are an equal amount out in each. Probable pitching matchups are below: |
| Tuesday @ 8:05PM EST – Happ,PHI(8-2,2.74 ERA) vs. Harden,CHI(7-7,4.41 ERA) |
| Wednesday @ 8:05PM EST – Martinez,PHI(0-0,- ERA) vs. Samardzija,CHI(1-1,6.29 ERA) |
| Thursday @ 2:20PM EST – Lee,PHI(9-9,2.95 ERA) vs. Dempster,CHI(6-5,4.04 ERA) |
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| The Florida Marlins(58-53, 2nd in NL East 4GB, 3GB in WildCard) reassured their fans that they don’t plan on fading out of this race after a dismal showing in Washington last week. The Florida Marlins went into the city of brotherly love this weekend and swept the Phillies to pull back within four games of the lead. They did this with solid pitching, timely hitting and by finally getting to their nemesis, Jamie Moyer. They will hope to get closer to the division and wildcard this week as they welcome in the bubble riding Houston Astros for a four game set. FishGuts has all the info on this series and more.
The Houston Astros(55-56, 3rd in NL Central, 6GB of wild card) continue to flounder in between competing and playing for next year. Just when you are about to count them out, they will take a series and play well enough to be considered a contender. They currently come into this series six games back of both divisional and wildcard races after an up and down week, ending by taking two of three from the division rival Milwaukee Brewers to pull into a third place tie with them. Note: At this point Mike Hampton is scheduled to make his start on Thursday despite a torn meniscus in his knee, so this could change. Probable pitching matchups are below: |
| Monday @ 7:10PM EST – Marlins 8 Astros 6 |
| Tuesday @ 7:10PM EST – Oswalt,HOU(6-4,3.61 ERA) vs. Volstad,FLA(8-9,4.48 ERA) |
| Wednesday@ 7:10PM EST-Norris,HOU(2-0,1.69 ERA) vs. Nolasco,FLA(8-7,4.86 ERA) |
| Thursday @ 7:10PM EST -Hampton,HOU(7-9,5.30 ERA) vs. West,FLA(3-4,4.88 ERA) |
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| The Atlanta Braves(58-54, 3rd in NL East 4.5GB, 4GB of Wild Card) head into the series with the Washington Nationals in a way which many probably did not expect. The Braves have won five of six while on a west coast string against the Padres and finally four against the Dodgers. They played great against the Dodgers and may actually have a tougher task in front of them, in the Washington Nationals. The Braves were also able to gain ground on the Phillies this weekend as the Marlins helped their cause in sweeping them. The Braves Baseball Blog will have more information on the Braves for you.
The Washington Nationals(40-72, 5th in NL East 22.5GB) are absolutely on fire. They have now won eight straight games and their hitting carried them this weekend, and even had some good pitching to boot. Ryan Zimmerman, Elijah Dukes, Christian Guzman are hitting everything that comes their way and the others on the team aren’t too shabby either. They may not be in contention for the playoffs, but this late streak at least makes them assured they won’t break the record for most losses this year and hopefully gives Nats fans a warm feeling for next year. Check out Centerfieldgate for more information on the Nationals. Check the latest Chatter Up! for a back and forth with the teams! Probable pitching matchups are below: |
| Tuesday @ 7:00 PM EST – Lannan,WAS(8-8,3.39 ERA) vs. Hanson,ATL(6-2,3.22 ERA) |
| Wednesday @ 7:00PM EST – Stammen,WAS(11-7,4,15 ERA) vs. Lowe,ATL(11-7,4.15 ERA) |
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| The New York Mets(52-59, 4th in NL East 10GB, 9GB of Wild Card) are enduring yet another grueling west coast trip this year. Sunday’s win in San Diego was their first in their last eight tries against an opponent in California dating back to May. Lucky(or not?) for them, they enter Arizona this week where they are outstanding over the past few seasons, dating back to 2006. They at the least need better results than they received a couple weekends ago when the D’Backs took three of four from the Mets in New York just after the Mets had played a few solid games straight. Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets information.
The Arizona Diamondbacks(50-62, 4th in NL West 17GB) were on quite a roll while entering the Nations capital this past weekend. That all stopped as the Washington Nationals beat them in three straight and left them reeling, defeating even their ace Danny Haren on the way. They do have continued success from Mark Reynolds who now has 36 home runs for the Diamondbacks. The D’Backs hope returning home will help them get back to winning ways. Probable pitching matchups are below: |
| Monday @ 9:40PM EST – Diamondbacks 7 Mets 4 |
| Tuesday @ 9:40PM EST – Hernandez,NYM(7-6,5.08 ERA) vs. Scherzer,ARI(6-6,4.01 ERA) |
| Wednesday @ 3:40PM EST – Perez,NYM(2-3,6.38 ERA) vs. Garland,ARI(6-10,4.33 ERA) |
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