Braves vs. Cubs

Derrek Lee went hitless in his Braves debut against his former team, but Atlanta mounted another late-inning rally and defeated the Cubs 5-3 in Chicago.

 

Cubs’ starter Ryan Dempster allowed just two runs and four hits over eight innings.  Chicago handed the ball to closer Carlos Marmol in the ninth to try to protect a 3-2 lead.  Marmol (2-3) walked the bases loaded, and then allowed a bases-clearing triple to Braves outfielder Rick Ankiel to give the Braves a 5-3 lead.  Billy Wagner allowed a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth, but retired the next three batters to earn save number 30.  Atlanta reliever Peter Moylan (5-2) pitched a perfect eighth inning to earn the victory.

 

 

Nationals vs. Phillies

The Phillies scored an early run, and ace Roy Halladay made sure it held up as the Phils defeated the Nationals 1-0 in Philadelphia.

 

The game’s lone run came in the third inning when Raul Ibanez doubled home Chase Utley off of Nats’ starter Jason Marquis (0-6).   Halladay (16-8) allowed eight hits and three walks over seven innings, but didn’t allow a run to score.  The Nationals finished the game with 10 hits, but stranded 12 baserunners in the shutout.  Phils’ closer Brad Lidge came on in the ninth and earned his 17th save.

 

 

Mets vs Pirates

The Mets offense finally woke up in Pittsburgh, and Mike Pelfrey pitched eight solid innings in New York’s 7-2 victory over the Pirates.

 

The Mets scored three runs in the top of the first off of Pirates’ starter Jeff Karstens (2-10), and added two more runs in the third and fourth innings.   Jose Reyes and David Wright paced the offense with three hits apiece, and Chris Carter added a home run and two RBI for the Mets.  Pelfrey (12-7) allowed just two runs (one earned) and five hits in his eight innings, striking out five.

 

 

Marlins vs. Astros

Anibel Sanchez was dominant, and Florida’s offense exploded late in the Marlins’ 9-0 victory over the Houston Astros in Miami.

 

Houston starter J.A. Happ (3-2) allowed a run in the first inning, and then held the Marlins scoreless until the sixth inning when Dan Uggla hit a two-run single.  Sanchez helped his own cause with a run-scoring single in the seventh, and the Marlins added three more runs in the inning to build a 7-0 lead.  Cody Ross and Hector Luna hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning for Florida to cap the scoring.   Sanchez (10-8) allowed just three hits over seven shutout innings, and the Florida bullpen pitched two perfect innings to close out the victory.