Inter-league play is now in full swing, lets take a look at how the NL East teams fared against the AL Sunday.

 

New York Mets : 4

 

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New York Yankees : 5

 

Mets Take : The Yankees complete their sweep of the Mets. While you can’t really ever say a team ‘Should have’ done something in the game of baseball, the Mets should have won today. They had every opportunity, Jon Niese pitched very well, allowing only 2 unearned runs  trough 7 innings. The two runs occurred after a David Wright error extended the seventh rather then ending it on a ground ball.  After the Yankees took the lead in the 8th (with help from another Mets error) the Mets tied it back up in the 9th off an Ike Davis RBI double, but promptly lost in walk-of fashion when Russell Martin hit his second home run of the afternoon. The Mets will try to right the ship as they head to Tampa to take on the Rays.

 

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With inter-league play just around the corner the NL East standings are dealing with division match ups. How did it all play out tonight?

 

New York Mets : 3

 

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Washington Nationals : 5

 

Nats’ Take : The Nationals are now on the verge of sweeping the Mets after taking the first two games of the series. When you think about the resiliency of the Nats after the myriad injuries they have faced, it’s hard not to be impressed. Edwin Jackson tossed a nice game going 7 innings, giving up 3 runs (2 ER) and striking out six. He got an early boost when Adam LaRoche hit a 3 run HR in the bottom half of the 1st. The Nats have one more game against the Mets before heading up to Bean Town to face the Red Sawx.

 

Mets’ Take : The Mets have now lost three straight and they probably would like to snap that losing streak before heading back to New York to take on their cross town rivals; the Yankees in the new House that Ruth Built. The Mets only had three hits tonight, but one belonged to the struggling Ike Davis who also recorded two walks, at least that’s a positive. Other than that there weren’t too many good things to say. If the Mets can win the final game with the Nats at least that would provide some momentum for the weekend series with the Yankees.

 

 

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St. Louis Cardinals : 0

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New York Mets : 8

 

Mets Take: There is only one subject line for this game and that is Johan Santana. In game number 8,020 in Mets history the franchise finally records its first no hitter. Santana threw an incredible 134 pitches, but went all nine with out allowing a hit. He did give up 5 walks, but that won’t prevent him from grasping his place in Mets history. When you consider what he has done as a Met and how he has rebounded from this most recent shoulder injury, he may be one of the best Met signings ever.

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Wednesday the NL East featured big blasts and late inning rallies. Let’s go around the east and see what happened.

 

Philladelphia Phillies : 10

 

New York Mets : 6

 

Mets take: Despite losing two out of three against the rival Phillies the Mets can take solace in their offensive production in this series. The team continues to find ways to produce runs and everyone seems to contribute. Lucas Duda hit a pair of homers for the Mets tonight, the first of which being a 2-run shot off of Cliff Lee, giving the Mets a three run lead in the sixth. The Mets do need to find a solution to their bullpen woes, the Phillies scored 8 of their 10 runs in the 7th, 8th and 9th off Mets bullpen pitchers.

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The Atlanta Braves (21-18) beat the Washington Nationals (18-19) by a score of 6-5 in ten innings on Thursday night at Turner field to avoid the series sweep.

 

Derek Lowe 6.0IP, 5H, 5ER, 3 BB, 6SO, 2HR,

Jordan Zimmermann 6.1IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, 11SO, 1HR

W: Craig Kimbrel (1-1; 2.55)

L: Doug Slaten (0-1; 2.00)

 

Washington broke first with a two run homer off the bat of Danny Espinosa (4). Braves 3B Chipper Jones got the Braves on the board in the bottom of the third with a blast of his own, his fourth of the year.

 

Laynce Nix started off the fourth with a double to left field. Adam Laroche singled to right to score Nix. Danny Espinosa was drilled in the back. Pudge Rodriguez hit a double play grounder to 3B Chipper Jones who threw it to Dan Uggla, who got the force at second, but then proceeded to airmail the ball over the head of Braves 1B Freddie Freeman. Laroche scored his second run of the game on Uggla’s error. Pudge also hit a solo shot in the 6^th.

 

Martin Prado batted in the bottom of the 7^th with the bases loaded and just one out, down 5-1. He battled to a 3-2 count on 10 pitches. He then smashed a high and in fastball over the left centerfield wall for a grand slam tying the score at 5.

 

In the bottom of the ninth Alex Gonzalez hit a ball high a top the leftfield wall. He believed it was the game winning homerun, and was into his homerun trot until he was about halfway to first when he realized the ball was staying in the park. He tried to turn it on, but Michael Morse, played the carom well and threw Gonzalez out at second.

 

Prado led off the tenth inning and walked. Nate McClouth then bunted him to second. Washington’s Manager Jim Riggleman then walked Chipper Jones intentionally. With men on first and second, Brian McCann drove a single down the right field line to drive in Martin Prado for a 6-5 ten inning win.

 

The Nationals will head home for a three game weekend series against NL East foes the Florida Marlins. The Braves continue their home stand as they welcome in the NL East defending champs the Philadelphia Phillies for a three game set.

The New York Mets (17-20) beat the Colorado Rockies (19-16) by a score of 9-5 .

 

W: Jon Niese (2-4) 6.1IP, 7H, 5ER, 2BB, 2SO, 2 HR

L: Ubaldo Jimenez (0-3) 3.2IP, 3H, 5ER, 6BB, 3SO, 1HR

 

After dropping the series opener in Colorado, the Mets took the rubber game today to win their second consecutive series.

 

Carlos Beltran becomes the 8^th Met all-time to homer three times in a game. He hit two run homers in the 1^st, 7^th and 9^th. Willie Harris scored on all three times. Today marked the first time in Beltran’s career to hit three homers in a game, he joins Jose Reyes as the only other active Met to accomplish such a feat while playing for the Mets.

 

On the day Ike Davis was placed on the 15 day DL, Carlos Beltran, with three homers and six RBI’s, surpassed him in both homer runs and RBI’s to take the team lead with 8HRs and 24 RBI’s.

 

David Wright got the day off, but Jose Reyes went 1 for 5 including a two out RBI single.

 

Although it was not a save situation Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez came in and pitched a 1-2-3 9^th inning.

 

The Mets now head to Houston for a three game set against the Astros. If the Mets sweep the series they will reach the .500 mark.

 

Braves vs. Phillies

Despite a late rally, the Braves were able to hold on to win 8-7 against the Phillies, and with a San Diego loss, became the 2010 NL Wild Card winner. Philadelphia got things started in the 3rd with a two-run blast off the bat of John Mayberry. In the bottom of the 3rd, Jason Heyward tripled to drive home Rick Ankiel to cut the lead to 2-1. RBI singles by Brooks Conrad and Tim Hudson, followed by a two-run triple by Omar Infante equaled a four-run 4th inning for Atlanta. Derrek Lee homered in the 5th to make it 6-2 Atlanta. Conrad singled home the 7th run of the game for Altanta. The Braves would tag on one more run in the 6th. Jayson Werth hit a two-run shot for the Phillies in the 7th to cut the lead to 8-4, and added three more runs in the 8th.

Tim Hudson got the win for Atlanta, going 7 innings and allowing four runs on two hits while striking out three. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel allowed for three of his starters to get a few innings in today’s game. Cole Hamels began the game though, going 2 innings and giving up no hits while striking out two. Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton also pitched an inning, giving up one run and four runs respectively. Danys Baez took the loss for Philadelphia. Billy Wagner recorded his 37th save of the season for Atlanta.

Mets vs. Nationals

It took 14 innings, but Washington beat the Mets 2-1 in the final game of the season for both teams. The first runs of the game for either team came in the 5th inning. In the top of the 5th, Roger Bernadina scored on a single by Alberto Gonzalez. In the bottom of the inning, Josh Thole grounded into a double play allowing Angel Pagan to score. It remained tied until the top of the 14th when Oliver Perez entered the game for the Mets. After striking out Ian Desmond, Perez then hit Adam Kennedy and walked the next two batters to load the bases. Perez then walked Justin Maxwell forcing home the winning run for Washington.

Both starters got a no decision in game. Mike Pelfrey went 7 innings and allowed one run on four hits while striking out four. Livan Hernandez went 6.2 innings and gave up one run on six hits while striking out one. Joel Peralta got the win for Washington. Oliver Perez took the loss for New York. Miguel Batista recorded his 2nd save for Washington.

Marlins vs. Pirates

The Marlins beat Pittsburgh 5-2 Sunday and grabbed third place in the NL East. A two-run home run by Dan Uggla in the 1st inning gave Florida a quick 2-0 lead. Pittsburgh cut the lead to 2-1 in the 2nd inning on a solo shot off the bat of Ronny Cedeno. A single by Andrew McCutchen in the 5th tied up the game. In the bottom of the 6th, a potential home run off the bat of Wes Helms turned into a ground-rule double after the umpires reviewed the play. Uggla scored on the play. Florida went on to score two more runs in the 7th inning.

Anibal Sanchez got the win for Florida, going 6 innings and giving up two runs on four hits while striking out seven. Brian Burres took the loss, going 5.2 innings and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out four. Clay Hensley recorded his 7th save for Florida.

Mets vs. Nationals

The Mets beat the Nationals Saturday afternoon 7-2. Ruben Tejada scored on a sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. The next inning, Lucas Duda homered to make it 2-0. In the 6th, Michael Morse hit a solo shot for Washington, cutting the lead to 2-1. In the 7th, the Nationals tied it up on an infield single by Wilson Ramos. In the bottom of the 7th, David Wright hit a big three-run blast to center field to give the Mets a 5-2 lead. The following inning, Chris Carter hit a two-run shot.

Both starters got a no decision after today’s outting. Raul Valdes went 5.1 innings and gave up one run on three hits while striking out five. Yunesky Maya went 5 innings and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out four. Ryota Igarashi got the win for the Mets. Tyler Clippard took the loss.

Braves vs. Phillies

It was a tight game through 7 innings, but Philadelphia went on to beat the Braves 7-0. The Phillies scored four runs in the 7th. Three of those runs were on singles and one came on a wild pitch. Philadelphia went on to score one run in the 8th, and two more runs in the 9th. Atlanta hitters were held to just three hits all night. With the loss, Atlanta is not tied for the Wild Card.

Both starters got a no decision. Vance Worley went 5 innings for Philadelphia, and gave up just one hit while striking out three. Tommy Hanson went 5 innings for Atlanta and allowed six hits while striking out six. Antonio Bastardo got the win for the Phillies. Jonny Venters took the loss for Atlanta.

Marlins vs. Pirates

Florida took game two against the Pirates by a score of 2-0. Florida’s runs came in the bottom of the 4th inning when Mike Stanton started things with an RBI single. Chad Tracy would later hit a sacrifice fly in the inning to make it 2-0.

Jorge Sosa got the start for Florida in place of Alexa Sanabia who sat out with a stiff elbow. Sosa got a no decision after going 4 innings and giving up five hits while striking out one. Reliever Brian Sanches got the win for Florida. Charlie Morton took the loss for Pittsburgh. Morton went 6 innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out nine. Clay Hensley recorded his 6th save for the Marlins.

Phillies vs. Braves

The Braves had a chance to clinch at least a tie for the NL Wild Card with a victory on Friday night.  However, the first place Phillies broke open the game with a five run sixth inning on their way to a 11-5 victory over the Braves in Atlanta.

With the game tied at 2 entering the sixth, the Phillies put two runners on base versus Atlanta starter Brandon Beachy (0-2).  Peter Moylan relieved Beachy with two outs, and after a throwing error by Brooks Conrad prolonged the inning, Moylan walked pinch hitter Domonic Brown with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run.  Mike Dunn relieved Moylan and promptly allowed a grand slam to Jimmy Rollins to give Philly a 7-2 lead. 

The Phillies added four more runs in the eighth to take a commanding 11-2 lead.  Atlanta scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but that was as close as they would get.  Kyle Kendrick (11-10) earned the victory for the Phillies, limiting the Braves to two runs and five hits over five innings.  Derrek Lee was the lone bright spot for the Braves, going 3 for 5 and driving in all five Atlanta runs.

 

Mets vs. Nationals

With reports swirling that both their GM and Manager were on their way out, the Mets received solid pitching and used a pair of long balls to defeat the Nationals by a score of 2-1 in 10 innings at Citi Field.

Mets rookie Ike Davis homered off of Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann in the fourth inning to put the Mets on the scoreboard.  New York starter Pat Misch kept Washington off of the scoreboard until the seventh inning, when Michael Morse connected for a solo home run of his own to tie the game at 1.  Misch allowed just two other hits over eight innings of work, striking out 10 batters.

The game remained 1-1 until the bottom of the 10^th, when another Mets rookie went deep.  With one out, Josh Thole blasted a home run off of reliever Tyler Clippard (11-7) to give the Mets a walk off victory.  Mets reliever Hisanori Takahashi (10-6) pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.

 

Marlins vs. Pirates

Facing off in the second game of a four game series, the Pirates defeated the Marlins 5-1 on Friday evening in Miami.

Dan Uggla got the Marlins on the scoreboard in the first inning with an RBI single off of Pirates starter Daniel McCutchen.  Pittsburgh answered back in the second when Pedro Alvarez homered off of Adalberto Mendez to tie the game at 1.   The game remained tied at 1 until the fifth, when Chris Snyder hit a two-run home run off of Mendez (1-3) to give the Pirates a lead they would not relinquish. 

Chan Ho Park (4-3) earned the victory in relief, pitching three hitless innings and striking out six batters.  The win was the 124^th of Park’s career and gave him the record for the most wins by an Asian-born pitcher in the major leagues.

Braves vs. Marlins

Atlanta beat the Marlins 5-1 Wednesday afternoon, completing the sweep of Florida. A four-run 3rd inning put the Braves in the lead and they never looked back. After David Ross doubled home the Braves’ first run, Brooks Conrad followed with a three-run home run to center field. The Braves fifth run of the game came in the 8th when Florida’s reliever Will Ohman walked Eric Hinske to force home Freddie Freeman. The only run for Florida came in the 6th on an RBI single by Mike Stanton.

Derek Lowe got the win for Atlanta, going 5.2 innings and allowing one run on seven hits while striking out nine. Andrew Miller took the loss, lasting only 3 innings and giving up four runs on four hits while striking out two.

Mets vs. Brewers

Game One

The Mets dropped the first game of a doubleheader this afternoon by a score of 8-7. Milwaukee had a big six-run 3rd inning, but the Mets forged an impressive comeback. Chris Carter drove in two runs in the bottom of the 3rd with a single to left field. The following inning, Jose Reyes tripled to drive in two more runs. Lucas Duda hit a solo shot to cut the lead to 6-5. David Wright capped off the inning with a two-run home run to give the Mets the lead. The Mets’ bullpen wasn’t able to hold the lead, however, giving up two runs in the 8th inning to Milwaukee.

Neither starting pitcher was able to make it to the 5th inning for a win. Jon Niese only lasted 2.2 innings and gave up six runs on ten hits while striking out three. Yovani Gallardo went 3.1 innings and allowed seven runs on ten hits while striking out four. Carlos Villenueva got the win for Milwaukee. Manny Acosta took the loss for New York.

Game Two

Milwaukee took game two by a score of 3-1 to sweep the doubleheader. Milwaukee starter Dave Bush singled home the Brewers’ first run in the 3rd inning. It would remain 1-0 until the top of the 8th when the Brewers added on two more runs thanks to a two-RBI double off the bat of Ryan Braun. The Mets lone run of the game came in the bottom of the 8th on a sacrifice fly by Ike Davis.

R.A. Dickey took the loss for the Mets, going 7 innings and giving up one run on six hits while striking out four. Dave Bush got the win for Milwaukee, going 6 innings and allowing no runs on three hits while striking out one.

Nationals vs. Phillies

The home run happy Phils beat Washington 7-1. All of the Phillies seven runs came on home runs. Mike Sweeney and Ben Francisco each hit solo shots in the 2nd inning to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. John Mayberry then hit a three-run shot to make it 5-0. Francisco would later hit his second home run of the game in the 5th, a two-run shot to left field. Washington’s only run of the game came in the 4th inning when Nyjer Morgan scored on a ground out by Ian Desmond.

Joe Blanton got the win for Philadelphia, going 7 innings and giving up one run on three hits while striking out six. Ross Detwiler took the loss, going 4.2 innings and allowing seven runs on seven hits while striking out two.