Phillies vs. Mets

The first place Phillies stayed hot, defeating the Mets by a score of 3-2 in Philly for their 11th straight victory.

Shane Victorino led off the first with a home run and doubled home a run in the second off of Mets starter R.A. Dickey as the Phillies jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.  The Mets tied the game in the top of the fourth inning when Angel Pagan blasted a two run homer off of Joe Blanton, but the Phils regained the lead in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Carlos Ruiz RBI single.

Blanton (8-6) pitched seven solid innings for the victory, allowing just those two runs and striking out six.  Dickey (11-8) gave up three runs and eight hits over six innings and suffered the loss.  Brad Lidge pitched around a double and a walk to earn his 27th save and help the Phillies inch closer to the NL East crown.

Braves vs. Nationals

The Braves visited the nation’s capital hoping to get back on the winning track.  Instead, they dropped their fourth straight as the Nationals defeated Atlanta 8-3.

Adam Dunn hit two homers and drove in five runs to lead the way for the Nationals.   Dunn hit both homers off of Braves starter Tim Hudson.  Hudson (16-9) had a rough night, allowing six runs, six walks, and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings.  Meanwhile, Jordan Zimmermann (1-2) earned his first victory since June 2009, holding Atlanta to one run and three hits over five innings.  Willie Harris hit an inside-the-park home run for the Nationals in the victory, while Omar Infante homered for the Braves in the loss.

Marlins vs. Brewers

The Marlins fell a game below .500 after falling to the Brewers by a score of 6-2 Friday night in Milwaukee.

Ryan Braun drove in three runs to help the Brewers jump out to a 4-0 lead against Andrew Miller (1-4) and the Marlins.  Braun singled home two runs in the third and doubled home another run in the fifth.  Mark Rogers made his first major league start for the Brewers.  Rogers allowed no hits and struck out four, but was pulled after three innings as the Brewers had Rogers on a 60-pitch limit.  Jeremy Jeffress (1-0) earned his first career victory with two scoreless innings in relief.

Mets vs. Braves

The Braves beat the Mets in a score of 6-3.  The Mets scored in the 1st when David Wright homered scoring Carlos Beltran.  The Braves struck back in the 2nd when Álex González singled scoring Brian McCann.  In the 6th Álex González singled home Derek Lee and in the 7th Derek Lee hit a grand slam.  The Mets scored again in the 7th when Josh Thole grounded into a double play scoring Ike Davis.

Derek Lowe got the win pitching 6 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, with 2 strikeouts.  RA Dickey got the loss after pitching 6 innings, giving up 10 hits, 4 runs, and no strikeouts.  Craig Kimbrel got his first save of the season giving up 1 hit with 3 strikeouts.

Marlins vs. Cubs

The Cubs beat the Marlins in a score of 13-3.  The Cubs scored 2 runs in the 1st when Bobby Scales singled home Darwin Barney and Jeff Baker.  In the 2nd they scored 6 runs thanks to 3 walks, Brad Snyder singled scoring Jeff Baker and Micha Hoffpauir, and Wellington Castillo hit a ground rule double scoring Tyler Colvin.  The Marlins went on the board in the 4th when Dan Uggla hit a homerun scoring Logan Morrison.  In the 5th Darwin Barney scored on a pass ball and in the bottom on the inning the Marlins scored when Hector Luna hit a solo shot.  The Cubs scored 4 more in the 9th when Wellington Castillo homered scoring Brad Snyder, Sam Fuld doubled scoring Thomas Diamond, and Jeff Baker doubled scoring Sam Fuld.

Jeff Samardzija got the win pitching 6 innings giving up 3 hits, 3 runs, and 4 strikeouts.  The loss went to Andrew Miller who pitched just 1.1 innings giving up 3 hits, 5 runs, and 1 strikeout.

Phillies vs. Nationals

The Phillies beat the Nationals in a score of 7-6.  The Nationals struck first when Willie Harris hit a solo shot in the 3rd.  In the 4th Brian Schneider doubled scoring Raul Ibanez and Jason Werth.  In the 5th Jason Werth singled scoring Placido Polanco.  Michael Morse homered in the 6th scoring Ian Desmond and Adam Dunn and in the 7th Danny Espinosa hit a solo shot.  In the 8th Willie Harris singled scoring Michael Morse and Roger Bernadina. In the 9th the Phillies scored 4 runs when Ryan Howard singled scoring Placido Polanco and Chase Utley and Jason Werth homered scoring Ryan Howard.

Yunesky Maya started for the Nationals pitching 4.2 innings giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, and 2 strikeouts.  Joe Blanton started for the Phillies pitching 6 innings giving up 7 hits, 4 runs, and 8 strikeouts.  The win went to Vance Worley who pitched the 9th giving up just 1 hit with 1 strikeout.  The loss went to Drew Storen who did not record an out giving up 4 hits and 4 runs.

Marlins vs. Nationals

Jason Marquis was good, but Anibal Sanchez was better, as the Marlins beat the Nationals 4-1. Marquis had himself a no-hitter through the first four innings before Florida got to him in the 5th. With two outs in the top of the 5th, Emilio Bonifacio singled to drive in Chad Tracy and Mike Stanton, giving the Marlins a 2-0 lead. Florida would score another run in the 8th on an RBI single by Logan Morrison, and again in the 9th on a fielding error by Washington’s Adam Dunn. Sanchez had his own no-hitter going until the 5th inning. Washington was held to just five hits in the game. Their only run came in the bottom of the 8th on a double by Wilson Ramos to score Nyjer Morgan.

Sanchez got the win, going 7.2 innings and giving up one run on four hits while striking out four. Marquis took the loss, going 6 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out eight. Clay Hensley recorded his 2nd save for the Marlins.

Mets vs. Phillies

The Mets held on to play spoilers today, beating Philadelphia 4-3. New York got it going early against Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick. Ike Davis drove in the Mets first run in the 1st on a ground-rule double. New York would later add a run in the 3rd on a solo shot off the bat of Jose Reyes. Davis drove in two more runs in the 7th to make it 4-0 Mets. Philadelphia, however, made things interesting in the top of the 8th. Ross Gload scored the first run for Philadelphia on a single by Shane Victorino. A few batters later, Ryan Howard knocked in two runs on a single to center field. The Mets bullpen was able to hold on though and finish the game to get the win.

Mike Pelfrey got the win, going 7.1 strong innings and giving up two runs on six hits while striking out five. Kyle Kendrick took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out only one. Hisanori Takahashi recorded his 6th save for the Mets.

Braves vs. Cardinals

It took 12 innings, but the Braves were able to hang on and beat the Cardinals 6-3 in yet another walk-off win, putting them back in a tie for first place in the NL East. With two outs in the 1st inning, Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook walked Nate McLouth to force home the first run for Atlanta. It remained 1-0 until the 5th when McLouth tripled to drive in Martin Prado. St. Louis tied it up in the top of the 6th on a two-run double by Albert Pujols. Jason Heyward put the Braves ahead in the 7th with a solo shot to right field. In the top of the 8th, however, it was Pujols once again who tied up the game. Pujols grounded into a force out allowing Brendan Ryan to score. The game was tied until the bottom of the 12 when, with two men on, Alex Gonzalez hit his second career walk-off home run.

Atlanta’s starter Tommy Hanson went 7 innings to get the no decision. He allowed two runs on five hits while striking out five. Reliever Craig Kimbrel got the win for Atlanta. Westbrook went 6 innings in his start for St. Louis to also get a no decision. He gave up two runs on seven hits while striking out three. Mitchell Boggs took the loss for St. Louis.

Marlins vs. Braves

The Marlins blew a 6-0 lead to the first place Braves, but scored a run in the bottom of the 10th to earn a 7-6 victory Sunday afternoon in Florida. 

The Marlins jumped on Atlanta starter Mike Minor for six runs in the first three innings.  Hanley Ramirez ignited Florida’s offense with a run-scoring single in the first inning, and then hit a two-run homer in the third to put the Marlins up 6-0.  Marlins starter Alex Sanabia held the Braves scoreless until Nate McLouth singled home a run in the fifth, and Atlanta rallied for five more runs in the sixth to even the score.  Florida outfielder Cameron Maybin kept the Braves from taking the lead when he robbed McLouth of what would have been a go-ahead grand slam.  Instead, McLouth’s long drive turned into an unusual two-run sacrifice fly which tied the game at 6.

The score remained tied at 6 until the bottom of the 10th.   After lining a foul ball off of on-deck batter Logan Morrison, Florida’s Emilio Bonifacio tripled off of Atlanta reliever Eric O’Flaherty (3-2) to open the inning.  With Morrison unable to take his turn at bat, pinch hitter Scott Cousins delivered his first major league hit to score Bonifacio with the winning run.  Burke Badenhop (2-5) earned the victory in relief for the Marlins.

Phillies vs. Brewers

The Phillies remained a game back of the Braves as they fell by a score of 6-2 to former Phillie Randy Wolf and the Brewers in Philadelphia.

Prince Fielder blasted a three-run homer off of Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick (9-8) in the first inning to give Milwaukee an early lead.  The Phillies pulled to within a run in the second inning when Carlos Ruiz doubled home two runs off of Wolf, but the Brewers answered back with single runs in the third and fourth innings.   The Brew Crew pounded out 13 hits, including three each by Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun.

Wolf (11-10) allowed just two runs and seven hits over 6 2/3 innings, and John Axford pitched two scoreless innings to earn save number 20.

Mets vs. Cubs

The sliding Mets avoided a sweep as their offense exploded for 18 runs and 21 hits in an 18-5 victory over the Cubs in Chicago.

The Cubs built a 4-2 lead off of New York starter Jonathon Niese, helped by a two run homer from Aramis Ramirez.  However, the Mets knocked out Chicago starter Ryan Dempster (12-10) in the fifth with a five run inning.  Ruben Tejada singled home two runs to break a 4-4 tie, and added his first major league home run in the seventh as the Mets took the lead for good.   The Mets broke open the game by scoring five runs in both the eighth and ninth innings.  Tejada drove in five runs on the afternoon, and Ike Davis added four hits, including a home run.  Niese (9-7) wasn’t on top of his game, allowing five runs over six plus innings, but earned the victory thanks to New York’s offensive outburst.

Nationals vs. Pirates

The Nationals used a five run inning and solid starting pitching on their way to a 8-1 victory against the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

After scoring a run in the first on an RBI ground out from Ryan Zimmerman, the Nationals took control of the game in the fourth inning off of Charlie Morton (1-11) and the Pirates.  Adam Dunn homered, and Zimmerman singled home two more in the five run frame.  Meanwhile, Washington starter Jason Marquis (2-7) allowed just one run over six innings, courtesy of a Pedro Alvarez solo homer.  Zimmerman added another run scoring single in the sixth, finishing the game with four RBI to lead the Nationals to the victory.

Mets vs. Cubs

The Mets dropped their opener with the Cubs by a score of 7-6. New York got on the board early when David Wright knocked in two runs in the 1st inning with a double to left field. Wright would later score in the inning on a ground-out by Joaquin Arias, giving the Mets a 3-0 lead. The Mets held that lead until the 4th inning when Chicago scored four runs in the inning on a single by Xavier Nady and a three-run shot off the bat of Alfonso Soriano to put the Cubs up 4-3. Rookie Lucas Duda tied up the game for the Mets in the 6th with his first major league hit, a double to right field, and his first RBI. The game did not remain tied long. In the bottom of the 6th, Mets starter R.A. Dickey gave up a three-run home run, the second of the day, to Blake Dewitt. Wright and Luis Hernandez each homered for the Mets in the 7th and 8th innings respectively.

Dickey took the loss for New York. He went 6 innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits while striking out three. Cubs starter Randy Wells went 5.2 innings to get a no decision. He gave up four runs on eight his while striking out four. James Russell got the win for Chicago. Carlos Marmol recorded his 26th save for the Cubs.

Phillies vs. Brewers

Philadelphia beat the Brewers 1-0, moving within one game of the NL East leading Braves. The lone run of the game came in the 2nd inning when Carlos Ruiz grounded out to the shortstop allowing Shane Victorino to score. Philadelphia’s bats were quiet for much of the night, only getting a total of four hits. Milwaukee bats were held to just three hits all night. Phillies starter Cole Hamels had a no-hitter going into the 5th inning until it was broken up by a single to center field by Casey McGehee.

Hamels got the win, going 7 innings and giving up only three hits and striking out seven. Milwaukee’s starter Chris Capuano took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing one run on four hits while striking out four. Ryan Madson closed it out for the Phillies to record his 5th save.

Nationals vs. Pirates

Washington fell to the Pirates 8-5. Danny Espinosa hit his first career home run in the 3rd inning to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead. Pittsburgh followed suit in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs on RBI’s by Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones. Ryan Doumit hit a solo shot in the 4th inning to give the Pirates a 4-1 lead. The Pirates would then go on to have a four-run 5th inning. Back-to-back doubles by Jones and Pedro Alvarez made it 7-1. Doumit capped of the inning with an RBI single to score Alvarez. Washington fought back with their own four-run inning in the top of the 6th. Adam Dunn and Justin Maxwell each singled home a run and Ivan Rodriguez hit into a double play which allowed Ryan Zimmerman to score. A double by Espinosa drove in the final run of the inning.

Zach Duke got the win for Pittsburgh, going 5 innings and giving up four runs on five hits while striking out five. Livan Hernandez took the loss, going 4.1 innings and allowing eight runs on eight hits while striking out four.

Braves vs. Marlins

Good pitching and speed on the bases were just too much for the Braves as they dropped their opener with the Marlins 6-1. Florida got things started in the 1st inning with a run scoring on a triple by Logan Morrison. Morrison had two triples in the game. Hanley Ramirez followed with an RBI double to score Morrison. Ramirez stole two bases in the game. Atlanta starter Kenshin Kawakami helped himself out at the plate, hitting a single in the top of the 2nd to give the Braves their only run, and cut the lead to 2-1. Florida responded in the bottom of the 3rd with three runs thanks to a double by Chad Tracy to drive in two runs, and a sacrifice fly by Brad Davis to score Gaby Sanchez. Florida tagged on another run in the 4th inning on an RBI double by Dan Uggla.

Florida starter Andrew Miller got the win, his first since July of 2009. He went 5 innings and gave up one run on seven hits while striking out six. Kawakami took the loss, going only 3 innings and allowing five runs on five hits while striking out two.

Phillies vs. Padres

The Phillies took game two against the Padres Saturday afternoon, winning 3-1. Shane Victorino drove in Philadelphia’s first run in the 5th on a single to center field to score Jayson Werth. San Diego starter Jon Garland helped himself out at the plate in the bottom of the 5th with a single to left field to tie the game. The game remained tied until the top of the 7th when Victorino hit an RBI triple. He would later score on a ground out by Mike Sweeney, making it 3-1 Philadelphia.

Joe Blanton got the win, going 6 innings and giving up one run on six hits while striking out three. Jon Garland took the loss, going 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on three hits while striking out two. Brad Lidge recorded his 18th save for Philadelphia.

Nationals vs. Cardinals

Washington beat up on the Cardinals 14-5. St. Louis got an early 3-0 lead in the 1st inning on a ground-rule double by Albert Pujols and a two-run shot off the bat of Jon Jay. Back-to-back doubles by Kyle Lohse and Felipe Lopez would drive in the Cardinals other two runs in the 5th inning. After scoring a run in the 2nd on an RBI single by Ivan Rodriguez, the Nationals followed with four runs in the 3rd. In the bottom of the 5th, Adam Dunn hit his 32nd home run of the season to make it 8-5 Washington. Roger Bernadina hit his 10th home run of the season to cap off the Nationals six run 8th inning.

Livan Hernandez got the win, going 6.1 innings and giving up five runs on eight hits while striking out two. Kyle Lohse took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing eight runs on 11 hits while striking out two.

Braves vs. Marlins

Atlanta snapped a four-game losing streak as they beat the Marlins 12-3. The Braves scored six runs in the 2nd. Matt Diaz led off the inning with a solo shot to center. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Martin Prado walked to force home a run. Brian McCann followed with a three-run double to right field. An RBI single by Prado in the 2nd made it 8-0 Atlanta. Gaby Sanchez scored the Marlins first run in the 3rd on a sacrifice fly by Emilio Bonifacio. Atlanta responded in the bottom of the inning with two more runs thanks to a home run by Eric Hinske and a fielding error by Florida’s Logan Morrison allowing Diaz to score. In the 7th, Prado hit a two-run homer to make it 12-1 Braves. Prado had five RBIs for Atlanta. Florida tagged on a run in the 8th and 9th on a double by Donnie Murphy and single by Brad Davis.

Tim Hudson pitched 7 strong innings to get the win, giving up one run on six hits while striking out a career-high 13. Ricky Nolasco only lasted 2 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits.

Mets vs. Astros

The Mets dropped the second game of their three-game series with Houston by a score of 4-1. Singles by Carlos Lee and Tommy Manzella gave the Astros a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning. Lee hit a two-run home run in the 5th to make it 4-0. The Mets offensive woes continued as they went 1-10 with runners in scoring position. The only run for New York came in the bottom of the 8th on an RBI single by David Wright to drive in Luis Castillo.

Brett Myers got the win and extended his streak of pitching 6 complete innings to 27 games. Myers went 7 innings and gave up no runs on six hits while striking out six. Meanwhile, Johan Santana’s streak of three straight complete games came to and end with  the loss. Santana went 7 innings, giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out four.   Brandon Lyon recorded his 9th save of the season for Houston.

Marlins vs. Pirates

The Marlins beat the Pirates 6-o Tuesday. Florida got to Pittsburgh’s Zach Duke in the 5th, scoring four runs in the inning. Ricky Nolasco helped himself out at the plate by driving in the Marlins first run on an RBI single. A few batters later, Gaby Sanchez singled to drive in two more runs. Dan Uggla followed Sanchez with a sacrifice fly to score Logan Morrison. Florida tagged on another run in the 6th on an RBI double by Nolasco. Nolasco had two RBI’s in the game. A double by Morrison in the 9th drove in the Marlins final run.

Nolasco got the win for Florida, going 6 innings and giving up no runs on five hits while striking out nine. Pirates starter Zach Duke took the loss, going 5.2 innings and allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out four.

Phillies vs. Giants

The Phillies beat the Giants 9-3, to take the NL Wild Card lead. San Francisco scored two runs in the 1st — one on a double play by Aubrey Huff which drove in Andres Torres, and the second on a homer by former Phillie Pat Burrell. Philadelphia tied it up in the 5th inning on a two-RBI single by Jimmy Rollins. Shane Victorino would give Philadelphia the lead in the 6th on a two-run double to center field. Jose Guillen homered for the Giants in the top of the 7th to cut the Phillies lead to 4-3. Philadelphia responded with a five-run 8th inning.

Roy Oswalt went 7 strong innings to get the win for Philadelphia. He gave up three runs on six hits while striking out seven. Barry Zito took the loss, going just 5 innings and allowing four runs on eight hits.

Braves vs. Nationals

The Braves beat the Nationals 10-2 in the series opener. There was no score until the 6th inning when Wil Nieves and Michael Morse had back-to-back doubles to give Washington a 2-0 lead. Atlanta responded in the bottom of the 6th with four runs. Diory Hernandez hit his first home run, a solo shot, for Atlanta. Later in the inning, back-to-back doubles by Martin Prado and Matt Diaz would give the Braves the lead. Atlanta tagged on four more runs in the 7th. A throwing error by Adam Dunn allowed Rick Ankiel to score. A single by Prado and a double by Melky Cabrera drove in three runs to make it 8-2 Atlanta. The Braves added two more runs in the 8th to make it 10-2.

Rookie, Mike Minor, pitched 6 solid innings to get his first win. He gave up two runs on five hits while striking out five. Scott Olsen took the loss for Washington. He went 5 innings, giving up three runs on three hits while striking out four.

Mets vs. Astros

The Mets dropped the second game in their series with the Astros, losing 4-3. Jose Reyes got the Mets on the board in the 1st inning, scoring on a single by Fernando Martinez. Their lead didn’t last long, however, as the Astros took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 1st on a three-run shot off the bat of Hunter Pence. Reyes would ground out  in the 2nd for the Mets to drive home Josh Thole. Trailing 3-2 in the 8th, David Wright tied it up with a solo shot to left field. Pence got to Mets starter Johan Santana again in the bottom of the 8th, hitting his second home run of the game and giving Houston the go-ahead run.

Santana took the loss for the Mets, going 8 innings and giving up four runs on nine hits while striking out seven. Houston starter, Nelson Figueroa, went 5 innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out four to take a no decision. Mark Melancon got the win for Houston after pitching an inning of relief in the 8th. Wilton Lopez recorded his first save for the Astros.

Mets vs. Phillies

The Phillies beat the Mets in a score of 7-5. In the first Placido Polanco doubled to score Raul Ibanez to put the Phillies on the board.  In the 3rd Jose Reyes singled scoring Jeff Francoeur to tie the game.  In the 4th Josh Thole singled scoring David Wright giving the Mets the lead.  The Phillies scored 6 runs in the 8th with hits from Ben Francisco, Carlos Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins, and Mike Sweeney.  The Mets fought back scoring 3 runs in the 9th when Mike Hessman hit a 3 run homer but it wasn’t enough.

Jon Niese pitched 7 innings giving up 4 hits, 1 run, and 7 strikeouts.  Joe Blanton pitched 7 innings giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, and 4 strikeouts.  Chad Durbin got the win pitching 1 inning giving up no hits with 1 strikeout.  Bobby Parnell got the loss while not retiring a batter and giving up 4 hits and 4 runs.

Marlins vs. Cardinals

The Cardinals beat the Marlins in a score of 7-0.  In the first inning Albert Pujols hit a 3 run home run scoring Felipe López and Jon Jay.  In the 3rd inning Matt Holiday doubled scoring Jon Jay.  In the 4th The Cardinals added 3 more runs when Brendan Ryan doubled scoring Aaron Miles, Jon Jay doubled scoring Brendan Ryan, and  Albert Pujols doubled scoring Jon Jay.

Adam Wainwright got the win after pitching a complete game shutout giving up just 2 hits with 7 strikeouts.  The loss went to Ricky Nolasco who pitched 5 innings giving up 10 hits, 7 runs, and 6 strikeouts.

Braves vs. Giants

The Giants beat the Braves in a score of 3-2. The Giants scored in the 1st when Aubrey Huff grounded out scoring Andres Torres.  The Braves tied it up in the 5th when Alex Gonzalez hit a solo shot.  The Braves took the lead in the 6th when Chipper Jones hit a solo home run.  The Giants tied it up in the 9th when Aubrey Huff scored due to an error by Chipper Jones.  In the 11th Pat Burell hit a sac fly to score Aubrey Huff.

Barry Zito pitched 7 innings giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, and 10 strikeouts.  Tommy Hanson pitched 7 innings giving up 3 hits, 1 run, and 3 strikeouts.  Javier Lopez got the win after pitching 1 inning giving up 1 hit, no runs, and 1 strikeout.  The loss went to Peter Moylan who pitched 1.2 innings giving up 1 hit, 1 run, and no strikeouts.  The save went to Brian Wilson who pitched a perfect 9th with 1 strikeout.

Nationals vs. Dodgers

The Nationals beat the Dodgers in a score of 6-3. The Nationals scored 3 runs in the 1st when Adam Dunn hit a 3 run homer scoring Ian Desmond and Ryan Zimmerman.  In the 3rd Adam Dunn hit another 3 run bomb scoring Desmond and Zimmerman making the score 6-0.   The Dodgers scored 3 runs in the 4th when Andre Either homered scoring Ryan Theriot and Casey Blake singled scoring James Loney.

John Lannan got the win and pitched 6 innings giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, and 2 strikeouts.  Clayton Kershaw got the loss and pitched 6 innings giving up 7 hits, 6 runs, and 9 strikeouts.  Drew Storen got his 1st save of the season giving up no hits with 1 walk.

Braves vs. Giants

The Braves took the opening game of their four-game series with the Giants by a score of 3-2. San Francisco jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the 1st as Andres Torres scored on Aubrey Huff’s ground out. The Giants tagged on another run in the 2nd when Torres hit a double to center, driving home Aaron Rowand. Atlanta tied up the game in the bottom of the 2nd with a two-run shot to left field off the bat of Alex Gonzalez. Eric  Hinske would homer for the Braves in the bottom of the 6th to make it 3-2 Atlanta.

Jair Jurrjens got the win, going 6 innings and giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out three. Tim Lincecum took the loss, going 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on six hits while striking out seven. Billy Wagner recorded his 26th save of the season for Atlanta.

Marlins vs. Phillies

The Phillies beat the Marlins 5-4 in 10 innings. The game was scoreless until the top of the 6th when Carlos Ruiz doubled, hitting  a line drive to center to drive in Raul Ibanez and Domonic Brown, giving Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. The Marlins came back in the bottom of the 7th to score four runs. Donnie Murphy hit a ground-rule double to drive in a run. Two batters later, Logan Morrison walked with the bases loaded tying the game at 2-2. Gaby Sanchez followed with a single to drive in two more runs for Florida. Going into the 9th with a 4-2 lead, a Hanley Ramirez error along with poor pitching from the Florida bullpen allowed for the Phillies to tie up the game. The game winning run for the Phillies came in the top of the 10th on a homer to left field off the bat of Ruiz.

Phillies starter Roy Oswalt went 6.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out five. Ryan Madson got the win for Philadelphia. Chris Volstad went 5.2 innings for Florida, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out two batters. Will Ohman took the loss for Florida. Brad Lidge recorded his 12th save for the Phillies.

Nationals vs. Diamondbacks

The Nationals lost to the Diamondbacks by a score of 8-4. A fielding error by Adam Dunn in the 2nd allowed for Rusty Ryal to reach base and Adam LaRoche to score for Arizona. Ryal would score later in the inning on a double by Bobby Crosby. Adam Kennedy got Washington on the board in the 3rd with a solo shot to right field, cutting Arizona’s lead to 2-1. The next inning, Stephen Drew hit an RBI single for Arizona. Arizona starter Barry Enright helped himself out at the plate, driving in Drew with a single to center field. Ryan Zimmerman homered in the top of the 5th, cutting the lead to 4-2. Zimmerman had two home runs on the night. Arizona would respond, however, with three more runs in the bottom of the 5th. Roger Bernadina homered in the 7th for Washington. Arizona tagged on their 8th run in the 8th on a sacrifice fly by Justin Upton.

Ross Detwiler took the loss for Washington. He lasted only 4 innings, giving up seven runs on  nine hits while striking out five. Barry Enright got the win for Arizona. He went 6 innings allowing two runs on six hits while striking out three.

Mets vs. Cardinals

The Mets beat the Cardinals 4-0 Thursday afternoon. Ike Davis hit his 15th home run of the season in the bottom of the 3rd, a three-run shot to center field. Angel Pagan scored in the bottom of the 5th on a single by Carlos Beltran. The Cardinals were held to just four hits all day.

R.A. Dickey got the win, going 8.1 innings and gave up no runs on four hits. Blake Hawksworth took the loss, throwing 6 innings and allowing four runs on seven hits.Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 22nd save of the season.

Braves vs. Nationals

The Nationals beat the Braves 5-3 Thursday in Washington. Mike Morse grounded out, scoring Adam Dunn in the 2nd, and Ian Desmond hit his 7th homer of the season, to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead. Atlanta tied it up in the 4th on a two-run shot off the bat of Matt Diaz. Washington responded in the bottom of the inning with a two RBI single by Wil Nieves. In the 6th, Atlanta cut the Nationals lead to 4-3 on an RBI single by Omar Infante. In the 8th, Dunn hit a solo shot to center field, making it 5-3 Washington.

Scott Olsen got the win, going 6 innings and giving up three runs on five hits. Derek Lowe took the loss, lasting 5 innings and allowing four runs on five hits. Matt Capps recorded his 26th save of the season for Washington.

Marlins vs. Giants

Florida won their game over the Giants 5-0. Double by Mike Stanton in the 2nd and 4th innings gave Florida a 2-0 lead. Cody Ross scored on a sacrifice fly by Ronny Paulino in the 4th. Ross doubled in the 8th to drive in the Marlins 4th run. Paulino drove in his second run of the game in the 8th on another sac fly. The Giants were kept to just one hit in the game. Pablo Sandoval singled in the 5th to give San Francisco their only hit.

Anibal Sanchez got the win, pitching a complete game and holding the Giants to just three baserunners. Madison Bumgarner took the loss, going 6 innings and allowing three runs on six hits.

Phillies vs. Diamondbacks

The Phillies won their 8th straight, beating the Diamondbacks in walk-off fashion 3-2. A double by Carlos Ruiz in the 5th and a solo shot by Raul Ibanez in the 6th gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. Miguel Montero cut the lead to 2-1 in the 7th with his third home run of the year for Arizona. Montero drove in the tying run in the top of the 9th on a ground out to score Justin Upton. The game remained tied until the bottom of the 11th when Wilson Valdez singled home the game-winning run.

Kyle Kendrick went 6.1 innings and allowed one run on four hits in his no decision. Joe Saunders also had a no decision, throwing 7 innings and giving up two runs on nine hits. Jose Contreras got the win for Philadelphia. Esmerling Vasquez took the loss for Arizona.