Marlins vs. Braves

The Marlins and Braves went extra innings on Friday night in Atlanta.   The Braves blew a ninth inning lead and fell behind in the top of the 11th, but Atlanta bounced back in the bottom of the 11th and defeated the Marlins 4-3.

Braves starter Kris Medlen and Marlins ace Josh Johnson each allowed only one run.  Medlen allowed a solo homer to Hanley Ramirez in the top of the first, but kept the Marlins off of the scoreboard after that.   A pair of RBI singles by Martin Prado in the 5th and 7th innings gave the Braves a 2-1 lead.  The score stayed that way until the top of the ninth.  Billy Wagner came on for the save, but Gaby Sanchez led off the frame with a solo shot to center to tie the game at 2.

The score remained tied at 2 until the top of the 11th, when the Marlins took the lead on a bizarre play.  With the bases loaded and one out, the Marlins attempted a squeeze with pinch hitter Brian Barden at the plate.  Barden missed the bunt attempt and Wes Helms was caught in a rundown breaking from third.   However, the Marlins caught a break when Braves reliever Jonny Venters dropped the ball as he went to tag out Helms, who scored the go-ahead run.   The Marlins brought in closer Leo Nunez in the bottom of the 11th, but he failed to retire a batter.  After allowing a leadoff walk and a double, Omar Infante singled to left to bring home two runs and give the Braves a walk-off victory.  Venters (3-0) earned the victory for Atlanta, while Nunez (3-2) suffered the loss for Florida.

 

Mets vs. Nationals

The Mets received a solid starting pitching performance for the second straight day in Washington.  This time, they provided their starter with some offense, jumping out to an early lead and hanging on to defeat the Nationals by a score of 5-3.

The Mets jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Nats starter Luis Atilano on an RBI groundout from Ike Davis, and then knocked Atilano (6-5) out of the game in the fourth.  After loading the bases with no outs, Atilano retired the next two Mets and looked like he might escape the jam.  However, Alex Cora followed with a triple off of the right field wall to clear the bases.  Mets pitcher Jonathon Niese followed with an RBI double to bring home Cora and give the Mets a 5-0 lead.

Niese held the Nationals scoreless until the seventh inning, when Josh Willingham led off the inning with a solo homer to put the Nats on the board.  However, Niese (6-2) retired the next three batters and finished up seven innings, allowing just that one run.  The score remained 5-1 until the bottom of the ninth, when things got interesting.  Mets manager Jerry Manuel elected not to bring in his closer to start the inning with a four run lead, but summoned Francisco Rodriguez once the game became a save situation with two outs and runners on second and third.  Roger Bernadina and Ian Desmond hit back-to-back RBI singles to cut the lead to 5-3 and put the tying runs on base.   Met killer Willie Harris then came up and worked a full count, but instead of coming home, Rodriguez wheeled around and threw to second, picking off Bernadina to end the game.  That pickoff was the only out K-Rod recorded, but it was enough to earn him his 19th save on the season.

 

Phillies vs. Pirates

The Phillies and Pirates couldn’t muster much offense Friday night in Pittsburgh.  The Pirates scratched out two runs in the fourth, and those runs held up as the Pirates defeated the Phillies by a score of 2-0.

Phillies starter Jamie Moyer pitched six strong innings, allowing just five hits and striking out eight.  Unfortunately for Moyer (9-7) and the Phillies, it wasn’t enough.  In the fourth inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, Moyer got Andy LaRoche to hit a slow roller towards third base.  Moyer raced to pick up the ball and fired to first, but he threw wildly over the head of Ryan Howard, allowing two runs to score.  LaRoche was credited with an infield hit and an RBI on the play.

Meanwhile, Pirates starter Ross Ohlendorf pitched seven shutout innings for Pittsburgh, allowing five hits and just one walk while striking out eight.  Octavio Dotel came on in the ninth inning and retired the Phillies in order to earn his 18th save and give Ohlendorf (1-6) his first win on the season.

( Written by our New Author: KLake13 )

Mets vs. Yankees

Mets opened up six game homestand with the first subway series of 2010, and this game was all pitching, as the Yankees beat the Mets 2-1. Hisanori Takahashi, making his first career MLB start, pitched 6 strong innings, giving up 5 hits and no runs. Elmer Dessens, who came in relief of Takahashi, took the loss. Javier Vasquez kept the Mets hitless through 4 and a 1/3, and striking out six to get the win.

Game changing play came in the top of the 7th with an error by Alex Cora. As a result, the Yankees took a 2-0 lead on a double by Kevin Russo. The Yankees bullpen kept the Mets scoreless until the 9th when Ike Davis hit an RBI double off Mariano Rivera. For more info, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Phillies vs. Red Sox

Boston was off to an early lead with a one-run homer by Victor Martinez in the first, but it wasn’t enough as the Phillies went on to beat the Red Sox 5-1. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth each homered for the Phillies. The only other Boston hits belonged to Adrian Beltre and Darnell McDonald.

Cole Hamels got the win for the Phillies going 7 innings and giving up one run on three hits. J.C. Romero got his second save of the season for Philadelphia. John Lackey took the loss, going 5 innings and giving up four runs on six hits. Check out Phillies Phandom Blog for more.

Marlins vs. White Sox

It was a big night for Chicago’s Alexei Ramirez who hit an RBI double and a three-run homer, as the White Sox went on to beat the Marlins 8-0. Florida bats were quiet most of the night, with the only hits belonging to Gaby Sanchez, Cody Ross, and Wes Helms.

Mark Buehrle got the win, throwing 7 shut-out innings for Chicago, and allowing only 3 hits. Ricky Nolasco, who took the loss, got beat up in his 5.1 innings, giving up 10 hits and 8 earned runs.  Check out Fish Guts Blog for more on last night’s game.

Braves vs. Pirates

The Braves beat the Pirates 7-0. The Braves took an early 1-0 lead on a Chipper Jones RBI. Jason Heyward had three RBI’s on the night. The Braves scored another run in the 7th off Jeff Karstens who pitched 3.1 innings of relief for the Pirates. Pittsburgh’s bats were quiet with their only hits coming from Bobby Crosby and Garrett Jones.

Tim Hudson got the win, going 8 innings for the Braves, and giving up 3 hits and no runs. Ross Ohlendorf took the loss, pitching only 3.2 innings for the Pirates, giving up 6 hits and 7 runs. For more in depth coverage, go to the Braves Baseball Blog.

Nationals vs. Orioles

The Orioles hung on to beat the Nationals by a score of 5-3. Adam Jones got the Orioles off to a quick start hitting a two-run homerun in the 2nd giving the O’s a 2-0 lead. Craig Tatum knocked in a pair of runs in the 3rd. The Nationals got on the board with a run in the 6th on a RBI ground out by Ivan Rodriguez. Willie Harris homered in the 8th, cutting the Orioles lead to 4-3.

David Hernandez got the win, going 5.1 innings for Baltimore, giving up one run, one hit and 5 walks. Scott Olsen took the loss, lasting 3 innings for the Nationals, and giving up 4 runs on 6 hits. Miguel Batista came in to pitch 4 innings of relief for the Nats. Go to Centerfield Gate Blog for more on the game.

Francisco is the new hero for the night

So at this point, the Phillies have won four games since trading for Cliff Lee, and former Indians have contributed highly to three of them.  Last night, Ben Francisco hit a solo shot in the twelth inning off the Cubs’ Kevin Gregg which led to a 4-3 win for the Philadelphia Phillies to break a three game skid.  Prior to this, Brad Lidge blew his first save in a while and seventh overall allowing a run in the bottom of the ninth.  Jimmy Rollins hit a two run home run to get the Phillies even with the Cubs in the sixth and in the eight, Ryan Howard got an RBI on a bases loaded walk to temporarily give them the lead.  J.A. Happ pitched well again, going six innings allowing only two runs and got a no decision.  Scott Eyre(2-1) got the win in relief and Chad Durbin got his second save of the year working a perfect bottom of the twelth.  Phillies Phandom will have more on this win as well as all Phillies information.

The Cubs got off to an early lead in this one, as in the third inning Jake Fox got an RBI single followed by an Alfonso Soriano sacrifice fly later in the inning.  Rich Harden though gave up the two run shot to Rollins in the sixth, but did pitch seven strong innings only allowing two total hits and two walks.  Milton Bradley was the one who got them even in the ninth, driving in Fukudome to tie the game.  Kevin Gregg(4-4) worked two innings and allowed only the home run to Francisco in taking the loss.

Uggla comes through

The Marlins stayed hot last night, with heroics coming from Dan Uggla in the bottom of the 11th.  With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th of a tie game, Uggla singled to score Chris Coghlan and send the Marlins to another win, 9-8.  The Marlins came all the way back from a 7-2 deficit in this game, and that was only in the sixth inning.  The Marlins scored four in the sixth and another two in the seventh to actually take a late lead in this one.  John Baker contributed a RBI single and a two RBI double in those innings to help, and Hanley Ramirez had a two RBI double in the third.  Chris Volstad was bailed out of a bad start as he only went 4.2 innings and allowed eight hits and six runs while walking three.  Brian Sanches(3-1) got the win in relief working one inning allowing a single hit and Leo Nunez blew his fourth save of the year as he couldn’t hold on for the win in the ninth.  FishGuts has more on this game.

Roy Oswalt looked well on his way to a win in this one, until the sixth inning.  Through five innings, Oswalt had only allowed two runs and was cruising toward a win.  In the sixth though, as mentioned earlier, he gave up four more runs and left with a small lead, which the Astros bullpen lost in the seventh.  Wesley Wright (2-2) took the loss as he walked three while recording two outs in the eleventh inning.  Miguel Tejada had another strong game, going 3-5 with three RBI and two runs scored, including the tying run in the ninth and Carlos Lee contributed two RBI as well.

winning streak? nothing for Hanson!

The Braves entered last night’s game against the Nationals with a tough task ahead of them, to slow down the Nats bats and end their winning streak.  Tommy Hanson was able to do just that.  Hanson(4-2) pitched 6.2 innings allowing seven hits and one run while striking out nine to end the streak, the final score of the game was 8-1.  Hanson also had plenty of run support, as five Braves contributed an RBI each and two errors doomed the Nats.   Former Met Ryan Church even went 2-3 with two runs scored, an RBI and two walks while in the leadoff spot for the Braves.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog to read more about this win and the Braves.

I guess this was bound to happen to the Nats, after such offensive explosions and so many great starts from John Lannan, something had to give, but unfortunately both were on the same night.  John Lannan(8-9) only got through 4.2 innings while allowing six runs, five earned and walked four for his worst start in a while.  The Nationals offense also only managed a 1st inning RBI single from Ryan Zimmerman in the first scoring Nyjer Morgan, and the bats went silent from there.  Christian Guzman did extend his hitting streak to 16 games though.

Aren't the Mets sick of this?

The Arizona Diamondbacks took another game from the New York Mets, this is now five out of six on the season, with the last coming later today.  rookie Trent Oeltjen went 4-4 with two runs scored including a double and a triple while leading the Diamondbacks.  Gerrardo Parra got two RBIs in the game and the Diamondbacks went on to win 6-2.  Max Scherzer(7-6) went 6.2 innings while allowing eight hits and two runs in earning a win in his second try against the Mets this year and he had plenty of offense behind him.

Another day, another loss for the Mets, who just can’t seem to do anything right or get the timely hits.  Livan Hernandez(7-7) only lasted four innings and allowed six hits and five runs and took another loss and stressed the Mets bullpen.  The bullpen did however go four innigns allowing only one more run and it was unearned.  Jeff Francouer is still a bright spot for the Mets going 2-4 with a home run and a triple and joining Alex Cora with the only two runs in the game.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog will have more information on this loss.

Hamels comes up short again

Cole Hamels and the Phillies weer looking to take the second game of the series against the Marlins and hoping last season’s post season hero would get back in form.  Through five innings it looked good for Hamels, who had a 3-2 lead and was pitching well, but then he gave up a two run bomb to Cody Ross to be down 4-3.  Jeremy Hermida and Chris Coghlan added RBI singles later in addition to Coghlan’s home run in the first and the Marlins went on to win 6-4.  Brian Sanches(2-1) worked the fifth inning and was credited for the win as the Marlins took the lead in the sixth and ran with it, and Leo Nunez worked the ninth allowing two hits and a run for his 11th save.  FishGuts has more information on this win and the Fish getting closer to the Phils in the division.

The Phillies bats were fairly silent on Saturday, as groundouts by Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley produced two of their four runs.  The other two were on an RBI single by Shane Victorino and by a dropped popup by first baseman Nick Johnson temporarily giving the Phils the lead.  Hamels(7-7) went 5.1 innings and allowed four runs on five hits while allowing four walks and two bombs.  Phillies Phandom will cover more of the Phillies troubles this weekend against the Marlins.

Kelly Johnson with the big blast

In Los Angeles, another nail biter and extra inning game took place, and had a similar result.  The Braves and Dodgers were scoreless for nine innings but in the tenth inning, Kelly Johnson changed that.  Johnson hit a two run pinch hit home run also scoring Adam LaRoche to give the Braves a 2-0 lead and eventually give them a 2-1 win.  The Braves had three hits in the entire game, but luckily got excellent pitching throughout including seven shutout innings from starter Kenshin Kawakami.  Kris Medlen(3-3) pitched two shutout innings being rewarded with a win and Rafael Soriano nailed it down, but did give up a run in earning save number 17.  The Braves Baseball Blog is your place for all Braves information.

Clayton Kershaw pitched seven innings of no run ball himself, only allowing two hits a walk and striking out ten while leaving with 103 pitches.  Guillermo Mota(3-3) took the loss working the tenth and walking Adam LaRoche before giving up the blast to Kelly Johnson.  Andre Ethier produced the only run for the Dodgers as he doubled in Juan Pierre in the tenth inning but that was all they got.

Talking about winter vacations?

The San Diego Padres were looking to take their third straight agains the once again Reeling New York Mets.  They sent rookie Mat Latos to the hill, and Latos looked great, except for a first inning run.  Will Venable and David Eckstein had RBI singles and Cabrera walked to score a run as the Padres won 3-1.  Latos(4-1) went six innings and allowed four hits and only a first inning home run for the win.  Former Met Heath Bell worked the ninth inning and got his 28th save of the season, the Padres go for a four game sweep on Sunday afternoon.

What can you say about the Mets that hasn’t been said?  They started Bobby Parnell as Mike Pelfrey had to attend to the birth of his son.  Parnell(2-4) lasted only 2.1 innings allowing two runs on four hits, but had an extremely high pitch count of 68 before leaving.  Five Met relievers got them through the game only allowing one extra run and Alex Cora gave all the offense with a 1st inning home run. The Real Dirty Mets Blog will have more information on the Mets as they just hope to get a quick ending to the season.

The Nats are happy

The Washington Nationals have won yet again, making it seven in a row Saturday by a score of 5-2.  Garret Mock(1-4) got his first win of the year while going six innings and allowing two runs on five hits with seven K’s.  The offense was carried by Homeruns by Willingham and Josh Bard as well as an RBI single from Adam Dunn.  The team looks good lately, and you have to wonder if it is care free play, the youth, or the new manager.  Jorge Sosa got the save in the ninth as Mike MacDougal had been in need of a day off.  Make sure to check out CenterfieldGate for more information on the new Nats.

Danny Haren(11-7) had his second straight rough outting against a NL East opponent but this time got the loss.  Haren gave up five runs and seven hits in six innings after giving up five runs against the Mets earlier this week on his way to this loss.  Mark Reynolds hit a two run home which proved to be all the offense the Diamondbacks would muster as they look to avoid a sweep on Sunday.

Maybe its the socks?

Tuesday night in Philly, the Rockies were looking for their fifth straight victory and send a message that they were for real.  They started the series well, as Garrett Atkins had a huge game including four RBI on a two run double and a two run home run.  Catcher, Chris Iannetta also added in two RBI as the Rockies went on to beat the Phillies 8-3.  Starter Jason Hammel(6-6) went 6.2 innings only allowing three runs, but scattering nine hits and six strike outs.

The Phillies have now lost five out of six games and three games straight since Cliff Lee’s masterful game on Friday night.  Tuesday’s starter Jamie Moyer had another bad start, and with Pedro Martinez on the horizon, when will the rumors of his demise begin?  Moyer(10-8) went five innings but was charged with six runs on six hits and four walks.  Former starter Rodrigo Lopez came on in relief and gave up two more runs in only two innings of work.  Jimmy Rollins was a bright spot for the Phillies as he went 2-5 with a two run home run, his twelth of the season.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more on this game and the Phillies.

Dunn with another blast

Tuesday night began an inter-division series between the Marlins and the Nationals (look for the Chatter Up! later today).  The Nationals drew first blood in this one even after being held scoreless for the first seven innings.  Going into the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game, the Nats were down 4-0, and thing didn’t look well as Josh Johnson was dealing.  That is when the bats got going though.  In the eighth inning, the Nationals had six runs including a two RBI double by Ronnie Belliard and a RBI single by Guzman.  The inning and game scoring was capped by Adam Dunn hitting a two run home run that put the Nats ahead 6-4 for good.  Nationals starter J.D. Martin only got through 4.1 innings before being pulled, but the relief was solid behind him.  Ron Villone(4-5) got the win in relief working 1.1 scoreless innings and Mike MacDougal got his ninth save of the season while getting through a shaky ninth inning.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more information regarding the Nats.

The Marlins were cruising in this one with Josh Johnson, and will be second guessing themselves for leaving him on the mound for a while.  Johnson got a no decision but was charged with four runs and six hits, all runs from the eighth inning he worked in but could not record an out.  Kiko Calero(2-1) was charged with the loss and a blown save in this game as he only got one out in the eighth.  Former National got the Marlins started in this game with an RBI in the first and scored another run on Jeremy Hermida’s seventh inning single.  Cody Ross who is on fire hit a home run in the fourth and was followed by another home run by PITCHER Josh Johnson.  FishGuts will have more on the Marlins and this game.

Vazquez comes through

The Braves were in need of a win on Tuesday night, as they had been free falling of late.  They sent Javier Vazquez to the mound against the last place San Diego Padres, and got what they wanted.  The Braves were down early, but Vazquez(9-7) got through seven innings only allowing four hits and two runs, while striking out six while throwing only 98 pitches.  The Braves scored in six different innings, putting up crooked numbers in the sixth and eighth to put the game away as the Braves won 9-2.  Adam LaRoche had another RBI since rejoining the Braves, and they got home runs from Martin Prado and Matt Diaz on way to a 9-2 victory.  Prado added another two RBI single in the game while staying on fire for a final line of 3-5 with 3 RBI and two runs scored.  The Braves Baseball Blog has more Braves information for you!

The Padres bats went back to sleep on Tuesday night adn they couldn’t help out starter Tim Stauffer.  Stauffer(1-3) got through five innigns scattering eight hits and three runs and got the loss even though he left with a close game.  Edward Mujica gave up four earned runs in in only one third of an inning.  Will Venable hit his fifth home run in the first inning and scored the only other Padres run on a Chase Headley double in the fourth.

What next?

The New York Mets can’t get out of their own way.  On Friday, they lost a game on a wild pitch and last night the deciding run was scored on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded by the same Pitcher, Sean Green.  In this back and forth game, the Cardinals took a 4-3 lead in the fifth, only to give up four in the bottom of the frame.   The Cardinals then got closer in the eighth on a solo home run by Pujols and tied it in the ninth.  Against Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez, the Cardinals got two runs on two doubles by Ankiel and Julio Lugo and a single by Skip Schumaker.  In the tenth inning, after Mark DeRosa was hit to give them the lead, Albert Pujols put it away with a grand slam to left center field.  Kyle McClellan(3-2) got the win while going through the ninth inning giving up only a hit and a walk before the winning inning.

The Mets had a lot of positives early in this game and it would have been a great win, rather than a demoralizing loss.  Johan Santana helped his own cause with a two run double in the second inning and was picked up later.  While down 5-4, the Mets got a two RBI double from Gary Sheffield followed by a Daniel Murphy double and a Cora single to take a 7-4 lead.  They would not get any other runs in the game.  Santana finished with a no decision while getting through eight innings and giving up five runs on nine hits.  Francisco Rodriguez got tagged with his fourth blown save of the season and Pedro Feliciano(4-4) got charged with three runs as he loaded the bases prior to Sean Green’s appearance.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has all the Mets info you need.

Zito beats the Phillies

The San Francisco Giants went into Sunday’s afternoon game against the Phillies with a chance to take three of four in the series, but a tough task of the Phillies ace Cole Hamels was in front of them.  For four and a half innings it looked like Hamels would shut them down.  In the fifth though, Freddy Sanchez got a two RBI double scoring Zito and Valez which tied the game.  Then later in the game, on a Ryan Howard error, Sanchez scored the go ahead run, and the Giants cruised from there.  The Giants added three more in the sixth inning on a Randy Winn RBI single and a Eugenio Valez two RBI single making the final score 7-3.  Barry Zito(7-10) lasted through six innings and was rewarded with a win, after the Phillies were up 3-1 by the top of the fifth inning.  Giants relief pitching went three innings and only allowed three hits the rest of the way.

The Phillies’ Cole Hamels is still trying to find his postseason form from last year, and it really seemed like he found it.  Things fell apart as mentioned above in the bottom of the fifth and Hamels took the loss.  Hamels(7-6) went five innings but pitched to four in the sixth inning and was charged with six earned runs, but seven overall because of Howard’s error.  Jimmy Rollins hit his 11th home run of the season in the fourth and the Phillies got two RBI singles by Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz to cap their scoring.  Phillies Phandom will have all your Phillies info.

Different Uni, same result

The Marlins had a tough task this weekend when they welcomed the Chicago Cubs into town for a three game set.  All three games were exciting and included a lot of come backs and bad relief pitching.  Sunday was no different, as the Marlins won in walk off fashion.  Ricky Nolasco went seven strong innings and gave up only one run on four hits and a walk while striking out seven, but actually left losing.  Cody Ross hit his 16th of the season in the seventh inning which for the time being tied the game.  That held up until Brenden Donnelly gave up a solo home run to Jake Fox and was headed for the loss.  Lucky for Donnelly, Kevin Gregg the former Marlins closer entered in the ninth inning for the save.  Gregg got one out before he gave up back to back home runs to Dan Uggla and Cody Ross, the second of the game from Ross and a game winner by a score of 3-2.  Check out FishGuts for more Marlins info and on their series victory against the Cubbies.

The Cubs also had a great starting otuting by Ryan Dempster, who went six scoreless innings while scattering three hits and four walks.  Aaron Heilman, the former Met instantly gave up the lead he had worked with, and as you read, Kevin Gregg blew the game for the Cubs.  Derek Lee had the lone RBI in the first six innings with an RBI single in the third and Jake Fox produced the only other run.

Kemp with a 3 run bomb

The Dodgers managed to get back on track this weekend taking two of three in Atlanta against the Braves.  Yesterday, Chad Billingsley was pitching a gem until he left after the fifth with an injury.  Billingsley(11-6) only allowed two hits, zero runs and one walk while striking out nine and left after 83 pitches and an apparent injury.  The Dodgers bullpen combined for four innings and only allowed three hits and one run on way to a 9-1 victory.  Matt Kemp had a huge game, going 3-5 with one run scored and five total RBI.  Three of those RBI came in the fifth with a three run home run, and he added two more in the eighth with a two run single.  James Loney also added two RBI for the Dodgers.

Jair Jurrjens had a rare mediocre start for the Braves, but was pitching well for the first four innings.  Jair Jurrjens(9-8) went five innings allowing ten hits and four runs, but all four runs came in the fifth inning of the game.  Martin Prado produced all the Braves runs with an RBI single in the eighth scoring Matt Diaz.  The Braves Baseball Blog will have more Braves info for you.

Pelf has a mediocre start

The New York Mets went into Sunday’s game hoping to have another solid game after a late inning win on Saturday night.  Mike Pelfrey, who had pitched great on Tuesday night against the Rockies just didn’t have it on Sunday though.  Pelfrey(8-7) took the loss going only five innings while allowing three runs and three walks and two more hit batsmen, in a row.  Jeff Francouer homered for the Mets and Alex Cora doubled in the fifth to produce the Mets only runs in the 5-2 win.  The Mets hope to get a series split tonight as the four game set ends at 7:10Pm.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Jon Garland had his second victory since May 19th in this game, as he was able to pitch a complete game.  Garland(6-10) allowed seven hits and two runs and pitched all the innings while using only 106 pitches.  He was helped by a Chad Tracy two run double and Gerardo Parra getting two late RBI to secure the victory.

Maholm serves one up

The Nationals were able to take the final game of the three game set against the Pirates in a battle of the young and rebuilding teams on Sunday.  Josh Willingham had the big blow in this game as he hit a two run home run in the seventh inning putting the Nats up 3-2 at the time.  Alberto Gonzalez added his second RBI in the game that inning on a ground rule double.  Willingham added his third RBI of the game in the eighth inning and put the game away for the Nationals.  Former Pirate Sean Burnett(2-2) got the win in relief recording just one out in the sixth inning.  Mike MacDougal recorded his seventh save of the season while only allowing a walk in the ninth inning.  CenterfieldGate will have more Nats info for you.

Paul Maholm(6-6) did not make many mistakes in this game, but in the sixth inning, he allowed the two run home run to Willingham and then was charged with the final run of the inning. The Pirates only three runs recorded were on two home runs.  The first was by Ronnie Cedeno in the third scoring Brandon Moss and the final was by Delwyn Young in the seventh, but that was all they would get in losing 5-3.

Jamie Moyer wins his third straight

It seems all that Jamie Moyer and the Phillies needed was the battered Mets to come to town to remember how to win, and win at home.  The Phillies won 4-1 yesterday with Jamie Moyer(7-6) pitching into the seventh inning while only allowing one run for Philadelphia.  Jimmy Rollins had another nice day going 1-3 with two walks and two RBI while Shane Victorino went 3-5 with a run scored and an RBI to lead the Phillies and Brad Lidge got his 15th save of the season.  Make sure to go to Phillies Phandom for more Phillies information.

The Mets were led by Alex Cora and his three hits and an RBI by Nick Evans for their only run of the game.  Fernando Nieve(3-2) took his second straight loss as a starter.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets info.

Andrew Miller gets the win

The Florida Marlins got back on their winning ways yesterday with a 5-3 victory over Zach Duke and the Pittsburgh Pirates on 4th of July in Florida.  Andrew Miller(3-4) worked6.2 innings for the Marlins while giving up only three earned runs but he did flirt with disaster while giving up two home runs.  Zach Duke(8-7) on the otherside didn’t fare much worse, but gave up four earned runs in six innings taking a tough luck loss.  Hanley Ramirez got back in the swing of things for the Marlins going 2-4 with a two run homer to now have RBI in 11 of his last 12 games.  Dan Meyer got his second save of the season in the revolving closer door Florida has until Matt Lindstrom comes back from the disabled list.  The two teams meet up in the finale this afternoon of the three game set.

Dunn hits #300

Yesterday in Washington, Adam Dunn hit a milestone shot, his 300th of his career.  That wasn’t the only news of the day for the Nats who mounted a comeback from the seventh inning and eighth inning to take the second game of the three game set with the Braves.  John Lannan(6-5) went eight strong innings while only giving up three earned runs and was rewarded with the late inning victory by the Nats.  Mike MacDougal worked the ninth to get his fourth save of the year, although it was done while putting two on base with walks.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more Nationals info.

The Braves’ Mike Gonzalez(3-1) took his first loss of the year when he gave up three runs in the eighth inning and was charged with a blown save.  This broke a five game winning streak for the Braves, who fall three games behind the division leading Phils and are still tied with the Mets for third place. Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more on the Bravos.

The series concludes this afternoon with Derek Lowe against Scott Olsen today.

John Mayberry misses a one-run double hit by Aubrey Huff in the sixth inning

And it didn’t get any better from there. The Phillies were taking on the Baltimore Orioles Friday night in Philadelphia. Philly pitching has not stepped up for the defending World Series champs. Over the last 7 games, Philly pitching went 1-6 with a 6.49 ERA and have allowed 15 HRS!!! In the absence of Raul Ibanez, The Phillies managed only 2 runs off winning pitcher Rich Hill(3-1). Antonio Bastardo(2-2) gave the bullpen some needed rest by throwing a solid 7 innings with only 4 runs allowed. Jack Taschner of the Phillies put the final nail in the coffin with this game by giving up 3 runs in 2 innings of work. The Phillies lose 7-2. The Phillies are now 13-20 at home.

Fernando Nieve first pitch against Tampa Bay Rays

The New York Mets took on the defending AL champs the Tampa Bay Rays at Citi Field on Friday night. Fernando Nieve(2-0) turned in another good outing for the Mets by going 6 innings with only one earned run allowed. In a rare show of power, Mets catcher Brian Schneider hit a 3 run home run off losing pitcher Andy Sonnanstine(5-7). David Wright also hit a 2 out double to bring in Alex Cora and make the game 4-0. The game would stay like this for a few frames until Bobby Parnell came on in the 7th and gave up 2 runs on a 2-0 96mph fastball to B.J. Upton who doubled in Gabe Gross and Jason Bartlett. Pedro Feliciano came in and got Carl Crawford to hit one back to him to end the inning. Fransisco Rodriguez(1-2) came in for the 9th with a blown save the night before. Krod retired the side for his 18th save and the Mets won 5-3. For more Mets info and discussion, you can visit The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Sean West Preparing to face $201 million dollars worth of hurt

The last meaningful game between these two clubs was 6 years ago when the Marlins won their 2nd World Series title. Tonight however is a different story as they took out their aggression from being shut out by the worst team in baseball on the young Sean West(2-2). Sean West only lasted 4 innings and gave up 10 hits and 5 earned runs again the Yankees on Friday night en route to a 5-1 loss. This was all done without the help of Alex Rodriguez who has been benched with “fatigue”. Andy Pettite(7-3) has been by far the Yankees most consistent hurler and threw a gem on Friday. Andy went 7 innings with only 1 earned run and fanning 7. Cody Ross accounted for the only run of the game by hitting his 11th HR off Andy in the 3rd inning. The Marlins came into Friday’s game with a .289 batting average in their first 17 games in June. Also if you didn’t know by now, the Marlins no longer play in Dolphins stadium but rather it has been renamed Land Shark Stadium.

Kenshin Kawakami first pitch against the AL east leading Boston Red Sox

In a testament to a new era in Major League Baseball, Two pitchers from Japan squared off in Fenway Park on Friday night. Japan who has won the last two World Baseball Classics’s in a row have begun to make their mark on Major League Baseball as this sport continues to diversify and showcase high class talent. Kenshin Kawakami(4-6) would be the last man standing in this duel versus his fellow country man Daisuke Matsuzaka(1-5). The Boston Red Sox are desperately needing Matsuzaka to come back to form and be the phenom he has been since coming to the states to play ball, unfortunately they will have to wait another game. Matsuzaka only lasted 4 innings but gave up 8 hits and 6 earned runs. Kawakami on the other hand, stole the show by going 6 innings and only allowing a 2 run shot by Jason Bay. Garret Anderson joined the party with his four-RBI performance as the Braves went on to win this one 8-2.For more Braves info and notes, be sure to check out The Braves Baseball Blog.

Jordan Zimmermann takes on the high flying Toronto Blue Jays

With all the talk about Ken Rosenthal’s report that Manny Acta’s job is on “watch”, the Nationals decided to make that decision difficult by turning in another good performance against the AL at Nationals Park. The Nationals were taking on a hot Toronto Blue Jay team that had just swept the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Jordan Zimmermann took the mound on this one and kept the Blue Jays at bay by going 5.2 innings with only 1 run allowed. Jordan also helped his own cause in the fourth by bringing in the Nationals first run of the contest on a ground out. The Jays would not go quietly and Rod Barajas made sure of it by bringing Scott Rolen in on a single up the middle. Then in a very uncharacteristic event, the Nationals bullpen combined for 5 and 1/3 innings of no run ball. In the top of the 11th, Adam Dunn hits what in baseball would be termed a “seeing eye single” that eludes 1st baseman Lyle Overbay for a walk off win in extras. That is the Nationals first extra inning win this season as they wrapped up their first 3 game winning streak since May by wining 2-1. Jesus Colome(1-0) picks up the win in this extra inning affair and Jason Frasor(0-1) picks up the loss. You can check out more Nationals baseball info and notes by visiting Centerfieldgate.