This should be a great weekend of National League East Baseball, please be sure to check back to NLEC or the team affiliate blog frequently!
If interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com

In news broken by our new Phillies affiliate, Phillies Phandom, the Philadelphia Phillies have recalled Rodrigo Lopez from Lehigh in Bastardo’s spot.  Get more information on it by clicking here and going to our Phillies Phandom affiliate.

Bastardo to 15 day DL

The National League East’s injury problems continued yesterday as the Philadelphia Phillies made a move many were expecting by sending rookie LHP Antonio Bastardo to the disabled list according to ESPN.  He will be retroactived until his last start on Thursday and this trip to the DL is because of a strained shoulder suffered during that outting against the Rays.  For the time being Sergio Escalona is back with the big league club, but speculation by many, including here at NLEC is that one of AAA prospects Carrasco or Carpenter will be called up for Bastardo’s start on Thursday.  You have to wonder if depending how the prospects do in his absence if this intensifies efforts for a trade, stayed tuned to NLEC for more.

Bastardo to sit Wednesday

According to this article at ESPN, the Phillies rookie pitcher Antonio Bastardo will miss his next scheduled start on Wednesday.  With the off day Monday, the Phillies will start Blanton on Tuesday and Hamels on Wednesday in Atlanta with no announcement on the starter for Thursday.  Some folks are speculating that prospect Carlos Carrasco could get the call for that start.  We will keep you updated here at NLEC.

Aybar fills in nicely

Willy Aybar got the start in place of Evan Longoria who sat with an injury and was a pleasant surprise for the Rays.    Aybar hit a solo home run and drove in two others in the 6th on route to a 10-4 Tampa Bay win.  The Phillies lost their fourth straight series, and now are 2-10 in their last 12 games and only lead the NL East by a half a game over the New York Mets.  Andy Sonnanstine(6-7) worked 5.1 IP while giving up four runs for the win and Antonio Bastardo(2-3) couldn’t get through the fourth on route to the loss giving up six earned runs.  The Phillies will travel to Toronto this weekend and once again, hope to rebound.

He may not be hitting, but he can play D

The Mets and their “B” team managed to win three out of four from the first place St. Louis Cardinals this week.  In a week when yet another All-Star player went on the disabled list for the Mets, they won the finale of the series.  Johan Santana(9-5) pitched seven Innings while giving up only two runs, one earned and outdueling Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter.  Carpenter(5-2) lost despite also pitching 7 Innings but had one bad inning and that was all the runs the Mets needed.  Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth while walking two to get his 20th save of the year.  The Mets will now play the first ever Subway Series at Yankee stadium this weekend.  For more Mets info, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Hanley hits another Granny

Hanley Ramirez and the Orioles barely had any trouble this week against the formerly hot Baltimore Orioles.  Ramirez hit his second grand slam of the series amongst three total hits and five RBI as the Marlins won 11-3.  Sean West(3-2) breezed through six shutout innings and Rich Hill(3-2) didn’t get out of the fifth inning in taking the loss.  Hill gave up 6 runs on 8 hits and two home runs.  The Marlins will travel up to Tampa this weekend to play the Tampa Bay Rays.

Lowe with a terrible outting

The Yankees took two out of three this week from the Braves, but not in easy fashion.  The Yankees scored in every inning except the fifth and sixth on our route to an 11-7 victory over the Braves in the rubber game.  Johnny Damon and Alex Rodriguez had four RBI a piece in the game that featured eleven total pitchers and neither starter going four innings.  Alfredo Aceves(5-1) pitched 2.1 innings while giving up one hit and a walk in relief of Andy Pettitte for the win as Derek Lowe(7-6) worked into the fourth inning but gave up eight total runs, six earned on eleven hits and three walks for the loss.   The Braves will welcome in the Red Sox this weekend to Atlanta to complete interleague play.  For additional Braves news, be sure to stop by The Braves Baseball Blog.

Smoltz has a subpar debut

Former long time Brave had a disappointing debut in a Boston uniform last night in Washington.  Smoltz(0-1) took the loss while going five innings and giving up seven hits, one walk and five earned runs.  The Nationals scored four in the first inning off Smoltz who was starting for the first time in 2009 while winning the game 9-3.  Rookie Jordan Zimmermann(3-3) went seven innings of one run ball preserving the last game of the series for the Nats.  The Nationals will travel to Baltimore this weekend to finish their Interleague schedule.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more Nats info.

Check back later today for our NL East Series preview for the weekend.

Still an odd sight for Phils fans

The Phillies were unsuccessful in their bid to win consecutive games since playing the Mets 2 weeks ago, as they fell to the Rays 7-1 in Tampa.  Former long time Philly Pat “The Bat” Burrell hit a two-run homer in the 2nd that proved to be all the offense Tampa would need and got another RBI in the 8th on a ground out on route to Tampa’s 7-1 win.  Joe Blanton(4-4) took the loss going 7 strong innings while giving up  only two runs and left with the Phillies having a chance to get him off the hook.  J.C. Romero and Chan Ho Park dashed those dreams in the 8th inning as they allowed 5 runs between them in the inning.  Matt Garza(5-5) pitched 8 innings while giving up just a solo home run to Jayson Werth in the 7th  to even his record for the season.   The series finale is tonight when Antonio Bastardo gets the start against Andy Sonnanstine at 7:08PM.

Nieve goes to 3-0

The New York Mets barely recognizeable lineup managed to score a season high in runs against the NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals last night, winning 11-0.  David Wright contributed four hits while scoring 3 runs, and newly recalled Nick Evans got 2 hits and a 2 run home run in his 1st start of the season for the Mets.  Fernando Nieve(3-0) remained undefeated on the season picking up the win going six strong innings and three other Mets pitchers finished off the 4 hit shutout for the Mets.  Converted reliever Brad Thompson went five innings giving up five runs and eight hits to take the loss in the game.  The Mets and Cardinals finish off the four game series this afternoon at 1:10PM with a great matchup of Chris Carpenter taking on Johan Santana.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets info.

Hanley Ramirez with a 2 run single

The Florida Marlins kept up their late resurgence taking their fourth straight and second straight against the Baltimore Orioles in Miami.  Hanley Ramirez was once again a main contributer with a single in the 1st to score 2, and Dan Uggla also contributed two hits and two runs.  Ricky Nolasco(4-6) continues to get back into form after a trip to the minors working 7 innings for the win.  Jason Berken(1-4) took the loss for the Orioles, while Dan Meyer picked up his 1st save while filling in for the Marlins injured closer Matt Lindstrom.  The Marlins send Sean West to the hill against Rich Hill tonight in Miami before they travel north to Tampa this weekend.

You may not see this ever again

The Yankees were finally able to get a win, while jump starting their offense on Wednesday night in Atlanta.  Unlikely hero Francisco Cervelli got a rally started in the 6th inning to give the Yankees the lead, and they never looked back.  Joba Chamberlain(4-2) got his control back for this game, walking zero over 6.1 Innings pitched and giving up three runs, two earned on his way to the victory.  Mariano Rivera worked 1.1 Innings for his 16th save while striking out every batter he faced and even earning a rare at bat(pictured above) where he lined up.  Kenshin Kawakami left the game in the third inning after being hit in the neck with a line drive, the injury is said to not be serious.  Kris Medlen(2-3) took the loss in 2.2 Innings pitched for the Braves.  The series finale will feature Andy Pettitte on the mound for the Yanks and Derek Lowe for the Braves tonight in Atlanta.  More Braves information, always over at The Braves Baseball Blog.

Is this Fenway South - NL?

The Red Sox won their fourth straight last night, while “visiting” Nationals park in Washington D.C. and playing the Nats.  A crowd of 41,530 saw the Red Sox take their second straight in the nations capital, with help from Ortiz and Varitek’s home runs in a 6-4 victory.  Jon Lester went six innings giving up 3 runs and striking out six in getting the victory for the Red Sox and Jonathan Papelbon worked the ninth for his 17th save of the season. Craig Stammen(1-3) couldn’t bring the same magic he had last week at The New Yankee Stadium and worked 5.1 innings and got the loss in this game.  The series finale features Nats rookie Jordan Zimmermann facing off against former long time Brave John Smoltz.  This will be Smoltz’ first start since last season and first pitch is at 7:05PM.  For more Nats info, check out CenterfieldGate.

If interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com

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.

Special thanks to Mr North Jersey for design help. Again, if interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com