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.

Phillies vs. Diamondbacks

Justin Upton scored in a bases loaded walk in the first inning for the Diamondbacks.  The Phillies scored 2 runs in the third when Ryan Howard singled home Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz walked with the bases loaded scoring Raul Ibanez.  Mark Reynolds hit a solo shot in the fourth to time the game and added another in the fifth when Stephen Drew singled home Adam LaRoche.  In the bottom of the inning Jason Werth homered scoring Ryan Howard to take the lead.  The diamondbacks took the lead in the 6th when they scored 2 runs Adam LaRoche hit a sac fly to score Chris Young and a Miguel Montero ground out scored Kelly Johnson.  The Phillies then took the lead in the bottom of the inning when they scored 3 runs when Raul Ibanez singled home Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard homered scoring Raul Ibanez.  In the seventh Cody Ransom homered scoring Carlos Ruiz adding 2 more runs for the Phils.

Cole Hamels pitched 5 innings giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, and 8 strikeouts.  Rodrigo Lopez pitched 5 innings giving up 7 hits, 4 runs, and 4 strikeouts.  David Herndon got the win pitching 1 inning giving up  1 hit, 2 runs and no strikeouts.  The loss went to Jordan Norberto who did not record an out and pitched 2 hits and 2 runs.

Braves vs. Nationals

The Nationals beat the Braves in a score of 3-0. Nyjer Morgan scored in the first for the Nationals on a throwing error by Brian McCann.  In the third the Nationals added 2 more runs when Ian Desmond singled home Ivan Rodriguez and Roger Bernadina.

Miguel Batista won and pitched 5 innings giving up 3 hits, no runs with 6 strikeouts.  Tommy Hanson got the lose and pitched 6 innings, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, and 8 strikeouts.  Matt Capps got his 25th save of the season giving up no hits with 1 strikeout.

Mets vs. Cardinals

The Mets beat the Cardinals in a score of 8-2. Ryan Ludwick singled home Matt Holliday in the first.  The Mets struck back in the second when Ike Davis grounded out scoring David Wright.  In the third Jeff Francoeur homered scoring Carlos Beltran and Ike Davis.  In the fifth they added on 2 more runs when David Wright hit a sac fly to score Luis Castillo and Carlos Beltran singled home Angel Pagan.  In the sixth Jose Reyes homered scoring Jon Niese for 2 more runs in the inning.  In the eight the Cardinals added a run when Randy Winn grounded into a double play scoring Ryan Ludwick.

Jon Niese got the win and pitched 6 innings giving up 7 hits, 1 run, and 1 strikeout.  The loss went to Adam Wainwright who pitched 5 innings giving up 6 hits, 6 runs, and 6 strikeouts.

Marlins vs. Giants

The Giants beat the Marlins in a score of 6-4. The Giants scored 2 runs in the third when Aubrey Huff doubled home Andrés Torres and Buster Posey singled home Aubrey Huff.  In the fifth the Marlins tied it up when Cody Ross homered scoring Wes Helms.  In the bottom of the inning the Giants reclaimed the lead when Freddy Sanchez singled home Andres Torres.  The Marlins again tied it up when Dan Uggla hit a solo shot in the seventh inning.  In the eighth Juan Uribe and Édgar Rentería both went deep adding 3 more runs for the Giants.  The Marlins added 1 more run in the ninth when Dan Uggla hit another solo shot.

Matt Cain pitched 7 innings giving up 4 hits, 3 runs, and 6 strikeouts.  Josh Johnson pitched 7 innings giving up 8 hits, 3 runs, and 5 strikeouts.  The win went to Sergio Romo who pitched 1 inning giving up no hits and the loss went to Brian Sanches who pitched 0.1 of an inning giving up 3 hits and 3 runs. Brian Wilson got the save but gave up a run and a hit with 2 strikeouts.

Nationals vs. Giants

The Nationals had a 4-2 lead going into the 7^th inning, but a number of costly plays kept them from getting the win, as they fell to the Giants 5-4. Adam Dunn hit his 10^th homerun of the year, and Josh Willingham and Alberto Gonzalez each went 2-3 for the Nationals. Aubrey Huff went 3-4 and Juan Uribe went 2-4 for the Giants.

Craig Stammen went 6.1 innings for the Nationals, giving up three runs on five hits. Sean Burnett came in to pitch in the 7^th for the  Nationals and wound up with the loss. Barry Zito pitched 6.1 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. Santiago Casilla finished off the 7^th and earned the win. Brian Wilson got his 12^th save of the season for the Giants.

For more, check out Centerfield Gate.

Braves vs. Marlins

It was an ugly night for the Braves defensively, who committed four errors. But what they lacked in defense they made up in offense in their 8-3 win over the Marlins. Braves and Marlins both scored in the 1^st inning. The Braves then tacked on two in the 4^th, followed by one in the 6^th and 7th, and finally three in the 8^th. Ricky Nolasco helped himself out with an RBI single in the 4^th for the Marlins. Hanley Ramirez and Ronny Paulino each went 2-4 for Florida.

Tim Hudson and Nolasco each went only four innings thanks to a 77-minute rain delay. Peter Moylan took the mound for the Braves following the rain delay and got the win. Nolasco took the loss after giving up three runs.

For more, check out Braves Baseball Blog and Fish Guts.

Mets vs. Phillies

The Mets have  gone 27 straight innings without giving up a run, and won their fifth in a row, sweeping the Phillies with a score of 3-0. Mike Pelfrey pitched 7 strong innings, giving up no runs on three hits to earn the win. Cole Hamels went 6.1 innings, giving up 3 runs on 9 hits, taking the loss. Francisco Rodriguez got his 9^th save of the season.

The Mets got on the board early with an RBI double by Jason Bay in the first inning. Their next two runs came in the bottom of the 7^th on a RBI double by Jose Reyes. Phillies bats were quiet once again. Shane Victorino was 3-4, with the only other Phillies hit belonging to Raul Ibanez.

For more info, go to Real Dirty Mets Blog and Phillies Phandom.

Werth with a big game

Jayson Werth went four for four at the plate with a walk, three runs scored and three RBI for Philadelphia yesterday on the to a 10-0 victory.  Fueled by two four run innings from the offense, J.A. Happ(5-0) stayed undefeated and went the distance for the win.  Brad Mills(0-1) lasted only four innings while giving up eight earned runs while taking the loss for the Blue Jays.  This was the first time in the five times the teams met so far this year that Toronto did not win.  The interleague schedule ends for these teams today as Jamie Moyer goes up against Brian Tallet for the Jays.

Redding can't do much without offense

The New York Mets “B” team seems to be really getting the effect of playing versus other Major League teams now.  The New York Mets have now gone down in order in eighteen out of twenty-three of their last offensive innings, and scored 1 run in that time on a home run by Gary Sheffield.  Last night A.J. Burnett(6-4) worked seven innings of one hit ball, before being relieved for the final two innings of perfect relief in a 5-0 Yankees win.  Tim Redding(1-3) worked into the sixth inning but it all fell apart in that inning as he gave up five earned runs in the loss.  The Mets hope to salvage a game of this series tonight at 8PM on ESPN when Chien-Ming Wang goes up against Livan Hernandez.

Tampa Bay celebrates a walk off win

J.P. Howell(4-2) is getting used to these wins in relief lately, as he was the benefactor in a 3-2 Rays walk off win in Tampa last night.  Willy Aybar came up big again as he hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning scoring Carlos Pena for the Rays sixth win in their last eight games.  Burke Badenhop(5-3) took the loss in the ninth for the Marlins in the game.  The fish will look to salvage the final game of the series today as Andrew Miller takes on David Price at 1:38PM EST.

Braves lose a tough one

The Atlana Braves had a tough offensive game yesterday, as they couldn’t muster up a run while losing 1-0 to the Boston Red Sox.  Three Boston pitchers combined in a four hit shutout, including Tim Wakefield(10-3) pitching six strong for the win and Jonathan Papalbon pitching the ninth inning to get his eighteenth save of the season.  Javier Vazquez(5-7) pitched into the eighth inning while only giving up 6 hits and one earned run and took a tough loss.  The series concludes today at 1:30PM EST with Brad Penny for the Sox taking on Tommy Hanson of the Braves.

Rookie Reimold has a big game

Rookie Nolan Reimold hit his ninth home run of the year and contributed three RBI to help the Baltimore Orioles beat the Washington Nationals 6-3.  Greg Zaun and Aubrey Huff also contributed home runs during the win in Baltimore last night as Jeremy Guthrie(6-7) pitched the minimum five innings for the win.  Sharon Martis(5-3) took his third loss in a row after going five straight decisions in his career without a loss for the Nats last night.  The Nationals will hope to avoid the sweep as John Lannon takes on David Hernandez at 1:35PM EST 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.

Ryan Madson watches Barajas

In a series finale matinee in Philadelphia, fans were treated to plenty of offense.  The Blue Jays completed the sweep of the NL East leading Philadelphia Phillies behind 8 runs and 3 home runs.  The Phillies were led by 4 home runs of their own including Jayson Werth’s 12th and newly recalled rookie John Mayberry’s second.  Ryan Madson(2-2) gave up the winning home run to pinch hitter Rod Barajas in the top of the 9th to take the loss, following his blown save on Tuesday night.  Jason Frasor(5-0) picks up the win in relief even though he was charged with a blown save for allowing the tying run to score in the eighth, while Jeremy Accardo picked up his first save.  The Phillies will welcome in the Orioles for a three game set at Citizens Bank Park tomorrow night.

Franky blows a save

The Mets missed a golden opportunity to pick up more ground on the Phillies tonight in Baltimore.  Going to the 9th inning with a 4-3 lead, Francisco Rodriguez(1-2) didn’t have nearly his best stuff and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks while recording only one out to take the loss and have his 2nd (but really 1st) blown save.  Aubrey Huff hurt the Mets again when he singled to right field in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded and the game tied to give the O’s the win.  Matt Albers(1-2) pitched a scoreless 9th and was rewarded with an unexpected win for the Orioles.  The Mets will travel back to Flushing and start a 10 game homestand beginning with 3 against the defending AL champion Tampa Bay Rays tomorrow night.  For more Mets news and info, head on over to The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Paulino hits one out

In a rain shortened game in Boston, the Marlins avoided a 3 game sweep of the Red Sox.  Ronnie Paulino and Dan Uggla each hit solo shots off of started Jon Lester(5-6) who took the loss while pitching 5 full innings and one batter in the 6th.  Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco(3-6) got the win in a “complete game” pitching 5 innings of 1 run ball for the win.  The Marlins will welcome the New York Yankees into LandShark Stadium in Miami this weekend for a three game set.

Hanson goes 6 shutout

Braves super-hyped rookie pitcher Tommy Hanson(2-0) showed signs of the future for the Braves today going 6 shutout innings for the win.  He was helped by the recently aquired Nate McLouth who hit his 11th home run of the year and added a 2 rbi single on route to a 7-0 Braves win.  Hanson even added an rbi single himself to give some added run support.  Cincinnati Reds rookie Matt Maloney(0-2) took the loss in 5.2IP giving up 6 earned runs on 6 hits, including 2 homeruns.  The Braves will travel to Boston to face the Red Sox this weekend and continue their interleague schedule after a small hiatus.  For more Braves information, go to The Braves Baseball Blog.

Stammen gets his 1st win

Over at The New Yankee Stadium, David slayed Goliath for the second straight night.  Nationals rookie Craig Stammen(1-2) pitched 6.1 shutout innings in the bronx for his 1st MLB win against the big bats of the Yankees.  He was helped by 3 hits and an rbi from Ryan Zimmerman and 2 hits and an rbi from Adam Dunn and some good defense behind him.  Joba Chamberlain(3-2) only gave up 3 runs over 6 innings for the loss, but once again the walks hurt him, as he had 3 walks in the 4th inning and 4 overall.  Reclaimation project Mike MacDougal picked up his 2nd save of the year and in as many days pitching to the minimum in the 9th inning.  One injury note for the Yankees is that rookie Brett Gardner left the game in the 8th after a violent collision with the wall in left centerfield, we here at NLEC hope he is ok.  The Nationals will welcome in the Blue Jays to Nationals Park for a weekend series beginning tomorrow night.  Be sure to log onto CenterfieldGate for more Nationals news and information.

Be sure to check back later for the weekend series previews and if you are interested in writing for NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com.

Werth Strikes out with bases jammed

The Phillies lost their 2nd straight game and fourth in their last five, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays and Scott Richmond.  Richmond(5-3) went 8 strong innings giving up only 1 run and fanning 11 batters while Jamie Moyer(4-6) was tagged for the loss in 6 innings while giving up 6 earned runs.  Former Philly Scott Rolen hit his 4th home run along with Rod Barajas and Aaron Hill.  Philadelphia will look to salvage one game as the two teams finish their series this afternoon at 1:05PM with Casey Janssen for the Jays facing off against Joe Blanton for the Phils.

Feliciano has a rare bad outting

The Orioles evened up their series versus the Mets last night behind the bat of Aubrey Huff.  Huff connected on a deep drive to righ field, giving the usual reliable Pedro Feliciano(2-2) the loss.  Jim Johnson(3-3) picked up the win in relief for the Birds going 2 innings while giving up 1 hit and George Sherill picked up his 13th save of the season.  The series finale is tonight at 7:05pm with Livan Hernandez facing off against rookie Jason Berken of the Orioles.  For additional Mets news, go to The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Miller longs for early April 2009

The Marlins were knocked around for the second straight game in Boston as the Red Sox remain hot.  The Marlins starting pitching once again wasn’t as good as it needed to be and gave the Red Sox all the runs they needed for this win and the offense was non existent.  Andrew Miller(2-3) went just over 5 innings giving up 4 earned runs while Brad Penny(6-2) went the minimum 5 innings for the win while giving up just one run.  The Marlins will try to take one game from the Sox who have won 7 of their last 8 and send Ricky Nolasco to the hill against Boston lefty Jon Lester tonight at 7:10pm.

Owings already has 2 hr

In the Great American Bandbox, err Ballpark, the Braves lost their second straight game and 4th in the last 5 to the Cincinnati Reds.  Micah Owings(4-7) got the win and helped with his arm and his bat supplying 3 of the Reds total 4 runs on a 3 run homer in the fifth off losing pitcher Javier Vazquez(4-6).  Francisco Cordero pitched a scoreless ninth inning collecting his 16th save of the season.  They play a Thursday matinee beginning at 12:35PM this afternoon with rookie Tommy Hanson going for the Braves against Matt Maloney of the Reds.  For additional Braves information, check out The Braves Baseball Blog.

Did this home run land yet?

In a game that likely surprised most baseball fans, the Nats took a game from the Yankees behind a great performance by New York native John Lannan.  John Lannan(4-5) went 8.1 innings giving up 2 earned runs out performing disappointing Yankee pitcher Chien-Ming Wang(0-5) who took yet another loss.  Mike MacDougal got the final 2 stressful outs in the 9th to earn the save on a Robinson Cano double play ball.  Adam Dunn hit a home run to right field in the 4th inning that likely hasn’t landed yet and has nothing to do with the wind at Yankee Stadium.  The series finishes tonight at 1:05PM with Craig Stammen for the Nationals going against Joba Chamberlain for the Yankees.  For more Nationals news and insight, please visit The CenterFieldGate.

Ryan Madson walks in the tying run

In Philadelphia, Ryan Madson walked in the tying run in the top of the 9th for his 1st blown save since taking over for the injured Brad Lidge.  The Blue Jays went on to win the game with a 5 run 10th inning, with all runs and the loss being charged to reliever Clay Condrey(4-2).  Scott Downs pitched a perfect ninth for the Blue Jays to pick up the win(1-0).  The Phillies look to bounce back tonight with Jamie Moyer facing off against Scott Richmond.

Huff pulls a Castillo

At Camden Yards in Baltimore, the Mets got help from three Oriole errors on their way to a 6-4 victory.  The Castillo error fresh in their minds, Aubrey Huff botched a fly ball in the 7th inning off a David Wright blooper.  Two runs scored on the play and they proved to be the winning runs.  A dicey ninth inning started by Bobby Parnell and finished off by Francisco Rodriguez made the game closer than it should have been.  Mike Pelfrey(5-2) got his first win since early May, Rodriguez picked up his 17th save and Jeremy Guthrie(4-7) took the loss.  The two teams meet back up tonight at 7:10pm with Tim Redding facing off against the O’s Koji Uehara.  For additional Mets information and news go to The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Ortiz heating up?

The Marlins started a three game set against the Red Sox at classic Fenway Park in Boston.    This game was all Red Sox from the beginning as they had all the runs they needed by the 4th inning.  David Ortiz hit his 5th home run of the year, and he may finally be breaking out of his season long slump.  Chris Volstad(4-7) took the loss for the Marlins with only 3.2 Innings pitched and 8 ER and Tim Wakefield(9-3) earned the win.  Tonight Andrew Miller takes on former Marlin Brad Penny at 7:10PM.

Herrera gets his 1st win

In Cincinnati, the teams waited through  an almost 2 hour rain delay to take the opening game of the set from the Braves.  Danny Herrera went three innings in rain delay relief of Aaron Harang, who only went 2 innings.  It was Herrera’s 1st major league victory and it was helped out by 3 RBI from Lance Nix of the Reds.  Herrera(1-2) got the win and Jair Jurrjens(5-5) took the loss in only 2 IP with 2 ER.  Tonight the Braves send Javier Vazquez to the hill against Micah Owings to try to get out of a small funk.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more Braves information.

A-Hern can even hit a HR at Yankee stadium

Finally, over at Yankee Stadium, Manny Acta(for now) and the Washington Nationals took on the New York Yankees.  Anderson Hernandez even took advantage of the winstream or whatever it is at Yankee Stadium causing balls to fly out and put the Nats in a temporary lead with a 3 run homer in the 5th.  This lead held up until the 7th when Ron Villone(3-4) of the Nats(16-46) bullpen coughed it up, sending them to their 46th loss of the year.  The Yankees(37-27) got almost 8 innings from their ace, C.C. Sabathia(6-4) for the win and Mariono Rivera got his 15th save of the year.  The David vs Goliath matchup continues tonight in the Bronx with John Lannon taking on Chien-Ming Wang.  For more Nationals news and information, go to CenterfieldGate.com