Phillies vs. Cardinals

The Cardinals beat the Phillies in a score of 8-4.  The Phillies scored 3 runs in the first when Ryan Howard doubled home Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino singled home Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard.  The Cardinals scored  a run when Albert Pujols grounded out to score Felipe López in the bottom of the inning.  The Cardinals added another run in the 2nd when Brenden Ryan grounded out to score Skip Schumaker.  In the 4th the Phillies added there 4th run of the game when Jimmy Rollins singled home Carlos Ruiz.  In the 5th inning the Cardinals tapped on 5 more runs thanks to a Jay Bruce double and 3 home runs from  Albert Pujols, Allen Craig and Skip Schumaker.  The Cardinals added another run in the 6th when Randy Winn hit a solo shot.

Blake Hawksworth got the win and pitched 6 innings giving up 10 hits, 4 runs and 1 strikeout.  Kyle Kendrick got the lose and he pitched 5 innings giving up 7 hits, 7 runs and 2 strikeouts.

Marlins vs. Rockies

The Marlins beat the Rockies in a score of 9-8. The Rockies struck first adding 2 runs in the top of the 3rd when Jason Giambi singled home Jonathan Herrera and Carlos González scored.  The Marlins had 3 runs of there own in the bottom of the inning when Emilio Bonifacio singled home Mike Stanton and Hanley Ramirez reached on a bunt single that scored Emilio Bonifacio.  In the 6th the Rockies added 2 more runs when Ubaldo Jimenez and Seth Smith singled home Brad Hawpe and Clint Barmes.  In the bottom of the inning Mike Stanton homered scoring Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross.  The Marlins added another run when Jorge Cantu singled home  Emilio Bonifacio.  The Rockies struck back adding 4 runs in the 8th when Ian Stewart hit a solo shot and Jonathan Herrera hit a homer that scored Clint Barmes and Seth Smith.  The Marlins came back to win it when they scored 2 runs in the 9th when Donnie Murphy homered scoring Dan Uggla.

Ubaldo Jiménez pitched 5.1 innings giving up 6 hits, 6 runs with 5 strikeouts.  Anibal Sánchez pitched 6 innings giving up 8 hits, 4 runs with 4 strikeouts.  Jhan Maríñez got the win pitching 1.1 innings giving up 2 hits, 1 run with 2 strikeouts.  Houston Street got the lose pitching .2 of an inning giving up 1 hit and 2 runs with no strikeouts.

Nationals vs. Reds

The Reds beat the Nationals in a score of 7-2.  The Reds scored 4 runs in the 2nd thanks to a Drew Stubbs double and Johnny Cueto singled that scored Jonny Gomes, Jay Bruce, Miguel Cairo, and Stubbs. In the 3rd the Nationals got 2 runs when Nyjer Morgan hit a sac fly to score Willie Harris and Christian Guzman singled home Ian Desmond.  The Reds added 2 more runs when Jonny Gomes and Miguel Cairo both hit solo shots.  The Reds scored 1 more run in the 8th when Miguel Cairo singled home Jonny Gomes.

Johnny Cueto won and pitched 6 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, and 4 strikeouts.  JD Martin got the loss and pitched 5.1 innings giving up 6 hits, 6 runs, and 2 strikeouts.

Mets vs. Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks beat the Mets in a score of 13-2. The Diamondbacks scored 4 runs in the 1st thanks to hits from Kelly Johnson, Mark Reynolds, and Gerardo Parra.  They scored 2 more runs in the 2nd inning when Justin Upton doubled home Chris Young and Adam LaRoche singled home Justin Upton.  The Mets scored in the 5th when Angel Pagan singled home Josh Thole.  In the 6th the Diamondbacks added 5 runs when Justin Upton tripled, Miguel Montero doubled, and Mark Reynolds homered and they added  2 more runs in the 8th.  The Mets added 1 more run in the 9th when Jose Reyes doubled home Luis Castillo.

Ian Kennedy got the win and pitched 5 innings giving up 4 hits, 1 run and 1 strikeout.  Mike Pelfrey got the loss and pitched only 1.1 innings giving up 7 hits, 6 runs with 1 strikeout.

The Braves were off.

Maybe he can pitch better with 1 eye?

Joe Blanton continues to be a rock in the Phillies rotation, with another good start last night.  Blanton(8-6) went eight innings and scattered ten hits and three runs while striking out four in a 12-3 Phils win.  Ryan Howard once again had a huge game as he hit a three run home run and also added an RBI double in the game and was joined by Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz in the home run game.  The Phillies completed another three game sweep and are on a nice role heading into New York to face the Mets this weekend, check out Phillies Phandom for more.

Doug Davis couldn’t stop the Phillies offense, but not many can at this point in the season.  Davis(7-11) only got through five innings in taking the loss as he gave up five hits, six runs (five earned) and four walks in cluding a home run.  Alex Romero, Miguel Montero and Chad Tracy all had RBI hits for the Diamondbacks, but that couldn’t save them.

A rare bad start for JJ

Wandy Rodriguez of the Astros continues to have a nice bounce back and surprising year.  Rodriguez(12-7) went eight innings and only gave up four hits and a run, which is a rarity against the Florida Marlins as the Astros won 4-1 to take the series.  He was supported by two fourth inning home runs, a two run shot by Lee and a solo shot by Hunter Pence and Wandy Rodriguez capped the scoring himself with an RBI double in the fifth.  Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth with two k’s for his 18th save of the season.

The Marlins have now broken their consecutive ten hit games streak and are on a two game losing streak heading into a weekend against the Braves.  Josh Johnson(12-3) took only his third loss of the year, and could not get out of the fifth inning, recording one out in the fifth but allowing seven hits and four runs with two home runs in all.  Dan Uggla had an RBI ground out to score the only run of the game for the Fish, but check FishGuts for more.

best part of the night for the Mets fans

Former Met Ryan Church took it to the Mets last night, which must not be fun for Mets fans.  He went 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI as the Braves won 3-2 for a series victory in New York.  Brian McCann added a solo home run in the fourth inning and Omar Infante also had an RBI for the Braves.  Starter Kenshin Kawakami(6-9) was able to pick up a win as he went seven innings allowing seven hits and only a single run while striking out five and Rafael Soriano got his 18th save of the season while allowing only a hit in the ninth.  The Braves Baseball Blog will have more information on the Braves for you.

Johan Santana couldn’t even get the win last night , even though he pitched ok..but it certainly wasn’t a Johan classic game.  Santana(13-9) went seven innings and allowed nine hits and three runs and only struck out two for the game.  Corey Sillivan and Omir Santos produced the Mets only runs on RBI singles in the third and eighth.  The best point of the game was Billy Wagner pitching a perfect inning in the eighth on only fourteen pitches and striking out two.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more info on the Mets.

a sweep...ouch

The Rockies were able to complete a three game sweep in Washington last night as they rode Jason Hammel’s pitching to a 4-1 victory.  Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Brad Hawpe were credited with RBI hits and Torrealba was able to score on a wild pitch in the fifth.  Jason Hammel(8-7) went seven innings and allowed only a single run and three hits and once again Huston Street worked the ninth, this time a perfect one and got his 32nd save of the year.

The Nationals are back to the Nationals everyone knew of, but part of it is surprising.  The pitching wasn’t terrible as Garret Mock(2-5) worked five innings allowing three hits and two runs and struck out eight.  Adam Dunn produced the only run for the Nationals with an RBI double in the sixth but he was the only hitter with two hits and only Guzman and Willingham even had a single hit besides him.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more on the Nats.

You were expecting Pedro?

Last night in Philadelphia, it was Pedro’s home debut, unfortunately Mother Nature didn’t cooperate.  Pedro Martinez got through three innings before a rain delay of just over an hour and he didn’t come back and couldn’t try to get a win, as he left losing.  Jamie Moyer(11-9) came in and pitched the final six innings of two hit ball while striking out five and allowed the Phils to come back and win the game 5-1.  Jayson Werth had a homer and an RBI double and Carlos Ruiz also added two RBI’s as the Phils were able to stay 4.5 up on the Marlins.  Phillies Phandom will have more on the Phils from this game.

Jon Garland did come back after the rain delay, and wasn’t the same as before the delay.  After coming back from the delay, Garland(6-11) gave up five runs in his final 3.1 innings pitched and took the loss.  The only offense the D’backs mustered was a solo home run leading off the game by Stephen Drew.

Nolasco with another gem

Ricky Nolasco saved the bullpen for the Marlins last night in Houston, pitching a gem of a complete game.  Nolasco(9-8) went the distance giving up three hits and two runs and striking out twn, his only mistake was a two run home run in the first.  The Marlins offense once again had his back as they got back even in the fourth and took the lead for good in the sixth inning winning 6-2.  Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu and Jeremy Hermida all added solo home runs for the Marlins who keep on chugging along and keeping the heat on the Colorado Rockies and the Phillies to keep winning.  FishGuts will have more information on the win and the Marlins current success.

The Astros got all the runs they could in the first inning on a two run home run by Carlos Lee which scored newly back from the Disabled List, Lance Berkman.  Nolasco shut them down after that, including only one additional hit as they couldn’t do anything from either side of the ball.  Bud Norris(3-1) went 5.2 innings and allowed five runs and a walk and two home runs as he took the loss.

Is he ever happy?

Last night, no one could have seen what would happen, with the suddenly heavy hitting Braves, facing the hobbled New York Mets.  Oliver Perez started how all Mets fans figured, as he allowed two home runs in the first three innings and the Mets were down 4-0.  Then the impossible happened, the Mets got ten base hits and eight runs, yes EIGHT in the bottom of the fourth inning and never looked back.  Oliver Perez(3-3) was able to get through five innings and only gave up those four runs and walked only one, but left with a sore knee.  The Mets bullpen went the final four innings allowing only five more baserunners as the Mets took the opener to the series.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog is your one stop shop for mets information.

Derek Lowe was the typical Derek Lowe for the first three innings of this game as he was shutting down the Mets and getting ground ball double plays when needed.  It all came unraveled in the fourth, and oddly enough, after he was hit on the hand with a ground ball, although he appeared to pitch fine afterwards.  Lowe’s(12-8) final line read 3.2 innings pitched, 11 hits and eight runs with no strike outs of ground balls.  The Braves offense was only able to produce a three run home run by Matt Diaz in the second and a solo shot from Adam LaRoche in the third inning.  The Braves Baseball Blog covers this loss and more.

CGon is on fire

The Rockies were barely able to sneak by the pesky Nationals last night visiting the Nations capital.  Going into the eighth inning, they were in a tie game before Carlos Gonzalez stepped to the plate.  Gonzalez hit a home run which broke the tie and lead to the eventual 4-3 win.  Clint Barmes followed with a solo home run in the ninth inning that proved to be the winning run and as mentioned earlier, helped the Rockies keep their lead on the wildcard.  Brad Hawpe added two RBI of his own on an RBI groundout and a solo shot early in the game.  Ubaldo Jimenez(11-9) was able to go eight innings and allowed just seven hits and two runs in earning the win and Huston Street worked a troubled ninth allowing three hits and a run, but did earn his 30th save of the season.

The Nationals bullpen couldn’t pick up the offense in this one, as late in the game, they faltered.  Sean Burnett(2-3) took the loss while recording one out but allowing the home run to Gonzalez and Tyler Clippard came in and finished the game with 1.2 innings but he also allowed a solo shot, putting the game out of reach.  Starter Craig Stammen, who received a no decision helped his own cause in the second with an RBI double and Nyjer Morgan and Christian Guzman added RBI singles as well.  CenterfieldGate covers the Nationals for you, check them out.

Howard produces all the runs

The Phillies were able to take the final game of the three game set last night with a score of the Ryan Howard’s 4, Braves 1.  Ryan Howard produced all of the offense for the Phillies as he smashed two home runs, a second inning solo shot and a sixth inning three run bomb.  He finished the night going 3-3 with two runs scored and a walk in addition to those four RBI as the Phillies had J.A. Happ cruising to victory.  Happ(9-2) went into the eighth inning while allowing only three hits and a run but did walk six in getting his rookie leading ninth victory.  Brad Lidge rebounded from a tough outting on Saturday and got the final out of the game to get his 23rd save of the season.  Phillies Phandom will have more on this victory and the Phillies for you.

Javier Vazquez did not pitch very badly in this game, but unfortunately two mistakes to Howard ensured him of an L next to his name.  Vazquez(10-8) went seven strong innings, but gave up four runs and six hits, but three hits to Howard while striking out seven, his ERA stands now barely under 3 at 2.99.  Matt Diaz produced the only run for the Braves in the seventh inning on a solo shot.  The Braves Baseball Blog is your place to go for more Braves news and info.

Coghlan celebrates a 3 run shot

Game 1

In the first game of a double header in Miami on Sunday, the Marlins bats were alive early, as they scored seven runs by the end of the third.  Those runs were care of two home runs, one solo shot by Ramirez and a three run shot by rookie Chris Coghlan amongst a few other run scoring singles.  Chris Volstad(9-9) got the victory after allowing an early run, but then buckled down to go five innings only allowing that one run to get this victory in this one by a score of 10-3.

Rockies starter Aaron Cook just could not do anything against the hot hitting Marlins during the first game of the double dip.  Cook(10-5) stressed the bullpen as he could only make it 2.1 innings and was charged with seven runs and three walks on eight hits.  Carlos Gonzalez had a nice game for the Rockies as he homered in the first and later added a sacrifice fly to produce two of the three runs the Rockies were able to score in this one.

HanRam looks on during a loss

Game 2

In the second game of the double dip, the Rockies knew they needed to take one game in order to ensure they stayed alone in the wildcard race.  Jorge De La Rosa did something not many pitchers can these days and kept the Marlins offense fairly quiet.  De La Rosa(11-8) went 5.2 innings and did not give up an earned run, although one unearned in giving up seven hits and striking out 9 during a 7 -3 Rockies win.  Carlos Gomez got his second homer of the day with a solo shot in the third and Clint Barmes and Brad Hawpe got in the home run fun with two run homers of their own.  Huston Street got his 29th save of the season as he worked 1.1 innings and struck out two allowing no hits.

The Marlins only managed three runs, which is unheard of for them.  They did, however get 10+ hits for the thirteenth consecutive game, but unfortunately could not get more than three runs in this one.  Emilio Bonifacio, Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross had RBI singles for the Marlins, but it wasn’t enough.  Rick VandenHurk(2-2) lasted 5.2 innings but gave up six runs on only five hits and three walks, but with three home runs allowed.  FishGuts has more on the doubleheader.

Is he doing the chicken dance?

Jeff Francouer scored the winning run for the Mets yesterday on a Daniel Murphy single and for one day, the Mets got through the loss of their franchise player, David Wright with a 3-2 walkoff win.  With one out in the bottom of the ninth, a single to right scored Francouer and Murphy was quoted as saying that Wright was in the Mets thoughts and Prayers.  Immediately after the game it was announced Wright was placed on the DL with no timetable for return, so the DL hits continue for the Mets.  Francisco Rodriguez(3-4) worked the ninth inning while striking out the side to get the win a day after taking a loss after a nicely pitched game by Mike Pelfrey.  Luis Castillo also hit a two run home run for the Mets into the second deck in left, yes, into the second deck and by Luis Castillo.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has all the Mets info you need.

The Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez continues to try to find his rhythm after he got a no hitter a few months back.  Sanchez pitched a good game in this one going seven innings allowing only four hits, four walks and two runs, both on Castillo’s home run and got a no decision.  Eugenio Velez had an RBI single in the fifth to put the Giants up early and then Randy Winn got an RBI double in the eighth inning to temporarily tie the game, scoring Valez.  Sergio Romo(3-2) got the loss as he put the winning run on in the ninth inning but overall worked 1.1 innings and gave up only the one hit and that run scored.

Zimmerman comes up big

Ryan Zimmerman had been given the day off for the Nationals yesterday until he came up in the eighth inning with a chance to tie the game or take the lead.  Zimmerman singled in Adam Dunn and then Josh Willingham scored as a lazy throw to the infield cost the Reds the game 5-4.  Willingham also homered in the fourth to score Dunn and doubled Dunn in in the sixth.  Jorge Sosa(2-1) got the win in relief as he went 1.2 inning sand allowed just one hit and Mike MacDougal got his thirteenth save of the season working 1.1 perfect innings of relief.  CenterfieldGate will cover more of this and all the Nats wins.

The Reds were up 4-2 at the end of the fifth inning thanks to another Jonny Gomes home run, who has been on fire.   Gomes home run in this one was a three run shot and added to what Joey Votto had done earlier in the inning with an RBI single.  Unfortunately Arthur Rhodes could not hold the lead.  Rhodes(0-1) recorded his first loss and blown save of the year working .2 innings and giving up two hits and two runs.

Feliz Powers Phils

The Phillies started this homestand on July 3rd with a terrible record at home, especially for a 1st place team in July of a season.  They changed that with a 9-1 homestand which was capped by a series sweep of the Pirates this weekend.  Pedro Feliz hit his 6th home run of the season and 6th grand slam of his career in the first inning, giving J.A. Happ and the Phillies pitching all the runs they would need in winning 5-2.  Happ(6-0) finished a very solid first half,  with his sixth win against zero losses while starting the year in relief and finishing the half as likely Philly’s most solid starter.  The Phillies will go into the break with a four game division lead, check out Phillies Phandom for more Philly info.

Virgil Vasquez(1-3) took the loss for the Pirates and after a solid debut for the Pirates, has lost three straight starts.

Johnson stays strong

Josh Johnson made sure to show that he is absolutely deserving of the All-Star nod he got a week ago, with another very solid start on Sunday.  Johnson(8-2) got his eighth win of the year while pitching into the seventh allowing eight hits and one run, while striking out seven batters.  He was helped by some early runs by the Marlins hitting with Cody Ross delivering a bases clearing double in the first, and the Marlins led 6-1 when he left the game and won 8-1 at the end of the day.  Florida had been only one game back of first nine days ago, but faltered slightly as the Phillies stayed hot going into the break.  Most of their team and especially relief pitching will get their much needed break this week before getting back to the grind.

Doug Davis(4-9) only lasted four innings on Sunday as he gave up five runs on three walks and seven hits and a home run for the loss.

Hawpe delivers before the ASG

The Braves took a 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning yesterday in Denver, in what would turn out to be a back and forth game between the teams.  The Rockies steadily fought back scoring single runs in the second,third, fourth and eighth while sprinkling in three runs in the seventh and the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.  First time All-Star Brad Hawpe hit a double with the game tied in the ninth which scored Seth Smith to give the Rockies the 8-7 win and sending the Braves to the break on a sour note.  Huston Street(3-1) got the win in relief as he pitched a perfect ninth of the inning before the Braves won the game.  The two teams used a total of thirteen pitchers, so those pitchers are very happy to see the break come so they can rest up.

Luis Valdez(0-1) took the loss while giving up the game winning hits and runs in the ninth inning for the Braves.  Check out the Braves Baseball Blog for more on this.

Schneider ends the drought

The New York Mets did what seemed the impossible this weekend, and won a series and at the same time, winning the rubber game.  Taking two out of three from the Reds will go down as only their second series victory since the beginning of June.  Mike Pelfrey(7-4) pitched seven strong innings giving up three earned runs and leaving with a 9-3 lead, but the Mets bullpen made it interesting before giving him the win.  Sean Green and Pedro Feliciano couldn’t get out of the eighth inning with a single out before Bobby Parnell had to come in and save them, but not before allowing three runs, all charged to Sean Green.  Francisco Rodriguez worked a shaky ninth inning giving up a run, a hit and a walk before retiring the side for his 23rd save of the first half and a 9-7 Mets victory.   Check out The Real Dirty Mets blog for more Mets info.

Aaron Harang(5-9) once again could not get the win in a start, getting his ninth loss while giving up five runs in just three innings pitched.

Valverde looks funny in glasses

The Washington Nationals continue have trouble winning games, and did just that on Sunday afternoon in Houston.  Brian Moehler(6-5) shut the Nats down for 6.1 innings while allowing seven hits and two runs en route to a 5-0 Astros win.  For a while it looked like Miguel Tejada’s RBI single in the first would hold up, but Kaz Matsui gave some insurance runs in the seventh with a three run homer.  Jose Valverde worked the ninth inning with a strike out and a hit to get his eighth save this season for the ‘Stros.

Jordan Zimmermann(3-4) also worked 6.1 innings for the Nats but was charged with four of the five runs the Astros got and now has a losing record for the Nationals.  Late last night, Manny Acta was fired by the Nationals after his team’s 26-61 start to the season., read more about that and the Nationals at CenterfieldGate.