Saturday’s games:

Braves vs. Reds

Jair Jurrjens (3-3, 4.37 ERA) and the Braves take on Bronson Arroyo (10-6, 4.21 ERA) and the Reds this afternoon in Cincinnati. First pitch is 4:10 p.m.

Phillies vs. Nationals

The Phillies look to even up the series with the Nationals today in Washington. Joe Blanton (4-6, 5.85 ERA) takes the mound for Philadelphia. Ross Detwiler (0-1, 0.00 ERA) starts for the Nationals. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Mets vs. Diamondbacks

The Mets send Hisanori Takahashi (7-5, 4.47 ERA) to the mound as they try and take game two against the Diamondbacks. Barry Enright (2-2, 2.73 ERA) starts for Arizona.  Game time is 7:10 p.m. in N.Y.

Marlins vs. Padres

Ricky Nolasco (11-7, 4.35 ERA) and the Marlins look to take game two in their series with the Padres. Kevin Correia (7-6, 5.09 ERA) gets the start for the Padres. First pitch is 8:35 p.m. in San Diego.

Marlins vs. Rockies

The Marlins beat the Rockies 5-2 Wednesday. Florida jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the 1st on back-to-back doubles by Dan Uggla and Jorge Cantu. The Marlins added three more runs in the 2nd on a home run to center field off the bat of Gaby Sanchez. The Rockies did not get on the board until the 8th, when Seth Smith homered, cutting the Marlins lead to 5-2.

Ricky Nolasco got the win, going 8 innings and giving up two runs on four hits. Jason Hammel took the loss, lasting 7 innings and allowing five runs on six hits. Leo Nunez recorded his 23rd save of the season for Florida.

Nationals vs. Reds

The Nationals beat the Reds 8-5. Cincinnati struck first, scoring in the 3rd inning on a single by Orlando Cabrera. Washington tied it up in the top of the 4th, and scored two more in the 5th and added 4 runs in the 6th.  The Reds tacked on two runs in the bottom of the 6th on a Miguel Cairo single. Ryan Hanigan scored in the 7th for Cincinnati, cutting the Nationals lead to 7-4. Chris Heisey singled in the Reds 5th run of the game in the 8th. Willie Harris homered in the 9th to make it 8-5 Washington.

Stephen Strasburg got the win, going 5.2 innings and giving up three runs on seven hits. Bronson Arroyo took the loss, throwing 5.2 innings and allowing seven runs on six hits. Matt Capps recorded his 24th save for Washington.

Phillies vs. Cardinals

The Phillies fell to the Cardinals 5-1. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the 4th inning on a single by Albert Pujols. The Phillies tied it up in the 5th on a home run off the bat of Ryan Howard. Matt Holliday gave St. Louis the lead in the 7th with a homer to left field. The Cardinals would go on to score three more runs in the 8th.

Jaime Garcia got the win, going 7 innings and giving up one run on four hits. Joe Blanton took the loss, throwing 7 innings and giving up five runs on seven hits. Ryan Franklin got his 18th save for  St. Louis.

Braves vs. Padres

The Braves lost to the Padres in  12 innings 6-4. Singles by Everth Cabrera and Jerry Hairston Jr. gave San Diego a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning. Atlanta tied it up in the 3rd when Chipper Jones singled, scoring Martin Prado and Jason Heyward. Brian McCann homered in the inning, giving Atlanta a 4-2 lead. It remained 4-2 until the 9th, when the Padres tied up the game on a Scott Hairston home run and Yorvit Torrealba double. The game was tied until the 12th when Nick Hundley hit a two-run double giving San Diego a 6-4 lead.

Starting pitchers Tommy Hanson and Jon Garland both had a no decision. Hanson went 6.1 innings and gave up two runs on six hits. Garland lasted 5 innings and allowed four runs on six hits. Tim Stauffer got the win for San Diego. Heath Bell recorded his 27th save.

Mets vs. Diamondbacks

The Mets lost to the Diamondbacks 4-3 in extra innings. The Mets took an early 1-0 lead in the first thanks to a home run off the bat of Angel Pagan. Chris Young led off the bottom of the inning with a home run for Arizona. Rusty Ryal and Mark Reynolds both homered for the Diamondbacks as well, giving Arizona a 3-2 lead in the 4th. Rod Barajas homered for the Mets in the 6th to tie the game. The game was tied until the 14th inning when Arizona’s Chris Snyder hit walkoff single.

Jon Niese went 5 innings and allowed three runs on six hits to get a no decision. Dan Haren got a no decision as well as he went 6 innings and gave up three runs on six hits. Oliver Perez returned for the Mets, and threw 1.1 innings, giving up one hit and walking two. Fernando Nieve took the loss for New York. Blaine Boyer got the win for Arizona.

Wednesday’s games:

Braves vs. Padres

Tommy Hanson (8-6, 4.19 ERA) and the Braves go for the win as they take on Jon Garland (9-6, 3.45 ERA) and the Padres. Game time is 7:10 p.m. in Atlanta.

Marlins vs. Rockies

The Marlins send Ricky Nolasco (9-7, 4.66 ERA) to the mound as they continue their series with the Rockies. Jason Hammel (7-4, 4.07 ERA) gets the start for Colorado. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. in Florida.

Nationals vs. Reds

Stephen Strasburg (4-2, 2.03 ERA) and the Nationals face Bronson Arroyo (10-4, 3.96 ERA) and the Reds in Cincinnati. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Phillies vs. Cardinals

The Phillies go for the win against the Cardinals tonight in St. Louis. Joe Blanton (3-5, 6.21 ERA) takes the mound for Philadelphia. Jaime Garcia (8-4, 2.27 ERA) gets the start for St. Louis. First pitch is 8:15 p.m.

Mets vs. Diamondbacks

The Mets look to take the final game of their series with the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Jon Niese (6-4, 3.44 ERA) gets the start for New York. Dan Haren (7-8, 4.60 ERA) takes the mound for Arizona. Game time is 9:40 p.m.

Wednesday’s games:

Braves vs. Phillies

The Braves go for the series win against the Phillies. Atlanta sends Kris Medlen (5-1, 3.01) to the mound. Jamie Moyer (9-7, 4.13) gets the start for Philadelphia. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Nationals vs. Padres

The Nationals send J.D. Martin (0-4, 3.38) as they look to make it two wins in a row against the Padres. Jon Garland (8-5, 3.24) takes the mound for San Diego. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. in D.C.

Mets vs. Reds

Jon Niese (6-2, 3.62) and the Mets look to take the rubber game as this three-game set with the Reds comes to a close. Bronson Arroyo (8-4, 4.25) gets the start for Cincinnati. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in N.Y.

Marlins vs. Dodgers

Josh Johnson (8-3, 1.82) and the Marlins take on Hiroki Kuroda (7-6, 3.78) and the Dodgers in L.A. Game time is set for 10:10 p.m.

Mets vs. Marlins

The Mets beat the Marlins in a score of 7-6.  The Marlins struck first in the 4th when Dan Uggla hit a solo shot.  The Marlins has a 5-0 lead on the Mets in the 6th with Cody Ross contributing when he hit a 3 run homer.  The Mets scored 3 in the bottom of the 6th but the Marlins added another run in the 7th with the score now 6-3.  That quickly changed in the bottom of the inning when  Jeff Francoeur hit a 3 run homer to tie the game.  The Mets went ahead in the 8th when Ike Davis grounded into a double play and Angel Pagan scoring the go ahead run.

Ricky Nolasco pitched only 5.1 innings giving up 8 hits and 3 runs.  Hisanori Takahashi also pitched 5.1 innings giving up 6 hits and 5 runs.  The loss went to Clay Hensley who gave up the go ahead run in the 8th.  Pedro Feliciano got the win and K-Rod got his 12th save of the season.

Phillies vs. Padres

The Padres beat the Phillies 6-5 in extra innings.  The Padres struck early scoring 3 runs in the 1st inning.  Adrian Gonzolez contributed hitting a 2 run homer.  The Phils scored in the bottom of the 1st and the offense came alive in the 2nd when they scored 4 runs now winning 5-3.  The Padres fought back and managed to tie the game in the 5th thanks to a home run from Chase Headley.  Oscar Salazar singled home Chase Headley in the 10th to score the go ahead run.

Joe Blanton started pitching 5 innings giving up 11 hits and 5 runs.  Kevin Correia only lasted 1.2 innings giving up 4 hits and 5 runs.  The lose went to Danny Baez while Mike Adams got the win and Heath Bell got his 15th save of the season.

Nationals vs. Reds

The Reds beat the Nationals in extra innings in a score of 5-4.  Joey Votto singled home Orlando Cabrera in the 1st but the Nats tied it up in the bottom of the inning when Ryan Zimmerman singled home Cristian Guzman.  The Nats took a 2-1 lead in the 4th due to an Ian Desmond double.  The Reds took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the 9th thanks to a Jonny Gomes double and  Scott Roland home run.  The Nats tied it up in the bottom of the inning with a Mike Morse double.  Drew Stubbs singled home Jay Bruce with the winning run in the 10th for the Reds.

Bronson Arroyo pitched 8 innings giving up 6 hits and 2 runs.  Craig Stammen pitched 6.2 innings giving up 7 hits and 1 run. Doug Slaten took the lose for the Nationals and the winning pitcher was Francisco Cordero.

Braves vs. Dodgers

The Dodgers beat the Braves in a score of 5-4 in extra innings.  By the 5th inning the Braves had a 4-1 lead thanks to homers by both Martin Prado and Brian McCann but the Dodgers fought back with a homer by Rafael Furcal and a James Loney single that tied the game.  Russell Martin scored the winning run in the 11th thanks to a single by AJ Ellis.

Tim Hudson started for the Braves pitching 7 innings giving up 9 hits and 4 runs.  John Ely started for the Dodgers pitching 5 innings giving up 9 hits and 4 runs.  Ronald Belisario got the win pitching 2 innings giving up 2 hits with 2 strikeouts.

Sunday’s match ups:

Marlins vs. Mets

Ricky Nolasco (5-4) and the Marlins finish up their weekend series against Hisanori Takahashi (4-2) and the Mets. First pitch is 1:10 p.m. in New York.

Phillies vs. Padres

Joe Blanton (1-4) and the Phillies face off against Kevin Correia (5-4) and the Padres. Game time is 1:35 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Nationals vs. Reds

Craig Stammen (1-2) and the Nationals look to take the rubber game against Bronson Arroyo (5-3) and the Reds. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. in D.C.

Braves vs. Dodgers

Tim Hudson (6-1) takes the mound for the Braves, as they close out their series with the Dodgers. John Ely (3-2) gets the start for the Dodgers. Game time is 4:10 p.m. in Los Angeles.

Wandy takes down Lee

In Houston, the Astros handed Cliff Lee his second straight big loss.  Lee(5-2) lasted only three innings while allowing nine hits and six runs including a two run shot to Hunter Pence on way to a 7-0 win.  Wandy Rodriguez(13-9) went seven innings allowing only seven hits and no runs to get his 13th win of the year.  Rodriguez started the scoring himself with a two run double in the second inning and was helped by a Kaz Matsui double scoring two and a solo shot by El Caballo Carlos Lee later in the game.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more on this one.

Marlins get the win

The Florida Marlins gave the Washington Nationals their seventh straight loss on Friday night even though neither starter went over three innings or gave up less than five earned runs.  Burke Badenhop(6-4) got the win in relief of Sean West going three innings even though West left with the lead and the Marlins bats were too much for Garrett Mock(3-7) and the Marlins relief during a 9-6 Marlins win.  Check out FishGuts for more on the Marlins and Centerfield Gate for the Nats.

Arroyo stops the Braves

The Atlanta Braves have now fallen back into third place in the NL East on their own after losing to the Reds 3-1 last night.  Bronson Arroyo(12-12) went seven strong for the win only allowing one run  outdueling Derek Lowe(13-9) who also went seven but gave up three runs.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Sullivan with a big game

The New York Mets made it two in a row last night with a 6-2 victory against the struggling Cubs.  Brian Stokes(2-4) gave up a tough run in the eighth and was headed for another bad outting when the Mets offense erupted for five in the bottom frame to lead them to the win.  Former Marlins closer Kevin Gregg(5-6) was charged with the loss and two runs without recording an out and Corey Sullivan added two RBI for the Mets.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has more on this game.

Howard breaks out of a slump

The Phillies did something yesterday they had not done since 1984, sweep the Cubs in Chicago.  In the fourth inning, Ryan Howard broke out of the longest home run drought of his career, depositing a three run homer that would provide all the runs the Phillies needed with Cliff Lee on the mound.  Cliff Lee(3-0) went eight strong innings and only allowed six hits and run run, but did walk three to get his third win in as many tries and he is now undefeated in the NL with a 1.12 ERA.  Pedro Feliz also hit a home run in the fourth inning a few batters after Ryan Howard and drove Howard in for an insurance run in the sixth.  Phillies Phandom has more on the Phillies sweep.

Ryan Desmpter started out well for the Cubs as through the first three innings he looked virtually unhittable.  Dempster(6-6) ended up going six innings and gave up all six runs and eight hits in taking a loss for the Cubs.  Ryan Theriot produced the only run for the Cubs as he drove in Jake Baker in the fifth inning.

Cantu with a blast to start it off

Jorge Cantu hit a two run home run for the Marlins and that was the start of another win, and series win for the Marlins.  They never relinquished that lead and they exploded once starter Mike Hampton left after the fifth against the Astros relief.  Ronnie Paulino contributed a solo home run in that inning and Hanley Ramirez had a two run single as well.  Sean West(4-4) went six innings and allowed only one run and was able to cruise to the victory after the sixth inning outburst.  FishGuts has more information on this win for the Marlins and their march to get closer to the playoffs.

Mike Hampton started yesterdays game with a slightly bum leg.  Hampton(7-10) lasted five decent innings and left with his team having a shot at the game after allowing six hits and three runs, but allowing two home runs.  The Bullpen imploded and only Hampton’s RBI single and Darren Erstad’s single in the ninth put a dent in the scoreboard for the Astros.

Gomes hits three straight bombs

Jonny Gomes had a humongous games yesterday for the Cincinnati Reds as he went 3-4 with three runs scored and five RBI on THREE straight at bats with a home.  The Reds did not need much more offense to win this one but Ryan Hanigan also homered and Brandon Phillips had an RBI double late to lead the Reds to the 7-0 win over the Nats.  Bronson Arroyo(11-11) went the distance while being virtually unhittable giving up only two hits and one walk against the suddenly hapless Nationals.

The Nationals, as CenterfieldGate mentions, have now only scored three runs in their past three games and the offense has completely shut down.  Ryan Zimmerman did extend his hitting streak with a single, but Christian Guzman’s has ended, with the entire lineup looking terrible.  Colin Balester(1-2) did not help much either as he only went five innings and allowed five runs and two walks while giving up three home runs.  CenterfieldGate covers this game and more for all the Nats fans.