Phillies vs. Mets

The Phillies and Mets faced off at Citi Field for the second game of their series, and the blueprint for this game followed that of the opener: the Mets received another strong pitching performance from an unexpected source, the Phillies offensive struggles continued, and the Mets shut out their division rivals.  Behind 6 scoreless innings from Hisanori Takahashi, the Mets defeated the Phillies 5-0 for their fourth straight victory.

Takahashi (4-1), making his second start after replacing an ineffective Oliver Perez in the Mets’ starting rotation, once again held the opponent off of the scoreboard.  Unlike his last start, however, the Mets offense backed him up to earn him his first major league victory as a starter.  Jose Reyes hit his first home run of the season off of Phillies starter Joe Blanton (1-3), who was charged with all 5 runs.  Reyes drove in 2 runs on the night, while catcher Rod Barajas had 3 RBI to carry the Mets’ offense. 

The Phillies have now been shut out 3 times in their last 4 games.  Meanwhile, with the victory, the Mets moved one game over .500 (24-23) on the season.

 

Braves vs. Marlins

After a brief rain delay, the Braves and Marlins took the field for the middle game of their three game set in Miami.  The Braves broke open a pitchers duel with a 6-run 7th inning and defeated the Marlins 7-3 to even the series at one game apiece.

Marlins starter Nate Robertson held the Braves to just 1 run over 6 innings, but Atlanta took advantage of Burke Badenhop (0-5) and the Florida bullpen in the 7th.  Martin Prado tied the game with a sacrifice fly, and the Braves went on to score five more runs with two outs in the inning.  A bases loaded walk to Chipper Jones broke the tie, and Troy Glaus follwed with a 2-run single to spark the Braves’ offense.  The runs made a winner out of Braves starter Tommy Hanson (4-3), who allowed 2 runs over 6 innings.  Hanson helped his own cause with a sacrifice fly to drive in Atlanta’s first run.

Hanley Ramirez homered and drove in two runs for the Marlins.  Both teams face off in the rubber match of the series this evening in Florida.

 

Nationals vs. Giants

The Nationals faced a tough task in San Francisco as the Giants sent reigning Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum to the mound.  The Nats didn’t let that phase them, scoring six runs off of the Giants’ ace on their way to a 7-3 victory.

The Nationals scored three in the 3rd and three more in the 5th off of Lincecum (5-1), knocking him out of the game after 4 2/3 innings and handing him his first loss of the season.  Meanwhile, Nats’ starter Luis Atilano (4-1) held the Giants to just four hits and walked none over 5 1/3 innings to earn the victory.  Washington shortstop Ian Desmond had two hits and drove in three runs, and Josh Willingham drove in two more to pace the Nationals offense.  Shortstop Juan Uribe homered for Giants in the loss.

Both teams square off in the rubber match of the series this afternoon in San Francisco.

ESPN says "closer" for Villone..hah

Last night the Washington Nationals actually got a victory against the Philadelphia Phillies.  After being down 2-0 early, they exploded with eight runs from the 3rd to fifth inning with a rookie doing most of the damage.  Rookie Ian Desmond had an RBI double in the fourth and followed that up with a three run home run that proved to be the winning blow in an 8-7 win.  Livan Hernandez(8-10) lasted 7.1 innings and allowed only six hits and two runs and left with the game well in hand, except for the Nats bullpen.  To get the next three outs, the Nats bullpen allowed four hits, five runs (four earned) and a walk before Ron Villone worked the final two outs for his first save of the year.  Check out Centerfield Gate for more info on this game.

Joe Blanton had gone what seemed like forever without a bad start, but that all ended on Wednesday night.  Blanton(9-7) did not get through the fifth before allowing seven hits and eight runs including four walks in this game.  The offense tried to get him off the hook, but it was too little, too late.  Matt Stairs hit a pinch hit grand slam and was followed by an RBI double by Victorino before Villone got a double play to end the game, Phillies Phandom will have more.

Johnson with a big night

The Florida Marlins completed a three game sweep of the New York Mets and finally gained some ground in the division race.  Nick Johnson went 2-4 with two walks and four RBI including a two run single in the seventh inning that broke it open on way to a 13-4 victory and Dan Uggla added another home run, his 27th of the year amongst a flurry of hits and runs.  Sean West couldn’t get through the fifth inning and qualify for a win so Burke Badenhop(7-4) worked two innings allowing two hits to take that honor.  The Marlins head into a weekend series against the Nationals now with hopes the Mets can give them some help as the Mets go to Philly, check out FishGuts for more.

Bobby Parnell had a very tough day on the mound and it didn’t look like he would get much farther than the first, where he gave up three runs.  Parnell(3-8) had a final line of seven hits, six runs (five earned) and having five walks as he raised his ERA to 5.49.  The Mets relief had been solid until Lance Broadway gave up four runs on four hits in his two innings of work.  Angel Pagan and Jeff Francouer had three hits a piece to lead the Mets, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more on this game.

Gonzalez CAN get the save

The Atlanta Braves were looking to salvage a game against the Astros and in the process hope their bullpen could hold a game down.  They were able to win this game 9-7 and the bullpen wasn’t perfect, but it did the job for them.  Derek Lowe(14-9) went 5.2 innings but was sloppy giving up five runs on nine hits including a three run homer and Peter Moylan made the gamecloser giving up two runs(one earned) and three hits in 1.1 innings of work.  Mike Gonzalez though worked the ninth and got his 10th save of the year, but it was a stressful inning as hegave up a hit and a walk.  Brian McCann went 4-2 with two runs scored and two RBI for the Braves and Nate McClouth added a solo home run as well in this one, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Roy Oswalt was awful in this one, only getting through two innings of work and throwing 71 pitches in that time frame.  Oswalt(8-6) had a final line of two innigns ten hits, six runs and five strikeouts in taking a tough loss.  Lance Berkman brought them within two runs with a three run home run in the third but two runs is the closest they would get in this one.

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.

I hope everyone enjoyed the first Chatter Up! segment, and as I mentioned, please feel free to email any recommend questions or comments about the segment to mrose@nleastchatter.com or go to this forum topic and post a reply.

Blanton with another strong game

The Philadelphia Phillies were looking to have another successful series and take two out of three games from the formerly Central division leading St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.  They ended up routing them for the second straight day, led by home runs from Utley, Howard, Rollins and Ibanez, all of the two run variety on way to a 9-2 victory.  Starter Joe Blanton(7-4) went eight innings, having yet another strong start giving up seven hits, two runs and six strike outs as Brad Lidge worked the ninth in a non save situation.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more info on the Phils.

The Cardinals once again had production from their latest trade pickups, but they will need the rest of the team to produce to be successful.  Lugo went 2-4 with a run scored, Holliday was 1-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly and Mark DeRosa was 2-4 with a solo home run for this game.  The rest of the team only had three hits and produced no runs as Todd Wellemeyer took the loss.  Wellemeyer(7-9) went 5.2 innings giving up seven runs, five earned on this day.

HanRam takes one for the team

The Florida Marlins yesterday were able to derail the best team in the National League, by taking two out of three games from the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers.  Hanley Ramirez finished with three RBI while going 2-4 with a run scored to lead the Marlins and even was retaliated against by Jeff Weaver for having such a game.  Chris Volstad(8-9) worked 5.1 innings giving up eight hits and four runs but that held up for the win by a final of 8-6.  In the bottom of the seventh inning, Burke Badenhop was ejected along with manager Fredi Gonzalez for retaliation for Hanley Ramirez being hit, or so the umps thought so.  Check out  FishGuts for more Marlins insight.

The Marlins were down 8-0 yesterday before fighting back with six runs between the sixth and ninth innings.  James Loney had a two RBI double and an RBI single, Russell Martin had a two home home run an RBI single by Ethier capped the scoring.  Jason Schmidt(1-1) only lasted three innings while getting tagged for five runs and five hits, but only four earned runs.

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Kotchman with a bomb

The Braves were only up 1-0 yesterday on the Brewers when entering the sixth inning yesterday but Casey Kotchman and the rest of the team wanted to put this one out of reach.  Kotchman hit a three run home run to make it 5-0 in the sixth after Matt Diaz had produced a run with a single before him.  They added five more runs in the final four innings on a McCann and Kelly Johnson home runs, a Prado Sac fly, and a bases loaded walk for Yunel Escobar.  Derek Lowe(10-7) worked six strong innings only giving up a two run home run as the Braves won 10-2 to take the series in Milwaukee.  The Braves Baseball Blog will have more info on the Braves for you.

The Brewers offense was held in check yesterday by Brave pitching except for one inning in the game.  In the sixth inning after falling behind 5-0, Corey Hart hit his 10th home run of the season to cut the lead to 5-2.  Braves relief pitching though couldn’t hold on to allow them to come back.  Braden Looper(9-5) went six innings giving up seven hits and five runs on four walks to take the loss in this one.

Livan rebounds for a good outting

After the first inning yesterday in Houston, it looked like the same old rubber game for the Mets this season.  Livan Hernandez(7-5) gave up three runs on three consecutive doubles to start the game before the Astros made some baserunning mistakes to get him out of an even bigger inning.  After that, Hernandez settled in for six more innings allowing no more runs than the initial three as the Mets came back to win 8-3.  The Mets had three triples in this game, one each from Luis Castillo, Angel Pagan and Jeremy Reed.  Sean Green worked the final out of the eighth and the ninth inning to get his first save fo the season.  The Mets now return home to face the wild card leading Colorado Rockies for four at Citi Field and hope to bring some momentum with them.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Doubles in the first by Miguel Tejada, Carlos Lee and Geoff Blum after a single by Kaz Matsui provided all three runs for the Astros.  Hunter Pence followed with a single by Blum was thrown out at home for the second out by a mile, followed by Pence being caught stealing while Pudge was at bat.  Brian Moehler(7-6) worked 4.2 innings but gave up five runs on eight hits and walked two in taking the loss for the Astros.

Kearns sends fans home happy

The Washington Nationals completed their second straight series victory with a walk off victory against the San Diego Padres.  Austin Kearns with his first at bat of the game, replacing Adam Dunn hit a walk off single which scored Nyjer Morgan to give the Nats a 3-2 victory.  Josh Willingham homered in the seventh to even them with the Padres at 1 and then Adam Dunn singled home Willie Harris in the eighth inning for the lead.  John Lannan worked eight innings but got a no decision as Mike MacDougal blew his first save of the year for the Nationals.  Joe Beimel(1-5) worked two thirds of an inning and qualified for the win.  Centerfieldgate has more info for you on the Nats.

The Padres started Chad Gaudin pitched well but also got a no decision and Luke Gregerson was thankful for Kyle Banks hitting another home run, this time off Mike MacDougal to save him from a loss.  Greg Burke(2-3) took the loss as he was an out away from getting out of the rally when Kearns won the game for the Nats.

A long game, just to lose

The Marlins were helped out by the rain gods last night in Miami but that didn’t stop the Phillies.  The Phillies took an early 4-1 lead on hits by Utley, Werth and Feliz and Hamels was rolling with only 68 pitches through five.  Then there was a rain delay of over one hour, and Cole Hamels had to leave the game and the Marlins were able to fight back to send the game to extra innings.  Finally, in the twelfth inning, run scoring singles by Chase Utley and finally Jayson Werth put the game out of reach in an eventual 6-5 victory for the phillies, their 11th in 12 games. Clay Condrey(5-2) who was just activated off the disabled list, got the win while working a scoreless bottom of the 11th inning.  Phillies Phandom will always have your up to date news and info on the Phillies.

The Marlins were able to fight back mostly with singles throughout the game.  Ross Gload, Ronnie Paulino and Wes Helms all had rbi singles in the seventh and eighth innings to send the game to extras.  Burke Badenhop(5-4) got the loss by giving up two runs in the twelfth inning and also the new Scott Olsen Mugshot Memorial Award over at Fish Guts!

This was before a hit...i think every pitch was

In Atlanta on Friday night, first the Braves retired future hall of famer Greg Maddux’ number, then they retired what seems to be the New York Mets season.  The Braves put up three in the first, three more in the third and four in the fifth while routing the Mets 11-0 while pitching a two hit shutout.  Brian McCann went three for four with four RBI and three runs scored for the Braves while hitting a home run, and Yunel Escobar also went three for four with three RBI and two runs scored to lead the Braves.  Jair Jurrjens(8-7) pitched six innings of two hit ball to get the win for the Braves.  Three Braves relieves finished off the game for them, guaranteeing them at least a series split.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more information on them.

There isn’t much to write about the Mets here.  Mike Pelfrey(7-5) worked into the fifth inning but allowed nine runs on nine hits for a bad loss for the Mets.  Tim Redding had another bad outting and he could be headed out of town, read more about that at The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Zambrano does it with the bat too

The Cubs are enjoying playing in the Nations capital, while collecting their second straight win on Friday night while there.  Carlos Zambrano realized his teammates were having an off-night with the bat and decided to take matters into his own hands.  In the second inning he ripped a two RBI double which gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead, as they went towards a 3-1 win on the night.  Zambrano(6-4) pitched the five inning minimum for a win while only allowing four hits and a run.  Aramis Ramirez added a solo home run for insurance later on.

Craig Stammen(2-5) went six innings while giving up six hits and all three runs in taking a loss on a night his bats were silent and he couldn’t help himself.  The Nats after having some optimism weeks ago during interleague play are now back to their losing ways.  They hope to salvage a couple games throughout the rest of the weekend, but check out Centerfieldgate for great insight about the Nats and other baseball information.

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.

Chase Utley hits his 16th of the season

The Phillies got back on track temporarily reliving some World Series magic in Tampa.  Helped by home runs by rookie John Mayberry and Chase Utley and innings of 6 and 4 runs, they broke their 6 game losing streak.  Phenom David Price(1-2) worked 4.1 very tough innings giving up 7 hits and 10 runs, but only 5 earned runs because of errors behind him.  The ageless wonder Jamie Moyer(5-6) worked 6 solid innings to get the win in this game.  The Phillies will hope to continue their road success tonight with Joe Blanton taking the mound against the Rays’ Matt Garza at 7:08PM.

Joel Pineiro helps with his bat too

The Mets injuries may have finally caught up to them, either that or Joel Pineiro is making a bid for the Cy Young by playing the Mets for all his starts.  Joel Pineiro(6-8) pitched a complete game shutout of the Mets, while only allowing 2 hits, one walk and one hit by pitch, while going 2 for 4 at the plate and scoring what turned out to be the only run that mattered for the Cardinals.  Pineiro is now 2-0 against the Mets this season with only 2 earned runs allowed in 17 innings pitched.  Livan Hernandez took a tough loss for the Mets, going 7 innings and giving up 3 runs, 2 earned on 8 hits, and 3 walks.  The series continues tonight with Brad Thompson taking on Fernando Nieve at 7:10pm.  Head to The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more information.

Jorge Cantu celebrates with Bonifacio

The Marlins have now won 3 of their past 4 games after Jorge Cantu singled home the games winning run in the 12th inning of a 7-6 win against the Baltimore Orioles.  Matt Lindstrom should be buying Cantu a steak dinner, as he was rescued from headlines after he gave up 3 runs in just 0.2 innings pitched as the Orioles got 5 straight hits to tie the game in the 9th.  The actual blown save was credited to Brian Sanches, but the runs were all charged to Lindstrom.  Burke Badenhop(5-2) got the win in relief,  and Brian Bass(4-2) took the loss for the Orioles who lost for the first time in their last 6 games.  The Orioles will try to rebound and continue their hot play sending Jason Berken to the mound against Ricky Nolasco tonight in South Florida.

McCann has a big night

Brian McCann had a big night against the New York Yankees last night in Atlanta with 3 hits and 2 RBI including a solo home run in the 8th inning.  Braves rookie phenom Tommy Hanson also appears to be living up to the hype as he won his third straight decision and stayed undefeated.  Hanson(3-0) went 5.1 IP and only gave up 4 hits, but walked 5 and struck out 4 while Chien-Ming Wang(0-6) lasted 5 innings giving up 6 hits and 3 earned runs and a walk, his ERA is down to 11.20.  The Yankees will send Joba Chamberlain to the mound against Kenshin Kawakami tonight in hopes of ending their 6 game losing streak.  The Braves Baseball Blog should be the next place you visit for more Braves info.

Another solid start for Lannon

John Lannon put together another solid start against a tough AL East opponent last night, but this time it wasn’t enough.  John Lannon put together 6.1 IP and only gave up 3 runs on 9 hits and left with a no decision against the Boston Red Sox last night.  Unfortunately the Nationals bullpen gave up 8 runs in the final 2.2 innings and it handed the Nationals an 11-3 loss.  Julian Tavarez(3-5) was charged with the loss while giving up a run on one hit and a walk while only recording one out.  Manny Delcarmen(2-1) got the win in relief for the Sox also in only 1/3rd of an inning.  The two teams match up tonight with Jon Lester facing off against Craig Stammen.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more information about the Nationals.