Phillies vs. Astros

The Phillies and Astros played a wild game Tuesday night in Philadelphia.  The game featured a pitcher’s duel, ninth inning home run, and a key ejection that forced the Phillies to use a pitcher in the field.  In the end, the Astos defeated the Phillies by a score of 4-2 in a 16 inning marathon.

The Astros got on the board first in the fourth inning when Carlos Lee hit a two-run homer off of Phillies’ starter Cole Hamels.  The Phils got a run back off of Houston starter Bud Norris in the sixth on a Raul Ibanez RBI double, but the Astros held on to a 2-1 lead entering the ninth inning.    With two outs in the ninth, Jimmy Rollins blasted a solo home run off of Houston reliever Wilton Lopez to tie the game and send it to extra innings.  Then things got really interesting.

 Neither team could find a way to score in extra frames.  In the bottom of the 14th, Ryan Howard came up with two runners on and two outs.  Howard had two check swings ruled strikes by third base umpire Scott Barry, the last being strike three.  When Howard tossed his bat and helmet after the strike out, Barry ejected Howard, causing the Phillies first baseman to charge towards the umpire before being restrained.  The ejection left the Phillies short a position player, and forced manager Charlie Manuel to insert pitcher Roy Oswalt in left field. 

The Astros finally broke the tie in the top of the 16th off of reliever David Herndon (1-3), scratching out two runs on an infield single and fielder’s choice.  In the bottom of the inning, Howard’s ejection loomed large again.   Astros’ reliever Jeff Fulchino (1-0) retired the first two batters, but after walking Placido Polanco, Houston intentionally walked Chase Utley to bring up “clean up hitter” Roy Oswalt.   Fulchino got Oswalt to ground out to end the game and give Houston the victory.

 

Marlins vs. Mets

 The Mets’ slumbering offense knocked out Marlins’ ace Josh Johnson after five innings and used single runs in the final two innings to defeat Florida by a score of 6-5 at Citi Field.

The Mets broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the fifth off of Johnson, thanks to an RBI single by Carlos Beltran and Jeff Francoeur‘s second sacrifice fly of the game.  Mets’ starter R.A. Dickey kept the Mets in the lead until the seventh.  With two outs and two on in the seventh, Dickey allowed a three-run homer to Gaby Sanchez to give Florida a 5-4 lead.  However, the Mets came back against the Marlins’ bullpen.

With two outs in the eighth, Angel Pagan doubled and Beltran drove in his second run of the game with a run-scoring single off of Clay Hensley to tie the game at 5.   After Hisanori Takahashi (8-6) retired the Marlins in the top of the ninth, Luis Castillo hit a two-out single off of Will Ohman (0-2) to score Ike Davis and give the Mets the walk-off victory.

 

Nationals vs. Cubs

The Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano pitched effectively into the eighth inning, and closer Carlos Marmol survived a shaky ninth as Chicago held on to defeat the Nationals 5-4 in Washington.

Nationals’ starter John Lannan (5-6) allowed a three-run homer to Alfonso Soriano and a two-run shot to Tyler Colvin as the Cubs built a 5-1 lead.  Meanwhile, Zambrano (5-6) allowed just one run and five hits over 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight.   Marmol entered the game in the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded, but struck out Ian Desmond to keep the score at 5-1.

In the ninth, Marmol created his own bases loaded mess, and with two outs, Adam Kennedy cleared the bases with a three-run double to cut Chicago’s lead to 5-4.  Luckily for the Cubbies, Marmol rebounded to retire Ryan Zimmerman on a fly ball to preserve the victory.  Despite allowing three runs, Marmol was credited with his 23rd save of the season since he entered the game with the tying run at the plate.

 

Braves vs. Rockies

The first place Atlanta Braves received a solid starting pitching performance from Derek Lowe, but the Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa was better on Tuesday night, and the Braves fell by a score of 5-2 in Colorado.

The Rockies opened the scoring when Carlos Gonzalez hit a two-run homer off of Lowe (11-12) in the bottom of the first.  The Braves got a run back in the second off of De La Rosa (5-4) on an Alex Gonzalez solo shot, but Rockies got that run back with a Seth Smith home run in the sixth.  Alex Gonzalez cut the Rockies lead to 3-2 with a seventh inning RBI single, but that was as close as the Braves would get.

The Rockies added some insurance in the eighth inning courtesy of a Dexter Fowler two-run single.  Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth inning to notch his 12th save of the season.

Braves vs. Dodgers

Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the 9th, the Braves came back to beat the Dodgers 4-2. Andre Ethier got things started in the 1st with a double, driving in Ryan Theriot to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. After allowing the 1st inning run, Tommy Hanson found himself in a pitchers duel with Chad Billingsley. The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the 6th when Atlanta tied it up on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jason Heyward to score Omar Infante. The Dodgers would take the lead once again as a throwing error by Brooks Conrad in the 8th allowed two runs to score. Down 3-1 in the 9th, L.A. pitching walked in a run cutting their lead to 3-2. With the bases loaded, Melky Cabrera then hit a single to drive home the winning runs.

Tommy Hanson went 7 innings, giving up one run on five hits while striking out three. Peter Moylan, who pitched the 9th, got the win for Atlanta. Chad Billingsley went 7 innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out eight for Los Angeles. Hong-Chih Kuo gave up three runs in his 1.1 innings of relief for the Dodgers to take the loss.

Marlins vs. Pirates

The Marlins fell to the Pirates in their series opener 7-1. A sacrifice fly by Garrett Jones and a single by Pedro Alvarez gave Pittsburgh an early 2-0 lead in the 1st. Florida got their only run of the game in the 4th on a ground out by Dan Uggla to score Logan Morrison.  The Pirates would go on to score four runs in the 6th on a double by Jones, followed by an Alvarez single. Andrew McCutchen homered in the 7th for Pittsburgh to make it 7-1.

Chris Volstad took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing five runs on five hits while only striking out two.  James McDonald got the win, going 7 innings and giving up one run on three hits while striking out six.

Mets vs. Astros

The Mets started their road trip off with a win as they beat the Astros 3-1. Carlos Beltran homered for the Mets in the 4th to give them a 1-0 lead. Houston tied it up in the 6th on a double by Chris Johnson. The game remained tied until the 9th, when David Wright scored on a wild pitch and then Jeff Francoeur tripled to score Beltran.

Jon Niese got a no decision after pitching 7 innings. He gave up one run on seven hits while striking out five. Pedro Feliciano got the win after pitching a third of an inning in relief. Wandy Rodriguez took a no decision as well after pitching 7 innings and allowing one run on four hits while striking out six. Matt Lindstrom took the loss for Houston after giving up the two runs in the 9th. Hisanori Takahashi closed out the game in place of Francisco Rodriguez to record his first save.

Phillies vs. Mets

R.A. Dickey and Cole Hamels locked up in a pitchers’ duel Friday night at Citi Field.  Both pitchers went the distance, but the night belonged to Dickey as the Mets defeated the Phillies 1-0.

Dickey’s knuckleball baffled the Phillies hitters all night long, and as he cruised through five hitless innings, Mets fans wondered if this might be the first no-hitter in franchise history.   But it was the opposing pitcher that spoiled that bid as Hamels hit a clean single to right field with one out in the sixth inning.   Meanwhile, Hamels kept the Mets off balance and off of the scoreboard.  It looked like the Mets had taken a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Mike Hessman hit a drive to left field that the umpires called a home run.  However, after a lengthy replay review, the umps ruled fan interference on the play and placed Hessman on third base.   Despite being on third with no outs, the Mets stranded Hessman and let a golden opportunity slip by.

In the sixth, the Mets finally broke through.  With two outs and no one on base, David Wright and Carlos Beltran hit back-to-back doubles to plate the game’s first – and only – run.  Dickey (8-5) didn’t allow a base runner after Hamels’ single, finishing with seven strikeouts in his nine innings.  Hamels (7-9) took the hard-luck loss for the Phils.

 

 

Braves vs. Dodgers

Pitching also stole the spotlight in Atlanta on Friday night as the first place Braves defeated the Dodgers by a score of 1-o.

The Braves’ Tim Hudson and the Dodgers’  Hiroki Kuroda matched zeroes for six innings.  The game’s lone run came in the seventh, when Brooks Conrad, playing third base in place of the injured Chipper Jones, homered to center field off of Kuroda.  

Hudson (14-5) allowed just 3 hits over eight innings of work, striking out six.  Kuroda (8-11) took the loss despite allowing just three hits in his seven innings.  Braves’ closer Billy Wagner came on in the ninth and locked down his 29th save of the season.

 

 

Nationals vs. Diamondbacks

The Nationals scored early and let their pitching do the rest, as the Nats defeated the Diamondbacks 4-2 in Washington.

The Nationals scored three runs in the first off of Arizona starter Joe Saunders (1-2), highlighted by a Ryan Zimmerman two-run single.   Wil Nieves extended Washington’s lead to 4-0 with a solo home run in the second.  The D-Backs cut the Nats lead in half with two fifth inning runs off of starter John Lannan, but managed just one hit after that.  Lannan (4-5) allowed just four hits over seven innings, striking out five.  Sean Burnett pitched two perfect innings, striking out four, to pick up his second save on the season.

 

 

Marlins vs. Reds

The Reds roughed up Marlins’ ace Josh Johnson Friday night as they cruised to a 7-2 victory in Cincinnati.

The Reds jumped on Johnson in the first inning, scoring three runs courtesy of RBI singles by Joey Votto, Scott Rolen, and Jay Bruce.  Bruce later homered as the Reds built a 7-0 lead.   The Marlins’ only offense came off of the bat of rookie Mike Stanton, who hit solo home runs in both the sixth and eighth innings. 

Edinson Volquez (3-1) scattered eight hits over six innings of work, allowing just one run and striking out six.  Johnson (10-5) lasted just 3.2 innings in the loss, allowing six runs and ten hits.

Mets vs. Rockies

The Mets beat the Rockies in a score of 4-0.  In the 1st Angel Pagan singled home Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran hit a sac fly to score Angel Pagan.  In the 7th the Mets added 2 more runs when Jose Reyes singled home Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez hit a sac fly to score Johan Santana.

Johan Santana got the win after pitching a complete game shut out giving up just 4 hits with 10 strikeouts.  Jason Hammel got the loss after pitching 7 innings giving up 8 hits, 4 runs, and 4 strikeouts.

Phillies vs. Dodgers

The Phillies beat the Dodgers in a score of 10-9. The Dodgers scored 3 runs in the 1st when Ronnie Belliard singled home Scott Podsednik, Matt Kemp singled home James Loney, and Jamey Carroll singled home Ronnie Belliard.  In the 2nd The Phillies scored a run when Joe Blanton grounded out scoring Carlos Ruiz.  The Phillies added another run in the 4th when Carlos Ruiz singled home Jason Werth.  The Dodgers added a run in the 5th when Ronnie Belliard hit a sac fly to score Ryan Theriot.  They added 2 more in the 7th when Matt Kemp homered scoring James Loney.  In the 8th the Dodgers added 3 runs when Casey Blake singled home Scott Podsednik, Matt Kemp singled home Andre Either, and Jamey Carroll singled home Casey Blake.  The Phillies added 4 runs in the 8th when Jason Werth singled home Placido Polanco,  Ben Francisco doubled scoring Jason Werth, and Wilson Valdez singled home Ben Francisco.  In the 9th Placido Polanco and Mike Sweeney scored due to a fielding error and Carlos Ruiz doubled home Jason Werth and Ben Francisco to score the winning runs.

Clayton Kershaw pitched 6.2 innings giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, and 4 strikeouts.  Joe Blanton pitched 5.2 innings giving up 8 hits, 4 runs, and 3 strikeouts.  Danny Baez got the win after pitching 1 inning giving up just 1 hit.  The loss went to Jonathan Broxton who didn’t record an out giving up 1 hit and 4 runs.

Marlins vs. Nationals

The Marlins beat the Nationals in a score of 5-0. The Marlins scored 2 runs in the 2nd when Mike Stanton homered scoring Dan Uggla.  In the the 3rd they added another run when Cody Ross singled home Logan Morrison.   In the 8th the Marlins scored a run when Dan Uggla scored due to a wild pitch.  In the 9th Dan Uggla singled home Hanley Ramirez.

Ricky Nolasco got the win and pitched 6 innings giving up 6 hits, no runs, and 8 strikeouts.  The loss went to Livan Hernandez who pitched 6.1 innings giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, and 3 strikeouts.

The Braves had an off day.

Mets vs. Cardinals

The Mets beat the Cardinals 4-0 Thursday afternoon. Ike Davis hit his 15th home run of the season in the bottom of the 3rd, a three-run shot to center field. Angel Pagan scored in the bottom of the 5th on a single by Carlos Beltran. The Cardinals were held to just four hits all day.

R.A. Dickey got the win, going 8.1 innings and gave up no runs on four hits. Blake Hawksworth took the loss, throwing 6 innings and allowing four runs on seven hits.Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 22nd save of the season.

Braves vs. Nationals

The Nationals beat the Braves 5-3 Thursday in Washington. Mike Morse grounded out, scoring Adam Dunn in the 2nd, and Ian Desmond hit his 7th homer of the season, to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead. Atlanta tied it up in the 4th on a two-run shot off the bat of Matt Diaz. Washington responded in the bottom of the inning with a two RBI single by Wil Nieves. In the 6th, Atlanta cut the Nationals lead to 4-3 on an RBI single by Omar Infante. In the 8th, Dunn hit a solo shot to center field, making it 5-3 Washington.

Scott Olsen got the win, going 6 innings and giving up three runs on five hits. Derek Lowe took the loss, lasting 5 innings and allowing four runs on five hits. Matt Capps recorded his 26th save of the season for Washington.

Marlins vs. Giants

Florida won their game over the Giants 5-0. Double by Mike Stanton in the 2nd and 4th innings gave Florida a 2-0 lead. Cody Ross scored on a sacrifice fly by Ronny Paulino in the 4th. Ross doubled in the 8th to drive in the Marlins 4th run. Paulino drove in his second run of the game in the 8th on another sac fly. The Giants were kept to just one hit in the game. Pablo Sandoval singled in the 5th to give San Francisco their only hit.

Anibal Sanchez got the win, pitching a complete game and holding the Giants to just three baserunners. Madison Bumgarner took the loss, going 6 innings and allowing three runs on six hits.

Phillies vs. Diamondbacks

The Phillies won their 8th straight, beating the Diamondbacks in walk-off fashion 3-2. A double by Carlos Ruiz in the 5th and a solo shot by Raul Ibanez in the 6th gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. Miguel Montero cut the lead to 2-1 in the 7th with his third home run of the year for Arizona. Montero drove in the tying run in the top of the 9th on a ground out to score Justin Upton. The game remained tied until the bottom of the 11th when Wilson Valdez singled home the game-winning run.

Kyle Kendrick went 6.1 innings and allowed one run on four hits in his no decision. Joe Saunders also had a no decision, throwing 7 innings and giving up two runs on nine hits. Jose Contreras got the win for Philadelphia. Esmerling Vasquez took the loss for Arizona.

People around baseball often look at Memorial Day as the first major checkpoint of the season.   As we approach the 50 game mark, it’s a good time to take a look at the standings to see where the teams are sitting.  Is a team poised to run away with the division?  Is there a solid two-team race developing that looks looks like it may go down to the wire?  Is there a team that is already so far out of first place that they are starting to make plans for next season?

Take a look at the NL East standings.  Coming into Friday night’s action, 3 games separated first place from last place, and each team had a record of .500 or better.   The division is clearly up for grabs, which got me thinking of one of my favorite TV shows, Survivor.  Before a challenge, host Jeff Probst declares “immunity up for grabs.”    Instead of immunity, a division crown is at stake in the latest reality series - Survivor: NL East.  Let’s take a look at the competitors:

After back-to-back World Series appearances, the Phillies came into this season as the clear favorites.  Their everyday lineup remained mostly intact, and they added arguably the best pitcher in the majors to their rotation with the acquisition of Roy Halladay.  However, the Phils have been hurt by injuries, most notably to shortstop Jimmy Rollins and closer Brad Lidge.  They also are not clicking on all cylinders offensively, as evident by being shut out four times over the past week.  Despite all of the injuries and struggles, the Phillies still find themselves on top of the division.  They have the ability to run away with the East if they get healthy and play to form, but it hasn’t happened yet.

The Braves ended April five games under .500, but have played much better baseball in May.  A few win streaks have them four games over .500 in Bobby Cox‘s last season at the helm.   The Braves have the pitching to hang around for the long haul, with a solid starting rotation led by Tim Hudson and Tommy Hanson, and a healthy Billy Wagner closing games.  Will the Braves offense be enough?  Rookie phenom Jason Heyward has certainly showed all of the hype was warranted.  Can he keep it up?  Will the Chipper Jones of old return?  

The Mets?  Who knows what to make of the team from Flushing.  Part roller coaster and part circus act at times, the Mets have already jumped from last place to first place, and back to last place.  After their most recent hot streak, they now find themselves in the middle of the pack.  Can they hang around and find themselves playing meaningful September baseball?   It’s possible, but they have several huge question marks.  When will Carlos Beltran come back, or will he be back at all?  Will the Mets find three reliable starters to stick behind Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey? 

Then there are the Nationals.  Those pesky Nats.  All of the talk coming into the season was about Stephen Strasburg, and in major media outlets, Strasburg is still all you hear about when it comes to the team from DC.  News flash: the man with the 100 mph fastball has yet to throw a pitch in the majors, but the Nationals are showing that they are no longer the doormat of the NL East.  The Nats have received solid pitching in the early going, “capped” off by closer Matt Capps, who converted his first 16 save chances.  Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn provide a dangerous 3-4 combination to the Nats lineup.   They may not be able to hang around until the end, but their early season success is no mirage.  The Nats are a good ballclub, and their future looks bright.

Over the past two decades, what team owns the most World Series titles in the divison?  That would be the Florida Marlins.  The Marlins may have the deepest rotation in the division, led by ace Josh Johnson.   Each of the Marlins’ starters is fully capable of shutting down an opposing team.  Hanley Ramirez and company can also score enough runs to remain competitive throughout.  But will their bullpen eventually do them in?  With a new stadium on the horizon, will they be able to add payroll to try and make a run?

Who will Outhit, Outplay, Outlast to become the winner of Survivor: NL East?  Stay tuned to see whose torches get snuffed out.   There are likely to be some twists and surprises as this marathon of a season plays out.  You don’t want to miss it.

Pedro celebrates the Phillies divisional win

The Phillies rode a four run fourth inning against the Astros to take this game and the division, 10-3.  Raul Ibanez contributed a two run home run and a total of three RBI and two runs scored as the Phillies had a laugher.  Pedro Martinez only went four innings but Kyle Kendrick(3-1) worked three scoreless innings allowing just two hits for the victory.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more on the victory and congrats to them and their team on the third straight division victory.

Brian Moehler(8-12) was pretty terrible in this game, only lasting 4.1 innings but allowing six hits and seven runs including three walks in the loss.  Josh Towles had a great game, hitting two solo home runs to provide two of the three runs they received.  The series between the two teams ends today.

Chipper watches the playoffs fly away

The Florida Marlins are playing spoiler once again, as they seem to do every year, with their second consecutive win against the Braves, 5-4.  Ross Gload had a two run home run and Jorge Cantu went 3-5 with two runs scored and an RBI to lead the Marlins in this one.  Ricky Nolasco(13-9) went 7.2 innings allowing just four hits and two runs and striking out SIXTEEN batters in this one, what a gem.  Brenden Donnelly came on for the final out to get the save(2) in this one as Leo Nunez was struggling, but still got his 14th save of the season, check out FishGuts for more.

Javier Vazquez had a rare loss in a big game for the Braves.  Vazquez(15-10) went six innings and allowed eight hits and five runs (only three earned) but also struck out nine.  The Braves made a comeback bid in this one as they were down 5-0 entering the seventh.  Adam LaRoche had a two RBI single, followed by Yunel Escobar and Omar Infante RBI singles in the ninth before the Marlins put the game away, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Maxwell with a walkoff granny

Ah, the sought after matchup of the basement teams was won in a sweep by the Nats, with a 7-4 walk off win on Wednesday night.  Justin Maxwell came to the plate and hit a grand slam sending the Nats to a 7-4 win when they entered the inning down 4-2.  Adam Dunn had walked just before him to get them within one run and he took a KRod pitch out of the stadium.  Ron Villone(5-6) got the win with 0.2 innings pitched and you can get more at Centerfield Gate.

Francisco Rodriguez had one of the worst games a closer can take, thank god it meant nothing.  Rodriguez(3-6) blew his seventh save of the year and got two outs in the ninth while allowing three hits, five runs and two walks on 37 pitches.  Omir Santos had two RBI in this game to lead the Mets along with Carlos Beltran and Fernando Tatis, but all for naught.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Feliz with a granny

Pedro Feliz helped the Phillies finally cut down on their magic number to win the National League East, during a 7-4 win against the Astros.  Pedro Feliz  hit a fourth inning grand slam in the fourth inning putting the Phillies up for good in this one.  J.A. Happ(12-4) pitched 5.2 innings giving up only nine hits and four runs (three earned) and threw 199 pitches for the win in this one.  Ryan Madson got his tenth save of the year as he appears to be the closer of the week, but did give up two hits before recording the final out and needed 27 pitches to do it, check out Phillies Phandom for more.

Wilton Lopez(0-1) couldn’t do what the no name pitcher on Monday could do to the Phillies and was tagged for five runs and six hits in only 3.2 innings.  The Astros got home runs from Lance Berkman early and a two run shot from Kaz Matsui in the sixth inning but they ended their four game winning streak for the year against the Phils.

Once again the photographers took the night off for the game… thanks!

Anyway, the Braves finally lost a game, and it was a damaging loss as both the Rockies and the Phillies both won.

Chris Coghlan had three hits and two runs scored and Cameron Maybin had two RBI as the Marlins went on to beat the Braves by a score of 5-4.  Josh Johnson pitched well through five, giving up three hits and a run but left with a no decision in this one as the Braves eventually tied it.  Renyel Pinto(4-1) worked 1.1 scoreless innings to get the victory in this one and Leo Nunez got his 25th save of the season, check FishGuts for more.

Tim Hudson had a rough start for the Braves as he went five innings and allowed seven hits and four runs and three walks, but was bailed out by the bats to not get the loss.  Kenshin Kawakami(7-12) went 1.2 innings of relief and gave up three hits and a run in taking the loss in this one.  Matt Diaz had the big blow in this one, a three run shot in the sixth to tie the game off Brian Sanches, but it wasn’t enough.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

MacDougal gets another S

The Nationals took advantage of bad defense for the Mets last night on way to their second straight win, 4-3.  Sean Green(1-4) gave up an unearned run with a walkwhile there were errors by the middle infielders for the Mets allowing the Nats to take the lead.  Tyler Clippard(3-2) worked two innings of scoreless relief to get the win as well and then passed to MacDougal for his 18th save of the season even though he gave up a hit, but struck out two.  Centerfield Gate has more on the Nats win.

Going to the eighth inning, the Mets were up 3-0, then it fell apart.  In the eighth, Pelfrey gave up a two run home run to rookie Ian Desmond and later, a RBI single to Ryan Zimmerman to allow the game to be tied.  The Mets got an RBI walk to Beltran in the first and two RBI singles, one by Pagan and one by Wright in the second inning.  They had a chance to tie it on a deep fly by Wright in the top of the ninth, but a great running catch by Elijah Dukes killed that momentum.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Hamels is thinking about Playoffs

The Houston Astros continued to have the Phillies number last night in Philly, beating Hamels and the Phils 8-2.  Miguel Tejada went 4-5 with three runs and an RBI, CarlosLee added tow hits, two runs and an RBI and even former Met Jeff Keppinger got into things going 3-5 with two RBI on the day.  Yorman Bazardo(1-2) got his first win by lasting 5.2 innings and only allowed two hits and two runs to the heavy hitting Phillies.

Cole Hamels(10-10) dropped back to .500 on the season with a 6.2 inning stinker, allowing nine hits and six runs in this game.  The offense obviously didn’t help wither as Shane Victorino was the only Philly with two hits and only Chase Utley recorded the only RBI for them.  Phillies Phandom will have more on the Phillies and their struggles against the Astros.

Jurrjens with another gem

Jair Jurrjens is keeping the playoff hopes of the Braves alive, with a gem last night in a 4-0 win against the Fish.  Jurrjens(14-10) went seven innings and allowed just five hits and a walk with no runs, his season ERA is now 2.61, impressive.  The Braves only had three hits, but had ELEVEN walks to put up their four runs.  The RBI’s were credited to Nate McLouth, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann and Garrett Anderson.  The Braves Baseball Blog covers the Braves.

ELEVEN walks, that is absolutely insane and you can not expect to win with that.  Anibal Sanchez(3-8) went five innings and his line was two hits, three runs and EIGHT walks in the game.  No one in the offense had more than two hits, those went to John Baker and Chris Coghlan as the Marlins flounder down the stretch, check out FishGuts for more.

Is he doing the robot?

Ah, the matchup of the week, the last place Nats against the should be last place Mets, the Nats took the first game, 2-1.  Ross Detwiler(1-6) got his first major league win as he went six innings and allowed just seven hits and one run in the game, congrats.  Ryan Zimmerman got the Nats on the board in the first with a sacrifice fly and Mike Morse had a solo shot in the sixth that proved to be the game winning run.  Mike MacDougal got his 17th save of the season with a perfect ninth as well.  Centerfield Gate has more on the Nationals and many things baseball.

Nelson Figueroa pitched well enough to win yet again, but he does play on the 2009 Mets, so that didn’t happen.  Figueroa(2-8) got the loss in six innings allowing six hits and two runs, basically just on that home run in this one.  Fernando Tatis had the only RBI with a single to Center field in the sixth scoring Carlos Beltran, temporarily tying the game.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog covers this and many other issues the Mets face entering the offseason.

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.