Mets Vs Yankees

C.C. Sabathia shut down the Mets offense as Texeria’s grand slam took care of the Yankees offense in a 4-0 victory.

Sabathia went 8 scoreless innings allowing only 4 hits along with 6 strike outs as he improved to 8-3 on Sunday. The turning point in the game and the only run scoring play was in the third inning, when Mark Texeria hit a grand slam off of Johan Santana that made the game 4-0 Yanks .

Johan battled through 6 innings for the Mets but this is now the 3^rd grand slam he has given up this season.

Phillies Vs Twins

Carl Pavano was the star of this game throwing a complete game against the Phillies in a Twins 4-1 victory as he out dueled Roy Halladay.

Pavano improved to 8-6 on the year as he threw a gem against the Phillies, going the distance while allowing only 4 hits and one run with 2 strike outs. The only run he surrendered came in the 5^th inning from a solo shot by Wilson Valdez.

The Twins got their offense going early against Halladay as Joe Mauer had an RBI single in the first to get Minnesota going. Justin Morneau and Denard Spam each hit solo shots off of Halladay as well to power the Twins Offense.

Halladay still managed to battle through 8 innings for Philly but his efforts weren’t enough as the Phillies just could not get it going as he fell to 8-6 on the year despite a 2.43 ERA.

Braves Vs Royals

The first place Braves kept it going on Sunday as they defeated the Royals 8-5 with some late offense.

Atlanta got it going early in this one scoring 4 runs in the first inning off of start Kyle Davies with 2 RBI doubles by Chipper Jones and Omar Infante.

But the Royals would fight right back in the second in third inning off of Braves starter Kawakami, who lasted only 2 innings allowing 5 runs off of 6 hits. RBI Singles by Jose Guillen, Bryana Pena and two by Chris Getz lead the Royals offense. Unfortunately for them they did not score after the 5^th inning leaving the door open for a Braves comeback.

In the bottom of the 6^th Chipper Jones doubled home Heyward to tie the game up at 5-5, then in the 8^th inning the Braves scored the winning runs off of an RBI double by Eric Hinske and an RBI single off the bat of Melky Cabrera. Billy Wagner closed the game out in the 9^th to earn his 14^th save of the season.

Nationals Vs White Sox

Freddy Garcia went 8 strong innings for the White Sox as he earned his 8^th victory of the year as Chicago defeated the Nationals 6-3.

John Lannan struggled once again for Washington going only 4 innings surrendering 11 hits and 5 runs to the White Sox. Konerko started Chicago off in the first with an RBI Single that scored Alex Rios to give them an early 1-0 lead.

Washington would fight right back however scoring 3 of their own in the 4^th inning to give themselves a 3-1 lead off of RBI Singles from Willie Nieves and Bernadina. That lead would be short lived however as the White Sox would rally for 4 runs in the 5^th inning, Alex Rios doubled home Juan Pierre that was followed up with an RBI single from Konerko. Rios tagged on an RBI single in the 9^th inning to make the game 6-3 which was how it ended.

J.J. Putz earned his first save of the season as he came out to close it up for the White Sox.

Marlins Vs Rays

Florida Ace Josh Johnson out pitched Tampa Ace David Price in a 4-1 Marlins Victory.

Johnson was marvelous once again for the Marlins throwing 8 innings of 1 run ball with 9 strike outs lowering his era to 1.80 on the year. The only run he surrendered was a solo shot by Carl Crawford in the 4^th inning.

With the score tied at 1-1 in the 5^th inning Gaby Sanchez tripled in Chris Coughlan to give the Marlins the go ahead run and a 2-1 lead. In the 6^th inning Wes Helms gave Florida some breathing room with a 2 run shot that made the game 4-1 which is how it ended.

Leo Nunez came in to close it out for Johnson in the 9^th earning his 15^th save of the season.

Sunday’s games:

Mets vs. Yankees

The Subway Series wraps up this afternoon, as Johan Santana (5-3) takes the mound for the Mets, and C.C. Sabathia (7-3) starts for the Yankees. Game time is 1:05 p.m. in the Bronx.

Marlins vs.  Rays

Josh Johnson (7-2) and the Marlins look to finish up their series with the Rays with a win. David Price (10-2) starts for Tampa Bay. First pitch is 1:10 p.m. in Miami.

Braves vs. Royals

Kenshin Kawakami (0-9) once again goes for his first win of the season as the Braves go for the sweep of the Royals. Kyle Davies (4-5) gets the start for Kansas City. Game time is 1:35 p.m. in Atlanta.

Nationals vs. White Sox

John Lannan (2-4) and the Nationals look to end their five-game losing streak as they finish up their series with the White Sox. Freddy Garcia (7-3) takes the mound for Chicago. First pitch is 1:35 p.m. in D.C.

Phillies vs. Twins

Roy Halladay (8-5) and the Phillies try to take the rubber game against Carl Pavano (7-6) and the Twins. Game time is set for 1:35 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Mets Vs Indians

The Mets finally got Johan Santana a win last night beating the Indians 7-6. Although Johan did have his best stuff the offense picked him up.

New York struck first with an infield single RBI by David Wright that drove in Jose Reyes to give them a first inning 1-0 lead. The Indians struck right back scoring 4 unanswered runs on the likes of a Travis Hafner homerun and a Trevor Crowe 2 RBI single.

After the fourth inning Johan begin to settle inning finishing his day throwing 3 scoreless innings to keep the Mets in the game and they rewarded him. They came fighting back started off by back to back bunt singles by Alex Cora and Jose Reyes, Wright then followed that up with another RBI Single. The biggest blow came next with a homerun from Ike Davis broke the 4-4 tie and gave the mets a 6-4 lead.

K-Rod entered the 9^th inning with a 3 run lead allowing a 2 run homerun by Shelly Duncan but still held onto the game earning his 14^th save of the season.

Phillies Vs Yankees

Going into last nights game it appeared we might have a classic pitcher’s duel on our hands between Roy Halladay and CC Cebathia, but they didn’t quite live up to expectations. In a World Series rematch the Phillies dropped game 1 of the series by the score of 8-3 to the defending champs.

Halladay got reminded last night what it was like to pitch in the AL East going 8 innings and allowing 6 runs to the Bronx Bombers. Bret Gardner got the scoring going with a 2 RBI triple in the 2^nd inning to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. In the 3^rd inning Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson both went deep off of Halladay to make it a 5-0 Yankee lead.

The Phillies did have some early fight in them scoring 3 runs in the fourth inning with RBI Singles by Werth and Ibanez to make it a 5-3 ballgame, but that is as close as they would get. Sabathia went 7 strong innings allowing 5 hits and 3 earned runs for his 7^th victory of the season.

Nationals Vs Tigers

John Lannan got knocked around in the series opener as the Tigers defeated the Nationals by the score of 7-4.

The Nationals jumped out to an early lead in this one led by RBI single by both Josh Willingham and Ivan Rodriguez to give Washington a 3-1 lead in the third. The Tigers fought right back to tie the game up in the bottom half then Mike Morse hit a homerun to put the Nationals back up by 1 but that would be the last time they led this ball game.

The Tigers tied the game in the fourth innings thanks to an RBI Double by Magglio Ordonez and a Sac Fly by Carlos Guillen. The Biggest blow of the game came in the 5^th inning when Ryan Raburn hit a 3 run homerun to give the Tigers a 7-4 lead and they never looked back.

Jose Valverde came in to close the game for start Max Scherzer who went 6 strong innings earning his 3^rd win of the season while Valverde converted his 14^th save of the year.

Braves Vs Rays

The top team in each Eastern Division squared off last night with the Rays taking the opener of the series 10-4.

David Price did not have his best stuff of the season as he was in trouble most of the night but he battled his way through 5 solid innings to help lead the Rays earning his league leading 10^th win of the season.

The Rays jumped out to an early 4-0 lead from a 1^st inning homerun by Evan Longoria and a 2 RBI double by Sean Rodriguez. The closest the Braves got in this one was in the 5^th inning when after an RBI Single by Melky Cabrera that made the score 5-3 Rays.

But the Rays offense was too much on this night, Ben Zobrist blew the game wide open after an RBI single in the 6^th to make the game 7-3. They added 3 more in the 7^th by RBI’s from Crawford, Longoria and Pena.

Marlins Vs Rangers

Hanley Ramirez with a 2 run single

The Marlins spoiled a great pitching performance by Josh Johnson as the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead in the ninth as the Rangers beat the Marlins 3-2 in the series opener.

This was a pitcher’s duel between C.J. Wilson and Josh Johnson each putting in solid performances. Wilson went 6 strong innings for the rangers allowing only 2 hits and 2 earned runs, only to be outdueled by his counterpart Johnson who went 7 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits.

Texas scored their only against Johnson in the first inning from a single by Josh Hamilton that drove home Ian Kinsler. The Marlins did not respond until the 6^th inning when Hanley Ramirez hit a 2 run homerun to put the score at 2-1 Florida.

Leo Nunez came in to close it out for the Marlins but the Rangers came fighting back. Pinch-hitter, Matt Treanor stepped up with two men on base and he delivered with a triple that drove in the tying and winning run of the game.

Neftali Feliz then entered the game for the Rangers in the bottom half of the 9^th and recorded his 16^th save of the season.

NL East teams are back in action today. Here are the match ups:

Mets vs. Indians

Johan Santana (4-3) and the Mets look to continue their three-game winning streak on the road as they take on Justin Masterson (2-5) and the Indians. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. in Cleveland.

Nationals vs. Tigers

John Lannan (2-3) and the Nationals begin a three-game series tonight against the Tigers. Max Scherzer gets the start for the Tigers. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Detroit.

Phillies vs. Yankees

Roy Halladay(8-4) and the Phillies take on C.C. Sabathia (6-3) and the Yankees. Game time is 7:05 in the Bronx.

Braves vs. Rays

Kenshin Kawakami (0-8), still trying to get his first win of the season, takes the hill for the Braves. David Price (9-2) starts for the Rays. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. in Atlanta.

Marlins vs. Rangers

Josh Johnson (7-2) and the Marlins begin their series against the Rangers tonight. C.J. Wilson gets the start for the Rangers. Game time’s set for 7:10 p.m. in Florida.

I know, I know. This is a big day in the National League East. The Philadelphia Phillies dismantled the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series, in the Bronx, against C.C. Sabathia. The same pitcher they dismantled last year when he pitched for the Brewers. It begs the question, is the National League East the best division in baseball? Admittedly, it is early, and the Yankees could win four in a row and make this post irrelevant, but if you compare the division to the American League East, tell me that the teams do not match up? The Phillies and the Yankees, the Mets and the Red Sox, the Marlins and Rays, the Braves and Blue Jays, and the Nationals and Orioles. I guess that is a post for another time, but it will be an interesting off season argument.

Now on to the AFL:

The Phoenix Desert Dogs (Nationals) defeated the Peoria Javelinas 11-6 yesterday. The only Desert Dog from the National League East who saw any action was Drew Storen who pitched one inning giving up one hit and striking out a batter.

The Mesa Solar Sox (Marlins) routed the Scottsdale Scorpions (Phillies) by a final count of 12-5. Bryan Petersen led the way for the Solar Sox with a 2-5 effort, scoring two runs, driving in two and hitting a homerun. Steve Susdorf tried to keep the Scorpions close with a 2 run homerun in a 1-2 effort but Domonic Brown (0-5, 2K) and Edgar Garcia (2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER (4R)) failed to help him out.

Steve Susdorf, Scorpions

Future stars of the National League East keep bowing out of the AFL as the Marlins shut down Mike Stanton due to a sore back. Prior to this, Stanton was hitting a scorching .478 for the Solar Sox. The Marlins do expect Stanton to be ready for Spring Training.

Mike Stanton, Solar Sox

Lastly, the Peoria Saguaros (Braves) blanked the Surprise Rafters (Mets) 9-0. Freddie Freeman (3-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB) and Brandon Hicks (2-4, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB) led the hit parade while Jeff Lyman (1 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) and Lee Hyde (1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) helped to keep the Rafters off the scoreboard. The Rafters received a 2-4 day from Reese Havens and a 1-4 from Ruben Tejada.

 

 

  Todays actions will see the Phoenix Desert Dogs take on the Peoria Saguaros. The Mesa Solar Sox will give Andrew Miller the start against the Javelinas, and the Rafters will take on the Scorpions.

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.

Mighty Howard Strikes out

The Phillies traveled north of the border to Canada to play the final three games of Interleague play against the Blue Jays.  Things didn’t get much better for the struggling Phils, as the Blue Jays won again and even did it against the Phillies ace.  Cole Hamels(4-4) couldn’t get out of the fifth inning as he gave up four runs on eight total hits on the way to a 6-1 Phillies loss.  Ricky Romero(5-3) got the win with seven impressive innings while only giving up two hits in the game.  The series continues today with J.A. Happ going for the Phillies against Brad Mills for the Blue Jays at 1:07PM.

Pelf hopes his defense is awake

The Mets couldn’t get out of their own way while continuing the Subway Series in Queens on Friday night.  The Mets made three errors in the secocnd inning, allowing four runs to score and basically put the game out of reach.  Pelfrey(5-3) still managed to finish five innings while only allowing two earned runs in a 9-1 Mets loss.  C.C. Sabathia(7-4) went seven strong innings allowing only three hits including a solo home run to Gary Sheffield in getting the win.  Tonight A.J. Burnett goes to the mound against Tim Redding for the Mets at 7pm.

Ramirez stays hot

The bat of Hanley Ramirez wasn’t enough on Friday night in Tampa Bay.  The Marlins couldn’t take advantage of a chance to tie for first place with the Phillies as they fell to the Rays 7-3.  Renyell Pinto(2-1) took the loss for the Marlins bullpen which is struggling with injuries currently while giving up two runs in an inning of work.  J.P. Howell(3-2) got the win in relief for the Rays, as the series continues tonight at 7:08 in Tampa with Chris Volstad taking on newly off the disabled list Scott Kazmir.

Bobby Cox arguing?

The Atlanta Braves lost their third straight game and fifth in their last six last night to the Red Sox.  Jurrjens(5-6) went eight strong innings giving up 3 earned runs and four overall in a tough loss.  Josh Beckett(9-3) got his ninth win of the season pitching seven shut out innings for the Red Sox.  Wakefield goes up against Vazquez this afternoon at 4pm in the second game of the series.

A rough outting for Detwiller

Ross Detwiler(0-4) and the rest of the Nationals pitchers had another rough outting last night.  Detwiler couldn’t get his first win of the season and managed five innings of five run ball as the Nats lost 11-1 to the Baltimore Orioles.  Brad Bergesen(5-2) got the win for the Orioles going six innings and only giving up a single run as the offense made it easy for him.  Sharon Martis goes up against Jeremy Guthrie at 7:05 in Baltimore tonight.

If interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com

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Howard Hits a 3 run home run

6-20-09:In the 7th inning on Saturday night, Ryan Howard hit a pinch hit three run home run off Oriole reliever Danys Baez after being hospitalized with flu symptoms.  It looked like Philly may have finally found the magic they had in 2008, but this was before the 9th inning.  Still filling in as the closer for Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson(2-3) blew yet another save while giving up a solo home run to Greg Zaun and a 2 run shot to Brian Roberts which proved to be the game winner.  Mark Hendrickson(2-4) pitched the final 2 outs of the 8th and got the win while George Sherill pitched a perfect 9th for his 14th save.

Brian Roberts hurts the Phils again

6-21-09: Sunday did not bring much relief for the Phillies and their home woes.  Cole Hamels(4-3) was the victim of a lack of offense as he went 8 strong innings, giving up only 2 runs on 9 hits including 10 strike outs.  Jeremy Guthrie(5-7) was just a bit better, going 7 strong innings only giving up 3 hits, one being a solo home run and the only run he surrendered for the win.  The phaithful have resorted to booing 2007 MVP Jimmy Rollins.  The Phillies have now lost 8 of their last 9 and will be happy to travel to Tampa Bay for a World Series rematch this week.

Mets fans have that same look

6-20-09: Johan Santana(8-5) pitched 7.1 innings on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Citi Field, giving up only 2 runs.  The problem was that James Shields(6-5) went 7 innings while only giving up one run, including setting down his final 14 who faced him on route to the win.  The Mets can be happy that Santana had a nice bounce back start, but it is bittersweet since they still lost the game 3-1.  J.P. Howell got his 4th save in the 9th inning of the game.

Schneider with another 3 run HR

6-21-09: On Sunday, The Mets offense came to play, the problem was that the pitching decided to stay home.  Seven Mets pitchers stumbled through the game, giving up leads two separate times en route to a 10-6 loss.  The loss gets pinned on Bobby Parnell(2-3) who looks to be worn out lately after a blazing start to the season.  The Rays relief pitching wasn’t up to par either, but the hitting bailed them out.  Joe Nelson(2-0) got the win while giving up an earned run on a 3 run home run to Schneider in the 6th with two men on.  The Mets will now welcome in the NL Central Division leading Cardinals for a four game set.  For all Mets info, visit The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Josh Johnson stifles another NY team

6-20-09: The Marlins rebounded from a loss to the empire on Friday night with a lights out performance from Josh Johnson.  Johnson(7-1) went 7 innings giving up just 3 hits in earning another victory against a team hailing from New York.  A.J. Burnett(5-4) was hurt by bad play in the field by Johnny Damon and was collared with a tough loss.  Matt Lindstrom worked the 9th inning on only 6 pitches for his 13th save of the season.

Girardi argues a double switch

6-21-09: Sunday brought another 35,827 (Yankee) fans to Land Shark Stadium in Florida, hoping to see their former home town Yankees win with the ace on the mound.  They saw nothing like that, including Sabathia leaving after only 1.1 IP and giving up 1 earned run with tightness in his left biceps.  The bullpen managed to piece it together pretty well for the rest of the game, except for Brett Tomko(0-2) who gave up 3 runs in two innings to take the loss.  The Marlins and starter Chris Volstad(5-7) who got the win, took advantage of a rough day for Yankee pitching and took 2 out of 3 this weekend.  Matt Lindstrom got his 14th save of the season, but he left the tying and go ahead runs on base when Derek Jeter made the final out.  The Yankees are protesting the game though because of a lineup mixup in the 8th inning, so we will keep an eye on that, odds are nothing changes.  The Marlins will welcome in the suddenly hot Orioles to Miami this weekend, after the O’s have won 5 in a row against the Mets and Phillies.

Lowe gets a nice ovation, and a loss

6-20-09: Fresh off a great start by Kawakami on Friday night, the Braves hoped to have another top notch performance by their ace, Derek Lowe.  Unfortunately, they saw another masterful performance by a former NL East foe, Josh Beckett.  Josh Beckett(8-3) continued his resurgence this season with a complete game 5-hit shutout of the Braves on Saturday night while striking out 7 and giving up 11 hits.  Derek Lowe pitched into the seventh inning while being charged with all 3 runs but received a great ovation by the Boston faithful when he left the mound.

Bobby Cox gets tossed...again

6-21-09: Sunday brought a common site to Brave fans, as Bobby Cox was tossed yet again.  The Boston Red Sox won in walk off fashion on a Nick Green hit an unexpected home run in the bottom of the 9th.  Jonathan Papelbon(1-1) got the win in teh back and forth game, as Braves reliever Jeff Bennett(2-4) gave up the homerun to Green for the loss.  The tough loss gave the Red Sox the series victory and the Braves missed another chance to gain ground on both the Mets and the Phillies in the NL East.  The Braves return home to face the Yankees on Tuesday night, and visit The Braves Baseball Blog for more Braves news and info

Alberto Gonzalez reacts to another walk off

6-20-09: The Washington Nationals are getting used to this walk off thing and this winning thing!  The Nats won their second straight game in walk off fashion and the fourth overall.  In the bottom of the 12th inning, after failing to move Alberto Gonzalez over on a sacrifice bunt, Willie Harris decided to end the game himself.  Harris hit his 2nd home run of the year, and sent Scott Richmond(5-4) to the loss in the 12th inning.  Julian Tavarez (3-4) got the win after pitching 1.2 innings of scoreless relief for the Nationals.

Acta is still the manager!

6-21-09: Over a week after reports surfaced that his job was in jeopardy, Manny Acta was managing and going for a series sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays at home.  He should just be glad he still has a job, as the Blue Jays were able to manage a win and avoid the sweep of the last place Nationals.   Behind 9 runs and 5 RBI from Lyle Overbay, Ricky Romero(4-3) got the win on 7 strong innings of 2 run ball.  Nationals rookie Sharon Martis(5-2) took only his second loss of the year, despite an ERA over 5.  The Nats welcome in another big task as the Boston Red Sox come to town this Tuesday night.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more information on the Nats.

For more information on the National League East this week, stop back for the NL East Series preview later today.

Special thanks to Mr North Jersey for design help. Again, if interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com