Filed Under (Series Preview) by mrose on 10-08-2009
| The Florida Marlins(58-53, 2nd in NL East 4GB, 3GB in WildCard) reassured their fans that they don’t plan on fading out of this race after a dismal showing in Washington last week. The Florida Marlins went into the city of brotherly love this weekend and swept the Phillies to pull back within four games of the lead. They did this with solid pitching, timely hitting and by finally getting to their nemesis, Jamie Moyer. They will hope to get closer to the division and wildcard this week as they welcome in the bubble riding Houston Astros for a four game set. FishGuts has all the info on this series and more.
The Houston Astros(55-56, 3rd in NL Central, 6GB of wild card) continue to flounder in between competing and playing for next year. Just when you are about to count them out, they will take a series and play well enough to be considered a contender. They currently come into this series six games back of both divisional and wildcard races after an up and down week, ending by taking two of three from the division rival Milwaukee Brewers to pull into a third place tie with them.
Note: At this point Mike Hampton is scheduled to make his start on Thursday despite a torn meniscus in his knee, so this could change.
Probable pitching matchups are below: |
| Monday @ 7:10PM EST – Moehler,HOU(7-7,5.23 ERA) vs. VandenHurk,FLA(1-1,4.29 ERA) |
Tuesday @ 7:10PM EST – Oswalt,HOU(6-4,3.61 ERA) vs. Volstad,FLA(8-9,4.48 ERA)
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| Wednesday@ 7:10PM EST-Norris,HOU(2-0,1.69 ERA) vs. Nolasco,FLA(8-7,4.86 ERA) |
Thursday @ 7:10PM EST -Hampton,HOU(7-9,5.30 ERA) vs. West,FLA(3-4,4.88 ERA)
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| The New York Mets(52-59, 4th in NL East 10GB, 9GB of Wild Card) are enduring yet another grueling west coast trip this year. Sunday’s win in San Diego was their first in their last eight tries against an opponent in California dating back to May. Lucky(or not?) for them, they enter Arizona this week where they are outstanding over the past few seasons, dating back to 2006. They at the least need better results than they received a couple weekends ago when the D’Backs took three of four from the Mets in New York just after the Mets had played a few solid games straight. Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets information.
The Arizona Diamondbacks(50-62, 4th in NL West 17GB) were on quite a roll while entering the Nations capital this past weekend. That all stopped as the Washington Nationals beat them in three straight and left them reeling, defeating even their ace Danny Haren on the way. They do have continued success from Mark Reynolds who now has 36 home runs for the Diamondbacks. The D’Backs hope returning home will help them get back to winning ways.
Probable pitching matchups are below: |
| Monday @ 9:40PM EST – Pelfrey,NYM(8-7,4.75 ERA) vs. Davis,ARI(6-10,3.67 ERA) |
Tuesday @ 9:40PM EST – Hernandez,NYM(7-6,5.08 ERA) vs. Scherzer,ARI(6-6,4.01 ERA)
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| Wednesday @ 3:40PM EST – Perez,NYM(2-3,6.38 ERA) vs. Garland,ARI(6-10,4.33 ERA) |
Be sure to check back to NLEC or the team affiliate blog frequently!
If interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com
Filed Under (Series Preview) by mrose on 23-07-2009
| The Philadelphia Phillies(53-39, 1st in NL East) are now winners of nine of their last ten games and fourteen of sixteen since getting swept by the Braves a few weeks ago. With that run and the mediocre play of the rest of the division, they have opened up a 5.5 game lead on the Atlanta Braves. They get to face two struggling teams this weekend with the Padres playing a make up game from the second week of the season and the Cardinals coming in after that.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more Philadelphia insight.
Check out the Nationals series below for a brief on the Padres.
The St. Louis Cardinals(51-46, 1st in NL Central) are barely holding onto their lead in the National League Central. The Cardinals were swept out of Houston this week by an Astros team which finds itself only one game back, and the Cardinals now have a slim lead of one game over both the Cubs and Cardinals. They will hope to extend the lead this weekend and try to slow down the train that is the Phillies.
Probable pitching matchups are below: |
| Thursday @ 7:05PM EST – Correia,SD(6-7,4.34 ERA) vs. Hamels,PHI(5-5,4.72 ERA) |
Friday @ 7:05PM EST – Pineiro,STL(8-9,3.09 ERA) vs. Happ,PHI(7-0,2.68 ERA)
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| Saturday @ 4:05PM EST – Lohse,STL(4-6,4.21 ERA) vs. Lopez,PHI(2-0,2.60 ERA) |
Sunday @ 1:35PM EST – Wellemeyer,STL(7-8,5.68 ERA) vs. Blanton,PHI(6-4,4.24 ERA)
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| The Atlanta Braves(49-47, 2nd in NL East 6GB) are fresh off winning two straight four game series against the Mets and Giants. Their offense was front and center in most of the games, as they won six and only lost two of those games. This run has put them in a tie for second place in the division with the Florida Marlins and they are now only 3.5 games back of the National League wild card. The team travels for the first time since the all-star break to Milwaukee for three games against another wildcard contender. Check out The Braves Baseball blog for more insight.
The Milwaukee Brewers(48-47, 4th in NL Central 2GB) are another team with an up and down season. Currently they are only two games back of the division lead and four back of the wildcard lead. They are in the thick of things and they continue to have good offensive production from all-stars Braun and Fielder. They welcome in a hot Braves team in hopes that other NL East teams can help them move up the divisional and wildcard standings over the weekend.
The probable pitchers are shown below: |
| Friday @ 8:05PM EST – Vazquez,ATL(7-7,2.86 ERA) vs. Parra,MIL(4-8,6.37 ERA) |
Saturday @ 7:05PM EST-Hanson,ATL(5-0,3.00 ERA) vs. Gallardo,MIL(8-7,3.28 ERA)
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| Sunday @ 2:05PM EST – Lowe,ATL(9-7,4.26 ERA) vs. Burns,MIL(2-3,6.21 ERA) |
| The Florida Marlins(49-47, 2nd in NL East 6GB) recovered from an embarrassing sweep by the Phillies at home this past weekend. They traveled to San Diego and swept the lowly Padres, mainly with great pitching, and small ball or timely hitting. They are now within three games of the wild card leading St. Louis Cardinals and beyond that have an uphill battle for the division lead. The Marlins travel up the west coast to Los Angeles where possibly the best team in the National League, and top teams in baseball awaits them. Check out FishGuts for more Marlins insight and info.
The Los Angeles Dodgers(61-34, 1st in NL West) are off a series sweep of the Cincinnati Reds this week, and add that to the wins over the weekend, and they have put together a quiet five game winning streak. Manny Ramirez came off the bench last night to provide the heroics for the Dodgers and proving why the Dodgers needed him back on the active roster so badly. The Dodgers own the largest division lead in baseball and already can begin cruising to the playoffs.
The probable pitchers are shown below: |
| Friday @ 10:10PM EST – Johnson,FLA(8-2,2.74 ERA) vs. Kershaw,LAD(8-5,2.95 ERA) |
Saturday @ 10:10PM EST – VandenHurk,FLA(1-0,3.00 ERA) vs. Kuroda,LAD(3-5,4.73 ERA)
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| Sunday @ 4:10PM EST – Volstad,FLA(7-9,4.34 ERA) vs. Schmidt,LAD(1-0,5.40 ERA) |
| The New York Mets(44-50, 4th in NL East 10GB) are in complete free fall. They lost two in a row and the series to the Nationals this week, after losing three of four to the Braves over the weekend and are now a season high, six games under .500. They are seven full games behind the wildcard as well, and all signs point to packing it in until next year. They draw a hot Astros team this weekend and as I feel i’m always writing, no relief appears in site for all the injuries. All signs point to either Nelson Figueroa or Jon Niese getting the start on Saturday night as well in place of Fernando Nieve. Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets news.
The Houston Astros(49-46, tied for 2nd in NL Central 1GB) are 5-2 since the all-star break and have climbed within one game of first place in the NL Central. Their fans and players hope they can pull off another great late season come back as it seems they always do. They hope to continue their heroic ways when they face the hobbled and beaten down New York Mets team at MinuteMaid Park this weekend.
The probable pitchers are shown below: |
| Friday@8:05PM EST-Santana,NYM(11-7,2.92 ERA) vs. Hampton,HOU(5-7,4.63 ERA) |
| Friday @ 7:05PM EST – TBA,NYM vs. Ortiz,HOU(3-4,4.33 ERA) |
| Sunday @ 2:05PM EST – Hernandez,NYM(6-5,4.93 ERA) vs. Moehler,HOU(7-5,4.92 ERA) |
| The Washington Nationals(28-66, 5th in NL East 26GB) are flying high after taking the series this week against divisional rival New York Mets. The wins were Jim Riggleman’s first as Nats manager and his first series win and winning streak. They will hope they can continue their new found success tonight against the second owrst team in the majors, the San Diego Padres and then over the weekend against the Cardinals. Colin Balester will make his first start of the year in place of injured Jordan Zimmermann tonight. Check out CenterfieldGate for more news, information and insight on the Nats.
Check out the Phillies preview at the top of the page for information on the Cardinals.
The San Diego Padres(37-58, 5th in NL West 24GB) are fresh off getting swept by the Florida Marlins at Petco Park. They have lost six of seven games since the All-Star break and are further falling into the basement of the National League West division. Thursday they have an even tougher matchup where they face the Phillies ace Cole Hamels in a makeup game. After this though, they will go to Washington for a three game set for the worst team in the Majors, so they could go on a small role.
The probable pitchers are shown below: |
| Thursday @7:05PM EST – Wainwright,STL(10-6,3.01 ERA) vs. Balester,WAS(0-0,0.00 ERA) |
Friday @ 7:05PM EST – Latos,SD(0-1,4.50 ERA) vs. Mock,WAS(0-3,7.71 ERA)
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| Saturday @ 7:05PM EST – Stauffer,SD(0-1,2.08 ERA) vs. Martin,WAS(0-1,11.25 ERA) |
Sunday @ 1:35PM EST – Gaudin,SD(4-9,4.82 ERA) vs. Lannan,WAS(7-7,3.38 ERA)
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Be sure to check back to NLEC or the team affiliate blog frequently!
If interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com
Filed Under (Series Preview) by mrose on 10-07-2009
| The Philadelphia Phillies(45-38, 1st in NL East) took three out of four from the Reds this week. They decided after playing one game that could have had the mercy rule to play some real baseball though in their other two wins. They were also able to extend their lead in the division with the faltering play of the other teams. Check out Phillies Phandom for more Philadelphia insight.
The Pirates(38-47, 6th in NL Central 8GB) come into this weekend losers of five of their last seven. They will hope to put up a fight against a hot Philly team and to stay close enough to make a move in their own division.
Probable pitching matchups are below: |
| Friday @ 7:05PM EST – Duke,PIT(8-7,3.28 ERA) vs. Blanton,PHI(5-4,4.69 ERA) |
Saturday @ 7:05PM EST – Ohlendorf,PIT(7-7,4.63 ERA) vs. Hamels,PHI(5-5,4.70 ERA)
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| Sunday @ 1:35PM EST -Vasquez,PIT(1-2,4.50 ERA) vs. Happ,PHI(5-0,3.04 ERA) |
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| The Florida Marlins(44-42, 2nd in NL East 2GB) really need All-Star shortstop and slugger Hanley Ramirez to get healthy quick. They did take the final game of a three game set in San Francisco, but their offense is much different with him out of the lineup. The Marlins are still only two games back of the Phillies for first place, but they will need to find ways to win without Hanley to keep pace. They head to Arizona this weekend in hopes of getting closer to first place.
The Arizona Diamondbacks(36-49, 4th in NL West 17.5GB) are hot right now, winners of five straight games, including a sweep of the Padres this week. They will look to stay hot, but are currently thirteen games under .500 and 10.5 games back of even the wild card in the National League. At this point, you need to wonder if they are already out of it?
The probable pitchers are shown below: |
| Thursday @ 9:40PM EST – Miller,FLA(3-4,4.42 ERA) vs. Petit,ARI(0-3,8.46 ERA) |
Friday @ 9:40PM EST – Nolasco,FLA(6-6,5.42 ERA) vs. Haren,ARI(8-5,2.16 ERA)
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| Saturday @ 8:10PM EST – West,FLA(3-3,4.47 ERA) vs. Garland,ARI(4-8,4.80 ERA) |
Sunday @ 4:10PM EST – Johnson,FLA(7-2,2.82 ERA) vs. Davis,ARI(4-8,3.13 ERA)
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| The Braves(41-43, third in NL East 4GB) were able to rebound from a letdown weekend in Washington where they lost two out of three games after pulling within two of first place. They won the final two games in Chicago against the Cubs to put them alone in third place for the time being and only be four games back of Philly and two under .500 for the season. They will hope to rely on their starting pitching and solid bullpen this weekend in the hitters park that is Coors Field. Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more information on the Bravos.
Colorado(45-39, third in NL West 8GB) improved to six games above .500 and continued their hot play since the manager change this week. They were able to sweep the Washington Nationals using different game plans this week. One game was won via great pitching, another via bad defense for the Nats and one with clutch hitting. They hope to march toward the wildcard lead this weekend against the Braves.
The probable pitchers are shown below: |
| Thursday @ 8:40PM EST – Hanson,ATL(4-0,2.25 ERA) vs. Cook,COL(8-3,3.76 ERA) |
Friday @ 8:40PM EST – Lowe,ATL(7-7,4.56 ERA) vs. Jimenez,COL(6-8,3.86 ERA)
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| Saturday@8:10PM EST-Jurrjens,ATL(6-7,2.91 ERA) vs. Marquis,COL(11-5,3.61 ERA) |
Sunday @ EST – Vazquez,ATL(6-7,2.95 ERA) vs. Hammel,COL(5-4,4.07 ERA)
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| The New York Mets(40-44, 4th in NL East 5.5GB) mercifully took one out of three from the Dodgers this week at home in Citi Field. Its quite obvious that the injuries have taken a toll on this team and the team and fans are likely not sure what to do next. They hope to stay close going into the much needed All-Star break, but check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets articles.
The Reds(41-43, 5th in NL Central 4.5GB) as mentioned above have just lost three of four to the Phillies. They also are in a similar position as the Mets, sans the injuries in that they are hoping even with a mediocre first half, to close strong and have a play for the division.
Probable pitching matchups below: |
| Friday @ 7:10PM EST – Arroyo,CIN(8-8,5.85 ERA) vs. Nieve,NYM(3-2,2.73 ERA) |
Saturday @ 7:10PM EST – Cueto,CIN(8-5,3.45 ERA) vs. Santana,NYM(9-7,3.29 ERA)
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| Sunday @ 1:10PM EST – Harang,CIN(5-8,3.89 ERA) vs. Pelfrey,NYM(6-4,4.52 ERA) |
| The Washington Nationals(24-58, 5th in NL East 20GB) continue to give their fans little bits of hope and then dash them away a few days later. Over the weekend, they cooled off the Atlanta Braves by taking two out of three games and had some high hopes going to Colorado. Once they got to Colorado, the Rockies swept them right out of town, and the Nats defense was also on display, but not in a good way. They hope that a matchup with the Houston Astros will heal some of their wounds. Check out CenterfieldGate for more information during the series between the teams.
The Astros(41-42, 5th in NL Central 3.5GB) are 6-4 in their last ten and currently sit only 3.5 games back in the competitive National League Central. They are fresh off a series in against Pittsburgh and have won three out of four games.
This series features the completion of a suspended game from May prior to the game Thursday. That game was suspended in the 12th inning in Washington and since Houston would not be returning to Washington, they will play it in Houston, with the Nationals being the home team until that finishes.
Probable pitching matchups are listed below: |
| Thursday @ 8:05PM EST – Lannan,WAS(6-5,3.45 ERA) vs. Ortiz,HOU(3-4,4.11 ERA) |
Friday @ 8:05PM EST – Olsen,WAS(2-4,6.04 ERA) vs. Oswalt,HOU(5-4,3.81 ERA)
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| Saturday @ 7:05PM EST – Stammen,WAS(1-4,4.88 ERA) vs. Hampton,HOU(5-5,4.16 ERA) |
Sunday @ 2:05PM EST- Zimmermann,WAS(3-3,4.52 ERA) vs. Moehler,HOU(5-5,5.52 ERA)
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This should be a great weekend of National League East Baseball, please be sure to check back to NLEC or the team affiliate blog frequently!
If interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com
Filed Under (Series Preview) by mrose on 09-07-2009
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| The Florida Marlins(44-42, 2nd in NL East 2GB) really need All-Star shortstop and slugger Hanley Ramirez to get healthy quick. They did take the final game of a three game set in San Francisco, but their offense is much different with him out of the lineup. The Marlins are still only two games back of the Phillies for first place, but they will need to find ways to win without Hanley to keep pace. They head to Arizona this weekend in hopes of getting closer to first place.
The Arizona Diamondbacks(36-49, 4th in NL West 17.5GB) are hot right now, winners of five straight games, including a sweep of the Padres this week. They will look to stay hot, but are currently thirteen games under .500 and 10.5 games back of even the wild card in the National League. At this point, you need to wonder if they are already out of it?
The probable pitchers are shown below: |
| Thursday @ 9:40PM EST – Miller,FLA(3-4,4.42 ERA) vs. Petit,ARI(0-3,8.46 ERA) |
Friday @ 9:40PM EST – Nolasco,FLA(6-6,5.42 ERA) vs. Haren,ARI(8-5,2.16 ERA)
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| Saturday @ 8:10PM EST – West,FLA(3-3,4.47 ERA) vs. Garland,ARI(4-8,4.80 ERA) |
Sunday @ 4:10PM EST – Johnson,FLA(7-2,2.82 ERA) vs. Davis,ARI(4-8,3.13 ERA)
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| The Braves(41-43, third in NL East 4GB) were able to rebound from a letdown weekend in Washington where they lost two out of three games after pulling within two of first place. They won the final two games in Chicago against the Cubs to put them alone in third place for the time being and only be four games back of Philly and two under .500 for the season. They will hope to rely on their starting pitching and solid bullpen this weekend in the hitters park that is Coors Field. Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more information on the Bravos.
Colorado(45-39, third in NL West 8GB) improved to six games above .500 and continued their hot play since the manager change this week. They were able to sweep the Washington Nationals using different game plans this week. One game was won via great pitching, another via bad defense for the Nats and one with clutch hitting. They hope to march toward the wildcard lead this weekend against the Braves.
The probable pitchers are shown below: |
| Thursday @ 8:40PM EST – Hanson,ATL(4-0,2.25 ERA) vs. Cook,COL(8-3,3.76 ERA) |
Friday @ 8:40PM EST – Lowe,ATL(7-7,4.56 ERA) vs. Jimenez,COL(6-8,3.86 ERA)
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| Saturday@8:10PM EST-Jurrjens,ATL(6-7,2.91 ERA) vs. Marquis,COL(11-5,3.61 ERA) |
Sunday @ EST – Vazquez,ATL(6-7,2.95 ERA) vs. Hammel,COL(5-4,4.07 ERA)
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| The Washington Nationals(24-58, 5th in NL East 20GB) continue to give their fans little bits of hope and then dash them away a few days later. Over the weekend, they cooled off the Atlanta Braves by taking two out of three games and had some high hopes going to Colorado. Once they got to Colorado, the Rockies swept them right out of town, and the Nats defense was also on display, but not in a good way. They hope that a matchup with the Houston Astros will heal some of their wounds. Check out CenterfieldGate for more information during the series between the teams.The Astros(41-42, 5th in NL Central 3.5GB) are 6-4 in their last ten and currently sit only 3.5 games back in the competitive National League Central. They are fresh off a series in against Pittsburgh and have won three out of four games.
This series features the completion of a suspended game from May prior to the game Thursday. That game was suspended in the 12th inning in Washington and since Houston would not be returning to Washington, they will play it in Houston, with the Nationals being the home team until that finishes.
Probable pitching matchups are listed below: |
| Thursday @ 8:05PM EST – Lannan,WAS(6-5,3.45 ERA) vs. Ortiz,HOU(3-4,4.11 ERA) |
Friday @ 8:05PM EST – Olsen,WAS(2-4,6.04 ERA) vs. Oswalt,HOU(5-4,3.81 ERA)
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| Saturday @ 7:05PM EST – Stammen,WAS(1-4,4.88 ERA) vs. Hampton,HOU(5-5,4.16 ERA) |
Sunday @ 2:05PM EST- Zimmermann,WAS(3-3,4.52 ERA) vs. Moehler,HOU(5-5,5.52 ERA)
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A full NL East Series Preview with Mets and Phillies will publish tomorrow. Since a few teams are playing series starting Thursday night though, this needs to be published. Enjoy!
