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.

Lidge returns to action

The Phillies won their first series since taking two out of three from the Mets in early June by beating the Blue Jays 5-4 in Toronto yesterday.  Jamie Moyer(6-6) went five innings while giving up four earned runs, but giving up three earned runs in earning the win for the Phils.  Brian Tallet(5-5) went slightly longer than Jamie Moyer, giving up the same number of earned runs but because of an unearned run, took the loss in this game.  Brad Lidge worked a shaky ninth inning to get his first save since returning from the disabled list, his 14th of the year.  The Phillies will take Monday off before heading to Atlanta to take on the Braves on Tuesday.

Rivera joins the elite 500 save club

During the nightcap for Sunday’s games, the Mets were hoping to manage one game in this edition of the Subway Series against the Yankees.  Unfortunately, mental issues stopped them from doing that early in the game once again.  Livan Hernandez(5-3) worked seven innings, while only giving up three runs in the first inning of a game in which Daniel Murphy, the young and unexperienced first basemen made another odd play.  In the first inning, on a ground ball, he decided to throw to third to hope to get a tag down on Jeter rather than taking a sure out at first base which likely made a huge difference in the game.  Chien-Ming Wang(1-6) got his first win of the year with just over five innings of two run ball, but was not the Wang of old yet.  Mariano Rivera worked 1.1 innings and got an RBI to earn his first RBI of his career on a bases loaded walk and earn his 500th save of his amazing career.  The Mets hope that returning to regular National League play this week will allow them to right their ship, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more information.

Fredi is concerned

The Florida Marlins managed just four hits yesterday against the Tampa Bay Rays in the finale of their three game set and interleague play.  After a successful week against the Yankees and Orioles, the Marlins could not manage a win versus the defending American League champions.  David Price(2-2) worked 6.1 innings while only giving up two hits and one run, but five bases on balls to get the win, as Andrew Miller(2-4) gave up all five Rays runs in the same amount of time.  J.P. Howell who had earned wins in the first two games of this series, got the last two outs of this game on strike outs for his fifth save of the season.  The Marlins welcome the last place Nationals into Miami this week for a three game set.

Chipper and Garret go yard

Tommy Hanson continues to impress everyone and show that he is the phenom prospect he was supposed to be.  Hanson(4-0) went six innings of two hit ball to get his fourth win in five starts this season for the Braves.  The closer revolving door for the Braves let Mike Gonzalez get his ninth save of the year in a 2-1 Braves win with Rafael Soriano getting the hold today.  The Braves were propelled to victory but two solo home runs by Chipper Jones and Garret Anderson and that’s all the pitching needed.  Brad Penny(6-3) worked six strong innings only giving up the solo shots in taking the loss.  The Braves will welcome in the Phillies tomorrow night, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more information.

The Nats celebrate a win

The Nats were another NL East team which was looking to avoid a sweep at the hands of an AL East team yesterday.  Like the Braves, the Nationals managed to get the win and avoid the series sweep by the Orioles.  Adam Dunn hit yet another monster home run and John Lannan(5-5) pitched another solid game into the eighth inning to get the win for the Nationals.  Mike MacDougal picked up his third save of the season while David Hernandez(1-2) went 5.2 innings pitched while giving up three runs in taking the loss for the O’s.  The Nationals will travel to Miami and take on the Marlins this week, more will be available at CenterfieldGate.

Make sure to check back later for the NL East Series Preview for this week.

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.

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

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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.

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