Mets vs. Rockies

The Mets beat the Rockies 1-0 Tuesday night. This game featured a great pitchers duel between starters Mike Pelfrey and Ubaldo Jimenez. The only run of the game came in the bottom of the 7th. After walking Chris Carter to start the inning, Jimenez then gave up a double to Josh Thole to put men on second and third. A few batters later, Jose Reyes hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Jeff Francoeur, who pinch-ran for Carter.

Pelfrey went 7 strong innings to get the win, giving up no runs and only four hits while striking out four.  Jimenez also went 7 great innings, but took the loss. Jimenez allowed one run on four hits while striking out eight. Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 25th save of the season for the Mets.

Marlins vs. Nationals

The Marlins took the series opener 8-2 Tuesday. Florida jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the 1st on an Dan Uggla home run. Uggla drove in two more runs in the 3rd on a double to left field to score Hanley Ramirez and Gaby Sanchez. Washington got on the board in the bottom of the 3rd after a field error by Wes Helms allowed Ivan Rodriguez to score. Florida added three more runs in the 5th with doubles by Sanchez and Helms. Logan Morrison singled in the 6th to score Ramirez, making it 8-1 Florida. Washington had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th, but could only get one run home to make it 8-2.

Anibal Sanchez got the win, going 6.2 innings and giving up two runs on five hits while striking out seven. Stephen Strasburg took the loss, going 4.1 innings and allowing six runs on six hits while striking out four.

Phillies vs. Dodgers

The Phillies fell to the Dodgers 15-9. Andre Ethier drove in Los Angeles’ first two runs of the game with a single in the 1st and a double in the 3rd. Ethier would score later in the 3rd on a single by Jay Gibbons. The Dodgers scored four more runs in the 4th to make it 7-0 Dodgers. Placido Polanco scored the Phillies first run in the bottom of the 4th. In the bottom of the 5th, Wilson Valdez scored on a ground out by Polanco. Ross Gload followed with a two-run shot t0 right field to cut the lead to 7-4. As soon as the Phillies made it a close game, they gave it all right back, giving up four more runs to L.A. in the top of the 6th. Domonic Brown homered in the 6th for the Phillies to make it 11-5. Los Angeles responded in the 7th with two more runs on a single by Matt Kemp. Philadelphia put up two runs in the 7th on a homer by Gload to make it 13-7.  In the top of the 9th, Casey Blake made it 15-7 Dodgers with a two run home run to left field. The Phillies fought back in the bottom of the inning, but were only able to add two runs on a double by Brown.

Vicente Padilla got the win, going 5 innings and giving up four runs on six hits while striking out two. Kyle Kendrick took the loss, lasting only 3.1 innings and giving up six runs on eight hits while striking out one.

Braves vs. Astros

The Braves beat the Astros by a score of 4-2. After entering the game for an injured Chipper Jones, Brooks Conrad scored the games first run in the 7th on a single by Troy Glaus. The Braves defense was sloppy in the bottom of the 8th, however, with errors by Alex Gonzalez and Omar Infante allowing Houston to take a 2-0 lead. Solo shots by Conrad and Glaus in the to of the 9th gave Atlanta the lead.

Braves starter Jair Jurrjens went 7.1 innings and got the no decision. He gave up two runs on six hits while striking out three. Jonny Venters got the win for Atlanta after facing just one batter. Houston starter J.A. Happ also got a no decision, going 6.1 innings and allowing one run on two hits while striking out six. Matt Lindstrom took the loss for the Astros. Billy Wagner  came in to pitch a 1-2-3 9th to get his 28th save of the season for Atlanta.

Braves vs. Giants

The Braves took the opening game of their four-game series with the Giants by a score of 3-2. San Francisco jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the 1st as Andres Torres scored on Aubrey Huff’s ground out. The Giants tagged on another run in the 2nd when Torres hit a double to center, driving home Aaron Rowand. Atlanta tied up the game in the bottom of the 2nd with a two-run shot to left field off the bat of Alex Gonzalez. Eric  Hinske would homer for the Braves in the bottom of the 6th to make it 3-2 Atlanta.

Jair Jurrjens got the win, going 6 innings and giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out three. Tim Lincecum took the loss, going 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on six hits while striking out seven. Billy Wagner recorded his 26th save of the season for Atlanta.

Marlins vs. Phillies

The Phillies beat the Marlins 5-4 in 10 innings. The game was scoreless until the top of the 6th when Carlos Ruiz doubled, hitting  a line drive to center to drive in Raul Ibanez and Domonic Brown, giving Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. The Marlins came back in the bottom of the 7th to score four runs. Donnie Murphy hit a ground-rule double to drive in a run. Two batters later, Logan Morrison walked with the bases loaded tying the game at 2-2. Gaby Sanchez followed with a single to drive in two more runs for Florida. Going into the 9th with a 4-2 lead, a Hanley Ramirez error along with poor pitching from the Florida bullpen allowed for the Phillies to tie up the game. The game winning run for the Phillies came in the top of the 10th on a homer to left field off the bat of Ruiz.

Phillies starter Roy Oswalt went 6.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out five. Ryan Madson got the win for Philadelphia. Chris Volstad went 5.2 innings for Florida, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out two batters. Will Ohman took the loss for Florida. Brad Lidge recorded his 12th save for the Phillies.

Nationals vs. Diamondbacks

The Nationals lost to the Diamondbacks by a score of 8-4. A fielding error by Adam Dunn in the 2nd allowed for Rusty Ryal to reach base and Adam LaRoche to score for Arizona. Ryal would score later in the inning on a double by Bobby Crosby. Adam Kennedy got Washington on the board in the 3rd with a solo shot to right field, cutting Arizona’s lead to 2-1. The next inning, Stephen Drew hit an RBI single for Arizona. Arizona starter Barry Enright helped himself out at the plate, driving in Drew with a single to center field. Ryan Zimmerman homered in the top of the 5th, cutting the lead to 4-2. Zimmerman had two home runs on the night. Arizona would respond, however, with three more runs in the bottom of the 5th. Roger Bernadina homered in the 7th for Washington. Arizona tagged on their 8th run in the 8th on a sacrifice fly by Justin Upton.

Ross Detwiler took the loss for Washington. He lasted only 4 innings, giving up seven runs on  nine hits while striking out five. Barry Enright got the win for Arizona. He went 6 innings allowing two runs on six hits while striking out three.

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.

Another day full of exciting Winter League Baseball out in Arizona:

The Peoria Saguaros (Atlanta Braves) edged the Mesa Solar Sox (Florida Marlins) breaking a 5 all tie in the ninth to win 6-5. Contributors in the Peoria victory included Freddie Freeman who went 2-4 with a homerun, a RBI, and 2 runs scored and Brandon Hicks, who went 0-1 with 3          

Freddie Freeman, Peoria Saguaros

walks. In the loss, the Mesa Solar Sox had Matt Dominguez go 0-4 with three strikeouts. Greg burns, 2-4, 1R; Garrett Parcell, 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB; and Jay Buente, 1 IP, 2K, 0 ER, 0 BB, all helped to keep the Mesa Solar Sox close, but Jay Voss blew the save with 1 IP, 2 H, 1ER and 1 BB.          

Unfortunately for the Atlanta Braves, all the news was not good news. The Braves learned that Jason Heyward, a candidate to be in the starting outfield for the Braves in 2010, will miss the rest of the Arizona Fall League due to discomfort where his hamstring meets his gluteus muscles.

Stephen Strasburg, Phoenix Desert Dogs

The Phoenix Desert Dogs (Washington Nationals) got 4.1 strong innings from Stephen Strasburg, including 4 no-hit innings, to defeat the Surprise Rafters (New York Mets) 7-6. Strasburg’s final line was W, 4.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, and 5 K. Other Nationals contributing to the Desert Dogs victory included Josh Wilkie who pitched 1.2 innings in relief of Strasburg yielding 2 hits, no earned runs (1R), and striking out 2. Danny Espinosa went 2-4 with a double and a run scored. Chris Marrero was 1-4 on the afternoon with a run scored and Sean Rooney went 0-3 with a strikeout. The only New York Met to take the field for the Surprise Rafters was Ike Davis who went 0-4 with a walk.

Lastly, the Peoria Javelinas defeated the Scottsdale Scorpions (Philadelphia Phillies) by a final count of 10-9. Michael Cisco got the start for the Scorpions and did not pitch badly. He went 3 innings while giving up only 2 hits, 2 walks, striking out 2 and yielding no earned runs (2 R). Scott Mathieson appeared later in the game and pitched equally well, with a final line of 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, and 3 K. Domonic Brown went 2-5 in a losing effort.

In today’s action, the Surprise Rafters take on the Peoria Saguaros while the Phoenix Desert Dogs play the Peoria Javelinas. The Scottsdale Scorpions battle the Mesa Solar Sox.

The Arizona Fall League marches on and NL East Chatter will try and do a better job of keeping you up to date on the happenings of this minor league proving ground.

Here is a recap of yesterday’s action:                                                                                                                                                                                   

The Phoenix Desert Dogs broke the hearts of the Mesa Solar Sox 9 to 5 after scoring four runs in the ninth inning thanks to a Nevin Ashley (Tampa Bay Rays) grandslam. Notable NL East contributors included, from the Mesa Solar Sox (Florida Marlins): Bryan Petersen, 1-5, 2B, 1R

Bryan Petersen, OF, Mesa Solar Sox

and from the Phoenix Desert Dogs (Washington Nationals): Danny Espinosa, 0-3, 1R; Chris Marrero, 0-4; Drew Storen, 1 W (1 BS), 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER.

The Surpise Rafters (New York Mets) lost a pitching duel against the Peoria Javelinas by a final count of 2-1. Notable NL East contributors were Ike Davis, 1-4; Ruben Tejada, 2-3, 1 SB; and Jenrry Mejia, L, 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.

Lastly, the Peoria Saguaros (Atlanta Braves) crushed the Scottsdale Scorpions (Philadelphia Phillies) 10-2. Lee Hyde contributed to the Saguaros victory by pitching 1 inning of scoreless baseball and yielding only 1 hit. Domonic Brown went 2-3 with a triple and 2 RBI in the loss. Tuffy Gosewich also contributed a 1-3 afternoon in a losing effort. Michael Schwimer threw gasoline on an established blaze by pitching 1 inning, yielding 3 hits (1 HR), 3 earned runs (4 R) and walking two batters.

All teams are in action today as the Mesa Solar Sox take on the Peoria Saguaros, the Surprise Rafters battle the Phoenix Desert Dogs and starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, and the Scottsdale Scorpions send Michael Cisco to the hill to take on the Peoria Javelinas.    

The National League East has transplanted west in the sunshine of Arizona for the moment, except of course for the Philadelphia Phillies who are still alive in the playoffs. Here is a statistical recap of the players the National League East sent to the Arizona Fall League:

Phoenix Desert Dogs:
(featuring the Washington Nationals)                                                                                                      

Danny Espinosa, 2B: .200 AVG; 2 R; 4 RBI; 2 BB; 2 K; 1 SB
Chris Marrero, 1B: .429 AVG; 1 R; 1 2B; 1 HR; 2 RBI; 3 BB; 1 K
Stephen Strasburg, P: 1 W; 3.1 IP; 2 H; 1 BB; 2 K; 0 ER
Drew Storen, P: 2.0 IP; 4 H; 2 R; 0 ER; 0 BB; 2 K
Jeff Mandel, P: 1 IP; 1 H; 0 ER; 0 BB; 0 K
Josh Wilkie, P: 1 IP; 3 H; 4 R; 0 ER; 2 BB; 2 K
Sean Rooney: Has Not Played

Surprise Rafters:
(featuring the New York Mets)

Lucas Duda, OF: .400 AVG; 1 2B; 1 R; 2 RBI, 1 BB                                                                                       
Ruben Tejada, SS: .385 AVG; 1 2B; 5 R; 3 RBI; 1 BB; 3 K; 2 SB
Ike Davis, 1B: .357 AVG; 2 2B; 2 R; 8 RBI; 1 HR; 0 BB; 4 K
Reese Havens, SS: .000 AVG; 1 BB; 3 K
Josh Stinson, P: 2 IP; 2 H, 2 ER; 1 HR Allowed; 2 BB, 1 K
Scott Moviel, P: 1 W; 2 IP; 0 H; 0 ER; 1 HB; 3 BB; 0 K
Jenrry Mejia, P: 1.0 IP; 1 H; 3 ER; 3 BB; 1 K
Eric Niesen, P: 1 IP; 0 ER; 0 H; 0 BB; 0 K

Mesa Solar Sox
(featuring the Florida Marlins):

Mike Stanton, OF: .533 AVG; 2 R; 2 RBI; 1 HR; 2 BB; 6 K; 3 SB                                                          
Bryan Petersen, OF: .400 AVG; 3 R; 2 2B; 1 RBI; 1 HR; 0 BB; 1 K
Matt Dominguez, 3B: .154 AVG; 2 R; 0 RBI; 0 BB; 3 K
Greg Burns, OF: .000 AVG; 2 BB; 1 K
Andrew Miller, P: 2 IP; 1 H; 1 ER; 3 BB; 2 K
Jay Voss, P: 2 IP; 2 H; 3 ER; 1 HR Allowed; 2 BB; 3 K
Garrett Parcell, P: 1.2 IP; 5 H; 3 R; 0 ER; 0 BB; 3 K
Jay Buente, P: 1 IP; 2 H; 2 R; 1 ER; 0 BB; 0 K

Peoria Saguaros:
(featuring the Atlanta Braves):

Jason Heyward, RF: .286 AVG; 3 R; 3 2B; 1 RBI; 2 BB; 1 K; 2 SB
Brandon Hicks, SS: .231 AVG; 1 R; 0 BB; 3 K
Freddie Freeman, 1B: .143 AVG; 0 R; 0 RBI; 2 BB; 3 K                                                                                                     
Jeff Lyman, P: 0-1; 2.1 IP; 6 H; 6 ER; 2 HR Allowed; 4 BB; 2 K
Mike Minor, P: 2.0 IP; 1 H, 1 R; 0 ER; 2 BB: 0 K
Lee Hyde, P: 2.0 IP; 1 H; 0 R; 1 BB; 4 K

Scottsdale Scorpions
(featuring the Philadelphia Phillies):

Tuffy Gosewisch, C: .444 AVG; 0 R; 0 RBI; 0 BB; 3 K
Domonic Brown, OF: .300 AVG; 2 R; 3 2B; 4 RBI; 1 HR; 4 BB; 3 K
Steve Susdorf, OF: .077 AVG; 1 R; 1 RBI; 1 HR; 1 BB; 2 K
Troy Hanzawa, SS: .000 AVG; 1 R; 1 BB; 1 K
Edgar Garcia, P: 1-1; 4.0 IP; 4H; 4 R; 3 ER; 3 BB; 4 K                                                                                                 
Michael Cisco, P: 2 IP; 1 H; 0 ER; 2 BB; 3 K
Michael Schwimer, P: 2.0 IP; 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Scott Mathieson, P: 2 IP; 0 H; 0 ER; 0 BB; 2 K