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.

Lidge blows #11

The Florida Marlins were looking to take two of three against the first place Phillies last night and pull closer in the wildcard and division, but were down headed to late innings.  They fought back late in the game with a Gaby Sanchez home run in the eighth, a Cody Ross RBI single in the eighth and finally a Jorge Cantu RBI single to tie it in the ninth.  That wasn’t the end of it though, as Brett Carroll singled home Hanley Ramirez with the winning run against struggling closer Brad Lidge in the bottom of the ninth to win 7-6.  Dan Meyer(3-1) got the win while working a scoreless inning in the ninth as the Marlins try to keep their playoff hopes alive, FishGuts has more.

Brad Lidge is a far cry from last year’s perfect season, now with his 11th blown save of the year.  Lidge only recorded two outs in the bottom of the ninth while allowing three hits and a walk while giving up two runs and his ERA is now 7.48 on the season.  The blown save took another win away from starter Cole Hamels and took the emphasis off a game in which both Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard homered and Howard had a total of four RBI.  Phillies Phandom will cover Lidge’s struggle.

Cox with an extension and another win

On a night when it was announced that Bobby Cox would manage for another season, the Braves gave him another win.  Tim Hudson(2-1) went six innings allowing nine hits and two runs to continue a successful Tommy John comeback and the bottom of the order did the heavy lifting for the Braves.  Adam LaRoche went 3-5 with two RBI and Kelly Johnson went 1-3 with two RBI on way to the 5-2 win.  Rafael Soriano once again worked the ninth allowing just a walk to get his 26th save of the season, check out Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Mike Pelfrey absolutely can’t find the magic he had last year as he lost again.  Pelfrey(10-12) went six innings and allowed nine hits and four runs (although three earned) in taking another loss.  Luis Castillo singled home Pelfrey in the third and then Angel Pagan had an RBI on a fielders’ choice error in the fourth for their only runs.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has more on the game and the Mets floundering season.

The Nats win one in walk off fashion

The Nationals took a game from the Dodgers last night, with a final score of 5-4 and in walk off fashion on Pete Orr’s sacrifice fly in the ninth.  Ryan Zimmerman had a big blow in the sixth as he hit a three run home run off Chad Billingsley to temporarily tie the game.  The Nats would go ahead onf Elijah Dukes RBI groundout before giving it back again in the ninth.  Saul Rivera(1-3) got the win as he worked the final two outs of the top of the ninth inning on only three pitches. Check out Centerfield Gate for an in depth recap on the game.

Chad Billingsley pitched well through the first six innings but then appeared to break down in the sixth inning.  Billingsley went six innings allowing just one hit and three runs, but walking four and striking out nine, the one hit being the big three run homer.  On offense, Andre Ethier, James Loney and Russell Martin were credited with RBI’s in the game but no one had more than two hits for the Dodgers.

Hamels almost gets perfection

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels had a perfect game into the sixth inning of this game against the Nats, although he lost it, the Phillies and he got the win, 4-2.  Hamels(10-9) went eight innings only allowing five hits and one run and striking out ten and looks to have found his form.  Hamels even helped himself with the bat as he had an RBI single in the sixth inning.  Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz also added RBI’s in this game.  Brad Lidge recorded his 30th save but he did give up yet another run in the bottom of the ninth.   Phillies Phandom has more on this and the Phils.

Ross Detwiler pitched well enough to win, but again, where was the offense?  Detwiler(0-6) can’t buy  a win as he went five innings allowing just four hits and one run while striking out six.  The Nationals got a run on an Elijah Dukes seventh inning single and he scored the only other run on an Ian Desmond RBI groundout in the bottom of the ninth.  The Nats hope a trip to NY will solve their problems, Centerfield Gate has more.

McCann with the big blow in the sweep

Brian McCann made sure that the Braves swept the lowly Mets last night, as the Braves took the game 7-3.  McCann hit a fifth inning three run home run off starter Nelson Figueroa to put this game away.  Jair Jurrjens(12-10) continued his mastery of the New York Mets as he worked seven innings allowing six hits and two runs (one earned) in another well pitched game.  Martin Prado added two RBI of his own in this one and McCann finished with four total RBI.  The Braves Baseball Blog is your place to go for everything Braves.

What more can be said about the Mets?  Nelson Figueroa(2-6) went five innings and allowed nine hits and six runs, and the big hit was the three run home run to McCann to make his stats look so bad.  Fernando Tatis had a two RBI single to tie the game in the fourth before it got away and Daniel Murphy hit his tenth homer of the year in the eighth inning.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Cordero shuts this game down

The Cincinnati Reds last night put another blow on the Marlins playoff hopes with 3-2 win.  Matt Maloney(1-4) got his first win of the year going five innings only giving up two runs and seven hits with only a small margin of victory.  Darnell McDonald hit his second home run of the year and Jay Bruce added a two RBI single later in the inning and thats all they would need.  Francisco Cordero had a perfect ninth and recorded his 38th save of the season.

The Marlins sent Anibal Sanchez to the mound and he did not pitch that bad.  Sanchez(2-7) went five as well and gave up five hits and three runs but had a lack of offense behind him.  Hanley Ramirez had an RBI single and later in the fifth Dan Uggla doubled Ramirez home, but the Marlins could not salvage anymore.  Check out FishGuts for more on the Marlins.

Lidge barely gets a save

Game 1

In the first game of a double dip yesterday, Kyle Kendrick made a spot start for the Phillies and looked great.  Kendrick(1-1) went 7.1 innings and only allowed seven hits and two earned runs, both on an Anderson Hernandez two run shot in the eighth.  He was supported by a Ben Francisco homer and a Shane Victorino two run homer early.  The hit that mattered though was an Andy Tracy RBI single in the bottom of the eighth giving insurance runs.  Brad Lidge narrowly got his 29th save of the season working the ninth and allowing three hits and two runs before getting the final out to end it.

The Mets sent John Maine to the mound after a long absence and although he could only pitch through the third because of a pitch count, he did well.  Maine(5-5) took the loss even though he only gave up two hits and a run on 57 pitches.  The Mets relief gave up a combined eight hits and four runs in the final five innings and did not help the Mets comeback.  Anderson Hernandez had the two run shot to bring them closer and in the ninth Josh Thole singled home Francouer and then came in himself on a Jeremy Reed single, but they could not get closer.

Pedro shuts down his former mates

Game 2:

Pedro Martinez is now 2-0 versus his former team and he absolutely shut them down last night in the nightcap.  Martinez(5-0) went eight innings allowing six hits and striking out seven while throwing 130 pitches! The only run was scored on an RBI single by Chase Utley, scoring Jimmy Rollins in the first inning.  Ryan Madson got his eighth save of the year but did allow one batter to get on base for the shaky bullpen.

Phillies Phandom has more on both games of this double dip for you!

Tim Redding pitched very well and well enough to win, but again, no offense behind him.  Tim Redding(2-6) went six innings and allowed three hit sand only the run in the first inning in taking a real tough luck loss.  Only Brian Schneider and Anderson Hernandez had multiple hits for the Mets as they will regroup and hope to win a few in Atlanta this week.

The Real Dirty Mets Blog will have more on the double dip from the Mets side of the diamond.

Umm..wow

The Florida Marlins ended a deflating and disappointing weekend with a 7-2 loss at the hands of the last place Nationals.  Nats ace John Lannan(9-11) went the minimum only allowing one run on six hits to get his 9th win of the year and let his offense do the rest.    Elijah Dukes and Pete Orr added two RBI a piece and rookie Ian Desmond continued to play well going 2-5 for the Nats in this one.  Centerfield Gate will have more on this game and the series and all the Nats news you need.

Chris Volstad was back from the minors to make a start and it did not go well for him.  Volstad(9-12) went only three innings and allowed five hits and four earned runs (five total) and allowed five walks and a home run on the day.  Unfortunately the offense couldn’t do much to get back in the game in this one.  Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross had the only RBI for the Marlins on this day and Hanley Ramirez added three hits, but this was a disappointing weekend for the Fish.  FishGuts has more on this.

Carpenter with a rare bad one

Javier Vazquez continues to be solid for the Braves, as he led them to a series sweep over the Central leading Cardinals yesterday 9-2.  Vazquez(9-2) went a complete game allowing seven hits and two runs and eight strikeouts to get the victory here.  Nate McClouth had four hits and Adam LaRoche had two hits and three RBI to lead the Braves to the sweep.  The Braves Baseball Blog has more on the Bravos.

Chris Carpenter does not have many starts like this, but unfortunately he laid an egg on Sunday.  Carpenter(16-4) managed through six taxing innings but gave up nine hits and seven runs and the offense was stagnant for him as well.  Matt Holliday had the only two RBI for the Cardinals in this one and Skip Schumaker had three hits, but the Cardinals will look to rebound from this tough weekend this week.

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.

Moyer with a rare appearance

The big bat of Ryan Howard provided the firepower for Philadelphia in their soggy 4-2 win over the Atlanta Braves in Philadelphia on Friday, extending the Phillies lead in the N.L. East to eight games. The Braves were hoping to sneak up on the Phillies, sending ace rookie Tommy Hanson to the mound, but Hanson could not keep the Phillies bats off the board, giving up a home run to Howard in the second before being relieved (he was pulled from the game because of a rain delay) by a bevy of Braves relievers who kept the game close, but could not keep it close enough: Howard homered again in the fourth. The Phillies, meanwhile, started Pedro Martinez – but like Hanson he was also pulled from the game as a result of the deluge. This is becoming a habit with Martinez, whose last start was also shortened by showers. In both cases, Martinez was relieved by Jamie Moyer, relegated to a bullpen role as a result of Martinez’s signing and promotion.

The soggy field did not dampen the spirits of Phillie fans, however, who stayed throughout the contest – knowing that the Braves-Phillies tilt would help put the final touches on a successful Phillies season. The frosting on the Phillies cake was a 9th inning appearance by a sometimes-shaky Brad Lidge, who set down the Braves for his 26th save. Full coverage of the Braves can be found at The Braves Baseball Blog. And check out Phillies Phandom for more on the Phillies.

Blanks crosses home...man hes big!

The Florida Marlins pitching staff, which has been up and down all year was down on Friday night, as Chris Volstad suffered through one of his worst starts in the majors – and the Marlins went on to drop a key game against the San Diego Padres 9-5. Volstad, who had pitched brilliantly in some of his starts earlier in the year, lasted only 1.2 innings against the Pads, despite help from some lively Marlins’ bats: Chris Coghlan was 3-5, Wes Helms was 2-5, Hanley Ramirez was 2-4 and Cody Ross was 2-4. But as any conch collector in Key West can tell you, without pitching you just can’t win. So it was with the Marlins tonight – as the team fell into a tie with the Braves for second place in the N.L East, a full eight games back of the surging Phillies. It now seems unlikely that either of them, both of whom were retooled and ready for the summer campaign in the spring, can catch Philadelphia.

While the Marlins have not raised the white flag on the season – they still have Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco throwing hard and well (and are well-stocked with a formidable wall of power hitters) – they have decided that Chris Volstad needs more work. In the wake of their loss to the lowly Friars, the team sent Volstad (9-11) packing to the minors. The decision shows just how far the fastballer has fallen. “People are going to struggle, but when you see frustration and lack of confidence, that’s when we have to make a decision as coaches and an organization on what’s best for the kid, and we’ve done that,” Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “We’re going to option Volstad down to New Orleans to give him a little breather and come back.” You can read all about the game, and the decision on Volstad, on FishGuts. 

Soriano with the big fly

Mets lefty Pat Misch baffled the Cubs for seven solid innings on Friday, but it wasn’t enough, as the New York bullpen melted down – and ended up giving the game away to the Chicago North Siders 5-2. The loss was particularly frustrating because the Mets had seemed to master Cubs’ starter Ted Lilly, touching the always tough veteran for two hard earned runs – one in the second and one in the eighth. The Cubs, skidding after losing two of three to the lowly Nats, were ripe for the picking, but the Mets bullpen could not take advantage: the usually dependable Brian Stokes gave up a three run shot to Alfonso Soriano (who victimized his team with two outfield gaffes) that effectively sealed the contest.

Misch, who grew up in Illinois watching the Cubs, said that he was nervous playing in Chicago. “I couldn’t eat a thing,” he said after the game, “and I usually eat a lot before I pitch.” The Mets, who have only won nine of their last 21, are desperate to finish the season on an up-beat note, but things have not been going well for them lately – Friday was only the most recent example of their recent troubles. When the starting pitching is going well (as it was on Friday in Wrigley) their bullpen lets them down, and when their bullpen is going well, it seems their starting pitching lets them down. Worse yet, on Friday the team got word that shortstop Jose Reyes, who has not played in three months, may well have to undergo surgery on his right hamstring tendon. The Mets will attempt to bounce back from Friday loss on Saturday, when Bobby Parnell faces off against Ryan Dempster at Wrigley. The Real Dirty Mets Blog covers everything you’d ever want to know about this game . . . and the Mets.

Pujols with the walk-off winner!

Who would pitch to Albert Pujols in a 2-2 tie before a screaming throng at Busch Stadium in St. Louis? Why the Washington Nationals, that’s who. Washington Nationals reliever Jason Bergman served up a fastball in Pujols wheelhouse in the ninth inning of a beautifully pitched duel between Nats’ pitcher John Lannan and newly acquired Redbirds’ ace John Smoltz – and the Cardinals beat the Nats 3-2 in St. Louis. Lannan pitched eight innings of four hit ball before giving up a home run to Khalil Greene that tied the game and was subsequently relieved by Jason Bergman, who came on to pitch the ninth. Washington’s long-suffering fans didn’t have to wait long to determine the results: Pujols put a fastball into the upper deck in left field at Busch to pull out the victory.

St. Louis fans gave a warm welcome to Smoltz, who was sharp in his second start for the Redbirds. The former Atlanta star pitched four innings of four hit ball, but left with little damage – two doubles by Elijah Dukes. Washington’s big boppers: Adam Dunn, Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham flailed away in vain against Smoltz all night in vain. For all things good and bad about the Nats, be sure to check out CenterfieldGate which also has a lot more on this game.

the walk off for the rook!

Andrew McCutchen had said he wanted to make amends for a play in the top of the ninth inning that allowed the Phillies to take the lead in the game.  He was able to do that, as he hit a two run home run off Phillies closer Brad Lidge to win the game for the Pittsburgh Pirates and redeemed himself by a score of 6-4.  The Pirates also added home runs from Ryan Doumit and a two run shot by Stephen Pearce in the game, and Brandon Moss had an RBI single in the ninth before McCutchen to tie the game.  Ross Ohlendorf went 6.1 innings allowing only two runs for to the NL leading Phillies but ended up with a no decision.  Matt Capps(3-7) recorded both his fourth blown save of the year and then got the win as he went one inning and was charged with two runs and three hits.

Even Jimmy Rollins hot streak couldn’t help the Phillies in this one.  Rollins hit home runs in the first inning and another solo shot in the third inning and until the ninth, that was all the Phillies could do.  In the ninth, Ben Francisco doubled home the tying run and Shane Victorino was credited with a triple on the misplay by McCutchen scoring the go ahead run.  Brad Lidge(0-6) though could not even record an out in the ninth as he gave up three hits and three runs, including the home run to McCutchen and it only took five pitches to do that.  Phillies Phandom will have more on this game and Lidge’s struggles.

Eckstein with the winner

On a rare night when Heath Bell blew a save, the Padres were able to pick him up later in the game.  Heath Bell in the ninth gave up a run to tie the game at 1, as he allowed two hits and a walk as well in the inning.  Later in the game though, David Eckstein doubled home Nick Hundley to score the game winning run, making it 2-1 in the twelth inning.  Joe Thatcher(1-0) got the victory as he worked 1.1 innings of hitless relief and Edward Mujica got his second save of the year.  Adrian Gonzalez drove in the only other Padres run in the third inning with a solo home run.

The Atlanta Braves got great pitching throughout this game, but ran into similar tough pitching on the other side of the game.  Jair Jurrjens went 7.2 inning and allowed only five hits, four walks and only allowed a solo home run, but ended with a no decision.  Adam LaRoche came through big time again for the Braves as he singled home Reid Gorecki in the bottom of the ninth and sent the game to extras.  Unfortunately Kris Medlan(3-4) gave up the eventual winning run in the twelth and took the loss for the Braves, dropping them another game back in the wildcard lead and putting them back in a tie with the Marlins, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Sean West shuts down the AAA Mets

Marlins pitcher Sean West was probably happy to be able to pitch to a minor league team again. Last night, West(5-5) went six innings allowing only six hits and one run and only needed 82 pitches to do that as he faced a depleted Mets squad.  He was supported by an RBI ground out by Uggla in the fourth and a Ross Gload single in the fifth to win the game 2-1.  Leo Nunez recorded his 15th save of the season and the Marlins gained a game on the Phillies in the East and kept up with the Rockies in the wildcard race as well.  FishGuts will have more on the Marlins.

Nelson Figueroa had a spot start for the Mets, who learned of Johan Santana needing surgery earlier in the day.  Figueroa(1-3) pitched well through five innings allowing only four hits and two runs, but one earned but taking a tough loss.  Fernando Tatis got the Mets on the board with an RBI single in the fourth, scoring Jeff Francouer, but the Mets could not do anything else in the loss, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Mets fans, remember this face?

The Washington Nationals either shocked the Cubs fans last night, or just made them angrier, not sure which one.  The Nationals won the game by a score of 15-6 last night and the offense exploded.  Josh Willingham hit two home runs, a solo shot and a three run shot as well and a grand slam from Elijah Dukes as well.  Garrett Mock(3-5) went seven innings and allowed only four runs while striking out six to get an easy victory.  CenterfieldGate has more information on this game and what to expect going forward.

The Chicago Cubs are just playing horribly, with no real excuse for what is going on.  Carlos Zambrano(7-5) could only get through 4.1 innings and was charged with huge numbers, eight runs, seven hits and only four strike outs.  The rest of the relief wasn’t much better as out of five relievers, three gave up runs in making this even more lopsided.  Zambrano tried to help himself as he hit one of a trio of Cubs homeruns, others were by Milton Bradley and Jake Baker in the game.

Be sure to check back to NLEC or the team affiliate blog frequently!

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

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.

Not this time Jamie

The Florida Marlins made up for their dismal showing in Washington earlier in the week, but going into division leading Philadelphia and sweeping them.  Hanley Ramirez led the way going 4-6 with three RBI and three runs scored as the Marlins won 12-3 to complete the weekend sweep.  Chris Coghlan joined Ramirez while racking up four hits and Wes Helms evened his three RBI among a flurry of other Marlins with good days at the plate.  Ace Josh Johnson(11-2) went six inning allowing only four hits and one run while striking out six batters to pick up his 11th win this year.  Check out FishGuts for more happiness regarding the Marlins play this weekend.

Jamie Moyer(10-9) managed to get through five shaky innings in this game and only allowed two earned runs, but three overall but with eleven total hits.  Rodrigo Lopez put the game to bed though pitching two thirds of an inning and giving up a whopping six runs while allowing three hits and three walks.  Pedro Feliz contributed a two run homer for the Phils and Ryan Howard added a sacrifice fly for all their runs.  Phillies Phandom will have more information on this game and the Phillies for you.

Prado again

The Braves finished up a great weekend in Los Angeles this weekend, as they took three of four from the Dodgers winning Sunday by a score of 8-2.  The Braves went up early with single runs in the second, third and fourth on a Diaz homer, a Prado RBI single and an Adam LaRoche double play groundout.  Prado and Diaz added RBI singles in the ninth inning for insurance runs and added five runs in all in the frame.  Javier Vazquez(10-7) went eight innings of one run ball while only allowing five total hits, two walks and fanning seven.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Dodgers starter Eric Stults(4-3) had a solid start while going five innings allowing only three runs and five hits, but he was pulled after only 75 pitches.  The game stayed close until Ramon Transoco gave up four runs while recording one out in the ninth and Mota allowed the final run that inning.  Casey Blake had the only RBI for the Dodgers with a sacrifice fly and Matt Kemp grounded into a double play for the final run in the ninth on a bad offensive day for the Dodgers.

Santana has to do things himself

Johan Santana went into Sunday’s start likely realizing that to get a win, he had to do things himself on the mound and with the bat.  Santana(13-8) pitched eight innings allowing five hits and only one run on his way to a 5-1 victory.  Santana at the plate also went 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI as he helped himelf too.  Re-Metted Anderson Hernandez had two hits in his first start back along with Francouer, Castillo and Murphy to lead the Mets in hits.  Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth inning and did not allow a run or earn a save, but this was good news for the Mets after two bad outtings.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog will have more information on the win and the Mets.

The Padres could not manage to get the fourth game of the series, even with a solid performance by Tim Stauffer.  Stauffer(1-4) went five innings and actually only allowed one run and was charged with the loss in this one, as the Mets tacked on late.  Chase Headley had the only RBI on the night for the Padres as he singled home Kevin Kouzmanoff  in the sixth inning.

Permanent?

The Nationals have now done what probably everyone that surrounds baseball thought was possible for them this year, win eight in a row and two series sweeps straight.  The Nats behind J.D. Martin’s first win, beat the Diamondbacks 9-2 on Sunday afternoon.  Martin(1-2) went five innings allowing only one run and on a solo home run as his only mistake.  Elijah Dukes contributed another three RBI game and Adam Dunn hit yet another home run in the first inning to lead the Nats on their way to victory and Jorge Sosa picked up his second save in as many days.  You have to wonder now if Jim Riggleman is looking more like a permanent solution at manager for the Nats.  Check out Centerfieldgate for more.

Yusmeiro Petit(2-6) had a rough day on the mound as he only lasted four innings allowing nine hits and three earned runs, four in total in taking this loss.  Trent Oeltjen and Mark Reynolds hit solo home runs to give all the run support they could to Petit on this day.