Phillies vs. Padres

The Phillies took game two against the Padres Saturday afternoon, winning 3-1. Shane Victorino drove in Philadelphia’s first run in the 5th on a single to center field to score Jayson Werth. San Diego starter Jon Garland helped himself out at the plate in the bottom of the 5th with a single to left field to tie the game. The game remained tied until the top of the 7th when Victorino hit an RBI triple. He would later score on a ground out by Mike Sweeney, making it 3-1 Philadelphia.

Joe Blanton got the win, going 6 innings and giving up one run on six hits while striking out three. Jon Garland took the loss, going 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on three hits while striking out two. Brad Lidge recorded his 18th save for Philadelphia.

Nationals vs. Cardinals

Washington beat up on the Cardinals 14-5. St. Louis got an early 3-0 lead in the 1st inning on a ground-rule double by Albert Pujols and a two-run shot off the bat of Jon Jay. Back-to-back doubles by Kyle Lohse and Felipe Lopez would drive in the Cardinals other two runs in the 5th inning. After scoring a run in the 2nd on an RBI single by Ivan Rodriguez, the Nationals followed with four runs in the 3rd. In the bottom of the 5th, Adam Dunn hit his 32nd home run of the season to make it 8-5 Washington. Roger Bernadina hit his 10th home run of the season to cap off the Nationals six run 8th inning.

Livan Hernandez got the win, going 6.1 innings and giving up five runs on eight hits while striking out two. Kyle Lohse took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing eight runs on 11 hits while striking out two.

Braves vs. Marlins

Atlanta snapped a four-game losing streak as they beat the Marlins 12-3. The Braves scored six runs in the 2nd. Matt Diaz led off the inning with a solo shot to center. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Martin Prado walked to force home a run. Brian McCann followed with a three-run double to right field. An RBI single by Prado in the 2nd made it 8-0 Atlanta. Gaby Sanchez scored the Marlins first run in the 3rd on a sacrifice fly by Emilio Bonifacio. Atlanta responded in the bottom of the inning with two more runs thanks to a home run by Eric Hinske and a fielding error by Florida’s Logan Morrison allowing Diaz to score. In the 7th, Prado hit a two-run homer to make it 12-1 Braves. Prado had five RBIs for Atlanta. Florida tagged on a run in the 8th and 9th on a double by Donnie Murphy and single by Brad Davis.

Tim Hudson pitched 7 strong innings to get the win, giving up one run on six hits while striking out a career-high 13. Ricky Nolasco only lasted 2 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits.

Mets vs. Astros

The Mets dropped the second game of their three-game series with Houston by a score of 4-1. Singles by Carlos Lee and Tommy Manzella gave the Astros a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning. Lee hit a two-run home run in the 5th to make it 4-0. The Mets offensive woes continued as they went 1-10 with runners in scoring position. The only run for New York came in the bottom of the 8th on an RBI single by David Wright to drive in Luis Castillo.

Brett Myers got the win and extended his streak of pitching 6 complete innings to 27 games. Myers went 7 innings and gave up no runs on six hits while striking out six. Meanwhile, Johan Santana’s streak of three straight complete games came to and end with  the loss. Santana went 7 innings, giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out four.   Brandon Lyon recorded his 9th save of the season for Houston.

Mets vs. Phillies

The Phillies beat the Mets in a score of 7-5. In the first Placido Polanco doubled to score Raul Ibanez to put the Phillies on the board.  In the 3rd Jose Reyes singled scoring Jeff Francoeur to tie the game.  In the 4th Josh Thole singled scoring David Wright giving the Mets the lead.  The Phillies scored 6 runs in the 8th with hits from Ben Francisco, Carlos Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins, and Mike Sweeney.  The Mets fought back scoring 3 runs in the 9th when Mike Hessman hit a 3 run homer but it wasn’t enough.

Jon Niese pitched 7 innings giving up 4 hits, 1 run, and 7 strikeouts.  Joe Blanton pitched 7 innings giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, and 4 strikeouts.  Chad Durbin got the win pitching 1 inning giving up no hits with 1 strikeout.  Bobby Parnell got the loss while not retiring a batter and giving up 4 hits and 4 runs.

Marlins vs. Cardinals

The Cardinals beat the Marlins in a score of 7-0.  In the first inning Albert Pujols hit a 3 run home run scoring Felipe López and Jon Jay.  In the 3rd inning Matt Holiday doubled scoring Jon Jay.  In the 4th The Cardinals added 3 more runs when Brendan Ryan doubled scoring Aaron Miles, Jon Jay doubled scoring Brendan Ryan, and  Albert Pujols doubled scoring Jon Jay.

Adam Wainwright got the win after pitching a complete game shutout giving up just 2 hits with 7 strikeouts.  The loss went to Ricky Nolasco who pitched 5 innings giving up 10 hits, 7 runs, and 6 strikeouts.

Braves vs. Giants

The Giants beat the Braves in a score of 3-2. The Giants scored in the 1st when Aubrey Huff grounded out scoring Andres Torres.  The Braves tied it up in the 5th when Alex Gonzalez hit a solo shot.  The Braves took the lead in the 6th when Chipper Jones hit a solo home run.  The Giants tied it up in the 9th when Aubrey Huff scored due to an error by Chipper Jones.  In the 11th Pat Burell hit a sac fly to score Aubrey Huff.

Barry Zito pitched 7 innings giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, and 10 strikeouts.  Tommy Hanson pitched 7 innings giving up 3 hits, 1 run, and 3 strikeouts.  Javier Lopez got the win after pitching 1 inning giving up 1 hit, no runs, and 1 strikeout.  The loss went to Peter Moylan who pitched 1.2 innings giving up 1 hit, 1 run, and no strikeouts.  The save went to Brian Wilson who pitched a perfect 9th with 1 strikeout.

Nationals vs. Dodgers

The Nationals beat the Dodgers in a score of 6-3. The Nationals scored 3 runs in the 1st when Adam Dunn hit a 3 run homer scoring Ian Desmond and Ryan Zimmerman.  In the 3rd Adam Dunn hit another 3 run bomb scoring Desmond and Zimmerman making the score 6-0.   The Dodgers scored 3 runs in the 4th when Andre Either homered scoring Ryan Theriot and Casey Blake singled scoring James Loney.

John Lannan got the win and pitched 6 innings giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, and 2 strikeouts.  Clayton Kershaw got the loss and pitched 6 innings giving up 7 hits, 6 runs, and 9 strikeouts.  Drew Storen got his 1st save of the season giving up no hits with 1 walk.

Phillies vs. Cardinals

The Cardinals beat the Phillies in a score of 8-4.  The Phillies scored 3 runs in the first when Ryan Howard doubled home Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino singled home Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard.  The Cardinals scored  a run when Albert Pujols grounded out to score Felipe López in the bottom of the inning.  The Cardinals added another run in the 2nd when Brenden Ryan grounded out to score Skip Schumaker.  In the 4th the Phillies added there 4th run of the game when Jimmy Rollins singled home Carlos Ruiz.  In the 5th inning the Cardinals tapped on 5 more runs thanks to a Jay Bruce double and 3 home runs from  Albert Pujols, Allen Craig and Skip Schumaker.  The Cardinals added another run in the 6th when Randy Winn hit a solo shot.

Blake Hawksworth got the win and pitched 6 innings giving up 10 hits, 4 runs and 1 strikeout.  Kyle Kendrick got the lose and he pitched 5 innings giving up 7 hits, 7 runs and 2 strikeouts.

Marlins vs. Rockies

The Marlins beat the Rockies in a score of 9-8. The Rockies struck first adding 2 runs in the top of the 3rd when Jason Giambi singled home Jonathan Herrera and Carlos González scored.  The Marlins had 3 runs of there own in the bottom of the inning when Emilio Bonifacio singled home Mike Stanton and Hanley Ramirez reached on a bunt single that scored Emilio Bonifacio.  In the 6th the Rockies added 2 more runs when Ubaldo Jimenez and Seth Smith singled home Brad Hawpe and Clint Barmes.  In the bottom of the inning Mike Stanton homered scoring Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross.  The Marlins added another run when Jorge Cantu singled home  Emilio Bonifacio.  The Rockies struck back adding 4 runs in the 8th when Ian Stewart hit a solo shot and Jonathan Herrera hit a homer that scored Clint Barmes and Seth Smith.  The Marlins came back to win it when they scored 2 runs in the 9th when Donnie Murphy homered scoring Dan Uggla.

Ubaldo Jiménez pitched 5.1 innings giving up 6 hits, 6 runs with 5 strikeouts.  Anibal Sánchez pitched 6 innings giving up 8 hits, 4 runs with 4 strikeouts.  Jhan Maríñez got the win pitching 1.1 innings giving up 2 hits, 1 run with 2 strikeouts.  Houston Street got the lose pitching .2 of an inning giving up 1 hit and 2 runs with no strikeouts.

Nationals vs. Reds

The Reds beat the Nationals in a score of 7-2.  The Reds scored 4 runs in the 2nd thanks to a Drew Stubbs double and Johnny Cueto singled that scored Jonny Gomes, Jay Bruce, Miguel Cairo, and Stubbs. In the 3rd the Nationals got 2 runs when Nyjer Morgan hit a sac fly to score Willie Harris and Christian Guzman singled home Ian Desmond.  The Reds added 2 more runs when Jonny Gomes and Miguel Cairo both hit solo shots.  The Reds scored 1 more run in the 8th when Miguel Cairo singled home Jonny Gomes.

Johnny Cueto won and pitched 6 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, and 4 strikeouts.  JD Martin got the loss and pitched 5.1 innings giving up 6 hits, 6 runs, and 2 strikeouts.

Mets vs. Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks beat the Mets in a score of 13-2. The Diamondbacks scored 4 runs in the 1st thanks to hits from Kelly Johnson, Mark Reynolds, and Gerardo Parra.  They scored 2 more runs in the 2nd inning when Justin Upton doubled home Chris Young and Adam LaRoche singled home Justin Upton.  The Mets scored in the 5th when Angel Pagan singled home Josh Thole.  In the 6th the Diamondbacks added 5 runs when Justin Upton tripled, Miguel Montero doubled, and Mark Reynolds homered and they added  2 more runs in the 8th.  The Mets added 1 more run in the 9th when Jose Reyes doubled home Luis Castillo.

Ian Kennedy got the win and pitched 5 innings giving up 4 hits, 1 run and 1 strikeout.  Mike Pelfrey got the loss and pitched only 1.1 innings giving up 7 hits, 6 runs with 1 strikeout.

The Braves were off.

Cliff Lee makes it 5-0

Yesterday, fresh off a stunning triple play ender to a ball game, Cliff Lee looked to make it three of four against the deteriorated Mets.  Lee(5-0) went seven innings allowing six hits and two runs, while striking out five and both runs allowed were in the first inning.  He got plenty of support from big man Ryan Howard as well.  Howard homered twice in the first three innings of the game, first with a three run shot, and later with a two run blow.  Raul Ibanez produced the only other run on a RBI double, which scored Chase Utley.  Phillies Phandom will have more info on the Phils.

The Mets learned of another injury prior to yesterday’s game and were forced to play with Jeff Francouer, and possibly won’t have him for some time.  With Bobby Parnell on the mound and a team full of backups, Parnell could not come through.  Parnell(3-6) gave up four hits and five runs in five innnings worked, but if you take away the bombs to Howard, did not do that bad, but still gets collared with the loss.  The Mets first run was scored on a wild play in the first where Chase Utley dropped a popup allowing Angel Pagan to score and then a throwing error to second, allowed him to score.  Later in the inning, Fernando Tatis hit a sac fly to score Sheffield, but the Mets could get nothing more against Cliff Lee.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has more on this game and Johan Santana’s injury.

Balester gets roughed up in the 6th

For a while, Yovani Gallardo probably wondered what he would have to do to get another win, as his team was down 1-0 until the sixth.  In the sixth inning, Ryan Braun got them ahead with a two run homer and was helped by RBI singles from Jason Kendall and Jody Gerut and finally an RBI groundout by Felipe Lopez.  Jody Gerut also added a solo shot in the eighth for insurance.  Gallardo(12-10) held on and gave up only one run and four hits in five innings but walked four against eight strike outs to throw 108 pitches.

The Nationals for a while looked like they may take a pitchers dual and split the four game set.  Unfortunately Colin Balester could not hold the lead in the sixth.  Balester(1-4) finished the day with five complete innings and five hits and four runs, including the shot to Ryan Braun.  The only run for the Nationals came from Will Nieves RBI groundout.  CenterfieldGate has more on the Nats latest struggles.

Really? Did that just happen?

The Philadelphia Phillies guaranteed at the least a series split in New York against the Mets yesterday with a 9-7 victory.  A game that started out looking like a laugher, as the Phillies got three run home runs from Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz in the first, ended up being much closer.  Pedro Martinez started against his former team and pitched ok through six innings and helped himself with an RBI single in the third as well.  Martinez(2-0) went six innings and gave up seven hits and four runs, but allowing two home runs to Angel Pagan but must have felt good to get the win.  Brad Lidge worked a troubled ninth inning and was saved by an unassisted triple play by backup infielder Eric Bruntlett to get out of the inning allowing only one run.  Phillies Phandom has more on this game and series which wraps up this afternoon.

Just when you thought you couldn’t see anything else as a Mets fan, they lose on a triple play in what should have been a gift wrapped blown save.  Jeff Francouer hit a line drive to Eric Bruntlett who was up the middle because he was going to cover second as both runners were going on the play, he easily stepped on second and then tagged Murphy to complete the unimaginable.  In a game the Mets were down 6-0, Angel Pagan had both a solo inside the park shot and a solo home run and also scored the final run the Mets would get in the bottom of the ninth.  Oliver Perez was horrendous on this day as he only recorded two outs in the first inning and had run the count to 3-0 against Pedro Martinez before being pulled , giving up two three run home runs, four hits and two walks.  The Mets bullpen combined for 8.1 innings more and allowed three more runs.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog will have more on this game and the floundering Mets season.

McCann comes through again

Brian McCann came through with a big hit in the bottom of the eighth inning yesterday, giving the Bravos a 7-5 win and a series victory at a crucial time.  McCann singled home two runs and finished with five total including a home run in the first, and moved the Braves into second place in a game where the Braves were down earlier in the game, but got to the Fish bullpen.  Peter Moylan(6-2) picked up the win in relief pitching one inning and allowing one hit in relief of a bad Derek Lowe outting of only five innings and five runs(three earned).  Rafael Soriano now has 20 saves on the year, as he went the final innings striking one out and giving up a hit, The Braves Baseball Blog will have more.

The Florida Marlins are in serious danger of falling out of the playoff races at this point, in what began as a promising weekend.  Ricky Nolasco could only get through 4.1 innings allowing four runs and nine hits, but left with a lead, and ended with a no decision.  Kiko Calero(2-2) ended up taking the loss as he worked one inning and was charged with the eventual winning run.  Hanley Ramirez went 3-4 and continues his hot hitting and continues to treck towards a batting title and Ronnie Paulino added a three RBI day for the Marlins.  Check out FishGuts for more info on the Marlins.

Zimmerman is good..i got nothin else

The Washington Nationals were able to finally snap out of their most recent losing streak yesterday, winning 8-3 against the Brewers.  Ryan Zimmerman added three RBI on a two run home run and RBI single and Guzman and Adam Dunn also had two hits a piece.  Craig Stammen(4-6) went 6.1 innings and held the Brewers to five hits and three runs as he got his fourth victory of the season.  CenterfieldGate has more information on the Nats for you.

The Brewers offense could not do much in this game, Alicides Escobar got his first home run, but Lopez was the only other starter to register an RBI.  Manny Parra(8-10) only got through 3.1 inning sand allowed eight hits and eight runs, although five earned, but the relief held the Nats scoreless, unfortunately the Brewers bats were asleep.

So in today’s edition of “Where will Roy go?” , Richard Griffin of The Star says that Halladay will not be going anywhere until at least the offseason.  If you recall, yesterday , we here at NLEC put up a post explaining that at least two teams in the NL East may be calling the Jays on this.  At this point, I stick by my opinion that he absolutely isn’t coming here because of the kings ransom Toronto would require.

Your thoughts?

Thanks to Beerleaguer for posting their own link to this.

Also, over at TRDMB CaseStreet talks about some other new rumors about D’Backs players and Nats players.