Monday’s games:

Braves vs. Mets

The Braves and Mets begin a four-game series tonight in Atlanta. Jiar Jurrjens (5-4, 4.36 ERA) starts for the Braves. Pat Misch (0-3, 3.50 ERA) starts for the Mets. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Marlins vs. Nationals

The Marlins and Nationals go head-to-head as they start a three-game set in Florida. Alex Sanabia (3-1, 3.62 ERA) gets the start for Florida. Jason Marquis (0-7, 8.79 ERA) takes the hill for Washington. First pitch is 7:10 p.m.

Phillies vs. Dodgers

The Phillies continue their west coast trip with a three-game set with the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Roy Halladay (16-9, 2.22 ERA) gets the start for Philadelphia. Hiroki Kuroda (9-11, 3.56 ERA) starts for Los Angeles. Game time is 10:10 p.m.

Phillies vs. Mets

R.A. Dickey and Cole Hamels locked up in a pitchers’ duel Friday night at Citi Field.  Both pitchers went the distance, but the night belonged to Dickey as the Mets defeated the Phillies 1-0.

Dickey’s knuckleball baffled the Phillies hitters all night long, and as he cruised through five hitless innings, Mets fans wondered if this might be the first no-hitter in franchise history.   But it was the opposing pitcher that spoiled that bid as Hamels hit a clean single to right field with one out in the sixth inning.   Meanwhile, Hamels kept the Mets off balance and off of the scoreboard.  It looked like the Mets had taken a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Mike Hessman hit a drive to left field that the umpires called a home run.  However, after a lengthy replay review, the umps ruled fan interference on the play and placed Hessman on third base.   Despite being on third with no outs, the Mets stranded Hessman and let a golden opportunity slip by.

In the sixth, the Mets finally broke through.  With two outs and no one on base, David Wright and Carlos Beltran hit back-to-back doubles to plate the game’s first – and only – run.  Dickey (8-5) didn’t allow a base runner after Hamels’ single, finishing with seven strikeouts in his nine innings.  Hamels (7-9) took the hard-luck loss for the Phils.

 

 

Braves vs. Dodgers

Pitching also stole the spotlight in Atlanta on Friday night as the first place Braves defeated the Dodgers by a score of 1-o.

The Braves’ Tim Hudson and the Dodgers’  Hiroki Kuroda matched zeroes for six innings.  The game’s lone run came in the seventh, when Brooks Conrad, playing third base in place of the injured Chipper Jones, homered to center field off of Kuroda.  

Hudson (14-5) allowed just 3 hits over eight innings of work, striking out six.  Kuroda (8-11) took the loss despite allowing just three hits in his seven innings.  Braves’ closer Billy Wagner came on in the ninth and locked down his 29th save of the season.

 

 

Nationals vs. Diamondbacks

The Nationals scored early and let their pitching do the rest, as the Nats defeated the Diamondbacks 4-2 in Washington.

The Nationals scored three runs in the first off of Arizona starter Joe Saunders (1-2), highlighted by a Ryan Zimmerman two-run single.   Wil Nieves extended Washington’s lead to 4-0 with a solo home run in the second.  The D-Backs cut the Nats lead in half with two fifth inning runs off of starter John Lannan, but managed just one hit after that.  Lannan (4-5) allowed just four hits over seven innings, striking out five.  Sean Burnett pitched two perfect innings, striking out four, to pick up his second save on the season.

 

 

Marlins vs. Reds

The Reds roughed up Marlins’ ace Josh Johnson Friday night as they cruised to a 7-2 victory in Cincinnati.

The Reds jumped on Johnson in the first inning, scoring three runs courtesy of RBI singles by Joey Votto, Scott Rolen, and Jay Bruce.  Bruce later homered as the Reds built a 7-0 lead.   The Marlins’ only offense came off of the bat of rookie Mike Stanton, who hit solo home runs in both the sixth and eighth innings. 

Edinson Volquez (3-1) scattered eight hits over six innings of work, allowing just one run and striking out six.  Johnson (10-5) lasted just 3.2 innings in the loss, allowing six runs and ten hits.

Friday’s games:

Nationals vs. Diamondbacks

The Nationals begin their series with Arizona tonight in Washington. John Lannan (3-5, 5.44 ERA) gets the start for the Nationals. Joe Saunders (7-11, 4.42 ERA) starts for Arizona. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Marlins vs. Reds

Josh Johnson (10-4, 1.97 ERA) and the Marlins take on Edinson Volquez (2-1, 4.94 ERA) and the Reds. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. in Cincinnati.

Mets vs. Phillies

The Mets and Phillies begin a three-game series tonight in New York. R.A. Dickey (7-5, 2.65 ERA) takes the mound for the Mets. Cole Hamels (7-8, 3.45 ERA) starts for Philadelphia. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Braves vs. Dodgers

The Braves send Tim Hudson (13-5, 2.24 ERA) to the mound as they take on the Dodgers tonight in Atlanta. Hiroki Kuroda (8-10, 3.65 ERA) starts for Los Angeles. First pitch is 7:35 p.m.

Thursday’s games:

Marlins vs. Rockies

Josh Johnson (10-3, 1.62 ERA) and the Marlins finish their series with the Rockies this afternoon. Jorge De La Rosa (3-2, 6.16 ERA) gets the start for Colorado. Game time is 12:10 p.m. in Florida.

Nationals vs. Reds

Livan Hernandez (6-6, 3.27 ERA) takes the mound for the Nationals as they close out their series with the Reds. Edinson Volquez (1-0, 1.50 ERA) starts for the Reds. First pitch is 12:35 p.m. in Cincinnati.

Braves vs. Padres

Tim Hudson (9-5, 2.60 ERA) goes for win number 10 as he and the Braves take on Clayton Richard (7-4, 3.53 ERA) and the Padres. Game time is 1:05 p.m. in Atlanta.

Phillies vs. Cardinals

The Phillies send Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.63 ERA) to the mound against Adam Wainwright (14-5, 2.02 ERA) and the Cardinals. First pitch is 2:15 p.m. in St. Louis.

Mets vs. Dodgers

The Mets begin their series with the Dodgers tonight in Los Angeles. Hisanori Takahashi (7-4, 4.69 ERA) gets the start for the Mets. Hiroki Kuroda (7-8, 3.74 ERA) starts for the Dodgers. Game time is 10:10 p.m.

Wednesday’s games:

Braves vs. Phillies

The Braves go for the series win against the Phillies. Atlanta sends Kris Medlen (5-1, 3.01) to the mound. Jamie Moyer (9-7, 4.13) gets the start for Philadelphia. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Nationals vs. Padres

The Nationals send J.D. Martin (0-4, 3.38) as they look to make it two wins in a row against the Padres. Jon Garland (8-5, 3.24) takes the mound for San Diego. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. in D.C.

Mets vs. Reds

Jon Niese (6-2, 3.62) and the Mets look to take the rubber game as this three-game set with the Reds comes to a close. Bronson Arroyo (8-4, 4.25) gets the start for Cincinnati. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in N.Y.

Marlins vs. Dodgers

Josh Johnson (8-3, 1.82) and the Marlins take on Hiroki Kuroda (7-6, 3.78) and the Dodgers in L.A. Game time is set for 10:10 p.m.

Today’s games:

Marlins vs. Brewers

Josh Johnson (5-2) and the Marlins finish up their series with the Brewers. Chris Capuano (0-0) makes his first start for the Brewers since having Tommy John surgery. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. in Florida.

Braves vs. Dodgers

Kris Medlen (2-1) and the Braves look to make it nine wins in a row as they begin a series with the Dodgers. Hiroki Kuroda (5-3) gets the start for the Dodgers. Game time is 10:10 p.m. in L.A.

Nationals vs. Astros

J.D. Martin (0-1) goes for his first win of the season, as he and the Nationals finish up their series with the Astros. Brian Moehler (0-2) will take the mound for the Astros. First pitch is set for 2:05 in Houston.

Mets and Phillies are both off today.

Game 1

Ibanez with a blast

The Phillies drew first blood in the double dip in Miami yesterday, as they came on late for a 9-3 win.  Joe Blanton(11-7) went seven shutout innings allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out nine to get the victory.  Ryan Howard had two hits and three RBI to lead the Phillies in the game with a big two run double to put the game away.

Josh Johnson has been struggling of late, and yesterday was no exception.  Johnson(15-5) went five innings allowing seven hits and four runs, but struck out ten batters.  He left down 4-0 but also got little run support during the game in taking this loss.  In the eighth inning, the Marlins socred their only three runs on a Hanley Ramirez RBI double and then a Dan Uggla two RBI single.

In the second game of the double dip, the Marlins got even, with a 3-0 victory.  Anibal Sanchez(3-7) pitched a gem, as he went eight innings of two hit ball and allowed no runs before giving way to Leo Nunez for his 24th save of the season.  Dan Uggla and Cody Ross hit solo home runs and to cap the scoring, Hanley Ramirez had an RBI double in the fifth inning.

Jamie Moyer is usually a Marlin killer, and in this one he pitched well, but not well enough to win.  Moyer(12-10) went seven innings of three run, nine hit ball in taking the loss.  The Phillies as a team only had four baserunners, so the bats were pretty silent in this one.

Check out FishGuts for more on the Marlins aspect in this doubleheader and Phillies Phandom for the Phillies.

Why is Chipper front and center when playing the Mets?

The Atlanta Braves continued steamrolling the lowly Mets last night, with a 3-1 victory in New York.  Jair Jurrjens(13-10) won again versus the Mets as he went seven innings and allowed just five hits and a single run in this one.  The Braves actually were down 1-0 before Yunel Escobar singled home Martin Prado and Chipper Jones in the second inning.  That 2-1 score stood until the ninth when Adam LaRoche singled home Yunel Escobar with an insurance run.  Rafael Soriano worked the ninth allowing one walk around striking out the side to get his 25th save of the year.  The Braves Baseball Blog has more info on this win.

The Mets, what more can you say about them and how many times have I wrote that?  Nelson Figueroa(2-7) actually turned in a quality start as he went seven innings of two hit, three walk and two run ball, but had no run support behind him.  Luis Castillo had an RBI single scoring Anderson Hernandez in the third, but that would be it for the Metsies, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more on them.

Kuroda shuts down the Nats

The Los Angeles Dodgers came in and beat down on the worst NL team, the Nats last night 14-2.  Rafael Furcal had a pair of two RBI singles to lead the way for the Dodgers and former Nat, Ronnie Belliard added two hits, two runs and an RBI during the rout.  Hiroki Kuroda(8-6) went six innings allowing just four hits and two runs to get the win in this one, leaving at only 81 pitches.

Livan Hernandez had his worst start as a National this year.  Hernandez(8-12) went 3.2 innings and allowed eight hits, eight runs and four walks to put the Nats in a big early hole.  The lone Nats runs were scored on a two run homer by Adam Dunn scoring Ryan Zimmerman in the third inning, which temporarily had them in a lead before Hernandez’s imposion.  Check out Centerfield Gate for more on the Nats.

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

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

This Thursday, the only new series starting for NL East Teams are the Braves and Mets out west. Enjoy the preview below and look for a new all teams preview tomorrow.

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

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

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

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