Phillies vs. Braves

The Braves had a chance to clinch at least a tie for the NL Wild Card with a victory on Friday night.  However, the first place Phillies broke open the game with a five run sixth inning on their way to a 11-5 victory over the Braves in Atlanta.

With the game tied at 2 entering the sixth, the Phillies put two runners on base versus Atlanta starter Brandon Beachy (0-2).  Peter Moylan relieved Beachy with two outs, and after a throwing error by Brooks Conrad prolonged the inning, Moylan walked pinch hitter Domonic Brown with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run.  Mike Dunn relieved Moylan and promptly allowed a grand slam to Jimmy Rollins to give Philly a 7-2 lead. 

The Phillies added four more runs in the eighth to take a commanding 11-2 lead.  Atlanta scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but that was as close as they would get.  Kyle Kendrick (11-10) earned the victory for the Phillies, limiting the Braves to two runs and five hits over five innings.  Derrek Lee was the lone bright spot for the Braves, going 3 for 5 and driving in all five Atlanta runs.

Mets vs. Nationals

With reports swirling that both their GM and Manager were on their way out, the Mets received solid pitching and used a pair of long balls to defeat the Nationals by a score of 2-1 in 10 innings at Citi Field.

Mets rookie Ike Davis homered off of Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann in the fourth inning to put the Mets on the scoreboard.  New York starter Pat Misch kept Washington off of the scoreboard until the seventh inning, when Michael Morse connected for a solo home run of his own to tie the game at 1.  Misch allowed just two other hits over eight innings of work, striking out 10 batters.

The game remained 1-1 until the bottom of the 10^th, when another Mets rookie went deep.  With one out, Josh Thole blasted a home run off of reliever Tyler Clippard (11-7) to give the Mets a walk off victory.  Mets reliever Hisanori Takahashi (10-6) pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.

Marlins vs. Pirates

Facing off in the second game of a four game series, the Pirates defeated the Marlins 5-1 on Friday evening in Miami.

Dan Uggla got the Marlins on the scoreboard in the first inning with an RBI single off of Pirates starter Daniel McCutchen.  Pittsburgh answered back in the second when Pedro Alvarez homered off of Adalberto Mendez to tie the game at 1.   The game remained tied at 1 until the fifth, when Chris Snyder hit a two-run home run off of Mendez (1-3) to give the Pirates a lead they would not relinquish. 

Chan Ho Park (4-3) earned the victory in relief, pitching three hitless innings and striking out six batters.  The win was the 124^th of Park’s career and gave him the record for the most wins by an Asian-born pitcher in the major leagues.

Braves vs. Marlins

Atlanta beat the Marlins 5-1 Wednesday afternoon, completing the sweep of Florida. A four-run 3rd inning put the Braves in the lead and they never looked back. After David Ross doubled home the Braves’ first run, Brooks Conrad followed with a three-run home run to center field. The Braves fifth run of the game came in the 8th when Florida’s reliever Will Ohman walked Eric Hinske to force home Freddie Freeman. The only run for Florida came in the 6th on an RBI single by Mike Stanton.

Derek Lowe got the win for Atlanta, going 5.2 innings and allowing one run on seven hits while striking out nine. Andrew Miller took the loss, lasting only 3 innings and giving up four runs on four hits while striking out two.

Mets vs. Brewers

Game One

The Mets dropped the first game of a doubleheader this afternoon by a score of 8-7. Milwaukee had a big six-run 3rd inning, but the Mets forged an impressive comeback. Chris Carter drove in two runs in the bottom of the 3rd with a single to left field. The following inning, Jose Reyes tripled to drive in two more runs. Lucas Duda hit a solo shot to cut the lead to 6-5. David Wright capped off the inning with a two-run home run to give the Mets the lead. The Mets’ bullpen wasn’t able to hold the lead, however, giving up two runs in the 8th inning to Milwaukee.

Neither starting pitcher was able to make it to the 5th inning for a win. Jon Niese only lasted 2.2 innings and gave up six runs on ten hits while striking out three. Yovani Gallardo went 3.1 innings and allowed seven runs on ten hits while striking out four. Carlos Villenueva got the win for Milwaukee. Manny Acosta took the loss for New York.

Game Two

Milwaukee took game two by a score of 3-1 to sweep the doubleheader. Milwaukee starter Dave Bush singled home the Brewers’ first run in the 3rd inning. It would remain 1-0 until the top of the 8th when the Brewers added on two more runs thanks to a two-RBI double off the bat of Ryan Braun. The Mets lone run of the game came in the bottom of the 8th on a sacrifice fly by Ike Davis.

R.A. Dickey took the loss for the Mets, going 7 innings and giving up one run on six hits while striking out four. Dave Bush got the win for Milwaukee, going 6 innings and allowing no runs on three hits while striking out one.

Nationals vs. Phillies

The home run happy Phils beat Washington 7-1. All of the Phillies seven runs came on home runs. Mike Sweeney and Ben Francisco each hit solo shots in the 2nd inning to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. John Mayberry then hit a three-run shot to make it 5-0. Francisco would later hit his second home run of the game in the 5th, a two-run shot to left field. Washington’s only run of the game came in the 4th inning when Nyjer Morgan scored on a ground out by Ian Desmond.

Joe Blanton got the win for Philadelphia, going 7 innings and giving up one run on three hits while striking out six. Ross Detwiler took the loss, going 4.2 innings and allowing seven runs on seven hits while striking out two.

Braves vs. Phillies

The Phillies won in a score of 1-0 in a pitchers duel.  The only score came in the 8th when Raul Ibanez doubled scoring Jayson Werth.

Tommy Hanson pitched 6 innings giving up 2 hits, no runs, and 4 strikeouts.  Roy Oswalt pitched 7 innings giving up 1 hit, no runs, and 8 strikeouts.  The win went to Ryan Madson who pitched a perfect 8th.  Brad Lidge also earned his 26th save of the season.

Nationals vs. Astros

The Nationals beat the Astros in a score of 3-4. The Nationals scored in the 3rd when Ian Desmond singled home Danny Espinosa.  In the 4th Jason Michaels singled scoring Chris Johnson.  In the bottom of the inning Michael Morse hit a solo shot for the Nats.  In the 7th Angel Sanchez singled scoring Jason Michaels and Anderson Hernandez.  In the bottom of the inning Danny Espinosa homered scoring Justin Maxwell.

Wandy Rodriguez pitched 6.1 innings giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, and 6 strikeouts.  Jason Marquis pitched 6 innings giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, and 2 strikeouts.  The win went to Tyler Clippard who pitched 1 inning giving up 1 hit, no runs, and 2 strikeouts.  Sean Burnett got his 3rd  save after pitching to just 2 batters and giving up 1 hit.

Mets vs. Marlins

The Marlins beat the Mets in a score of 7-5. The Marlins scored 5 runs in the 1st when Dan Uggla singled scoring Cameron Maybin, Mike Stanton walked with the bases loaded scoring Logan Morrison, Wes Helms doubled scoring Dan Uggla and Gaby Sanchez, and Brad Davis grounded out scoring Mike Stanton.  The Mets scored in the 3rd when Jose Reyes singled home Ruben Tejada and in the 4th when Carlos Beltran hit a solo shot and Lucas Duda hit a sac fly to score David Wright.  In the 5th Wes Helms hit a sac fly to score Logan Morrison.  In the 8th Josh Thole walked with the bases loaded scoring Carlos Beltran and Chris Carter grounded out scoring Ike Davis.  In the 8th Dan Uggla singled scoring Osvaldo Martínez.

Alex Sanabia got the win and pitched 5 innings giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, and 2 strikeouts.  Jon Niese got the loss and pitched 5.2 innings giving up 5 hits, 6 runs, and 7 strikeouts.  Clay Hensley earned his 5th save of the season pitching the 9th and giving up 1 hit.

Mets vs. Braves

The Braves beat the Mets in a score of 6-3.  The Mets scored in the 1st when David Wright homered scoring Carlos Beltran.  The Braves struck back in the 2nd when Álex González singled scoring Brian McCann.  In the 6th Álex González singled home Derek Lee and in the 7th Derek Lee hit a grand slam.  The Mets scored again in the 7th when Josh Thole grounded into a double play scoring Ike Davis.

Derek Lowe got the win pitching 6 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, with 2 strikeouts.  RA Dickey got the loss after pitching 6 innings, giving up 10 hits, 4 runs, and no strikeouts.  Craig Kimbrel got his first save of the season giving up 1 hit with 3 strikeouts.

Marlins vs. Cubs

The Cubs beat the Marlins in a score of 13-3.  The Cubs scored 2 runs in the 1st when Bobby Scales singled home Darwin Barney and Jeff Baker.  In the 2nd they scored 6 runs thanks to 3 walks, Brad Snyder singled scoring Jeff Baker and Micha Hoffpauir, and Wellington Castillo hit a ground rule double scoring Tyler Colvin.  The Marlins went on the board in the 4th when Dan Uggla hit a homerun scoring Logan Morrison.  In the 5th Darwin Barney scored on a pass ball and in the bottom on the inning the Marlins scored when Hector Luna hit a solo shot.  The Cubs scored 4 more in the 9th when Wellington Castillo homered scoring Brad Snyder, Sam Fuld doubled scoring Thomas Diamond, and Jeff Baker doubled scoring Sam Fuld.

Jeff Samardzija got the win pitching 6 innings giving up 3 hits, 3 runs, and 4 strikeouts.  The loss went to Andrew Miller who pitched just 1.1 innings giving up 3 hits, 5 runs, and 1 strikeout.

Phillies vs. Nationals

The Phillies beat the Nationals in a score of 7-6.  The Nationals struck first when Willie Harris hit a solo shot in the 3rd.  In the 4th Brian Schneider doubled scoring Raul Ibanez and Jason Werth.  In the 5th Jason Werth singled scoring Placido Polanco.  Michael Morse homered in the 6th scoring Ian Desmond and Adam Dunn and in the 7th Danny Espinosa hit a solo shot.  In the 8th Willie Harris singled scoring Michael Morse and Roger Bernadina. In the 9th the Phillies scored 4 runs when Ryan Howard singled scoring Placido Polanco and Chase Utley and Jason Werth homered scoring Ryan Howard.

Yunesky Maya started for the Nationals pitching 4.2 innings giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, and 2 strikeouts.  Joe Blanton started for the Phillies pitching 6 innings giving up 7 hits, 4 runs, and 8 strikeouts.  The win went to Vance Worley who pitched the 9th giving up just 1 hit with 1 strikeout.  The loss went to Drew Storen who did not record an out giving up 4 hits and 4 runs.

Nationals vs. Braves

The Nationals beat the Braves in a score of 4-2.  In the top of the 2nd Justin Maxwell hit a grand slam for the Nationals to take a 4-0 lead. In the 4th Melkey Cabrera grounded out scoring Troy Glaus to put the Braves on the board.  In the 5th Martin Prado singled scoring Omar Infante.

John Lannan got the win pitching 6 innings giving up 8 hits, 2 runs, and 6 strikeouts.  The loss went to Mike Minor who pitched 5 innings giving up 4 hits, 4 runs, and 6 strikeouts.  Drew Storen got the save giving up no hits with 1 strikeout.

Marlins vs. Phillies

The Phillies beat the Marlins in a score of 10-5. The Phillies scored 3 runs in the 1st when Jason Werth singled home Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez doubled home Ryan Howard and Jason Werth.  In the bottom of the 1st The Marlins got on the board when Dan Uggla singled home Emilio Bonifacio.  The Phillies scored 3 more runs in the 3rd when Chase Utley hit a solo home run, Wilson Valdez singled home Ryan Howard, and Shane Victorino singled home Raul Ibanez.  In the 4th Wilson Valdez singled home Jason Werth and Raul Ibanez scored on a wild pitch.  In the bottom of the 4th the Marlins scored when Hector Luna hit a sac fly to score Gaby Sanchez.  In the 5th Placido Polanco singled home Shane Victorino.  The Marlins added a run in the 6th when Gaby Sanchez hit a solo homerun and in the 7th Hanley Ramirez grounded out scoring Logan Morrison.  In the 9th Ross Gload doubled home Carlos Ruiz.  In the bottom of the inning with the bases loaded Gaby Sanchez walked bringing home Emilio Bonifacio.

Roy Halladay got the win after pitching 6 innings giving up 10 hits, 3 runs, and 9 strikeouts.  Jorge Sosa got the loss pitching just 2.1 innings giving up 6 hits, 6 runs, with 1 strikeout.

Mets vs. Pirates

The Mets beat the Pirates in a score of 8-7. The Pirates scored a run in the 3rd when Jose Tabata hit a sac fly to score Ronny Cedeno.  In the 4th then Pirates scored when Pedro Alvarez tripled scoring Garrett Jones,  John Bowker doubled home Pedro Alvarez, and Andrew McCutchen singled home John Bowker and Chris Snyder.  The Mets took the lead in the 4th when Ike Davis doubled home Carlos Beltran, Mike Hesserman singled home David Wright, Ike Davis and Nick Evans, and Mike Hesserman scored  due to 2  fielding errors, and Angel Pagan singled home Ruben Tejada and Joaquín Árias.  In the 6th Jose Reyes hit a solo homerun.  The Pirates fought back scoring in the 8th when Ryan Doumit doubled home Ronny Cedeno and in the 9th Andrew McCutchen hit a solo homerun.

Jenrry Mejía left early due to injury after pitching just 2.1 innings giving up no hits, 1 unearned run, and 1 strikeout.  Raul Valdez got the win pitching only 1.2 innings giving up 4 hits, 4 runs, and no strikeouts.  The loss went to  Paul Maholm who pitched 3.2 innings giving up 7 hits, 7 runs, and 1 strikeout.  Hisanori Takahashi got the save after giving up 1 hit, 1 run, and 2 strikeouts.

Marlins vs. Nationals

Jason Marquis was good, but Anibal Sanchez was better, as the Marlins beat the Nationals 4-1. Marquis had himself a no-hitter through the first four innings before Florida got to him in the 5th. With two outs in the top of the 5th, Emilio Bonifacio singled to drive in Chad Tracy and Mike Stanton, giving the Marlins a 2-0 lead. Florida would score another run in the 8th on an RBI single by Logan Morrison, and again in the 9th on a fielding error by Washington’s Adam Dunn. Sanchez had his own no-hitter going until the 5th inning. Washington was held to just five hits in the game. Their only run came in the bottom of the 8th on a double by Wilson Ramos to score Nyjer Morgan.

Sanchez got the win, going 7.2 innings and giving up one run on four hits while striking out four. Marquis took the loss, going 6 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out eight. Clay Hensley recorded his 2nd save for the Marlins.

Mets vs. Phillies

The Mets held on to play spoilers today, beating Philadelphia 4-3. New York got it going early against Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick. Ike Davis drove in the Mets first run in the 1st on a ground-rule double. New York would later add a run in the 3rd on a solo shot off the bat of Jose Reyes. Davis drove in two more runs in the 7th to make it 4-0 Mets. Philadelphia, however, made things interesting in the top of the 8th. Ross Gload scored the first run for Philadelphia on a single by Shane Victorino. A few batters later, Ryan Howard knocked in two runs on a single to center field. The Mets bullpen was able to hold on though and finish the game to get the win.

Mike Pelfrey got the win, going 7.1 strong innings and giving up two runs on six hits while striking out five. Kyle Kendrick took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out only one. Hisanori Takahashi recorded his 6th save for the Mets.

Braves vs. Cardinals

It took 12 innings, but the Braves were able to hang on and beat the Cardinals 6-3 in yet another walk-off win, putting them back in a tie for first place in the NL East. With two outs in the 1st inning, Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook walked Nate McLouth to force home the first run for Atlanta. It remained 1-0 until the 5th when McLouth tripled to drive in Martin Prado. St. Louis tied it up in the top of the 6th on a two-run double by Albert Pujols. Jason Heyward put the Braves ahead in the 7th with a solo shot to right field. In the top of the 8th, however, it was Pujols once again who tied up the game. Pujols grounded into a force out allowing Brendan Ryan to score. The game was tied until the bottom of the 12 when, with two men on, Alex Gonzalez hit his second career walk-off home run.

Atlanta’s starter Tommy Hanson went 7 innings to get the no decision. He allowed two runs on five hits while striking out five. Reliever Craig Kimbrel got the win for Atlanta. Westbrook went 6 innings in his start for St. Louis to also get a no decision. He gave up two runs on seven hits while striking out three. Mitchell Boggs took the loss for St. Louis.

Marlins vs. Braves

The Marlins blew a 6-0 lead to the first place Braves, but scored a run in the bottom of the 10th to earn a 7-6 victory Sunday afternoon in Florida. 

The Marlins jumped on Atlanta starter Mike Minor for six runs in the first three innings.  Hanley Ramirez ignited Florida’s offense with a run-scoring single in the first inning, and then hit a two-run homer in the third to put the Marlins up 6-0.  Marlins starter Alex Sanabia held the Braves scoreless until Nate McLouth singled home a run in the fifth, and Atlanta rallied for five more runs in the sixth to even the score.  Florida outfielder Cameron Maybin kept the Braves from taking the lead when he robbed McLouth of what would have been a go-ahead grand slam.  Instead, McLouth’s long drive turned into an unusual two-run sacrifice fly which tied the game at 6.

The score remained tied at 6 until the bottom of the 10th.   After lining a foul ball off of on-deck batter Logan Morrison, Florida’s Emilio Bonifacio tripled off of Atlanta reliever Eric O’Flaherty (3-2) to open the inning.  With Morrison unable to take his turn at bat, pinch hitter Scott Cousins delivered his first major league hit to score Bonifacio with the winning run.  Burke Badenhop (2-5) earned the victory in relief for the Marlins.

Phillies vs. Brewers

The Phillies remained a game back of the Braves as they fell by a score of 6-2 to former Phillie Randy Wolf and the Brewers in Philadelphia.

Prince Fielder blasted a three-run homer off of Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick (9-8) in the first inning to give Milwaukee an early lead.  The Phillies pulled to within a run in the second inning when Carlos Ruiz doubled home two runs off of Wolf, but the Brewers answered back with single runs in the third and fourth innings.   The Brew Crew pounded out 13 hits, including three each by Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun.

Wolf (11-10) allowed just two runs and seven hits over 6 2/3 innings, and John Axford pitched two scoreless innings to earn save number 20.

Mets vs. Cubs

The sliding Mets avoided a sweep as their offense exploded for 18 runs and 21 hits in an 18-5 victory over the Cubs in Chicago.

The Cubs built a 4-2 lead off of New York starter Jonathon Niese, helped by a two run homer from Aramis Ramirez.  However, the Mets knocked out Chicago starter Ryan Dempster (12-10) in the fifth with a five run inning.  Ruben Tejada singled home two runs to break a 4-4 tie, and added his first major league home run in the seventh as the Mets took the lead for good.   The Mets broke open the game by scoring five runs in both the eighth and ninth innings.  Tejada drove in five runs on the afternoon, and Ike Davis added four hits, including a home run.  Niese (9-7) wasn’t on top of his game, allowing five runs over six plus innings, but earned the victory thanks to New York’s offensive outburst.

Nationals vs. Pirates

The Nationals used a five run inning and solid starting pitching on their way to a 8-1 victory against the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

After scoring a run in the first on an RBI ground out from Ryan Zimmerman, the Nationals took control of the game in the fourth inning off of Charlie Morton (1-11) and the Pirates.  Adam Dunn homered, and Zimmerman singled home two more in the five run frame.  Meanwhile, Washington starter Jason Marquis (2-7) allowed just one run over six innings, courtesy of a Pedro Alvarez solo homer.  Zimmerman added another run scoring single in the sixth, finishing the game with four RBI to lead the Nationals to the victory.

Mets vs. Cubs

New York dropped their second straight game to the Cubs, losing Saturday 5-3. Chicago scored a run in the 2nd and 3rd innings to take a 2-0 lead. Luis Castillo made things interesting for the Mets in the top of the 4th, when he stole home after Lucas Duda struck out swinging, to cut the lead to 2-1. The Cubs responded in the following inning with two runs. Marlon Byrd doubled to drive home Starlin Castro, and Mets starter Jenrry Mejia threw a wild pitch to allow Byrd to score. Trailing 4-1 in the top of the 7th, Ike Davis hit a solo shot to right field to make it 4-2. This was the first home run for Davis since July 29. Just as soon as the Mets gained a run, however, they gave it right back. In the bottom of the 7th, Aramis Ramirez hit a home run to center field. The Mets tagged on their final run in the bottom of the 8th when Carlos Beltran doubled to bring home Castillo.

Carlos Zambrano got the win, going 7 innings and giving up two runs on four hits while striking out eight. Mejia took the loss in his big league debut as a starter. He went 5 innings and gave up four runs on eight hits while striking out two. Carlos Marmol recorded his 27th save for the Cubs.

Phillies vs. Brewers

The Phillies beat the Brewers 5-4 in Philadelphia. Home runs by Prince Fielder and Alcides Escobar in the 2nd inning made it 2-0 Milwaukee. Philadelphia responded with two home runs of their own in the bottom of the inning off the bats of Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth. Corey Hart would put the Brewers back on top in the 3rd with a solo shot of his own to right field. The Phillies would tie it up in the bottom of the inning when Jimmy Rollins scored on a single by Chase Utley. The game would remain tied until the 7th when Hart hit his second home run of the game, another solo shot, this time to left field. Just as they had in the other two innings in which the Brewers scored, Philadelphia came back once again in the bottom of the inning two score two runs. With the bases loaded, Placido Polanco hit a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Carlos Ruiz to tag up and score. Milwaukee’s left fielder Ryan Braun made a throwing error on the play, which allowed Wilson Valdez to score the go-ahead run.

Roy Halladay got the win, going 7 innings and giving up four runs on seven hits while striking out six. Milwaukee starter Dave Bush went 6 innings in his no decision. He allowed three runs on six hits while striking out five. Kameron Loe took the loss for Milwaukee. Brad Lidge got his 20th save for Philadelphia.

Nationals vs. Pirates

The Nationals beat up on the Pirates, winning 9-2. The game was scoreless until Washington put up a five-run 4th inning. Ivan Rodriguez drove in two runs with a single to center field. Danny Espinosa followed with an RBI single to drive home Roger Bernadina. Rodriguez would later score on a sacrifice fly by Justin Maxwell. Nyjer Morgan capped off the inning with a single to score Espinosa. Washington put up two more runs in the 5th inning thanks to a two-run shot by Rodriguez to make it 7-0. Pittsburgh finally got on the board in the bottom of the 5th with a home run off the bat of Andrew McCutchen. In the top of the 6th, Ian Desmond would double to drive in another run for Washington to make it 8-1. The final run of the night for Washington came in the top of the 8th on an RBI single by Michael Morse. Pittsburgh’s only other run of the game came in the bottom of the 8th on a double by Ronny Cedeno to score Pedro Alvarez.

John Lannan got the win for Washington, going 7 innings and giving up one run on five hits while striking out seven. Paul Maholm took the loss for Pittsburgh, going 4.1 innings and allowing seven runs on nine hits while striking out four.

Braves vs. Marlins

The Braves beat the Marlins 2-0 to hang on to their lead in the NL East. Atlanta’s Alex Gonzalez drove in the Braves’ two runs. The first run came in the 2nd inning on a double to center field to score Melky Cabrera. The second run came in the 6th on a single to center again allowing Brian McCann to score. Atlanta starter Jair Jurrjens held the Marlins to just four hits in the game.

Jurrjens and Florida starter Josh Johnson were in a pitchers duel for much of the night. Jurrjens got the win, however, going 7 innings and giving up just three hits while striking out seven. Johnson took the loss, going 6 innings and giving up two runs on eight hits while matching a career-high 12 strikeouts.  Billy Wagner recorded his 32nd save of the year for Atlanta.

Phillies vs. Dodgers

The Phillies beat the Dodgers Wednesday afternoon 5-1, and won their series against Los Angeles. Home runs by Jimmy Rollins in the 1st inning and Shane Victorino in the 2nd gave Philadelphia an early 2-0 lead. The Phillies tagged on another run in the 7th on a double by Chase Utley. An RBI single by Rollins followed by a ground-rule double off the bat of Utley added two runs for Philadelphia in the 9th. Utley had a career-high three doubles in the game. The Dodgers did not get their first hit until the 6th inning off Roy Oswalt. Their only run of the game came in the bottom of the 8th when James Loney singled for L.A. to drive home Jamey Carroll.

Oswalt got the win for Philadelphia, going 6.1 innings and giving up no runs on one hit while striking out six. Clayton Kershaw took the loss for L.A., going 6 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out eleven.

Braves vs. Mets

The Braves dealt the Mets their third straight loss, winning 4-1. Atlanta scored in the 1st inning on a two-run double by Martin Prado. Rick Ankiel scored in the 2nd inning on a single by Omar Infante. Infante would later score Atlanta’s 4th run when Jason Heyward doubled to left field. The Mets lone run of the game came in the 8th. Ike Davis scored on a single by Luis Hernandez.

Tommy Hanson got the win, his first since July 3. Hanson threw 7 innings of one-hit ball. He gave up no runs while striking out three. Mike Pelfrey took the loss, going 5 innings and giving up four runs on nine hits while striking out two. Billy Wagner recorded his 31st save of the season for Atlanta.

Marlins vs. Nationals

It was a wild one down in Florida as the Marlins beat the Nationals 16-10. The Nationals got on the board first with a 1st inning run on a single by Michael Morse. Florida responded with 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st, followed by 5 more in the 2nd and 4 in the 3rd. In the top of the 6th, Marlins starter Chris Volstad threw a pitch behind Morgan, who in response, charged the mound and began a bench-clearing brawl. The incident stems from a play Tuesday night in which Morgan barreled into Marlins catcher Brett Hayes at home plate. Hayes suffered a separated left shoulder. Morgan and Volstad, along with Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez and reliever Jose Veras were ejected. When all was said and done, Washington went on to score three runs in the inning. A solo shot by Wil Nieves in the 7th followed by an RBI single by Willie Harris made it 15-10. Suddenly Washington found themselves back in the ballgame, but Florida tagged on their final run in the bottom of the 7th on a home run off the bat of Cameron Maybin, and was able to hang on.

Before being tossed from the game, Volstad went 5 innings, giving up six runs on nine hits while striking out four to get the win. Scott Olsen took the loss, lasting only 1.2 innings and giving up nine runs on eight hits while striking out only one batter.

Phillies vs. Astros

The Phillies and Astros played a wild game Tuesday night in Philadelphia.  The game featured a pitcher’s duel, ninth inning home run, and a key ejection that forced the Phillies to use a pitcher in the field.  In the end, the Astos defeated the Phillies by a score of 4-2 in a 16 inning marathon.

The Astros got on the board first in the fourth inning when Carlos Lee hit a two-run homer off of Phillies’ starter Cole Hamels.  The Phils got a run back off of Houston starter Bud Norris in the sixth on a Raul Ibanez RBI double, but the Astros held on to a 2-1 lead entering the ninth inning.    With two outs in the ninth, Jimmy Rollins blasted a solo home run off of Houston reliever Wilton Lopez to tie the game and send it to extra innings.  Then things got really interesting.

 Neither team could find a way to score in extra frames.  In the bottom of the 14th, Ryan Howard came up with two runners on and two outs.  Howard had two check swings ruled strikes by third base umpire Scott Barry, the last being strike three.  When Howard tossed his bat and helmet after the strike out, Barry ejected Howard, causing the Phillies first baseman to charge towards the umpire before being restrained.  The ejection left the Phillies short a position player, and forced manager Charlie Manuel to insert pitcher Roy Oswalt in left field. 

The Astros finally broke the tie in the top of the 16th off of reliever David Herndon (1-3), scratching out two runs on an infield single and fielder’s choice.  In the bottom of the inning, Howard’s ejection loomed large again.   Astros’ reliever Jeff Fulchino (1-0) retired the first two batters, but after walking Placido Polanco, Houston intentionally walked Chase Utley to bring up “clean up hitter” Roy Oswalt.   Fulchino got Oswalt to ground out to end the game and give Houston the victory.

 

Marlins vs. Mets

 The Mets’ slumbering offense knocked out Marlins’ ace Josh Johnson after five innings and used single runs in the final two innings to defeat Florida by a score of 6-5 at Citi Field.

The Mets broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the fifth off of Johnson, thanks to an RBI single by Carlos Beltran and Jeff Francoeur‘s second sacrifice fly of the game.  Mets’ starter R.A. Dickey kept the Mets in the lead until the seventh.  With two outs and two on in the seventh, Dickey allowed a three-run homer to Gaby Sanchez to give Florida a 5-4 lead.  However, the Mets came back against the Marlins’ bullpen.

With two outs in the eighth, Angel Pagan doubled and Beltran drove in his second run of the game with a run-scoring single off of Clay Hensley to tie the game at 5.   After Hisanori Takahashi (8-6) retired the Marlins in the top of the ninth, Luis Castillo hit a two-out single off of Will Ohman (0-2) to score Ike Davis and give the Mets the walk-off victory.

 

Nationals vs. Cubs

The Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano pitched effectively into the eighth inning, and closer Carlos Marmol survived a shaky ninth as Chicago held on to defeat the Nationals 5-4 in Washington.

Nationals’ starter John Lannan (5-6) allowed a three-run homer to Alfonso Soriano and a two-run shot to Tyler Colvin as the Cubs built a 5-1 lead.  Meanwhile, Zambrano (5-6) allowed just one run and five hits over 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight.   Marmol entered the game in the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded, but struck out Ian Desmond to keep the score at 5-1.

In the ninth, Marmol created his own bases loaded mess, and with two outs, Adam Kennedy cleared the bases with a three-run double to cut Chicago’s lead to 5-4.  Luckily for the Cubbies, Marmol rebounded to retire Ryan Zimmerman on a fly ball to preserve the victory.  Despite allowing three runs, Marmol was credited with his 23rd save of the season since he entered the game with the tying run at the plate.

 

Braves vs. Rockies

The first place Atlanta Braves received a solid starting pitching performance from Derek Lowe, but the Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa was better on Tuesday night, and the Braves fell by a score of 5-2 in Colorado.

The Rockies opened the scoring when Carlos Gonzalez hit a two-run homer off of Lowe (11-12) in the bottom of the first.  The Braves got a run back in the second off of De La Rosa (5-4) on an Alex Gonzalez solo shot, but Rockies got that run back with a Seth Smith home run in the sixth.  Alex Gonzalez cut the Rockies lead to 3-2 with a seventh inning RBI single, but that was as close as the Braves would get.

The Rockies added some insurance in the eighth inning courtesy of a Dexter Fowler two-run single.  Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth inning to notch his 12th save of the season.