Braves vs. Phillies

Despite a late rally, the Braves were able to hold on to win 8-7 against the Phillies, and with a San Diego loss, became the 2010 NL Wild Card winner. Philadelphia got things started in the 3rd with a two-run blast off the bat of John Mayberry. In the bottom of the 3rd, Jason Heyward tripled to drive home Rick Ankiel to cut the lead to 2-1. RBI singles by Brooks Conrad and Tim Hudson, followed by a two-run triple by Omar Infante equaled a four-run 4th inning for Atlanta. Derrek Lee homered in the 5th to make it 6-2 Atlanta. Conrad singled home the 7th run of the game for Altanta. The Braves would tag on one more run in the 6th. Jayson Werth hit a two-run shot for the Phillies in the 7th to cut the lead to 8-4, and added three more runs in the 8th.

Tim Hudson got the win for Atlanta, going 7 innings and allowing four runs on two hits while striking out three. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel allowed for three of his starters to get a few innings in today’s game. Cole Hamels began the game though, going 2 innings and giving up no hits while striking out two. Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton also pitched an inning, giving up one run and four runs respectively. Danys Baez took the loss for Philadelphia. Billy Wagner recorded his 37th save of the season for Atlanta.

Mets vs. Nationals

It took 14 innings, but Washington beat the Mets 2-1 in the final game of the season for both teams. The first runs of the game for either team came in the 5th inning. In the top of the 5th, Roger Bernadina scored on a single by Alberto Gonzalez. In the bottom of the inning, Josh Thole grounded into a double play allowing Angel Pagan to score. It remained tied until the top of the 14th when Oliver Perez entered the game for the Mets. After striking out Ian Desmond, Perez then hit Adam Kennedy and walked the next two batters to load the bases. Perez then walked Justin Maxwell forcing home the winning run for Washington.

Both starters got a no decision in game. Mike Pelfrey went 7 innings and allowed one run on four hits while striking out four. Livan Hernandez went 6.2 innings and gave up one run on six hits while striking out one. Joel Peralta got the win for Washington. Oliver Perez took the loss for New York. Miguel Batista recorded his 2nd save for Washington.

Marlins vs. Pirates

The Marlins beat Pittsburgh 5-2 Sunday and grabbed third place in the NL East. A two-run home run by Dan Uggla in the 1st inning gave Florida a quick 2-0 lead. Pittsburgh cut the lead to 2-1 in the 2nd inning on a solo shot off the bat of Ronny Cedeno. A single by Andrew McCutchen in the 5th tied up the game. In the bottom of the 6th, a potential home run off the bat of Wes Helms turned into a ground-rule double after the umpires reviewed the play. Uggla scored on the play. Florida went on to score two more runs in the 7th inning.

Anibal Sanchez got the win for Florida, going 6 innings and giving up two runs on four hits while striking out seven. Brian Burres took the loss, going 5.2 innings and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out four. Clay Hensley recorded his 7th save for Florida.

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.

No more baseball. Thank goodness for football, because I think I’d go out the window if I had only hockey and basketball for sustenance once the world series is over. Defenestration. I think that’s what it’s called. I must not be alone in thinking that either. Going out the window, that is. Imagine it happened quite frequently at some point. Enough to motivate someone to actually come up with a word for it. Think about that. We do lots of things every day that there isn’t a word for but should be. Throwing a pillow at the TV after Jerry Manuel starts Wilson Valdez at short, for example. Gotta be a word for that.

Anyway, the Phillies won yesterday—outlasting the Marlins 7-6 at Citizens Bank Park and avoiding a series sweep to end the season. I guess the secret to beating the Marlins turned out to be sitting all your regulars, because that’s what the Phillies did yesterday as Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez all rode the pine. Josh Johnson must have been licking his chops as he warmed up to start this one, huh? Turns out, not so much.  John Mayberry, Paul Hoover and Miguel Cairo combined to blast the Marlins, who finish the year at 87-75–6 games out of first and 5 back of the wildcard.

Washington fans have to be feeling pretty satisfied with themselves this week, huh? After laying a 3 game sweep on the Mets, they go into Atlanta and sweep the Braves out of town too to finish the season on a 7 game winning streak. Still couldn’t break 60 wins, however, as the Nats finish up the season 59-103. That’s 2 years in a row at 59 wins. Whatever word there is to describe what the Nationals are, “good” is not one of them. Let’s hope Stephen Strasburg gets here quickly, huh? The game ball in this one had to go to J.D. Martin, who matched Derek Lowe down the line and shut down the Braves over 6 innings, scattering 6 hits and allowing a single run in a game that the Nats went on to win in extras 2-1.

Finally, the Mets. I actually can’t write any more about them. It hurts too much. Watching Nelson Figueroa out there yesterday though pitching his complete game shutout only made it harder to endure these next months without baseball. The playoffs and World Series will be fun, don’t get me wrong. And my Giants will make it bearable until January or so, but thinking about what could have been this year in Queens just brings me down. Maybe the Mets would have choked again this year, and you know what, I’d have preferred it to the dead from the neck up baseball I witnessed this year from basically mid-May. Sweeping the Astros to finish out the string here was nice, but watching the Phillies and Dodgers stumble to the finish this year got me thinking about how the Mets likely would have made it close.

Prado drives in the winner

Martin Prado had a huge night in Atlanta on Thursday night, going 4-5 with four of Atlanta’s five runs batted in and a run scored of his own including a home run in the fifth.  Prado drove in Matt Diaz in the bottom of the tenth inning off Chan Ho Park(3-2) who took the loss in 0.2 innings pitched giving up three hits and a walk.  The win brought the Braves   within four games of first even though they are four games under .500.  Peter Moylan(2-2) got the win for the Braves with two thirds of an inning of perfect relief.  For more Braves news, go to The Braves Baseball Blog.

The Phillies got another mediocre pitching performance from one of their starters as Joe Blanton only lasted five innings while giving up three runs, including giving up the lead twice.  Philadelphia took the lead late in the game with back to back homers by John Mayberry and Pedro Feliz in the top of the eighth inning.  The lead was erased when Ryan Madson blew his fourth save of the year and this eventually led the game to extras.  For more Phillies news, please check out the new Phillies Phandom blog.

Game two of the series is tonight at 7:00PM with Cole Hamels going against Jair Jurrjens at Turner Field.

How many times is his picture gonna be here?

Is anyone else noticing a trend of Hanley Ramirez being pictured for the Marlins in the recaps? Ramirez has been on a tear and it did not end last night in Miami against the Washington Nationals.  Hanley Ramirez had two hits in four at bats with a run scored and four more RBI to get the Marlins to their second straight win and eighth straight against the Nationals, 7-5.   This was only a seven inning rain shortened game, but The Marlins took the lead in the sixth and added to their lead in the seventh off Joe Beimel(0-4) and four more Nationals errors.  Renyel Pinto(3-1) worked a perfect inning and picked up the win for the Marlins who are now only 1.5 games back of first place with the Philly loss.

Adam Dunn once again had a solid game for the Nationals while getting two hits, three RBI including a home run in the fifth inning off Marlins starter Sean West.  The two teams will face off in the finale of the series at 12:10PM in Miami this afternoon.  More Nats news at CenterfieldGate.

Its been that kind of year for the Mets

The little league New York Mets once again lost a very sloppy game, which was their fifth loss in a row.  Even ace Johan Santana(9-6) couldn’t help them on this night and was hurt by two errors (really three) en route to a 6-3 loss to the Brewers.  David Wright hit a two run home run in the first and that was all the offense the Mets received until the ninth inning of the game.  In the fourth inning, rookie Fernando Martinez managed to find and get stuck in a divet in center field while trying to track a routine fly ball.  Fast forward a few walks, errors and a double by Ryan Braun and the Brewers had all the runs they needed to win.  Mike Burns(1-1) in only his second major league start got the win while pitching into the seventh inning.  The two teams conclude this afternoon at 2:05PM with Pelfrey going against young Brewers ace Gallardo.  For more on the Mets, go to The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Chase Utley hits his 16th of the season

The Phillies got back on track temporarily reliving some World Series magic in Tampa.  Helped by home runs by rookie John Mayberry and Chase Utley and innings of 6 and 4 runs, they broke their 6 game losing streak.  Phenom David Price(1-2) worked 4.1 very tough innings giving up 7 hits and 10 runs, but only 5 earned runs because of errors behind him.  The ageless wonder Jamie Moyer(5-6) worked 6 solid innings to get the win in this game.  The Phillies will hope to continue their road success tonight with Joe Blanton taking the mound against the Rays’ Matt Garza at 7:08PM.

Joel Pineiro helps with his bat too

The Mets injuries may have finally caught up to them, either that or Joel Pineiro is making a bid for the Cy Young by playing the Mets for all his starts.  Joel Pineiro(6-8) pitched a complete game shutout of the Mets, while only allowing 2 hits, one walk and one hit by pitch, while going 2 for 4 at the plate and scoring what turned out to be the only run that mattered for the Cardinals.  Pineiro is now 2-0 against the Mets this season with only 2 earned runs allowed in 17 innings pitched.  Livan Hernandez took a tough loss for the Mets, going 7 innings and giving up 3 runs, 2 earned on 8 hits, and 3 walks.  The series continues tonight with Brad Thompson taking on Fernando Nieve at 7:10pm.  Head to The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more information.

Jorge Cantu celebrates with Bonifacio

The Marlins have now won 3 of their past 4 games after Jorge Cantu singled home the games winning run in the 12th inning of a 7-6 win against the Baltimore Orioles.  Matt Lindstrom should be buying Cantu a steak dinner, as he was rescued from headlines after he gave up 3 runs in just 0.2 innings pitched as the Orioles got 5 straight hits to tie the game in the 9th.  The actual blown save was credited to Brian Sanches, but the runs were all charged to Lindstrom.  Burke Badenhop(5-2) got the win in relief,  and Brian Bass(4-2) took the loss for the Orioles who lost for the first time in their last 6 games.  The Orioles will try to rebound and continue their hot play sending Jason Berken to the mound against Ricky Nolasco tonight in South Florida.

McCann has a big night

Brian McCann had a big night against the New York Yankees last night in Atlanta with 3 hits and 2 RBI including a solo home run in the 8th inning.  Braves rookie phenom Tommy Hanson also appears to be living up to the hype as he won his third straight decision and stayed undefeated.  Hanson(3-0) went 5.1 IP and only gave up 4 hits, but walked 5 and struck out 4 while Chien-Ming Wang(0-6) lasted 5 innings giving up 6 hits and 3 earned runs and a walk, his ERA is down to 11.20.  The Yankees will send Joba Chamberlain to the mound against Kenshin Kawakami tonight in hopes of ending their 6 game losing streak.  The Braves Baseball Blog should be the next place you visit for more Braves info.

Another solid start for Lannon

John Lannon put together another solid start against a tough AL East opponent last night, but this time it wasn’t enough.  John Lannon put together 6.1 IP and only gave up 3 runs on 9 hits and left with a no decision against the Boston Red Sox last night.  Unfortunately the Nationals bullpen gave up 8 runs in the final 2.2 innings and it handed the Nationals an 11-3 loss.  Julian Tavarez(3-5) was charged with the loss while giving up a run on one hit and a walk while only recording one out.  Manny Delcarmen(2-1) got the win in relief for the Sox also in only 1/3rd of an inning.  The two teams match up tonight with Jon Lester facing off against Craig Stammen.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more information about the Nationals.

Ryan Madson watches Barajas

In a series finale matinee in Philadelphia, fans were treated to plenty of offense.  The Blue Jays completed the sweep of the NL East leading Philadelphia Phillies behind 8 runs and 3 home runs.  The Phillies were led by 4 home runs of their own including Jayson Werth’s 12th and newly recalled rookie John Mayberry’s second.  Ryan Madson(2-2) gave up the winning home run to pinch hitter Rod Barajas in the top of the 9th to take the loss, following his blown save on Tuesday night.  Jason Frasor(5-0) picks up the win in relief even though he was charged with a blown save for allowing the tying run to score in the eighth, while Jeremy Accardo picked up his first save.  The Phillies will welcome in the Orioles for a three game set at Citizens Bank Park tomorrow night.

Franky blows a save

The Mets missed a golden opportunity to pick up more ground on the Phillies tonight in Baltimore.  Going to the 9th inning with a 4-3 lead, Francisco Rodriguez(1-2) didn’t have nearly his best stuff and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks while recording only one out to take the loss and have his 2nd (but really 1st) blown save.  Aubrey Huff hurt the Mets again when he singled to right field in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded and the game tied to give the O’s the win.  Matt Albers(1-2) pitched a scoreless 9th and was rewarded with an unexpected win for the Orioles.  The Mets will travel back to Flushing and start a 10 game homestand beginning with 3 against the defending AL champion Tampa Bay Rays tomorrow night.  For more Mets news and info, head on over to The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Paulino hits one out

In a rain shortened game in Boston, the Marlins avoided a 3 game sweep of the Red Sox.  Ronnie Paulino and Dan Uggla each hit solo shots off of started Jon Lester(5-6) who took the loss while pitching 5 full innings and one batter in the 6th.  Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco(3-6) got the win in a “complete game” pitching 5 innings of 1 run ball for the win.  The Marlins will welcome the New York Yankees into LandShark Stadium in Miami this weekend for a three game set.

Hanson goes 6 shutout

Braves super-hyped rookie pitcher Tommy Hanson(2-0) showed signs of the future for the Braves today going 6 shutout innings for the win.  He was helped by the recently aquired Nate McLouth who hit his 11th home run of the year and added a 2 rbi single on route to a 7-0 Braves win.  Hanson even added an rbi single himself to give some added run support.  Cincinnati Reds rookie Matt Maloney(0-2) took the loss in 5.2IP giving up 6 earned runs on 6 hits, including 2 homeruns.  The Braves will travel to Boston to face the Red Sox this weekend and continue their interleague schedule after a small hiatus.  For more Braves information, go to The Braves Baseball Blog.

Stammen gets his 1st win

Over at The New Yankee Stadium, David slayed Goliath for the second straight night.  Nationals rookie Craig Stammen(1-2) pitched 6.1 shutout innings in the bronx for his 1st MLB win against the big bats of the Yankees.  He was helped by 3 hits and an rbi from Ryan Zimmerman and 2 hits and an rbi from Adam Dunn and some good defense behind him.  Joba Chamberlain(3-2) only gave up 3 runs over 6 innings for the loss, but once again the walks hurt him, as he had 3 walks in the 4th inning and 4 overall.  Reclaimation project Mike MacDougal picked up his 2nd save of the year and in as many days pitching to the minimum in the 9th inning.  One injury note for the Yankees is that rookie Brett Gardner left the game in the 8th after a violent collision with the wall in left centerfield, we here at NLEC hope he is ok.  The Nationals will welcome in the Blue Jays to Nationals Park for a weekend series beginning tomorrow night.  Be sure to log onto CenterfieldGate for more Nationals news and information.

Be sure to check back later for the weekend series previews and if you are interested in writing for NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com.