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.

Monday’s games:

Phillies vs. Cardinals

Kyle Kendrick (5-3, 4.44 ERA) and the Phillies begin their series with the Cardinals in St. Louis. Blake Hawksworth (3-5, 4.73 ERA) gets the start for the Cardinals. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Braves vs. Padres

Jair Jurrjens (2-3, 4.75 ERA) and the Braves take on Wade LeBlanc (4-7, 3.30 ERA) and the Padres in Atlanta. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Marlins vs. Rockies

The Marlins send Anibal Sanchez (7-6, 3.66 ERA) to the mound as they face Ubaldo Jimenez (15-1, 2.20 ERA) and the Rockies. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. in Colorado.

Nationals vs. Reds

J.D. Martin (1-4, 3.35 ERA) and the Nationals take on Johnny Cueto (8-2, 3.42 ERA) and the Reds in Cincinnati. First pitch is 7:10 p.m.

Mets vs. Diamondbacks

Mike Pelfrey (10-4, 3.58 ERA) and the Mets begin their series with the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Ian Kennedy (4-7, 4.12 ERA) gets the start for Arizona. Game time is 9:40 p.m.

Phillies vs. Reds

The Phillies beat the Reds in a score of 4-3 in extra innings. The Reds scored first when Joey Votto hit a solo shot in the 1st.  In the bottom of the inning Shane Victorino tied it up when he also went deep. The Phillies took the lead when Jimmy Rollins scored off a fielding error when Shane Victorino singled.  In the top of the 8th Drew Stubbs scored on a wild pitch to tie up the game.  In the bottom of the inning the Phillies reclaimed the lead when Jimmy Rollins hit a sac fly to score Wilson Valedz.  In the 9th the Reds tied it up again when Miguel Cairo doubled home Joey Votto.  Brian Schneider hit a walk off homer in the 12th for the Phillies.

Kyle Kendrick pitched 6.2 innings giving up 3 hits, 1 run, with 4 strikeouts.  Johnny Cueto pitched 7 innings giving up 4 hits, 2 runs with 3 strikeouts.  Nelson Figueroa got the win pitching 2 innings giving up no hits with 2 strikeouts.  The loss went to Jordan Smith who pitched 1.1 innings giving up 2 hits, 1 run, and no strikeouts.

Nationals vs. Padres

The Padres beat the Nationals in a score of 7-1. Yorvit Torrealba singled home Chase Headley in the first to score the first run of the game.  They added 2 more runs when Chris Denorfia and pitcher Mat Latos both went deep in the 3rd.  In the 6th Chris Denorfia singled home Yorvit Torrealba.  They again added 2 runs in the 7th when Chase Headley homered scoring Mat Latos.  The Nationals finally put a run on the board in the 8th when Adam Dunn singled home Roger Bernadina. In the 9th Jerry Hairston Jr. hit a solo shot to add another run for the Padres.

Mat Latos got the win after pitching 7 innings giving up 5 hits, no runs with 8 strikeouts.  The loss went to  Luis Atilano who pitched 5.1 innings giving up 8 hits, 4 runs with 2 strikeouts.

Marlins vs. Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks beat the Marlins in a score of 10-4. Arizona scored in the 1st when Kelly Johnson grounded out scoring Stephen Drew.  In the 3rd the Marlins tied it up when Chris Coghlan hit a sac fly to score Michael Stanton. Cole Gillespie doubled home Chris Snyder and Gerardo Parra then Kelly Johnson tripled home both Cole Gillespie and Stephen Drew, and Justin Upton singled home Kelly Johnson in the 4th inning to score 5 runs in the inning.  In the 6th Donnie Murphy scored for the Marlins on a throwing error.  In the bottom of the inning Arizona scored 4 more runs thanks to a long single from Adam LaRoche, a sac fly from Chris Snyder and an error.  In the 7th the Marlins added 2 runs when Brett Hayes homered scoring Cody Ross.

Anibal Sánchez lost after he pitched just 4 innings giving up 9 hits, 6 runs, and 2 strikeouts.  Rodrigo López got the win after he tossed 7 innings giving up 5 hits, 4 runs and 3 strikeouts.

The Mets and The Braves are both off

Nationals vs. Padres

Luis Atilano (6-5, 4.72 ERA) and the Nationals finish up their series with the Padres. Mat Latos (9-4, 2.62 ERA) gets the start for San Diego. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in D.C.

Phillies vs. Reds

The Phillies begin a four-game series with the Reds starting tonight. Kyle Kendrick (5-3, 4.70 ERA) takes the mound for the Phillies. Johnny Cueto (8-2, 3.56 ERA) starts for Cincinnati. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Marlins vs. Diamondbacks

Anibal Sanchez ( 7-5, 3.35 ERA) and the Marlins start their series with Arizona tonight. Rodrigo Lopez (4-7, 4.43 ERA) gets the start for the Diamondbacks. Game time is 9:40 p.m. in Arizona.

The Braves and Mets have the day off. They begin their series tomorrow night in N.Y.

Monday’s games:

Mets vs. Marlins

The two teams face off in Puerto Rico tonight. R.A. Dickey (6-0, 2.33) goes for win number 7 as he and the Mets take on Ricky Nolasco (6-6, 4.92) and the Marlins. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Braves vs. Nationals

The Braves and Nationals begin a three game series tonight. Tim Hudson (7-3, 2.54) starts for Atlanta. Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 1.78) goes for Washington. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. in Atlanta.

Phillies vs. Reds

Kyle Kendrick (4-2, 4.71) and the Phillies take on Johnny Cueto (7-2, 3.97) and the Reds. Game time is 7:10 p.m. in Cincinnati.

Walk off single

Ryan Howard’s tying homer in the ninth helped the Phillies complete a memorable comeback. Paul Bako’s single gave Philadelphia an 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night, giving them wins in eight of their past nine games. The Phillies trailed 7-3 before pinch-hitter Matt Stairs led off the ninth with a homer off Matt Capps (1-5). Jimmy Rollins walked and stole second, his third steal of the game, and Chase Utley followed with a one-out single to left. Howard followed Utley by blasting a 1-0 pitch to tie the game at 7. Raul Ibanez, playing in his first game after missing 20 with a groin injury, then hit a ground-rule double to center. After an intentional walk to Jayson Werth and an infield single by Pedro Feliz, Bako lined a 2-2 pitch to left, sending a crowd that included Vice President Joe Biden home happy. Tyler Walker(1-0) pitched one scoreless inning of relief. Cole Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP, lasted six innings while allowing five runs on seven hits—all extra-base hits. The left-hander has allowed at least seven hits in six of his last seven starts and is 1-3 in that stretch. Pittsburgh starter Ross Ohlendorf held the Phillies to five hits while allowing three runs and striking out five. The right-hander matched his career high with four walks.

Mr. West Through the wire

With one day to go until the All-Star break, the second-place Marlins fell four games behind Philadelphia in the NL East. Florida opens the second half of the season with a four-game series against the Phillies in Miami. Although he has pitched well lately, Garland (5-8) had gone nine starts without a victory and won for the first time since May 19—also against Florida. The Diamondbacks entered 8-16 against left-handed starters but jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first against Sean West (3-4). All-Star Justin Upton matched a career high with four hits, Jon Garland allowed one run in eight innings and the Diamondbacks beat the Florida Marlins 5-1 on Saturday night.

Closing out

Jurrjens pitched six strong innings and singled twice for his first career multihit game to drive in a run and score another, leading the Atlanta Braves past the Colorado Rockies 4-3 on Saturday night. Jurrjens (7-7) won for just the second time in his last eight starts. He had taken five losses in that span, including four in which he received two or fewer runs in offensive support. Rafael Soriano, the last of five Braves pitchers, allowed a bloop single to Seth Smith to start the ninth inning but then struck out the side for his 12th save in 13 opportunities. Colorado starter Jason Marquis (11-6) went six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits but was denied in his bid for a major league-leading 12th win.

Loaded French Fries the Reds

Francoeur had a two-run single in his Mets debut and Johan Santana pitched seven sharp innings, leading New York to a 4-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. Santana (10-7) allowed five hits, struck out five and walked one, taking advantage of some rare run support. New York scored seven runs in the left-hander’s previous five starts. While the Mets were all smiles, the Reds had a rough night. Johnny Cueto (8-6) turned in another shaky start, and right fielder Jay Bruce broke his right wrist trying to make a sliding catch. Cueto gave up four runs and nine hits over five innings, dropping to 2-3 with a 7.31 ERA in his last six starts. It was the right-hander’s first game since he allowed a career-high nine runs while recording just two outs in a 22-1 loss at Philadelphia. Bruce went down when he rushed in trying to grab David Wright’s blooper in the first inning. He got his glove on the ball, but it came out as his wrist folded back awkwardly.

Home Plate saw alot of action

Stammen (2-4) gave up nine hits in his first complete game and Washington’s fourth this season. He threw only 107 pitches, taking more chances with Houston’s hitters because of the lopsided score. Houston starter Mike Hampton (5-6) gave up nine hits in 3 2-3 innings, his shortest outing of the season. He pored over a video replay of his performance and didn’t think he pitched that poorly. Nick Johnson, Josh Willingham and Dunn homered in consecutive at-bats and the Nationals set season highs for hits and runs. Washington had three straight shots for the first time since the franchise relocated from Montreal in 2005 and the 21 hits were the most since the move.

This should be a great weekend of National League East Baseball, please be sure to check back to NLEC or the team affiliate blog frequently!

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

Utley rounds the bases after a three run shot

Philly fans were able to relax very early last night, as the Phillies put up a 10 spot in the first inning against the Reds last night in Philly.  In the first inning alone, Victorino and Rollins scored two runs and Victorino, Dobbs and Utley hit home runs.  Johnny Cueto(8-5) only lasted two outs in the first and was charged with nine runs on five hits and three walks.  The Phillies still managed to add on more runs, as they won the game 22-1.  Cole Hamels(5-5) was able to cruise through seven innings only giving up three hits, including a home run and even added two hits and an RBI of his own.  The two teams meet up again tonight in Philadelphia, Cincinnati will hope to put up any fight.

Sandoval says "vote for me!"

Pablo Sandoval made a loud audition to get votes in the MLB Final NL All-Star vote when he put the Giants ahead in the fifth inning with a grand slam on way to a 5-4 victory.  Marlins pitcher Sean West(3-3) got through six innings and the main blemish he had was the grand slam, as he gave up a total of five runs in taking the loss.  Matt Cain(10-2) worked into the seventh and picked up his tenth victory of the season after being named an NL All-Star on Sunday.  Not to be outdone, Brian Wilson earned his 22nd save of the season but not before allowing two runs on three hits and a walk to allow the game to be closer than it was.  The Marlins continue the west coast trip tonight after falling two games behind the Phillies in the East.

Lee stays hot

Derek Lee continued to play great baseball going two for four with a two run home run in the first inning for the Cubs.  They added all four runs in the first two innings and that would be all they needed.  Randy Wells(4-3) worked six innings giving up seven hits and two runs, including a home run to McLouth in getting his fourth victory this year.  Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol got holds as Kevin Gregg got his 15th save this season during a 4-2 Cubs victory.  Jair Jurrjens(6-7) went six innings but gave up those four runs in the first two innings in getting the loss for the Braves.  The series will continue in Chicago tonight.

Pitching this well in Colorado?

Oddly enough, Jason Marquis is having a wonderful season in what is known as a great hitters ballpark in Colorado.  Marquis(11-5) got his league leading 11th victory as he worked eight innings and giving up zero earned runs during a 1-0 Colorado victory.  Colorado got their first and only needed run in the first as Todd Helton doubled in Clint Barmes in the opening inning.  Craig Stammen(1-4) took a tough loss for the Nats as he went seven innings and giving up only five hits, but that double gave him the loss.  Huston Street worked a perfect ninth inning earning his 20th save of the year for the Rockies.  The Nats look to rebound tonight again in Colorado.