Braves vs. Nationals

The Nationals took the final game of their series with the Braves by a score of 6-2. Michael Morse got things started for Washington in the 2nd inning, hitting his 9th home run of the season to left field. The next inning, Nyjer Morgan scored on an RBI single off the bat of Ian Desmond to make it 2-0 Nats. Washington tagged on two more runs in the 6th on a double by Roger Bernadina, followed by a single from Ryan Zimmerman. Willie Harris also contributed to the Nationals offense with a two-run home run in the 9th off Atlanta’s Kyle Farnsworth. The only two runs for Atlanta came in the bottom of the 6th thanks to a two-run RBI double off the bat of Matt Diaz.

Washington’s John Lannan got the win, going 5.1 innings and giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out five. Derek Lowe took the loss for Atlanta, going 7 innings and allowing four runs on six hits while striking out six.

Marlins vs. Pirates

The Marlins won the series finale against the Pirates by a score of 4-2. The game was scoreless until the 6th inning when the Marlins put up four runs in the inning. Gaby Sanchez hit a three-run home run to center field. A few batters later, Wes Helms hit an RBI single to drive home Cody Ross. A ground-rule double in the bottom of the 8th by Argenis Diaz to score Chris Snyder put Pittsburgh on the board. The Pirates added another run in the bottom of the 9th with a solo shot off the bat of Andrew McCutchen.

Alex Sanabia got the win for Florida, going 7.2 innings and giving up one run on four hits while striking out five. Paul Maholm took the loss for Pittsburgh, going 5.2 innings and allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out two. Leo Nunez recorded his 28th save for Florida.

Phillies vs. Giants

The Phillies lost to the Giants 5-2, and are now only one game up on San Francisco in the wild card. An RBI double by Buster Posey followed by back-to-back RBI singles by Jose Guillen and Juan Uribe gave the Giants a three-run lead in the 1st inning. Another double by Posey in the 3rd and a home run by Pablo Sandoval in the 4th gave San Francisco a 5-0 lead. The Phillies were only able to get two hits off Giants’ starter Jonathan Sanchez. Philadelphia’s two runs came in the bottom of the 9th on a double by Mike Sweeney off reliever Sergio Romo.

Sanchez got the win for San Francisco, going 8 innings and giving up one run on two hits while striking out seven. Cole Hamels, who once again got little run support, took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out five.

Mets vs. Astros

The Mets fell to the Astros 3-2. New York scored two runs in the 4th inning. The first run coming on a ground out by Jeff Francoeur to score Angel Pagan. The second on an RBI single by Chris Carter. Houston was held to just one hit through 6 innings by Pat Misch, who retired 16 straight, but broke through in the 7th. After singles by Angel Sanchez and Hunter Pence, Carlos Lee hit a three-run home run to give the Astros a 3-2 lead.

Bud Norris got the win for Houston, going 7 innings and allowing two runs on two hits while striking out four. Pat Misch took the loss, going 6 innings and giving up three runs on four hits while striking out one. Brandon Lyon got the save for Houston.

Thursday’s games:

Braves vs. Nationals

The Braves and Nationals close out their series this afternoon as Atlanta goes for the sweep of Washington. Derek Lowe (11-10, 4.29 ERA) starts for Atlanta. John Lannan (4-5, 5.23 ERA) starts for Washington. Game time is 1:05 p.m. in Atlanta.

Marlins vs. Pirates

The Marlins send Alex Sanabia (1-1, 4.63 ERA) to the mound in the series finale against the Pirates tonight in Pittsburgh. Paul Maholm (7-11, 4.86 ERA) gets the start for the Pirates. First pitch is 7:05 p.m.

Phillies vs. Giants

The Phillies look to extend their lead in the NL wild card with a win tonight against the Giants. Cole Hamels (7-9, 3.33 ERA) gets the start for Philadelphia. Jonathan Sanchez (8-8, 3.60 ERA) starts for San Francisco. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Mets vs. Astros

The Mets take on the Astros in their series finale tonight in Houston. Pat Misch (0-1, 1.50 ERA) makes the start for New York. Bud Norris (5-7, 5.42 ERA) takes the mound for Houston. First pitch is 8:05 p.m.

Sunday’s games:

Marlins vs. Cardinals

Sean West (0-1, 7.20 ERA)  makes his second major league start this afternoon against St. Louis. Jeff Suppan (1-4, 4.14 ERA) gets the start for the Cardinals. Game time is 1:10 p.m. in Florida.

Braves vs. Giants

Derek Lowe (10-9, 4.44 ERA) and the Braves take on Jonathan Sanchez (8-6, 3.38 ERA) and the Giants in the series finale this afternoon. First pitch is 1:35 p.m. in Atlanta.

Mets vs. Phillies

The Mets and Phillies bring their three-game series to a close this afternoon in Philadelphia. R.A. Dickey (7-4, 2.36 ERA) starts for the Mets. Roy Halladay (13-8, 2.17 ERA) gets the start for Philadelphia. Game time is 1:35 p.m.

Nationals vs. Dodgers

Jason Marquis (0-3, 20.52 ERA) makes his first start for Washington since coming off the disabled list. Ted Lilly (1-0, 1.29 ERA) starts for the Dodgers. First pitch is 4:10 p.m. in Los Angeles.

Sunday’s games:

Marlins vs. Nationals

The Marlins and Nationals finish up their series this afternoon. The Marlins send Alex Sanabia (0-1, 3.09 ERA) to the mound.  Craig Stammen (2-3, 5.79 ERA) gets the start for Washington. Game time is 1:10 p.m. in Florida.

Braves vs. Brewers

Derek Lowe (9-8, 4.35 ERA) and the Braves take on Manny Parra (3-6, 4.65 ERA) and the Brewers in the final game of their four-game series. First pitch is 1:35 p.m. in Atlanta.

Mets vs. Giants

Johan Santana (7-5, 2.98 ERA) and the Mets close out their series with the Giants in San Francisco. Jonathan Sanchez (7-6, 3.47 ERA) gets the start for the Giants. Game time is 4:05 p.m.

Phillies vs. Cubs

The Phillies look to take the final game in their series with the Cubs as they send Roy Halladay (10-7, 2.19 ERA) to the mound. Tom Gorzelanny (4-5, 3.16 ERA) gets the start for the Cubs. Game time is 8:05 p.m. in Chicago.

Braves vs. Mets

The Braves beat the Mets Saturday 4-0, and have a five-game lead over New York in the NL East standings. The only runs of the game came in the 5th innings for Atlanta. Singles by Troy Glaus and Omar Infante gave the Braves a 2-0 lead. Tim  Hudson helped himself out at the plate, capping off the 5th with an RBI double. Atlanta had a total of 15 hits off Mets pitching. The Mets offense struggled, only getting four hits off Hudson. Three of those hits belonged to Angel Pagan.

Tim Hudson got the win, throwing 7 innings of shut out baseball. He only gave up four hits. Mike Pelfrey struggled and took the loss, only lasting 4 innings while giving up four runs on 12 hits.

Phillies vs. Reds

The game took 11 innings, but Philadelphia beat the Reds 1-0. This game was all about pitching as Roy Halladay and Travis Wood were locked in a pitchers dual through 9 innings. Wood had a perfect game going into the bottom of the 9th inning, but Carlos Ruiz began the inning for the Phillies by hitting a double to center field. Jimmy Rollins hit the game winning single for the Phillies, scoring Carlos Ruiz.

Roy Halladay threw 9 innings and gave up five hits. Phillies reliever Jose Contreras pitched a scoreless 11th and got the win. Wood got a no decision and allowed only one hit in 9 innings. Reds reliever Bill Bray took the loss.

Nationals vs. Giants

San Francisco beat Washington by a score of 10-5. The Nationals scored two runs in the 1st on a double by Ryan Zimmerman and again on a wild pitch allowing Christian Guzman to score. San Francisco responded in the 2nd on a double by Nate Schierholtz and a two-RBI single by Jonathan Sanchez, giving the Giants a 3-2 lead. Mike Morse tied it up for Washington with a home run to right center field. The game was tied until the 4th when the Nationals scored on doubles by Ivan Rodriguez and Craig Stammen, making it 5-3 Washington. The Giants went on to have a four-run 7th and scored two more in the 9th, taking a 10-5 lead.

Craig Stammen went 5.1 innings and allowed four runs on six hits. Jonathan Sanchez lasted only 3.2 innings, and gave up five runs on five hits. Both pitchers got a no decision. Giants reliever Santiago Casilla got the win, while Washington’s Tyler Clippard took the loss.

Marlins vs. Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks jumped out to an early lead scoring in the 1st on a sacrifice fly by Chris Young. Arizona scored again in the 3rd on a Justin Upton single and again in the 4th on a home run to center field off the bat of Mark Reynolds. The Marlins got on the board in the 5th when Mike Stanton sent the ball over the center field wall for his 5th home run of the season. An RBI single by Jorge Cantu in the 6th cut the Diamondbacks lead to 3-2. Arizona extended their lead in the bottom of the 6th on a two-run shot off the bat of Chris Snyder.   Trailing 5-2 going into the 9th, the Marlins tagged on two more runs, cutting Arizona’s lead to 5-4.

Nate Robertson took the loss, going 6 innings and giving up five runs on six hits. Ian Kennedy got the win, throwing 5.1 innings and allowing two runs on five hits. Juan Gutierrez got the save.

Saturday’s match ups:

Braves vs. Mets

The Braves look to take game two against the Mets and extend their lead in the NL East. Atlanta will send Tim Hudson (8-4, 2.44 ERA) to the mound. Mike Pelfrey (10-3, 3.39 ERA) gets the start for the Mets. Game time is 4:05 p.m. in N.Y.

Nationals vs. Giants

Craig Stammen (2-3, 5.73 ERA) and the Nationals continue their series with the Giants. Jonathan Sanchez (7-6, 3.15 ERA) starts for San Francisco. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. in D.C.

Phillies vs. Reds

Roy Halladay (10-7, 2.33 ERA) goes for win number 11, as he the Phillies take on Travis Wood (0-0, 3.86 ERA) and the Reds. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Marlins vs. Diamondbacks

The Marlins send Nate Robertson (6-6, 4.94 ERA) to the mound as they go for the win against Ian Kennedy (3-7, 4.16 ERA) and the Diamondbacks. First pitch is 8:10 p.m. in Arizona.

Hamels with a classic gem

Cole Hamels pitched his second straight great game, the only difference was this time, he didn’t let the bullpen ruin it for him.  Hamels(8-8) went the distance in a 1-0 win versus the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night while only allowing three baserunners on two hits and one walk and using 118 pitches.  The Phillies have been waiting and hoping for Hamels to find his good stuff, and if he has now, it could not have come at a better time with the playoffs around the corner.  Ryan Howard was the only Philly player with two hits as he went 2-4 and contributed the only RBI on a double in the fourth inning, scoring Shane Victorino for the only run of the game.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more on Cole and this game.

The San Francisco Giants did what they did best, but also did exactly what they do worst.  Jonathan Sanchez(6-11) was a tough luck loser going six innings and allowing only three hits and three walks while striking out eight and only allowing Howard’s RBI double.  The Giants bats though only managed three baserunners with Ryan Garko and pinch hitter Rich Aurilia with a single in the ninth before pinch runner Andres Torres was thrown out trying to steal second.  The loss put the Giants down one game in the wildcard to the Rockies who won last night.

He's back!

Tim Hudson came back last night to the Braves after missing over a year with Tommy John surgery and I don’t think any Braves fans are complaining with his performance.  Hudson(1-0) worked into the sixth, getting one out in the inning and allowed six hits and three walks while allowing two runs and striking out five and only using 82 pitches.  The Braves bats got on the board early as Chipper Jones scored Matt Diaz on a double play ground out in the first.  In the third, when the Braves were now down 2-1, Tim Hudson himself scored on a balk after he walked earlier in the inning and Brian McCann later doubled in Martin Prado to give the Braves the lead for good.  The final insurance run that was necessary was scored by Chipper Jones on a Garrett Anderson RBI infield single in the eighth.  The Braves bullpen was solid until the ninth when Rafael Soriano got his 21st save but not without allowing a solo homer to Dan Uggla to pull the Marlins within one and allowing the tying run on base but held on for the 4-3 win.  The Braves Baseball Blog will have more on the Braves win and Hudson’s return.

The Marlins are basically in free fall at this point and they have now lost two in a row to the Braves after a tough weekend against the Padres.  Last night Chris Coghlan continued his hot hitting, going 3-4 with a run scored and Jorge Cantu also contributed three hits and a couple RBI.  Anibal Sanchez(2-6) didn’t pitch terribly, but still took the loss in going five innings allowing five hits and three runs along with two walks and four k’s and a balk to score a run.  FishGuts discusses the Marlins latest struggles.

Rockies break their slide

The Rockies came into this series at home against the Mets having lost their wild card lead and were tied with the Giants for that spot.  Luckily for them, the Mets are the Mets.   Jorge De La Rosa(13-9) survived a tough first inning in which he gave up two runs and threw 28 pitches and rebounded to go six innings allowing only four hits, two runs (1 earned) and three walks while striking out six.  The Rockies offense feasted on bad Met pitching as they scored their first on a bases loaded walk and then had a two run homer by Carlos Gonzalez in the second, a three run homer in the fourth by Todd Helton.  Another interesting note is that Jason Giambi, the former Yankee walked in the seventh as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded to get an RBI in his first at bat for the Rockies who now have a one game lead in the wildcard race.

The New York Mets really wish it was October 4th right now, its just terrible.  Mike Pelfrey(9-10) fell below .500 on the year as he only lasted four innings and allowed six hits, seven runs (only six earned), walked five and gave up two huge home runs and his ERA is now above 5 for the season.  Jeff Francouer did get the Mets on the board with a sac fly in the first inning and Fernando Tatis added an RBI single later in the inning.  The Mets got nothing else until the seventh against the Rockies relief pitching when Angel Pagan hit a triple scoring Corey Sullivan.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog will cover this Mets loss and all the Mets losses for you.

Bell with another save

The San Diego Padres are actually a “hot” team right now, just at the wrong time of the year.  The Padres got single runs in the second, fifth, seventh and eighth on their way to a 4-1 victory against the Nationals.  Will Venable had an RBI single to start the game, Kouzmanoff added a sac fly, Oscar Salazar had a solo home run and finally Drew Macias had the final nail with a single in the eigth scoring a run.  Clayton Richard(4-1) went 6.2 innings and allowedonly a single run and four hits and walking two to get the victory for the Nats and Heath Bell worked a perfect ninth with two k’s for his 33rd save of the season.

The Nationals bats have absolutely gone silent, which is a far cry from a few weeks ago.  The Nats only got four hits as a team last night, luckily one of them a home run.  Josh Bard hit his fourth homer of the year in the seventh inning chasing Clayton Richard and making the only blemish for Pads pitching.  J.D. Martin(3-4) pitched a good game going six innings with five hits, three runs but only two earned and three walks while striking out five and allowing a home run in the game.  Centerfield Gate covers more of the Nats struggles lately.

Howard produces all the runs

The Phillies were able to take the final game of the three game set last night with a score of the Ryan Howard’s 4, Braves 1.  Ryan Howard produced all of the offense for the Phillies as he smashed two home runs, a second inning solo shot and a sixth inning three run bomb.  He finished the night going 3-3 with two runs scored and a walk in addition to those four RBI as the Phillies had J.A. Happ cruising to victory.  Happ(9-2) went into the eighth inning while allowing only three hits and a run but did walk six in getting his rookie leading ninth victory.  Brad Lidge rebounded from a tough outting on Saturday and got the final out of the game to get his 23rd save of the season.  Phillies Phandom will have more on this victory and the Phillies for you.

Javier Vazquez did not pitch very badly in this game, but unfortunately two mistakes to Howard ensured him of an L next to his name.  Vazquez(10-8) went seven strong innings, but gave up four runs and six hits, but three hits to Howard while striking out seven, his ERA stands now barely under 3 at 2.99.  Matt Diaz produced the only run for the Braves in the seventh inning on a solo shot.  The Braves Baseball Blog is your place to go for more Braves news and info.

Coghlan celebrates a 3 run shot

Game 1

In the first game of a double header in Miami on Sunday, the Marlins bats were alive early, as they scored seven runs by the end of the third.  Those runs were care of two home runs, one solo shot by Ramirez and a three run shot by rookie Chris Coghlan amongst a few other run scoring singles.  Chris Volstad(9-9) got the victory after allowing an early run, but then buckled down to go five innings only allowing that one run to get this victory in this one by a score of 10-3.

Rockies starter Aaron Cook just could not do anything against the hot hitting Marlins during the first game of the double dip.  Cook(10-5) stressed the bullpen as he could only make it 2.1 innings and was charged with seven runs and three walks on eight hits.  Carlos Gonzalez had a nice game for the Rockies as he homered in the first and later added a sacrifice fly to produce two of the three runs the Rockies were able to score in this one.

HanRam looks on during a loss

Game 2

In the second game of the double dip, the Rockies knew they needed to take one game in order to ensure they stayed alone in the wildcard race.  Jorge De La Rosa did something not many pitchers can these days and kept the Marlins offense fairly quiet.  De La Rosa(11-8) went 5.2 innings and did not give up an earned run, although one unearned in giving up seven hits and striking out 9 during a 7 -3 Rockies win.  Carlos Gomez got his second homer of the day with a solo shot in the third and Clint Barmes and Brad Hawpe got in the home run fun with two run homers of their own.  Huston Street got his 29th save of the season as he worked 1.1 innings and struck out two allowing no hits.

The Marlins only managed three runs, which is unheard of for them.  They did, however get 10+ hits for the thirteenth consecutive game, but unfortunately could not get more than three runs in this one.  Emilio Bonifacio, Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross had RBI singles for the Marlins, but it wasn’t enough.  Rick VandenHurk(2-2) lasted 5.2 innings but gave up six runs on only five hits and three walks, but with three home runs allowed.  FishGuts has more on the doubleheader.

Is he doing the chicken dance?

Jeff Francouer scored the winning run for the Mets yesterday on a Daniel Murphy single and for one day, the Mets got through the loss of their franchise player, David Wright with a 3-2 walkoff win.  With one out in the bottom of the ninth, a single to right scored Francouer and Murphy was quoted as saying that Wright was in the Mets thoughts and Prayers.  Immediately after the game it was announced Wright was placed on the DL with no timetable for return, so the DL hits continue for the Mets.  Francisco Rodriguez(3-4) worked the ninth inning while striking out the side to get the win a day after taking a loss after a nicely pitched game by Mike Pelfrey.  Luis Castillo also hit a two run home run for the Mets into the second deck in left, yes, into the second deck and by Luis Castillo.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has all the Mets info you need.

The Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez continues to try to find his rhythm after he got a no hitter a few months back.  Sanchez pitched a good game in this one going seven innings allowing only four hits, four walks and two runs, both on Castillo’s home run and got a no decision.  Eugenio Velez had an RBI single in the fifth to put the Giants up early and then Randy Winn got an RBI double in the eighth inning to temporarily tie the game, scoring Valez.  Sergio Romo(3-2) got the loss as he put the winning run on in the ninth inning but overall worked 1.1 innings and gave up only the one hit and that run scored.

Zimmerman comes up big

Ryan Zimmerman had been given the day off for the Nationals yesterday until he came up in the eighth inning with a chance to tie the game or take the lead.  Zimmerman singled in Adam Dunn and then Josh Willingham scored as a lazy throw to the infield cost the Reds the game 5-4.  Willingham also homered in the fourth to score Dunn and doubled Dunn in in the sixth.  Jorge Sosa(2-1) got the win in relief as he went 1.2 inning sand allowed just one hit and Mike MacDougal got his thirteenth save of the season working 1.1 perfect innings of relief.  CenterfieldGate will cover more of this and all the Nats wins.

The Reds were up 4-2 at the end of the fifth inning thanks to another Jonny Gomes home run, who has been on fire.   Gomes home run in this one was a three run shot and added to what Joey Votto had done earlier in the inning with an RBI single.  Unfortunately Arthur Rhodes could not hold the lead.  Rhodes(0-1) recorded his first loss and blown save of the year working .2 innings and giving up two hits and two runs.

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

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