Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, it’s time to take a look at the standings and see how your team is faring.  With a  third of the season in the books, it’s not too early to get excited about a team’s hot start – or too worried about a team’s struggles.  As of June 4, here are the NL East standings:



 

The NL East is shaping up to be a 3 team race between the Phillies, Marlins, and Braves.  Meanwhile, the Mets and Nationals continue to struggle as most had predicted coming into the season.

 

What will happen between now and the trade deadline?   Will the Phillies add a bat?  Will the Marlins stay in the race? Will Dan Uggla get off of the interstate?  Will the Mets trade Jose Reyes (or go bankrupt)?  Will the Nationals ask Jayson Werth for their money back?

To briefly recap, Monday I wrote about the Jose Reyes trade chatter so far this season and rather or not the Mets should or would trade them. The question I raised was if they did shop him around to other teams who might they call and which teams could inquire about obtaining Reyes. I decided to look at the AL first and eliminated a few prospective teams. That left me with four potential suitors for the SS’s services. Since the Mets needs, particularly pitching, are somewhat immediate I predominately focused on AAA or AA talent when talking about minor leaguers.

Let’s check out the first team.

Baltimore Orioles


Postseason play is a pipe dream in ’11 for the O’s or is it? A quarter of the way into the season and the baby Birds are nipping at the heels of .500, only 3. 5 games back. It’s early but with the Yankees relying on the likes of Freddy Garcia and a retooled Bartolo Colon not to mention the Bosox maddening inconsistency, Baltimore could conceivably make a run. They’re an up and coming team that has a lot of talented young arms (something the Mets need) and J.J. Hardy as their SS. Nothing against Hardy but when you have a chance to acquire a premier talent in his prime like Reyes you don’t hesitate.

This team is still a year or two away. They also have their own highly touted SS prospect in 18 year old Manny Machado. So do you jettison Machado in a deal for Reyes? Probably not, and the Mets would most likely not be interested since losing Reyes would create a large void on the left side of the diamond that would need to be filled immediately.

Taking a look at the Birds AA/AAA affiliates, other than a couple of intriguing possibilities, there’s really not much to choose from on the farm. At AAA top prospect Ryan Adams currently hitting .297 for Norfolk appears to be for real and former first rounder Brandon Snyder is carrying a .462 SLG percentage and appears ready for MLB action soon. AA Bowie slugger Ronnie Welty has some pop and lefty reliever Pedro Viola throws gas but neither could be a centerpiece of a deal. Most importantly, aside from Viola, none of them address New York’s primary need-pitching.

For a deal to materialize Orioles GM Andy MacPhail would have to part with one of his young starters: Chris Tillman, Zach Britton, Jake Arrieta, Brad Bergesen or Brian Matusz. If they put a package of say Matusz or Arrieta along with Viola or Welty and Hardy (the Mets will need a SS, and he’s more than serviceable) then possibly an ancillary A or low A player it could make an interesting scenario. The wild card would be if the Orioles were willing to part with Matt Wieters. The Mets would definitely ask and the O’s would most like say no.

Unless the Orioles centered a deal around one of their young stud major league arms or Wieters the possibility of Reyes in black and orange is nil.

Kansas City Royals


The surprising Royals are looking more like contenders than pretenders at this point. It’s only May however and when Bruce Chen is your ace, well you need a lot of things to fall in your favor. A raft of youngsters await the call to arms in Omaha but throwing a pack of untested hurlers into the heat of a pennant race is not usually a recipe for success.

But let’s say the Royals find themselves still in the hunt around the All Star break. A move for an established arm and an electrifying shortstop atop a line-up featuring Alex Gordon, Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler and possibly Mike Moustakas would be tempting for any GM. Tempting enough to part with one of their Grade AAA Prime pitching prospects? If it is, this could be one helluva a trade. Yes, the Royals have young, slick fielding Alcides Escobar at SS but that is exactly why this is a deal that if the pieces fall into place could get done. A caveat would be that Mike Pelfrey continues his recent streak of solid starts or maybe Chris Capuano stays healthy and pitching well.

Let’s say the Mets offer Reyes and KC has interest, the Mets obviously would want one of those stud pitchers in the pen down on the Royals farm. The Royals however need a 2 or 3 to shore up their current rotation, someone to provide some veteran savy for their next generation staff. So the Mets package Mike Pelfrey (or Chris Capuano) with Reyes. Now the Mets are solving two of KC’s immediate problems and by sending Escobar in return the Royals are providing the Mets with a replacement shortstop who was recently a highly sought after prospect. At 24 he is also still young enough to develop into something more.

At this point the Mets would look into that deep well of AA and AAA Kansas City pitching talent, drop some lines and go fishing.

They’d find:

(L) Mike Montgomery 2.84 ERA at Omaha (L)-Danny Duffy 41K’s in 32 IP at Omaha (L)-John Lamb 3.49 ERA at AA and (L)-Jake Odorizzi 3-0 1.97 ERA at high A. (R)-Jeremy Jeffress is pitching well in relief for KC and although (R)-Chris Dwyer is struggling this year at AA, he rung up 113 batters in 102 IP last season.

Lesser known Royal prospects like AAA righty Kevin Pucetas 3-0 1.57 and hard throwing Wil Smith (NWArk) are more examples of the depth within the KC minor league pitching vault. Farmhands RF David Lough, ex-Brewer Lorenzo Cain, C/OF Wil Myers and SS Christian Colon are position players who also fit well with the Mets current needs.

There are so many options here that trade possibilities are endless. Reyes and Pelfrey for Lamb, Pucetas, Lough and Escobar. Reyes and Pelfrey for Myers, Escobar and Dwyer or Odorizzi, Reyes for Myers and Escobar, Reyes for Escobar and Duffy, etc…

Royals GM Dayton Moore would want to lock up Jose long-term before finalizing any deal. The question is would Reyes take his act from the bright lights of the Apple to the “show me” state. Kansas City does have a few things going for it though: great bar-b-que, Blues plus he’d have a lot of fun in the coming years on top of that developing line up. As dynamic as a KC/NYM trade could be, I believe the Royals would have to be in serious contention heading into August for anything to develop. The Mets would also, in effect, have given up on their season. If that scenario develops a trade to the Royals I believe would hinge upon Reyes signing a pre-trade deal with KC.


Would Reyes sign on the dotted line and say yes to the Royals?

In my opinion Reyes is the kind of ballplayer who prefer’s a bigger stage to perform on. That’s not a criticism of him or the city of Kansas City. It’s just that some players live for the bright lights and adulation found in places like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago for example. Jose likes the limelight and he’d be to far away from it here. Reyes in Royal blue? No way, Jose.

(next we’ll look at the two other possible American League destinations for Reyes)

The big buzz right now is Jose Reyes trade talk. Everyone is coming up with ideas, painting doom and gloom scenarios for the Wilpon-owned Mets and generally running off the rails with ludicrous suggestions. The Mets GM Sandy Alderson is considered a very smart baseball man and usually highly intelligent baseball executives don’t make dumb decisions.

Would trading Jose Reyes be a bad move? And if not, what team would you trade him to? Who do you ask for? Who would you be offered in return? Should they even be entertaining the idea of trading Reyes at all? These are fundamental questions the Mets braintrust are probably asking themselves.
 
Trading a 27 year old 3x All-Star off to a career year start who plays a position with few high level players doesn’t make a lot of sense. Especially considering that the team in question plays in baseball’s #1 market. I mean come on this isn’t a Tampa Bay or Kansas City-it’s New York freakin’ City. If the Mets say they can’t afford Reyes they’re liars, especially considering $60 million + is coming off the books for 2012. I think the impending Madoff lawsuit is overplayed too. Even if the Wilpon‘s are sued for $1 billion dollars they’d most likely file a counter claim. The mess would probably be dragged out in the court for years at that point and have no bearing on the team’s financial ability to sign Reyes.



But we all know trade speculation can be fun and despite logic there’s no guarantee Reyes won’t be traded. Recent season-ending injuries to Jenry Meija and Chris Young leave the Metropolitans razor thin in the pitching department. They’re best pitching prospects are 2-3 years away. So Alderson could look to stock up on quality arms. I’d have to believe New York would need to be blown away by a deal to push the button. But anything is possible.

I’m going to take a look at the teams in each league who I believe would be most likely to make a move for Reyes. The teams I chose are lacking at SS, have the horses to swap and are in a situation where Reyes could potentially make a significant difference in a team’s playoff aspirations. The American League is up first. By my count there are four teams in the junior circuit who would fit the criteria above. A few teams came close to making the cut but for various reasons I don’t consider them a serious bidder for Reyes services during the 2011 season. We’ll look at these ballclubs briefly.


First up is Minnesota. Despite their obvious SS need I leave the Twins out because they’re short on pitchers themselves and can ill afford to trade away any of that AA or AAA talent. Besides first they need to get Liriano straightened out to have any shot at playing in October.


With Reid Brignac far beneath the Mendoza line the Rays definitely have a need at shortstop. But they’re not the rent-a- player type of team and their own budget limitations hinder any real chance of locking Reyes up long-term. Tampa Bay definitely have the talent to trade but just not enough dinero for olé Jose.


I almost included the Rangers because they’re aggressive, finally had a whiff of postseason success and have high-caliber AA and AAA talent (pitching and otherwise) to center a deal around. But Andrus is locked into SS, is just 22 and has immense upside. If he were to get hurt or the Rangers struggle with injuries as well as mediocre play I believe they’d be more than willing to rent Reyes for a couple of months in the quest for the crown. But for now I don’t consider them players in any Reyes trade talks.

That leaves what I see as four American League teams who I believe could pull a trigger on a Reyes deal. I will look at each of these teams. Talk about possible trading chips and trade scenarios. Wrapping it up with what I think the actual chances of a trade between the Mets and that team for Jose Reyes.

(we’ll start by looking at those teams in the next blog. Then after we finish the AL we’ll check in on possible NL teams vying for Reyes’ services.)

 

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. Nationals

The Braves beat Washington 5-0 Saturday, giving Bobby Cox his 2,500th win and putting Atlanta in a tie for the Wild Card. A throwing error by Washington’s third baseman Alberto Gonzalez in the 3rd inning allowed Brian McCann to reach base and Derrek Lee to score, giving Atlanta a 1-0 lead. It remained 1-0 until the 6th inning when the Braves tagged on four more runs. Derrek Lee got things started with a double to score Martin Prado. Alex Gonzalez capped off the inning with three-run home run to make it 5-0. Nationals hitters couldn’t do much against Atlanta starter Derek Lowe.  Washington left 12 men on base and were 0-10 with runners in scoring position.

Lowe got the win for Atlanta, going 5 innings and allowing just five hits while striking out four. Yunesky Maya took the loss for Washington, going 5.1 innings and giving up five runs on eight hits while striking out one.

Mets vs. Phillies

The Mets snapped the Phillies 11-game win streak, beating Philadelphia 5-2. Philadelphia struck first with two runs in the 1st inning thanks to a two-run shot off the bat of Ryan Howard. The score stayed 2-0 until the 7th when the Mets broke through to score five runs in the inning. Josh Thole drove in the first run for the Mets with a single, but the inning’s biggest hit belonged to Lucas Duda. Pinch hitting with the bases loaded, Duda hit a bases clearing double to make it 4-2 Mets. A few batters later, Jose Reyes hit an RBI double to center.

Dillon Gee got the win, going 7 innings and giving up two runs on five hits while striking out five. Kyle Kendrick took the loss, going 6.1 innings and allowing four runs on six hits while striking out four. Hisanori Takahashi recorded his 8th save for the Mets.

Marlins vs. Brewers

The Marlins shut out the Brewers 4-0 to win the third game of the four game set in Milwaukee. Logan Morrison singled home the first run of the game for Florida to make it 1-0 Marlins. It stayed that way until the 7th when Mike Stanton hit a solo shot to left field. In the 8th, Gaby Sanchez hit an RBI single to score Osvaldo Martinez. The Marlins tagged on their final run in the 9th with an RBI double by Martinez.

Chris Volstad went 6.2 innings to get the win. He gave up six hits while striking out two. Chris Narveson took the loss for Milwaukee, going 6.2 innings and allowing two runs on six hits while striking out five.

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.

Braves vs. Mets

If the Mets are trying to be spoilers, they aren’t doing a very good job of it, as Atlanta beat New York for the second straight game 4-2. With the loss, the Mets have been eliminated from contention in the NL East. Nate McLouth got things started for Atlanta in the 2nd inning with a double to score Derrek Lee. The Mets tied it up in the bottom of the 3rd, however, on a solo shot off the bat of Jose Reyes. Atlanta struck again in the top of the 4th, scoring two more runs on an Alex Gonzalez double to center field. The second run for the Mets came in the 5th. After fouling a ball off his right foot, Luis Hernandez drove the next pitch into the right field seats, hitting his second home run as a Met, and cutting the Atlanta lead to 3-2. Hernandez would come out of the game with a broken bone in his foot.  It remained 3-2 until the top of the 9th when Atlanta tagged on an insurance run with a solo shot to right field by McLouth.

Tim Hudson got the win, going 7 innings and giving up two runs on six hits while striking out seven. Dillon Gee took the loss, going 7 innings and allowing three runs on six hits while striking out three. Billy Wagner recorded his 35th save for Atlanta.

Nationals vs. Phillies

The Phillies beat the Nationals 5-2, keeping their three-game lead in the NL East. Washington got on the board with a run in 1st inning when Ian Desmond tripled to score Danny Espinosa. Philadelphia put up two runs in the 2nd on a homer run by Jayson Werth and an RBI double by Wilson Valdez. The Phillies followed with three more runs in the 3rd on a two-run homer by Ryan Howard and a solo shot off the bat of Raul Ibanez. The only other run for Washington came in the 6th when Michael Morse singled to score Ryan Zimmerman.

Kyle Kendrick got the win for the Phillies, going 6 innings and giving up two runs on six hits while striking out three. Jordan Zimmermann took the loss for Washington, going only 3 innings and allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out three. Brad Lidge recorded his 23rd save for Philadelphia.

Marlins vs. Cubs

The Marlins lost to the Cubs 5-3 and are now only one game from being mathematically eliminated from contention in the NL East, and four games away from being eliminated from postseason play altogether. Florida took an early 1-0 lead in the 1st inning with an RBI single by Mike Stanton.  It remained 1-0 until the 5th when Chicago put up four runs in the inning. Three of those runs scored as a result of walks. An RBI double by Brad Davis and an RBI single by Logan Morrison helped Florida cut the lead to 4-3. Chicago added on another run though in the 8th on a double by Blake DeWitt, making it 5-3.

Anibal Sanchez took the loss for Florida, going 5 innings and giving up four runs on five hits while striking out six. Casey Coleman got the win for Chicago, going 6 innings and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five. Carlos Marmol recorded his 33rd save for Chicago.

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. Pirates

The Marlins beat the Pirates 6-o Tuesday. Florida got to Pittsburgh’s Zach Duke in the 5th, scoring four runs in the inning. Ricky Nolasco helped himself out at the plate by driving in the Marlins first run on an RBI single. A few batters later, Gaby Sanchez singled to drive in two more runs. Dan Uggla followed Sanchez with a sacrifice fly to score Logan Morrison. Florida tagged on another run in the 6th on an RBI double by Nolasco. Nolasco had two RBI’s in the game. A double by Morrison in the 9th drove in the Marlins final run.

Nolasco got the win for Florida, going 6 innings and giving up no runs on five hits while striking out nine. Pirates starter Zach Duke took the loss, going 5.2 innings and allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out four.

Phillies vs. Giants

The Phillies beat the Giants 9-3, to take the NL Wild Card lead. San Francisco scored two runs in the 1st — one on a double play by Aubrey Huff which drove in Andres Torres, and the second on a homer by former Phillie Pat Burrell. Philadelphia tied it up in the 5th inning on a two-RBI single by Jimmy Rollins. Shane Victorino would give Philadelphia the lead in the 6th on a two-run double to center field. Jose Guillen homered for the Giants in the top of the 7th to cut the Phillies lead to 4-3. Philadelphia responded with a five-run 8th inning.

Roy Oswalt went 7 strong innings to get the win for Philadelphia. He gave up three runs on six hits while striking out seven. Barry Zito took the loss, going just 5 innings and allowing four runs on eight hits.

Braves vs. Nationals

The Braves beat the Nationals 10-2 in the series opener. There was no score until the 6th inning when Wil Nieves and Michael Morse had back-to-back doubles to give Washington a 2-0 lead. Atlanta responded in the bottom of the 6th with four runs. Diory Hernandez hit his first home run, a solo shot, for Atlanta. Later in the inning, back-to-back doubles by Martin Prado and Matt Diaz would give the Braves the lead. Atlanta tagged on four more runs in the 7th. A throwing error by Adam Dunn allowed Rick Ankiel to score. A single by Prado and a double by Melky Cabrera drove in three runs to make it 8-2 Atlanta. The Braves added two more runs in the 8th to make it 10-2.

Rookie, Mike Minor, pitched 6 solid innings to get his first win. He gave up two runs on five hits while striking out five. Scott Olsen took the loss for Washington. He went 5 innings, giving up three runs on three hits while striking out four.

Mets vs. Astros

The Mets dropped the second game in their series with the Astros, losing 4-3. Jose Reyes got the Mets on the board in the 1st inning, scoring on a single by Fernando Martinez. Their lead didn’t last long, however, as the Astros took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 1st on a three-run shot off the bat of Hunter Pence. Reyes would ground out  in the 2nd for the Mets to drive home Josh Thole. Trailing 3-2 in the 8th, David Wright tied it up with a solo shot to left field. Pence got to Mets starter Johan Santana again in the bottom of the 8th, hitting his second home run of the game and giving Houston the go-ahead run.

Santana took the loss for the Mets, going 8 innings and giving up four runs on nine hits while striking out seven. Houston starter, Nelson Figueroa, went 5 innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out four to take a no decision. Mark Melancon got the win for Houston after pitching an inning of relief in the 8th. Wilton Lopez recorded his first save for the Astros.

Mets vs. Rockies

The Mets beat the Rockies in a score of 4-0.  In the 1st Angel Pagan singled home Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran hit a sac fly to score Angel Pagan.  In the 7th the Mets added 2 more runs when Jose Reyes singled home Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez hit a sac fly to score Johan Santana.

Johan Santana got the win after pitching a complete game shut out giving up just 4 hits with 10 strikeouts.  Jason Hammel got the loss after pitching 7 innings giving up 8 hits, 4 runs, and 4 strikeouts.

Phillies vs. Dodgers

The Phillies beat the Dodgers in a score of 10-9. The Dodgers scored 3 runs in the 1st when Ronnie Belliard singled home Scott Podsednik, Matt Kemp singled home James Loney, and Jamey Carroll singled home Ronnie Belliard.  In the 2nd The Phillies scored a run when Joe Blanton grounded out scoring Carlos Ruiz.  The Phillies added another run in the 4th when Carlos Ruiz singled home Jason Werth.  The Dodgers added a run in the 5th when Ronnie Belliard hit a sac fly to score Ryan Theriot.  They added 2 more in the 7th when Matt Kemp homered scoring James Loney.  In the 8th the Dodgers added 3 runs when Casey Blake singled home Scott Podsednik, Matt Kemp singled home Andre Either, and Jamey Carroll singled home Casey Blake.  The Phillies added 4 runs in the 8th when Jason Werth singled home Placido Polanco,  Ben Francisco doubled scoring Jason Werth, and Wilson Valdez singled home Ben Francisco.  In the 9th Placido Polanco and Mike Sweeney scored due to a fielding error and Carlos Ruiz doubled home Jason Werth and Ben Francisco to score the winning runs.

Clayton Kershaw pitched 6.2 innings giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, and 4 strikeouts.  Joe Blanton pitched 5.2 innings giving up 8 hits, 4 runs, and 3 strikeouts.  Danny Baez got the win after pitching 1 inning giving up just 1 hit.  The loss went to Jonathan Broxton who didn’t record an out giving up 1 hit and 4 runs.

Marlins vs. Nationals

The Marlins beat the Nationals in a score of 5-0. The Marlins scored 2 runs in the 2nd when Mike Stanton homered scoring Dan Uggla.  In the the 3rd they added another run when Cody Ross singled home Logan Morrison.   In the 8th the Marlins scored a run when Dan Uggla scored due to a wild pitch.  In the 9th Dan Uggla singled home Hanley Ramirez.

Ricky Nolasco got the win and pitched 6 innings giving up 6 hits, no runs, and 8 strikeouts.  The loss went to Livan Hernandez who pitched 6.1 innings giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, and 3 strikeouts.

The Braves had an off day.