Four weekends, five spring training visits.

This year, with a tight personal life schedule, four of the five visits were to the New York Mets facility in Port St Lucie, Florida.  The New York Mets PR crew was gracious in allowing myself and some from The Real Dirty Mets Blog to have Field Passes to those games.  This allowed us to get a ton of great pictures (album links will be posted later), a couple quick player interactions, and an experience that makes any baseball fan excited for the season, no matter who you root for.

We most recently saw Carlos Beltran participating in a minor league game, playing Right Field and rehabbing his knee.  While watching how he has progressed, we were lucky enough to meet Michael Baron, who writes for MetsBlog and takes fantastic photos (much better than mine), as well as Howard Megdal a fantastic writer for multiple sites. Very enjoyable watching the game and talkin’ baseball with these two.

We made our way back to the main field to see the middle innings of a Mets Spring Training win versus a mainly B squad which traveled for the Braves, but saw some bright spots for the Mets with Emaus, and a cameo by Wilmer Flores late in the game.  He is a big guy! (pictures in album links below)

Finally, we attended another Terry Collins post game and with some help again by Michael Baron, we got a couple more great pics and heard and twitter’d some news regarding the Mets 2B situation at the time.

Not to be missed, I also made a short trip over to Wide World of Sports on Sunday to take in some Phillies and Braves baseball.  The facility is beautiful, although the traffic getting in and out was quite annoying.  Besides seeing Kawakami go for the Braves, who since has been sent to the minors , we saw a fun game and even saw what looked like regular season fan interaction.  Many Phillies fans were quite excited about Spring training play against a minor league pitcher, but hey.. its almost that time, so who can really blame them?

It was a great spring, each weekend filled with great baseball.  I will be heading down to Miami for the opening game of the Mets and Marlins season on Friday as well, armed with my camera, and my phone for some twitter posts.

Here are all the albums from this spring:

March 6, 2011 Red Sox @ Mets

March 13,2011 Cardinals @ Mets

March 19, 2011 Nats @ Mets

March 26,2011 Braves @ Mets

March 26,2011 Phillies @ Braves

I’m also looking forward to another growing year for NLEC and all the blogs underneath it.  With that said, we are still looking for new bloggers for the Marlins and Braves and additional writers for Centerfield Gate, NL East Chatter and Phillies Phandom.  Please contact me at mrose@nleastchatter.com and follow @nleastchatter on twitter.

Mets vs. Cubs

The Mets dropped their opener with the Cubs by a score of 7-6. New York got on the board early when David Wright knocked in two runs in the 1st inning with a double to left field. Wright would later score in the inning on a ground-out by Joaquin Arias, giving the Mets a 3-0 lead. The Mets held that lead until the 4th inning when Chicago scored four runs in the inning on a single by Xavier Nady and a three-run shot off the bat of Alfonso Soriano to put the Cubs up 4-3. Rookie Lucas Duda tied up the game for the Mets in the 6th with his first major league hit, a double to right field, and his first RBI. The game did not remain tied long. In the bottom of the 6th, Mets starter R.A. Dickey gave up a three-run home run, the second of the day, to Blake Dewitt. Wright and Luis Hernandez each homered for the Mets in the 7th and 8th innings respectively.

Dickey took the loss for New York. He went 6 innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits while striking out three. Cubs starter Randy Wells went 5.2 innings to get a no decision. He gave up four runs on eight his while striking out four. James Russell got the win for Chicago. Carlos Marmol recorded his 26th save for the Cubs.

Phillies vs. Brewers

Philadelphia beat the Brewers 1-0, moving within one game of the NL East leading Braves. The lone run of the game came in the 2nd inning when Carlos Ruiz grounded out to the shortstop allowing Shane Victorino to score. Philadelphia’s bats were quiet for much of the night, only getting a total of four hits. Milwaukee bats were held to just three hits all night. Phillies starter Cole Hamels had a no-hitter going into the 5th inning until it was broken up by a single to center field by Casey McGehee.

Hamels got the win, going 7 innings and giving up only three hits and striking out seven. Milwaukee’s starter Chris Capuano took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing one run on four hits while striking out four. Ryan Madson closed it out for the Phillies to record his 5th save.

Nationals vs. Pirates

Washington fell to the Pirates 8-5. Danny Espinosa hit his first career home run in the 3rd inning to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead. Pittsburgh followed suit in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs on RBI’s by Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones. Ryan Doumit hit a solo shot in the 4th inning to give the Pirates a 4-1 lead. The Pirates would then go on to have a four-run 5th inning. Back-to-back doubles by Jones and Pedro Alvarez made it 7-1. Doumit capped of the inning with an RBI single to score Alvarez. Washington fought back with their own four-run inning in the top of the 6th. Adam Dunn and Justin Maxwell each singled home a run and Ivan Rodriguez hit into a double play which allowed Ryan Zimmerman to score. A double by Espinosa drove in the final run of the inning.

Zach Duke got the win for Pittsburgh, going 5 innings and giving up four runs on five hits while striking out five. Livan Hernandez took the loss, going 4.1 innings and allowing eight runs on eight hits while striking out four.

Braves vs. Marlins

Good pitching and speed on the bases were just too much for the Braves as they dropped their opener with the Marlins 6-1. Florida got things started in the 1st inning with a run scoring on a triple by Logan Morrison. Morrison had two triples in the game. Hanley Ramirez followed with an RBI double to score Morrison. Ramirez stole two bases in the game. Atlanta starter Kenshin Kawakami helped himself out at the plate, hitting a single in the top of the 2nd to give the Braves their only run, and cut the lead to 2-1. Florida responded in the bottom of the 3rd with three runs thanks to a double by Chad Tracy to drive in two runs, and a sacrifice fly by Brad Davis to score Gaby Sanchez. Florida tagged on another run in the 4th inning on an RBI double by Dan Uggla.

Florida starter Andrew Miller got the win, his first since July of 2009. He went 5 innings and gave up one run on seven hits while striking out six. Kawakami took the loss, going only 3 innings and allowing five runs on five hits while striking out two.

Friday’s games:

Mets vs. Cubs

The Mets send R.A. Dickey (9-5, 2.57 ERA) to the mound as they begin a weekend series with Chicago. Randy Wells (6-12, 4.50 ERA) starts for the Cubs. Game time is 2:20 p.m.

Phillies vs. Brewers

The Phillies begin a three-game series against the Brewers tonight in Philadelphia. Cole Hamels (8-10, 3.31 ERA) gets the start for the Phillies. Chris Capuano (2-2, 5.06 ERA) starts for Milwaukee. First pitch is 7:05 p.m.

Nationals vs. Pirates

The Nationals are in Pittsburgh for a three-game series against the Pirates. Livan Hernandez (9-9, 3.49 ERA) starts for Washington. Zach Duke (6-12, 5.17 ERA) starts for the Pirates. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Braves vs. Marlins

The Braves and Marlins go head-to-head in a weekend series beginning tonight in Florida. Kenshin Kawakami (1-9, 4.75 ERA) makes his first start since being recalled to the Majors, taking Derek Lowe’s spot in the rotation. Andrew Miller (0-0, 4.50 ERA) starts for the Marlins, filling in for the injured Ricky Nolasco. First pitch is 7:10 p.m.

Mets vs. Twins

Johan Santana faced his former team for the first time as the Mets hosted the Twins at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon.   Minnesota jumped on Santana early and the Mets couldn’t solve Carl Pavano as the Twins went on to win 6-0.

The Twins scored four runs in the first inning off of Santana (5-5), and never looked back.  Joe Mauer started the scoring with a run-scoring single, and then with 2 outs, Jason Kubel hit an RBI double and Delmon Young doubled home two more runs to give the Twins an early 4-0 lead.  Meanwhile, Pavano (9-6) was dominant from the start.  Pavano went all nine innings, allowing just three singles and a walk to the Mets.  Kubel added a solo home run in the ninth inning to cap the scoring.

 

 

Braves vs. Tigers

The Braves got a timely home run from their longtime third baseman, and the team survived some shaky relief pitching to hold off the Tigers for a 4-3 victory in Atlanta.

Kenshin Kawakami came into the game winless, and though he pitched well over seven innings, left trailing 1-0.  However, the Braves finally gave Kawakami (1-9) some support in the bottom of the seventh when Chipper Jones belted a three-run home run off of Detroit reliever Joel Zumaya (2-1).  The Braves added another run in the eighth on an Eric Hinske RBI double and entered the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead. 

A day after earning his 400th career save, Billy Wagner was unavailable due to a sore left ankle, so Takashi Saito came in to try to seal the victory.   However, Saito allowed a solo homer to Miguel Cabrera and walked two more before being pulled.  Manager Bobby Cox then called on Eric O’Flaherty, but O’Flaherty proceeded to walk the next two batters, the last one forcing in a run and cutting the lead to 4-3.  Peter Moylan then came in to face Johnny Damon with the bases loaded.  With the count 3 and 2, Moylan’s offering to Damon appeared to be outside, but the Braves got the strike three call and the victory.  Moylan earned his first save on the season.

With the victory and the Mets’ loss, the Braves extended their lead in the NL East to 1.5 games.

 

Phillies vs. Blue Jays

Playing the second game of their “road” series in Philadelphia against the Blue Jays, the Phillies couldn’t take advantage of their home ballpark and fell to Toronto 5-1.

The Blue Jays touched up Phillies starter Cole Hamels (5-5) for five runs in four innings.  John Buck, Aaron Hill and Alex Gonzalez each homered off of Hamels to spark the Toronto offense.  Shaun Marcum (7-3) didn’t allow the Phillies to get back into the game, allowing just one run over six innings.  The Phillies only run came courtesy of a Ryan Howard solo home run.  In an unusual site, Howard acted as the Phillies’ DH as the game was played under American League rules in the NL ballpark.  Toronto relievers combined for three scoreless innings to close out their Philly home victory.

The teams will face off on Sunday in the rubber match of their three game set. 

 

Nationals vs. Orioles

A day after blowing a 6-0 lead to the Orioles, the Nationals jumped out to a 5-0 lead in Baltimore.   For the second straight day, however, the Nats blew a large lead and fell in the Battle of the Beltway by a score of 6-5.

Washington scored four runs in the 3rd inning, thanks to a two-run double by Adam Dunn and RBIs from Ivan Rodriguez and Roger Bernadina.  After adding another run in the fourth, the Orioles came back against Nats’ starter Livan Hernandez.  Adam Jones homered in the fourth to get the O’s on the board, and then the Orioles scored four in the fifth.  Matt Wieters  delivered the big hit, as his two-run single tied the game at 5.

The Orioles took a 6-5 lead in the seventh.  With Ty Wigginton batting, Nationals reliver Drew Storen threw a wild pitch that allowed Luke Scott to score the go-ahead run.  Jason Berken (1-1) earned the victory for the Orioles in relief, while Sean Burnett (0-4) took the loss for the Nats.  Alfredo Simon pitched a perfect ninth to earn his eighth save.

 

Marlins vs. Padres

Jon Garland and Josh Johnson faced off in a pitcher’s duel Saturday night in Miami.   Johnson pitched eight solid innings, but the Marlins couldn’t solve Garland or the Padres’ pen, and the Padres defeated the Marlins by a score of 2-1.

The Marlins scored first in the second inning thanks to a Mike Stanton sacrifice fly.  The Padres answered back in the fourth when Adrian Gonzalez doubled home David Eckstein with the tying run.   In the fifth, Jerry Hairston Jr. tripled off of Stanton’s glove, and then scored on Garland’s fly ball to right field.   Garland’s ball took Stanton into foul ground, and Marlins players tried to yell at Stanton to let the ball land foul, but his catch turned into a sacrifice fly and scored the deciding run.

Johnson (8-3) took the loss despite striking out nine and allowing just five hits.  Garland (8-5) allowed just four hits over 6.2 innings and earned the victory.  Heath Bell pitched the ninth inning and struck out two in earning his 21st save.

Saturday’s match ups:

Mets vs. Twins

Johan Santana (5-4, 3.31) and the Mets look to take game two against the Twins. Carl Pavano (8-6, 3.64) starts for Minnesota. Game time is 1:10 p.m. in N.Y.

Braves vs. Tigers

Kenshin Kawakami (0-9, 4.78) once again goes for his first win, as he and the Braves take on the Tigers. Max Scherzer (4-6, 5.67) gets the start for Detroit. First pitch is 4:00 p.m. in Atlanta.

Nationals vs. Orioles

Livan Hernandez (6-4, 2.82) and the Nationals look to bounce back after yesterday’s loss against Baltimore. Brad Bergesen (3-4, 6.50) takes the mound for the Orioles. Game time is 4:05 p.m. in Baltimore.

Phillies vs. Blue Jays

Cole Hamels (6-5, 3.75) starts for the Phillies as they take on Shaun Marcum (6-3, 3.24) and the Blue Jays. First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Marlins vs. Padres

The Marlins send Josh Johnson (8-2, 1.80) to the mound as they face Jon Garland (7-5, 3.26) and the Padres. Game time is set for 7:10 p.m. in Florida.

Sunday’s games:

Mets vs. Yankees

The Subway Series wraps up this afternoon, as Johan Santana (5-3) takes the mound for the Mets, and C.C. Sabathia (7-3) starts for the Yankees. Game time is 1:05 p.m. in the Bronx.

Marlins vs.  Rays

Josh Johnson (7-2) and the Marlins look to finish up their series with the Rays with a win. David Price (10-2) starts for Tampa Bay. First pitch is 1:10 p.m. in Miami.

Braves vs. Royals

Kenshin Kawakami (0-9) once again goes for his first win of the season as the Braves go for the sweep of the Royals. Kyle Davies (4-5) gets the start for Kansas City. Game time is 1:35 p.m. in Atlanta.

Nationals vs. White Sox

John Lannan (2-4) and the Nationals look to end their five-game losing streak as they finish up their series with the White Sox. Freddy Garcia (7-3) takes the mound for Chicago. First pitch is 1:35 p.m. in D.C.

Phillies vs. Twins

Roy Halladay (8-5) and the Phillies try to take the rubber game against Carl Pavano (7-6) and the Twins. Game time is set for 1:35 p.m. in Philadelphia.

NL East teams are back in action today. Here are the match ups:

Mets vs. Indians

Johan Santana (4-3) and the Mets look to continue their three-game winning streak on the road as they take on Justin Masterson (2-5) and the Indians. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. in Cleveland.

Nationals vs. Tigers

John Lannan (2-3) and the Nationals begin a three-game series tonight against the Tigers. Max Scherzer gets the start for the Tigers. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Detroit.

Phillies vs. Yankees

Roy Halladay(8-4) and the Phillies take on C.C. Sabathia (6-3) and the Yankees. Game time is 7:05 in the Bronx.

Braves vs. Rays

Kenshin Kawakami (0-8), still trying to get his first win of the season, takes the hill for the Braves. David Price (9-2) starts for the Rays. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. in Atlanta.

Marlins vs. Rangers

Josh Johnson (7-2) and the Marlins begin their series against the Rangers tonight. C.J. Wilson gets the start for the Rangers. Game time’s set for 7:10 p.m. in Florida.

Wednesday’s games:

Marlins vs. Phillies

Roy  Halladay (8-3) and the Phillies look to take game two against Josh Johnson (6-2) and the Marlins. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Braves vs. Diamondbacks

Kenshin Kawakami (0-8) continues to try for his first win of the season as the Braves take on Ian  Kennedy (3-3) and the Diamondbacks. Game time is 9:40 p.m. in Arizona.

Nationals vs. Pirates

Livan Hernandez (4-3) and the Nationals continue their series with the Pirates. Zach Duke (3-6) takes the mound for the Pirates. Game time’s set for 7:05 p.m. in D.C.

The game tonight between the Mets and Padres has been rained out.

Mets vs. Marlins

The Mets moved past the Marlins in the standings with a 4-3 win Friday. Florida got on the board in the 2^nd with an RBI single from Cameron Maybin. They added two more runs in the top of the 3^rd after an error by Ike Davis. R.A. Dickey helped himself out at the plate with an RBI single in the bottom of the 3^rd. Jeff Francoeur continued his hitting streak going 2-4. Mets went ahead and took the lead in the bottom of the 6^th on an RBI ground out by Ruben Tejada.

Dickey didn’t get off to a very good start on the mound, but fought back to get the win, throwing 6 1/3 innings while giving up three runs on seven hits. Anibal Sanchez took the loss, throwing 5 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on nine hits. Francisco Rodriguez, who got his 11^th save, made things interesting in the 9^th. After getting the first two outs, Rodriguez gave up a hit and a walk, before getting Hanley Ramirez to ground out to end the game.

Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog and Fish Guts for more on the Mets and Marlins.

Phillies vs. Padres

The Phillies beat the Padres in the series opener by a score of 3-2. The Padres scored in the 2^nd on an RBI single by Tony Gwynn. Shane Victorino hit a two-run homer in the 3^rd inning, his fifth homerun of the year. The Padres tied it up in the 5^th on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Gonzalez. The winning run came in the bottom of the 5^th when Jayson Werth walked with the bases loaded.

Roy Halladay got his 8^th win of the season, going seven innings and giving up 2 runs on 10 hits. Mat Latos got the loss, pitching only five innings and giving up three runs on four hits. Brad Lidge pitched a perfect 9^th for his 2^nd save of the season.

For more on the Phillies, go to Phillies Phandom.

Nationals vs. Reds

The Nationals ended a three game losing streak, beating the Reds 4-2. The Reds scored first in the 2^nd on an RBI single by Ramon Hernandez. The Nationals responded in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single by Christian Guzman, and again in the 3^rd with an RBI single by Roger Bernadina. The Reds tied it up in the 5^th when Orlando Cabrera scored on a single by Brandon Phillips. The Nationals scored two more in the 7^th on an RBI single by Ian Desmond and Willie Harris sac fly.

Livan Hernandez started for the Nationals, going six innings and giving up two runs on eight hits. Tyler Clippard, who came on to pitch in the 7^th, got the win. Aaron Harang went only four innings for the Reds, allowing two runs on eight hits. Enerio Del Rosario, who gave up two runs in the 7^th, took the loss. Matt Capps recorded his 18^th save of the season.

For more info, check out Centerfield Gate.

Braves vs. Dodgers

The Dodgers snapped the Braves nine game winning streak with a 5-4 win. The Dodgers got off to a fast start scoring two runs in the 1^st and 2^nd innings. The Braves got on the board in the 3^rd with an RBI single by Yunel Escobar and another run thanks to an error by Dodgers 3^rd baseman Jamey Carroll. The Braves tied it up in the 7th on a double by Escobar. The Dodgers went on to score the go ahead run in the 7th with an RBI single by James Loney.

Kenshin Kawakami took the loss for the Braves, going 6 1/3 innings and allowing five runs on nine hits. Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers, going 6 2/3 and giving up four runs on five hits. Hong-Chih Kuo got the win. Jonathan Broxton recorded his 14th save of the season for the Dodgers.

For more on the Braves, check out Braves Baseball.

Marlins vs. Mets

Anibal Sanchez (5-2) and the Marlins  begin a three game set against R.A. Dickey (2-0) and the Mets. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. in New York.

Braves vs. Dodgers

Kenshin Kawakami (0-7) and the Braves continue their west coast road trip as they take on Clayton Kershaw (5-3) and the Dodgers. Game time 10:10 p.m. in Los Angeles.

Nationals vs. Reds

Livan Hernandez (4-3) and the Nationals begin a six game homestand, taking on Aaron Harang (4-5) and the Reds. The game’s set to start at 7:05 p.m. in D.C.

Phillies vs. Padres

Roy Halladay (7-3) goes for perfect game number two as he takes the mound for the Phillies against Mat Latos (5-3) and the Padres. First pitch is set for 7:05 in Philadelphia.