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.

Nationals vs. Braves

The Nationals beat the Braves in a score of 4-2.  In the top of the 2nd Justin Maxwell hit a grand slam for the Nationals to take a 4-0 lead. In the 4th Melkey Cabrera grounded out scoring Troy Glaus to put the Braves on the board.  In the 5th Martin Prado singled scoring Omar Infante.

John Lannan got the win pitching 6 innings giving up 8 hits, 2 runs, and 6 strikeouts.  The loss went to Mike Minor who pitched 5 innings giving up 4 hits, 4 runs, and 6 strikeouts.  Drew Storen got the save giving up no hits with 1 strikeout.

Marlins vs. Phillies

The Phillies beat the Marlins in a score of 10-5. The Phillies scored 3 runs in the 1st when Jason Werth singled home Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez doubled home Ryan Howard and Jason Werth.  In the bottom of the 1st The Marlins got on the board when Dan Uggla singled home Emilio Bonifacio.  The Phillies scored 3 more runs in the 3rd when Chase Utley hit a solo home run, Wilson Valdez singled home Ryan Howard, and Shane Victorino singled home Raul Ibanez.  In the 4th Wilson Valdez singled home Jason Werth and Raul Ibanez scored on a wild pitch.  In the bottom of the 4th the Marlins scored when Hector Luna hit a sac fly to score Gaby Sanchez.  In the 5th Placido Polanco singled home Shane Victorino.  The Marlins added a run in the 6th when Gaby Sanchez hit a solo homerun and in the 7th Hanley Ramirez grounded out scoring Logan Morrison.  In the 9th Ross Gload doubled home Carlos Ruiz.  In the bottom of the inning with the bases loaded Gaby Sanchez walked bringing home Emilio Bonifacio.

Roy Halladay got the win after pitching 6 innings giving up 10 hits, 3 runs, and 9 strikeouts.  Jorge Sosa got the loss pitching just 2.1 innings giving up 6 hits, 6 runs, with 1 strikeout.

Mets vs. Pirates

The Mets beat the Pirates in a score of 8-7. The Pirates scored a run in the 3rd when Jose Tabata hit a sac fly to score Ronny Cedeno.  In the 4th then Pirates scored when Pedro Alvarez tripled scoring Garrett Jones,  John Bowker doubled home Pedro Alvarez, and Andrew McCutchen singled home John Bowker and Chris Snyder.  The Mets took the lead in the 4th when Ike Davis doubled home Carlos Beltran, Mike Hesserman singled home David Wright, Ike Davis and Nick Evans, and Mike Hesserman scored  due to 2  fielding errors, and Angel Pagan singled home Ruben Tejada and Joaquín Árias.  In the 6th Jose Reyes hit a solo homerun.  The Pirates fought back scoring in the 8th when Ryan Doumit doubled home Ronny Cedeno and in the 9th Andrew McCutchen hit a solo homerun.

Jenrry Mejía left early due to injury after pitching just 2.1 innings giving up no hits, 1 unearned run, and 1 strikeout.  Raul Valdez got the win pitching only 1.2 innings giving up 4 hits, 4 runs, and no strikeouts.  The loss went to  Paul Maholm who pitched 3.2 innings giving up 7 hits, 7 runs, and 1 strikeout.  Hisanori Takahashi got the save after giving up 1 hit, 1 run, and 2 strikeouts.

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.

Phillies vs. Mets

Phillies ace Roy Halladay used his arm and his bat to help first place Philadelphia defeat the Mets by a score of 8-4 at Citi Field on Friday evening.

After the Phillies scored two runs in the top of the second off of Mets rookie Jenrry Mejia, the Mets responded with three runs in the bottom of the third, capped by a Carlos Beltran two run homer to give New York a 3-2 lead.  That lead was short lived, however.  In the top of the fourth, Ryan Howard hit an opposite field home run off of Mejia (0-4) to tie the game.  Then, with two outs and the bases loaded, Halladay singled to center field to drive home two runs and give Philly a 5-3 lead.  Shane Victorino followed with an RBI single of his own as the Phils scored four runs in the frame.

Chase Utley added a solo homer in Philadelphia’s two run seventh inning.  Meanwhile, Halladay (18-10) made sure those runs stood up, going 7 2/3 innings and limiting the Mets to four runs and eight hits.

Braves vs. Cardinals

The Braves used a six run sixth inning to defeat the Cardinals by a score of 8-6 in Atlanta and keep pace with the Phillies in the NL East.

After both teams traded runs in the second inning, the Cardinals built a 4-1 lead off of Braves starter Mike Minor.  Matt Holliday hit a two run homer to give St. Louis the lead, and then pitcher Chris Carpenter helped his own cause with an opposite field home run – his second career homer.

The Braves responded with a run in the fourth, and then the Braves rallied for six runs in the sixth off of Carpenter (15-6).  After Jason Heyward and Martin Prado each drove in a run to tie the score, Brian McCann hit what would have been an ordinary sacrifice fly.  However, St. Louis right fielder John Jay dropped McCann’s fly ball, allowing two runs to score and McCann to reach third base.  The Braves added two more runs in the inning to take an 8-4 lead.

The Cardinals scored two runs in the seventh, but couldn’t get any closer.  Braves reliever Peter Moylan (6-2) pitched a scoreless sixth inning to earn the victory, and closer Billy Wagner picked up save number 33 with a perfect ninth.

Marlins  vs. Nationals

The Marlins scored two runs in the first and never looked back thanks to solid pitching as Florida defeated the Nationals 3-1 in Washington.

Dan Uggla drove home the game’s first run, and Wes Helms followed with a sacrifice fly as the Marlins took an early 2-0 lead off of John Lannan and the Nats.   The score remained that way until the seventh, when Florida catcher Brad Davis homered off of Lannan (7-7) to increase the Marlins lead to 3-0.  Those runs turned out to be more than enough for the Florida pitching staff.

Starter Alex Sanabia (4-2) allowed no runs and three hits over 6 2/3 innings to earn the victory.  After the Nationals scored a run in the eighth, Clay Hensley came on and retired all four batters he faced to earn his first career save.

Phillies vs. Dodgers

The Phillies beat the Dodgers Wednesday afternoon 5-1, and won their series against Los Angeles. Home runs by Jimmy Rollins in the 1st inning and Shane Victorino in the 2nd gave Philadelphia an early 2-0 lead. The Phillies tagged on another run in the 7th on a double by Chase Utley. An RBI single by Rollins followed by a ground-rule double off the bat of Utley added two runs for Philadelphia in the 9th. Utley had a career-high three doubles in the game. The Dodgers did not get their first hit until the 6th inning off Roy Oswalt. Their only run of the game came in the bottom of the 8th when James Loney singled for L.A. to drive home Jamey Carroll.

Oswalt got the win for Philadelphia, going 6.1 innings and giving up no runs on one hit while striking out six. Clayton Kershaw took the loss for L.A., going 6 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out eleven.

Braves vs. Mets

The Braves dealt the Mets their third straight loss, winning 4-1. Atlanta scored in the 1st inning on a two-run double by Martin Prado. Rick Ankiel scored in the 2nd inning on a single by Omar Infante. Infante would later score Atlanta’s 4th run when Jason Heyward doubled to left field. The Mets lone run of the game came in the 8th. Ike Davis scored on a single by Luis Hernandez.

Tommy Hanson got the win, his first since July 3. Hanson threw 7 innings of one-hit ball. He gave up no runs while striking out three. Mike Pelfrey took the loss, going 5 innings and giving up four runs on nine hits while striking out two. Billy Wagner recorded his 31st save of the season for Atlanta.

Marlins vs. Nationals

It was a wild one down in Florida as the Marlins beat the Nationals 16-10. The Nationals got on the board first with a 1st inning run on a single by Michael Morse. Florida responded with 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st, followed by 5 more in the 2nd and 4 in the 3rd. In the top of the 6th, Marlins starter Chris Volstad threw a pitch behind Morgan, who in response, charged the mound and began a bench-clearing brawl. The incident stems from a play Tuesday night in which Morgan barreled into Marlins catcher Brett Hayes at home plate. Hayes suffered a separated left shoulder. Morgan and Volstad, along with Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez and reliever Jose Veras were ejected. When all was said and done, Washington went on to score three runs in the inning. A solo shot by Wil Nieves in the 7th followed by an RBI single by Willie Harris made it 15-10. Suddenly Washington found themselves back in the ballgame, but Florida tagged on their final run in the bottom of the 7th on a home run off the bat of Cameron Maybin, and was able to hang on.

Before being tossed from the game, Volstad went 5 innings, giving up six runs on nine hits while striking out four to get the win. Scott Olsen took the loss, lasting only 1.2 innings and giving up nine runs on eight hits while striking out only one batter.

Phillies vs. Padres

The Phillies took game two against the Padres Saturday afternoon, winning 3-1. Shane Victorino drove in Philadelphia’s first run in the 5th on a single to center field to score Jayson Werth. San Diego starter Jon Garland helped himself out at the plate in the bottom of the 5th with a single to left field to tie the game. The game remained tied until the top of the 7th when Victorino hit an RBI triple. He would later score on a ground out by Mike Sweeney, making it 3-1 Philadelphia.

Joe Blanton got the win, going 6 innings and giving up one run on six hits while striking out three. Jon Garland took the loss, going 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on three hits while striking out two. Brad Lidge recorded his 18th save for Philadelphia.

Nationals vs. Cardinals

Washington beat up on the Cardinals 14-5. St. Louis got an early 3-0 lead in the 1st inning on a ground-rule double by Albert Pujols and a two-run shot off the bat of Jon Jay. Back-to-back doubles by Kyle Lohse and Felipe Lopez would drive in the Cardinals other two runs in the 5th inning. After scoring a run in the 2nd on an RBI single by Ivan Rodriguez, the Nationals followed with four runs in the 3rd. In the bottom of the 5th, Adam Dunn hit his 32nd home run of the season to make it 8-5 Washington. Roger Bernadina hit his 10th home run of the season to cap off the Nationals six run 8th inning.

Livan Hernandez got the win, going 6.1 innings and giving up five runs on eight hits while striking out two. Kyle Lohse took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing eight runs on 11 hits while striking out two.

Braves vs. Marlins

Atlanta snapped a four-game losing streak as they beat the Marlins 12-3. The Braves scored six runs in the 2nd. Matt Diaz led off the inning with a solo shot to center. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Martin Prado walked to force home a run. Brian McCann followed with a three-run double to right field. An RBI single by Prado in the 2nd made it 8-0 Atlanta. Gaby Sanchez scored the Marlins first run in the 3rd on a sacrifice fly by Emilio Bonifacio. Atlanta responded in the bottom of the inning with two more runs thanks to a home run by Eric Hinske and a fielding error by Florida’s Logan Morrison allowing Diaz to score. In the 7th, Prado hit a two-run homer to make it 12-1 Braves. Prado had five RBIs for Atlanta. Florida tagged on a run in the 8th and 9th on a double by Donnie Murphy and single by Brad Davis.

Tim Hudson pitched 7 strong innings to get the win, giving up one run on six hits while striking out a career-high 13. Ricky Nolasco only lasted 2 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits.

Mets vs. Astros

The Mets dropped the second game of their three-game series with Houston by a score of 4-1. Singles by Carlos Lee and Tommy Manzella gave the Astros a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning. Lee hit a two-run home run in the 5th to make it 4-0. The Mets offensive woes continued as they went 1-10 with runners in scoring position. The only run for New York came in the bottom of the 8th on an RBI single by David Wright to drive in Luis Castillo.

Brett Myers got the win and extended his streak of pitching 6 complete innings to 27 games. Myers went 7 innings and gave up no runs on six hits while striking out six. Meanwhile, Johan Santana’s streak of three straight complete games came to and end with  the loss. Santana went 7 innings, giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out four.   Brandon Lyon recorded his 9th save of the season for Houston.

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.

Braves vs. Marlins

 

The first place Braves used late inning heroics on Saturday night to defeat the Marlins by a score of 10-5 in Miami.

 

The Braves got off to a quick start as Martin Prado led off the game with a home run off of starter Anibal Sanchez.  However, the Marlins answered back with a run in the bottom of the first, and used long balls from Dan Uggla and Mike Stanton to build a 5-2 lead against Atlanta starter Kris Medlen.  The Marlins held that lead until the top of the eighth, when the Braves exploded against Florida’s bullpen.  Troy Glaus walked with the bases loaded, and Eric Hinske followed with a 2-run single to tie the game at 5.  Brooks Conrad then followed with a pinch-hit grand slam off of Marlins reliever Burke Bandenhop to give the Braves a 9-5 lead.  The Braves added another run to cap off an 8 run inning.

 

Braves reliever Jesse Chavez (2-1) pitched a perfect seventh inning in relief and earned the victory, while Jhan Marinez (1-1) picked up the loss for Florida.

 

 

Rockies vs. Phillies

 

The Phillies jumped all over Cy Young candidate Ubaldo Jimenez and rolled to a 10-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies in Philadelphia.

 

Jimenez (15-2) held the Phillies off of the scoreboard for the first two innings, but then failed to record an out in the third as the Phillies scored seven runs.  Ryan Howard hit a 3-run triple to put the Phillies on the board, and then scored on a wild pitch.  Later in the inning, Greg Dobbs singled home a run, and Jimmy Rollins tripled home two more as the Phillies build a 7-0 lead.  Jimenez was charged with 6 runs over his 2+ innings, allowing just 3 hits but walking 6.

 

Those seven runs were more than enough for Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick (6-4).  Kendrick pitched seven innings and allowed just one run on a solo homer by Ian Stewart.  The Phillies added two more in the sixth courtesy of a Raul Ibanez two-run homer, and Rollins singled home another run in the seventh to cap off the Phillies scoring.  The Rockies scored a run off of Jose Contreras, but Vance Worley pitched a scoreless ninth inning to close out the game.

 

 

Mets vs. Dodgers

 

The Mets offensive struggles continued Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles.  Despite strong pitching, the Mets couldn’t score a run when they needed to and fell 3-2 to the Dodgers in 13 innings.

 

Mets starter Mike Pelfrey made it through five innings for the first time since June 25.  He allowed two runs and six hits over those five innings, and departed with New York trailing 2-0.   Dodgers starter Carlos Monasterios pitched five scoreless innings, but LA went to the bullpen in the sixth, and the Mets finally broke through.  Rod Barajas singled home a run, and Jose Reyes singled home another to tie the game at 2.  The Mets threatened to take the lead, but left the bases loaded.

 

From there, the bullpens took over.  The Dodgers emptied their bullpen, and called upon their last pitcher, George Sherrill, for the 13th.  Sherrill pitched a perfect inning, and the Dodgers finally broke through in the bottom of the frame.  The Mets were forced to call upon Oliver Perez as they ran out of relievers.  Perez came in to bail the Mets out in the 12th, and retired the first batter in the 13th before facing James Loney.  Loney hit a long home run to right center to send the Dodgers fans home happy, and hand the Mets yet another walk-off loss.  Sherrill (1-1) picked up the victory, and Perez (0-4) suffered the loss.

 

 

Nationals vs. Brewers

 

The Nationals mounted a ninth inning rally to tie the Brewers in Milwaukee, but the Brewers answered in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Nats by a score of 4-3.

 

Nationals starter J.D. Martin was forced the leave the game in the third inning after aggravating a bulging disk in his back.  Ryan Braun and Jim Edmonds homered to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead.  Brewers starter Manny Parra pitched well, but allowed a run in the fifth and a run in the sixth as the Nats tied the score.  The Brewers scored in the bottom of the sixth on a double by Jonathan Lucroy, and took a 3-2 lead into the ninth.  John Axford came on to attempt the save for Milwaukee, but the Nationals loaded the bases with no outs.  Pinch hitter Adam Dunn hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Ryan Zimmerman with the tying run, but Axford retired the next two Nats to limit the damage.

 

In the bottom of the ninth, Drew Storen came in for the Nationals.  With one out, Storen allowed a single to Rickie Weeks and walked Joe Inglett to bring up Ryan Braun.  Braun singled off of the left field wall to bring home Weeks and give the Brewers a walk-off victory.  Axford (6-1) picked up the victory despite blowing the save, and Storen (2-2) was tagged with the loss.

Marlins vs. Rockies

The Marlins beat the Rockies 5-2 Wednesday. Florida jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the 1st on back-to-back doubles by Dan Uggla and Jorge Cantu. The Marlins added three more runs in the 2nd on a home run to center field off the bat of Gaby Sanchez. The Rockies did not get on the board until the 8th, when Seth Smith homered, cutting the Marlins lead to 5-2.

Ricky Nolasco got the win, going 8 innings and giving up two runs on four hits. Jason Hammel took the loss, lasting 7 innings and allowing five runs on six hits. Leo Nunez recorded his 23rd save of the season for Florida.

Nationals vs. Reds

The Nationals beat the Reds 8-5. Cincinnati struck first, scoring in the 3rd inning on a single by Orlando Cabrera. Washington tied it up in the top of the 4th, and scored two more in the 5th and added 4 runs in the 6th.  The Reds tacked on two runs in the bottom of the 6th on a Miguel Cairo single. Ryan Hanigan scored in the 7th for Cincinnati, cutting the Nationals lead to 7-4. Chris Heisey singled in the Reds 5th run of the game in the 8th. Willie Harris homered in the 9th to make it 8-5 Washington.

Stephen Strasburg got the win, going 5.2 innings and giving up three runs on seven hits. Bronson Arroyo took the loss, throwing 5.2 innings and allowing seven runs on six hits. Matt Capps recorded his 24th save for Washington.

Phillies vs. Cardinals

The Phillies fell to the Cardinals 5-1. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the 4th inning on a single by Albert Pujols. The Phillies tied it up in the 5th on a home run off the bat of Ryan Howard. Matt Holliday gave St. Louis the lead in the 7th with a homer to left field. The Cardinals would go on to score three more runs in the 8th.

Jaime Garcia got the win, going 7 innings and giving up one run on four hits. Joe Blanton took the loss, throwing 7 innings and giving up five runs on seven hits. Ryan Franklin got his 18th save for  St. Louis.

Braves vs. Padres

The Braves lost to the Padres in  12 innings 6-4. Singles by Everth Cabrera and Jerry Hairston Jr. gave San Diego a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning. Atlanta tied it up in the 3rd when Chipper Jones singled, scoring Martin Prado and Jason Heyward. Brian McCann homered in the inning, giving Atlanta a 4-2 lead. It remained 4-2 until the 9th, when the Padres tied up the game on a Scott Hairston home run and Yorvit Torrealba double. The game was tied until the 12th when Nick Hundley hit a two-run double giving San Diego a 6-4 lead.

Starting pitchers Tommy Hanson and Jon Garland both had a no decision. Hanson went 6.1 innings and gave up two runs on six hits. Garland lasted 5 innings and allowed four runs on six hits. Tim Stauffer got the win for San Diego. Heath Bell recorded his 27th save.

Mets vs. Diamondbacks

The Mets lost to the Diamondbacks 4-3 in extra innings. The Mets took an early 1-0 lead in the first thanks to a home run off the bat of Angel Pagan. Chris Young led off the bottom of the inning with a home run for Arizona. Rusty Ryal and Mark Reynolds both homered for the Diamondbacks as well, giving Arizona a 3-2 lead in the 4th. Rod Barajas homered for the Mets in the 6th to tie the game. The game was tied until the 14th inning when Arizona’s Chris Snyder hit walkoff single.

Jon Niese went 5 innings and allowed three runs on six hits to get a no decision. Dan Haren got a no decision as well as he went 6 innings and gave up three runs on six hits. Oliver Perez returned for the Mets, and threw 1.1 innings, giving up one hit and walking two. Fernando Nieve took the loss for New York. Blaine Boyer got the win for Arizona.

Braves vs. Marlins

The Braves beat the Marlins Saturday afternoon by a score of 4-1, and are now 15 games above .500. Florida got on the board in the 2nd inning after an error by Martin Prado allowed Cody Ross to score, making it 1-0 Florida. Atlanta tied it up in the 4th when Omar Infante singled home Chipper Jones. The Braves went on to score three more runs in the inning on a Yunel Escobar double and a Gregor Blanco single.

Tommy Hanson got the win, going 6.2 innings and giving up one run on five hits. Anibal Sanchez took the loss for the Marlins. He threw 6 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. Billy Wagner recorded his 17th save of the season for Atlanta.

Mets vs. Nationals

The Nationals beat the Mets in dramatic fashion 6-5 on Saturday. The Mets got to rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg early, getting a 1-0 lead in the 1st on a double by Jason Bay. Josh Thole made it 2-0 in the 3rd with an RBI single. A single by Josh Willingham in the 6th put the Nationals on the board and cut the Mets lead to 2-1.  The next batter for Washington, Ivan Rodriguez, tied it up with a single to center field. The game remained tied until the 8th, when the Mets scored three runs on a David Wright single, a double by Thole, and a sacrifice fly by Ruben Tejada.  The Nationals responded in the bottom of the inning, scoring a run on a single by Adam Kennedy. Going into the bottom of the 9th with a 5-3 lead, the Mets turned to their closer, Francisco Rodriguez, to get the save. Rodriguez ended up giving up a two-run double to Adam Dunn followed by a walk-off single to Ivan Rodriguez.

This game was supposed to be all about Strasburg, but Mets starter R.A. Dickey was the impressive one in this outing. Dickey went 7 innings, giving up two runs on six hits. Strasburg only lasted 5 innings, and allowed two runs on four hits. Nationals closer Matt Capps, who came into pitch the 9th, got the win. Rodriguez took the loss for the Mets.

Phillies vs. Pirates

The Phillies beat the Pirates 12-4 Saturday night. Philadelphia jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the 1st inning thanks to a triple by Shane Victorino and a Ryan Howard single. Pittsburgh cut the Phillies lead in half in the 2nd with a home run to left field off the bat of Pedro Alvarez.  The Phillies followed up with a five-run 5th.  Howard and Cody Ransom each had RBI singles, Ben Francisco drove in a run after grounding into a force out, and Dane Sardinha followed with an RBI double.  The Phillies went on to score one run in the 4th, two in the 5th, and one run in the 6th and 7th. Ryan Church hit his 3rd home run of the year in the 5th for Pittsburgh. The Pirates went on to score two more runs on a double by Ronny Cedeno in the 8th and a Delwyn Young single in the 9th.

Kyle Kendrick pitched his first complete-game, and got the win for the Phillies. Kendrick went 4 innings, giving up four runs on ten hits. Pittburgh’s starter Paul Maholm only lasted 3 innings and took the loss, allowing eight runs on ten hits.