Entering our final week of the season and recaps..here we go

Raul Ibanez scores in the fifth

Joe Blanton helped the Phillies finally cut some games off their magic number yesterday as he helped them win in Milwaukee 6-5.  Blanton(12-7) did not have one of his best games of the year, but went 5.2 innings and allowed seven hits and five runs on 124 pitches for the win.  Jimmy Rollins led off with a solo home run and Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino had RBI doubles to put the Phils up 4-0 in the second inning.  Ryan Madson got his ninth save of the year but did give up a double to Prince Fielder to make it anothe r stressful game.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more on this game and the Phils march to the postseason.

For a while in this one, it looked like the Brewers might be blown out, but in the sixth, they got a bit closer.  Matt Gamel, the rookie had a three run home run scoring Cameron and Escobar and Ryan Braun later singled home Corey Hart to make it a one run game.  Dave Bush(5-9) was chased after only 4.1 innings of work and giving up nine hits and five runs for the Brewers and taking the loss in this one.

Prado and Chipper score go ahead runs in the tenth

The Braves were looking for a sweep yesterday and some tenth inning heroics helped them get that win 6-3.  Brian McCann grounded out to score Nate McLouth to put them ahead 4-3 and then Omar Infante put the insurance runs on with a two run single scoring Martin Prado and Chipper Jones.  Mike Gonzalez(5-4) got credit for the win as he pitched the ninth giving up only one hit and Rafael Soriano got his 27th save of the season with a perfect bottom of the tenth inning, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more on this incredible run by the Braves.

Well, one goo thing in this game was Zimmerman and Willingham hitting back to back home runs in the first inning to put the Nats up early, unfortunately the lead didn’t last.  Livan Hernandez pitched 6.1 innings allowing three runs on six hits for a solid Livan type start, but MacDougal couldn’t hold the tie for the Nats.  MacDougal(1-1) gave up two hits and three runs in his one inning of work, sending the Nats to the sweep, check out Centerfield Gate for more.

Misch with a CG shutout..wow

Pat Misch helped the Mets extract a bit of revenge on the pesky Marlins yesterday, winning 4-0.  Pat Misch(2-4) went a full nine innings allowing eight hits and three walks , but no runs as the Mets eliminated the Marlins from the Playoffs, as was done to them the past two seasons.  Jeff Francouer continued a solid half season as a Met going 2-5 with two runs scored and a two run home run as well.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for insight on the Mets offseason plans or what they should do at least.

Chris Volstad definitely lost his good stuff this year, and needs to find it in the offense.  Volstad(9-13) went only four innings and allowed five hits and three runs with the big blow being the home run to Francouer.  Even worse, the Marlins could not manage a run in the game, with Coghlan and Maybin leading the way with two hits, check out FishGuts for the latest on the Marlins.

ESPN says "closer" for Villone..hah

Last night the Washington Nationals actually got a victory against the Philadelphia Phillies.  After being down 2-0 early, they exploded with eight runs from the 3rd to fifth inning with a rookie doing most of the damage.  Rookie Ian Desmond had an RBI double in the fourth and followed that up with a three run home run that proved to be the winning blow in an 8-7 win.  Livan Hernandez(8-10) lasted 7.1 innings and allowed only six hits and two runs and left with the game well in hand, except for the Nats bullpen.  To get the next three outs, the Nats bullpen allowed four hits, five runs (four earned) and a walk before Ron Villone worked the final two outs for his first save of the year.  Check out Centerfield Gate for more info on this game.

Joe Blanton had gone what seemed like forever without a bad start, but that all ended on Wednesday night.  Blanton(9-7) did not get through the fifth before allowing seven hits and eight runs including four walks in this game.  The offense tried to get him off the hook, but it was too little, too late.  Matt Stairs hit a pinch hit grand slam and was followed by an RBI double by Victorino before Villone got a double play to end the game, Phillies Phandom will have more.

Johnson with a big night

The Florida Marlins completed a three game sweep of the New York Mets and finally gained some ground in the division race.  Nick Johnson went 2-4 with two walks and four RBI including a two run single in the seventh inning that broke it open on way to a 13-4 victory and Dan Uggla added another home run, his 27th of the year amongst a flurry of hits and runs.  Sean West couldn’t get through the fifth inning and qualify for a win so Burke Badenhop(7-4) worked two innings allowing two hits to take that honor.  The Marlins head into a weekend series against the Nationals now with hopes the Mets can give them some help as the Mets go to Philly, check out FishGuts for more.

Bobby Parnell had a very tough day on the mound and it didn’t look like he would get much farther than the first, where he gave up three runs.  Parnell(3-8) had a final line of seven hits, six runs (five earned) and having five walks as he raised his ERA to 5.49.  The Mets relief had been solid until Lance Broadway gave up four runs on four hits in his two innings of work.  Angel Pagan and Jeff Francouer had three hits a piece to lead the Mets, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more on this game.

Gonzalez CAN get the save

The Atlanta Braves were looking to salvage a game against the Astros and in the process hope their bullpen could hold a game down.  They were able to win this game 9-7 and the bullpen wasn’t perfect, but it did the job for them.  Derek Lowe(14-9) went 5.2 innings but was sloppy giving up five runs on nine hits including a three run homer and Peter Moylan made the gamecloser giving up two runs(one earned) and three hits in 1.1 innings of work.  Mike Gonzalez though worked the ninth and got his 10th save of the year, but it was a stressful inning as hegave up a hit and a walk.  Brian McCann went 4-2 with two runs scored and two RBI for the Braves and Nate McClouth added a solo home run as well in this one, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Roy Oswalt was awful in this one, only getting through two innings of work and throwing 71 pitches in that time frame.  Oswalt(8-6) had a final line of two innigns ten hits, six runs and five strikeouts in taking a tough loss.  Lance Berkman brought them within two runs with a three run home run in the third but two runs is the closest they would get in this one.

So Penny needs the NL

Brad Penny made his first start since coming back to the National League and it looks like he found his problem, the American League.  Penny(1-0) pitched great while going eight innings and getting five hits and only walking one while striking out two to hold the heavy hitting Phillies scoreless.  He got some offense behind him as well, but not until the fifth inning when Andres Torres had an RBI single.  This was followed by two home runs in the sixth inning, a two run shot by Juan Uribe followed immediately by a solo shot by former Philly Aaron Rowand to seal the 4-0 win.

J.A. Happ looked human on this night, taking an unusual loss in the game.  Happ(10-4) lasted six innings and allowed eight hits and four runs while striking out seven, but all four runs came in his final two innings of work.  Unfortunately the offense was silent behind him and he could not pitch a shutout as Cole Hamels did.  Rollins was the only Philly with more than one hit and only four Phillies in total got base hits in this game, Phillies Phandom has more on how they will try to rebound in the series finale tonight.

Helms gets the Marlins winning again

Last night the Marlins had a lead going into the ninth and typically with Leo Nunez on the mound, this is a done deal this year, but not in the current streak they were in.  Leo Nunez(4-4) blew the save as he gave up a solo shot to Yunel Escobar to tie the game at seven and Marlins fans must have been wondering what was happening.  Luckily in the bottom of the ninth, Wes Helms hit a game winning home run and sent all the fans home happy with an 8-7 win.    Dan Uggla is hot lately, as he had two more hits with two RBI on a home run and Jorge Cantu also had two hits and an RBI in the game as well.  The Marlins will look to start a winning streak after this and keep their very slim playoff shot alive, check out FishGuts for more.

Javier Vazquez had one of his worst games of the year on Wednesday night, going barely into the fifth and giving up five runs and seven hits, but getting a no decision.  The Braves actually fought back with the big blows being a bases clearing double in the seventh by Chipper Jones and the already mentioned Escobar shot to tie it in the top of the ninth.  Unfortunately the relief pitching was shaky and Mike Gonzalez(3-4) only got one out before giving up the home run to Helms and taking a tough loss.  The Braves Baseball Blog is the place to go for Braves news.

David dreams of an offseason

With a tie game in the eighth inning last night, the Colorado Rockies sent former Yankee Jason Giambi to the plate as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded.  He delivered, he had a two RBI single which proved to be the winning runs in the game, even after Yorvit Torrealba singled home Ian Stewart with an insurance run, while winning by a score of 5-2.  Ubaldo Jimenez(13-10) pitched a solid game going eight innings and allowing just two runs on five hits and a walk, while Franklin Morales got his 1st save of the year in for the injured Houston Street.

The New York Mets got another well pitched game from Tim Redding in this one.  Redding went 6.2 innings allowing only seven hits and two runs while throwing 114 pitches but left with a no decision.  Brian Stokes(1-4) continues to struggle as came in and was charged with three hits and three runs and THREE walks in just one third of an inning of work.  The Mets runs were supplied by a sac fly by Daniel Murphy scoring Angel Pagan and Jeff Francouer’s 12th homer of the year, a solo shot.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog covers all the Mets struggles.

The Pads sweep

The Padres continued to impress with their young, mainly unknown team yesterday as they beat down the Nationals in a 7-0 victory to get the series sweep.  The Padres had no runs until the fifth when they put up a five spot started by Adrian Gonzalez’ two RBI double and was added to by another two RBI double by Chase Headley and finally a Will Venable rbi single to capp that scoring.  Kevin Correia(10-10) went 7.2 innings and allowed only three hits and two walks and Edward Mujica worked the final 1.1 innings allowing only one additional hit as the Padres cruised in this one.

Even John Lannan can’t do it right now for the suddenly very cold Nats.  Lannan(8-10) went five innings allowing six hits and five runs and walking three in one of his worst starts of the year and second straight.  Nats hitting was atrocious as Ryan Zimmerman was the only player with two hits and only three total players had a hit in this one, and obviously nobody had an RBI or a run scored.  Centerfield Gate covers more on whats going on with the Nats.

The Phils are all smiles

Why wouldn’t every single player on the Phillies be all smiles right now?  The Phillies can’t seem to lose, and last night they won yet another game, by the score of 4-3.  The Phillies also seem to be able to spread out the nightly heroes, last night could be considerd Shane Victorino.  Victorino went 3-5 with two runs scored and two RBI including a solo home run.  After the help from Victorino, Hamels(7-5) went eight innings only allowing one run and four hits while striking out nine for the win.  Brad Lidge got a shaky 20th save as he worked the ninth but gave up a hit and two runs on a home run.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more as the Phils go for a series sweep today.

The Diamondbacks took an early lead in this game on a Ryan Roberts solo home run, but could get nothing more against ace Cole Hamels.  D’Backs ace Danny Haren(10-6) only got through five innings himself giving up three runs and two earned and walking three while having a very high pitch count.  Mark Reynolds tried to get them closer in the ninth as he provided the two run shot off Lidge, but that would be all.

Gload with his 1st career walk off

The Marlins went into the bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday night, with the chance to drop out of second place in the National League East to the Atlanta Braves.  Cody Ross walked and then Ross Gload who has been solid all year as a pinch hitter hit a two run shot to win the game 4-3.  The win keeps the Marlins hit and they have now won four of six against the Braves so far this season.  Ricky Nolasco pitched a solid game, going seven innings and giving up two runs and got a no decision.  Leo Nunez(3-3) gave up a run in the ninth on a solo home run and was in line for a loss, but Gload’s heroics saved him and gave him the victory.  Check out FishGuts for more on the win.

The Atlanta Braves Rafael Soriano(1-2) blew his second save of the season as he worked one third of an inning and gave up the two run home run to Gload.  Jair Jurrjens pitched six strong giving up the two runs and Gonzalez and Moylan gave up a hit each in perfect innings, Moylan had been in line for a victory.  Prado continued his hot play with an RBI single in the third and Chipper Jones and Garrett Anderson capped the scoring with home runs for the Braves.  The Braves Baseball Blog has more information on the win and the Bravos.

Big Pelf shuts the Rox down

Tuesday night, the Mets were looking to win four games in a row, for what seems like the first time since the Clinton administration.  They sent Mike Pelfrey to the mound and although he worked in and out of trouble, the Mets managed a 4-0 shutout.  Pelfrey(8-6) worked 6.1 innings scattering seven hits and three walks but working out of two bases loaded jams on way to the win.  The Mets offense got solo runs in four different innings, the second, third , fourth and eighth.  Francouer, Castillo, and Murphy had RBI singles and Brian Schneider had a sacrifice fly for all the Mets offense.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets info.

Jason Marquis(12-7) came into this game with the most wins in the National League and took the loss, obviously not adding to his total.  Marquis went six innings, giving up seven hits and two earned runs and left after only 86 pitches as the Rockies tried to jump start the offense.  The Rockies will hope to get a win tonight against Mets ace Johan Santana.

Dunn hits a monster shot

Break up the Nationals! The Nats have now won four games in a row, and by commanding fashion, last night winning 8-3 over the Brewers.  Nyjer Morgan and Christian Guzman had three RBI’s each, with both having a home run and Adam Dunn added a solo shot of his own to go with three walks.  Colin Balester(1-1) got his first win this season and went six innings of two run ball and the win held up through the shaky Nats bullpen.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more info on the Nats and their win streak.

Braun homered for the second straight game, but that doesn’t help when the rest of the pitching and hitting doesn’t support you.  Carlos Villanueva(2-8) went four innings and gave up five runs and two home runs taking the loss.  Tim Dillard did not help the come back shots ashe worked four more innings but gave up three more runs, solidifying the Nats win.

Ibanez keeps the Phils goin

The Philadelphia Phillies welcomed in the Padres to CBP to complete a rain-shortened series from April.  The Phillies battered around the San Diego starter and ace Cole Hamels got the win.  Seven different Phillies had RBI’s, including a two run double by Ibanez and a solo home run from catcher Carlos Ruiz.  Jayson Werth also continued to be hot, going 3-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.  Cole Hamels(6-5) went seven innings allowing three runs, all in the fourth inning and struck out six to get the victory by a score of 9-4.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more Phillies info, also with a piece on the Phillies latest injury news.

The Padres could only muster four runs against Philly pitching, and two of those came on a Kyle Blanks home run, his second of the year.  Starter Kevin Correia(6-8) didn’t keep them in the game long though as he gave up eight runs in only 3.1 innings.

The Padres move on to Washington for the weekend, as the St. Louis Cardinals, a more formidable opponent come into Citizens Bank Park to face the Phillies.

Zito looks good

The Giants were finally able to slow down the surging Braves yesterday in the series finale in Atlanta.  Zito(6-10) went seven innings of three hit ball giving up only one run, but he did walk five against six strike outs.  It looked for a while that his efforts would be for nothing, until the Giants offense broke through in the top of the eighth.  The Giants scored four in the eighth inning, but none of the runs were earned because of Brave errors while winning 5-1.

The Braves offense went silent yesterday, which hasn’t happened often.  They managed only one run, on a Yunel Escobar home run in the second inning and that topped off their scoring for the game.  Mike Gonzalez(3-3) took the loss as he didn’t record an out in the eighth but also did not take an earned run because of errors.  The Braves travel to Milwaukee this weekend for a three game set, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Balester gets a tough loss

Last night the Nationals looked to build on a series win against the Mets with the suddenly struggling Cardinals coming in.  The St. Louis Cardinals though, had other plans, as they won a rain shortened game by a score of 4-1.  Rick Ankiel hit a home run in the second inning as three other Cards had RBI’s including Mark DeRosa and Skip Schumaker.  Adam Wainwright(11-6) technically pitched a complete game, going six innings only allowing a single run, but striking out seven against eight hits.

The Nationals sent Colin Balester to the mound since rookie Jordan Zimmermann went on the disabled list.  Balester(0-1) lasted only three innings and left during a rain delay after giving up three runs, two earned and a home run.  Alberto Gonzalez drove Adam Dunn in with a sixth inning double for the Nats only run.  Make sure to check out the CenterfieldGate for more Nats information and insight.

Werth(background) hits a homer in 4 straight games

The Phillies kept on truckin’ Thursday night, even after falling behind early.  The Phillies rallied from an early 3-0 deficit in the finale of a four game set against the Reds to take three of four, winning this one 9-6.  Jamie Moyer(8-6) went the minimum required giving up six runs for the win, while Brad Lidge recorded his 17th save of the season.  Jayson Werth hit a solo shot in the sixth inning which gives him a home run in each of his last four games.  The Phillies welcome in the Pirates this weekend, for more go to Phillies Phandom.

Micah Owings(6-9) took the loss while failing to get through five and giving up seven runs and Encarnacion and Phillips homered in the losing effort.

The Marlins with a huge come from behind win

The Florida Marlins did something in the eighth inning in Thursday night which they had never done before, score ten runs in one inning.  They entered the inning trailing 7-4 and looking to be headed to a loss and 3.5 games back of first, they left the inning shockingly up 14-7 with much better fortunes.  Ross Gload actually made the first two outs of that inning, both with fielders choice grounders to earn RBI’s.  Kiko Calero(2-0) was welcomed off the disabled list with a relif win, while former Met Scott Schoeneweis(1-1) took a rough loss for the D’Backs.  We’ll see if the two teams can try not to combine for over 20 runs with Ricky Nolasco and Dan Haren on the mound tomorrow night in AZ.

Atkins comes through in the clutch

The severly struggling Garret Atkins came up to the plate in the eighth inning and got a hit that might just help get his confidence back, a two run double to win it.  Against usually solid Mike Gonzalez of the Braves(3-2), Atkins was able to get the best of this and get the Rockies to their fourth straight win and fifth in seven.  Juan Rincon(1-0) got the win in relief as Huston Street worked a shaky ninth for his 22nd save of the season.  The Braves just couldn’t shut the door on the Rockies, after taking three seperate leads, they allowed the Rox back everytime.  They ‘ll hope for better luck tomorrow.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog to follow the Braves more.

Ouch, 4IP 8ER

There was a point this year when the Mets had to consider Livan Hernandez their second best pitcher and he was at one point 5-1.  Now he is 5-5 after losing in brutal fashion to the Dodgers on Thursday. Hernandez(5-5) got through four pain staking innings giving up eight runs on eleven hits and four more walks, and led the Mets to an 11-2 loss and series loss.  Every single Dodgers position player that started the game got a hit in this game, and just when you wondered if the Mets could gain some confidence, there it goes.  Randy Wolf(4-3) pitched into the seventh for the cruising victory.  The Mets hope that facing a team with a losing record will be a remedy tomorrow night in Flushing.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has all the info you want on the Mets.

Lannon shaky in loss

John Lannan has been very solid for most of the year, and was tonight through five innings, then things got bad.  Lannan(6-6) took the loss while working into the sixth inning and giving up five runs as the Nats lost 9-6 to the Astros on Thursday night.  The Nationals mustered offense early, but decided to quit after the fourth inning which didn’t help the pitching.  Alberto Arias(2-0) got the win in relief for the ‘Stros who evened their record for the night with the win.

Earlier in the night, they finished a suspended game from May, that was played in Washington.  The Nationals got the victory with a final score of 12-11.  Odd stat you will likely never see again? Joel Hanrahan(1-3) gets the win in that game since he pitched for the Nats, but has since been traded to the Pirates.  The loss goes to LaTroy Hawkins(1-3).  The two teams continue the rest of their series, in hopefully normal fashion starting tomorrow night in Houston.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more Nats News.

Today Victorino says "Vote for ME"

On Monday night, Pablo Sandoval did his campaigning for the final All-Star vote, last night it was Shane Victorino.  Shane Victorino singled in the bottom of the ninth with two outs to send Pedro Feliz home with the winning run in Philadelphia.  Working two perfect innings, Ryan Madson(3-4) got the win in the Phillies 3-2 win over the Reds, a much needed solid outing for Madson.  David Weathers(1-2) worked one inning giving up two hits and the winning run for the Reds.  Jayson Werth hit another home run, which gives him three home runs in his last five games and 19 for the season. Phillies Phandom will have more on the Phillies.

The two teams will play the finale of the four game set with Owings going for Cincinnati against Jamie Moyer at 7:05PM.

Volstad with a complete game shutout

Playing their third straight game without All-Star Hanley Ramirez, the Marlins relied on great pitching for most of Wednesday’s series finale in San Francisco.  Chris Volstad(6-8) pitched brlliantly over a complete game shutout, only giving up five hits and throwing 105 pitches on route to the 7-0 Marlins victory to salvage one game of the series.  The Marlins offense put one run on the board in each of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings and Dan Uggla added the big hit in the ninth on a three run home run to put the game out of reach.  Ryan Sadowski(2-1) went five solid innings but gave up two earned runs which led him to the loss in this game.

The Marlins will head to Arizona for a four game set starting Thursday night, check out the series preview later today.

Kotchman hits a solo shot

The Atlanta Braves got a solid game from Kenshin Kawakami and three relievers to take two out of three from the Cubs yesterday, winning 4-1.  Kawakami(5-6) went six strong innings while allowing only a single run but was lifted after only 85 pitches for the Braves pen.  The Braves bullpen Wednesday consisted of scoreless innings from Peter Moylan, Mike Gonzalez and another save by Rafael Soriano, his 10th of the season.  Braves pitcher Kevin Hart(0-1) took the loss while getting through five innings and only allowing the single run, but the Braves bats couldn’t rescue him late in the game.  Martin Prado continued his hot play by going 2-3 with another RBI and run scored and two additional RBI.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more info.

The Braves will now travel out to Colorado to face the Rox for three, series preview will be out later today

Ollie being Ollie

The New York Mets received their first good injury news of the season, and got Ollie Perez back from the disabled list for last night’s start against the Dodgers.  To start the game, fans were wondering if it was good news as he started walking batters like it was the new style.  Perez(2-2) managed to go five innings only allowing four hits and two runs, but walked an alarming seven for the Mets on route to a 5-4 win over the Dodgers Wednesday.  Daniel Murphy contributed two hits and a run and a spectacular play at first base during the Mets win, which broke a four game skid.  Hiroki Kuroda(3-5) couldn’t get through the fifth and was charged with four earned runs, five total on eight hits and two walks.  Francisco Rodriguez worked a rocky ninth inning, giving up a solo home run to Manny Ramirez, one additional hit and a walk before getting a double play grounder to end the game for his 22nd save of the season.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog is the place for Mets information.

The series will come to a close tonight at 7:10PM EST with Randy Wolf taking on Livan Hernandez.

Detwiler solid until the 5th

Ross Detwiler and the Washington Nationals were hoping to solidify one win in Colorado before heading to Houston for a four game set this weekend.  Detwiler(0-5) couldn’t get through the fifth inning as he was charged with six runs and eight hits in a Nats 10-4 loss yesterday afternoon.  The Rockies waited until the fifth to really unload, putting up four in the fifth and two more in the sixth on route to the victory and sweep of the Nationals.  Jorge De La Rosa(6-7) worked 6.1 innings only allowing three runs getting the win for the Rockies.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more Nationals insight.

The Nats will look to get back on track against Houston including an odd continuation of a usspended game from May 5th in Washington.

Phillips propels Reds

Brandon Phillips helped the Reds try to put a demoralizing loss on Monday behind them.  Phillips went 2-3 with three RBI, two runs scored and even had a key sacrifice in the ninth inning to lead the Reds to a 4-3 win in Philly.  Ageless David Weathers(1-1) got the win while pitching a scoreless bottom of the eighth only allowing a walk and Francisco Cordero worked the ninth for his 21st save of the year.

The Phillies had an early 3-0 lead in this game on two home runs by Howard and Werth and a double by Chase Utley, but squandered the lead by the sixth inning.  Brad Lidge(0-4) took the loss in the ninth while giving up two hits and a walk after having a great weekend versus the Mets.  The two teams play game three of a four game set tonight in Philly.  Check out Phillies Phandom to get more insight on the defending champs.

Josh Johnson with only his 2nd loss

Josh Johnson fell victim to a classic Barry Zito gem last night in San Francisco, which we haven’t seen much since he signed with the Giants.  Barry Zito(5-8) worked until one out in the ninth inning before being pulled while pitching a shutout and only allowing four hits and a walk to the Marlins in a 3-0 victory.  After Brian Wilson had a tough outing on Monday night, Sergio Romo worked the ninth to receive his first save of the year for the Giants.

Josh Johnson(7-2) worked seven strong innings but three runs, two on a home run by Juan Uribe in the fifth inning sent him to only his second loss of the season.  The Marlins offense sputtered off a San Francisco starter for the second straight game and this was the second straight game without all-star Hanley Ramirez.  The Marlins will look to salvage a game of the series tonight in San Francisco with Chris Volstad taking on Ryan Sadowski.

Vazquz pitches the Braves to a win

Javier Vazquez must have heard the rumors that some teams were looking into trading for him this week.  He responded by proving he wants to be a Brave, or auditioning for other teams, depending on how you want to look at it.  Vazquez(6-7) went seven innings only allowing five hits and a single earned run while the Braves beat the Cubs 2-1 on Tuesday night.  Rafael Soriano worked the ninth for his ninth save while Mike Gonzalez worked the eighth to get his eighth holf of the season.  Brian McCann provided all of the offense for the Braves with a run scoring single in the first and a run scoring double in the third inning.  For more info on the Braves, check out The Braves Baseball Blog.

Carlos Zambrano(4-4) pitched on short rest after a terrible outing and went six strong innings only giving up those two runs, but his offense couldn’t help him out on this night.  Koyie Hill got the only RBI for the Cubs while driving in Michael Hoffpauir in the second inning.

The series finale will be a matinee game in Chicago, starting at 2:20PM EST today.

Pelf can't do it again

In what appears to be a normal occurance these days for the Mets, they did not score any runs.  The Mets were shutout for the second straight game by the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers 8-0.  Mike Pelfrey allowed three in the second and two more in the fourth before being pulled for the game.  The Mets bats managed only four hits against Dodger pitching in the game as well.  Newly demoted to the bullpen Tim Redding even gave up a solo home run in his two innings of bullpen work on this day.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog if you want more Mets information.

Young lefty Clayton Kershaw(6-5) went six strong innings and only allowed three hits and two walks while striking out seven batters in getting the win.  Manny Ramirez contributed three RBI in the first four innings, but was thrown out of the game in the fifth after striking out for the second time.

The two teams match back up tonight with Oliver Perez making his first start since May for the Mets.

Tavarez takes the loss...again

The Nationals ruined a golden chance to steal one from the Rockies in Colorado last night with sloppy defense.  The Natioanls made three errors including one in the eighth that led to the winning run scoring on a sacrifice fly for the Rockies, leading them to a 5-4 win.  Julian Tavarez(3-7) got the loss while only allowing two walks in one third of an inning, Joe Beimel relieved him and helped the Rockies with a throwing error.  Rookie Jordan Zimmermann only went four innings in this game while giving up two earned runs and four total, but throwing 94 pitches.  CenterfieldGate has all the Nats info you need.

Clint Barmes got the final two RBI for the Rockies to send them to the win over the Nats last night.  39 year old Alan Embree(2-2) worked one third of an innings for the win and Huston Street got his 21st save of the season and second in a row.  The series finale is at 3:10PM EST today with Detwiler facing De La Rosa.

Jamie Moyer wins his third straight

It seems all that Jamie Moyer and the Phillies needed was the battered Mets to come to town to remember how to win, and win at home.  The Phillies won 4-1 yesterday with Jamie Moyer(7-6) pitching into the seventh inning while only allowing one run for Philadelphia.  Jimmy Rollins had another nice day going 1-3 with two walks and two RBI while Shane Victorino went 3-5 with a run scored and an RBI to lead the Phillies and Brad Lidge got his 15th save of the season.  Make sure to go to Phillies Phandom for more Phillies information.

The Mets were led by Alex Cora and his three hits and an RBI by Nick Evans for their only run of the game.  Fernando Nieve(3-2) took his second straight loss as a starter.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets info.

Andrew Miller gets the win

The Florida Marlins got back on their winning ways yesterday with a 5-3 victory over Zach Duke and the Pittsburgh Pirates on 4th of July in Florida.  Andrew Miller(3-4) worked6.2 innings for the Marlins while giving up only three earned runs but he did flirt with disaster while giving up two home runs.  Zach Duke(8-7) on the otherside didn’t fare much worse, but gave up four earned runs in six innings taking a tough luck loss.  Hanley Ramirez got back in the swing of things for the Marlins going 2-4 with a two run homer to now have RBI in 11 of his last 12 games.  Dan Meyer got his second save of the season in the revolving closer door Florida has until Matt Lindstrom comes back from the disabled list.  The two teams meet up in the finale this afternoon of the three game set.

Dunn hits #300

Yesterday in Washington, Adam Dunn hit a milestone shot, his 300th of his career.  That wasn’t the only news of the day for the Nats who mounted a comeback from the seventh inning and eighth inning to take the second game of the three game set with the Braves.  John Lannan(6-5) went eight strong innings while only giving up three earned runs and was rewarded with the late inning victory by the Nats.  Mike MacDougal worked the ninth to get his fourth save of the year, although it was done while putting two on base with walks.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more Nationals info.

The Braves’ Mike Gonzalez(3-1) took his first loss of the year when he gave up three runs in the eighth inning and was charged with a blown save.  This broke a five game winning streak for the Braves, who fall three games behind the division leading Phils and are still tied with the Mets for third place. Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more on the Bravos.

The series concludes this afternoon with Derek Lowe against Scott Olsen today.

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