Phillies vs. Braves

The Braves had a chance to clinch at least a tie for the NL Wild Card with a victory on Friday night.  However, the first place Phillies broke open the game with a five run sixth inning on their way to a 11-5 victory over the Braves in Atlanta.

With the game tied at 2 entering the sixth, the Phillies put two runners on base versus Atlanta starter Brandon Beachy (0-2).  Peter Moylan relieved Beachy with two outs, and after a throwing error by Brooks Conrad prolonged the inning, Moylan walked pinch hitter Domonic Brown with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run.  Mike Dunn relieved Moylan and promptly allowed a grand slam to Jimmy Rollins to give Philly a 7-2 lead. 

The Phillies added four more runs in the eighth to take a commanding 11-2 lead.  Atlanta scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but that was as close as they would get.  Kyle Kendrick (11-10) earned the victory for the Phillies, limiting the Braves to two runs and five hits over five innings.  Derrek Lee was the lone bright spot for the Braves, going 3 for 5 and driving in all five Atlanta runs.

Mets vs. Nationals

With reports swirling that both their GM and Manager were on their way out, the Mets received solid pitching and used a pair of long balls to defeat the Nationals by a score of 2-1 in 10 innings at Citi Field.

Mets rookie Ike Davis homered off of Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann in the fourth inning to put the Mets on the scoreboard.  New York starter Pat Misch kept Washington off of the scoreboard until the seventh inning, when Michael Morse connected for a solo home run of his own to tie the game at 1.  Misch allowed just two other hits over eight innings of work, striking out 10 batters.

The game remained 1-1 until the bottom of the 10^th, when another Mets rookie went deep.  With one out, Josh Thole blasted a home run off of reliever Tyler Clippard (11-7) to give the Mets a walk off victory.  Mets reliever Hisanori Takahashi (10-6) pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.

Marlins vs. Pirates

Facing off in the second game of a four game series, the Pirates defeated the Marlins 5-1 on Friday evening in Miami.

Dan Uggla got the Marlins on the scoreboard in the first inning with an RBI single off of Pirates starter Daniel McCutchen.  Pittsburgh answered back in the second when Pedro Alvarez homered off of Adalberto Mendez to tie the game at 1.   The game remained tied at 1 until the fifth, when Chris Snyder hit a two-run home run off of Mendez (1-3) to give the Pirates a lead they would not relinquish. 

Chan Ho Park (4-3) earned the victory in relief, pitching three hitless innings and striking out six batters.  The win was the 124^th of Park’s career and gave him the record for the most wins by an Asian-born pitcher in the major leagues.

Marlins vs. Braves

The Marlins blew a 6-0 lead to the first place Braves, but scored a run in the bottom of the 10th to earn a 7-6 victory Sunday afternoon in Florida. 

The Marlins jumped on Atlanta starter Mike Minor for six runs in the first three innings.  Hanley Ramirez ignited Florida’s offense with a run-scoring single in the first inning, and then hit a two-run homer in the third to put the Marlins up 6-0.  Marlins starter Alex Sanabia held the Braves scoreless until Nate McLouth singled home a run in the fifth, and Atlanta rallied for five more runs in the sixth to even the score.  Florida outfielder Cameron Maybin kept the Braves from taking the lead when he robbed McLouth of what would have been a go-ahead grand slam.  Instead, McLouth’s long drive turned into an unusual two-run sacrifice fly which tied the game at 6.

The score remained tied at 6 until the bottom of the 10th.   After lining a foul ball off of on-deck batter Logan Morrison, Florida’s Emilio Bonifacio tripled off of Atlanta reliever Eric O’Flaherty (3-2) to open the inning.  With Morrison unable to take his turn at bat, pinch hitter Scott Cousins delivered his first major league hit to score Bonifacio with the winning run.  Burke Badenhop (2-5) earned the victory in relief for the Marlins.

Phillies vs. Brewers

The Phillies remained a game back of the Braves as they fell by a score of 6-2 to former Phillie Randy Wolf and the Brewers in Philadelphia.

Prince Fielder blasted a three-run homer off of Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick (9-8) in the first inning to give Milwaukee an early lead.  The Phillies pulled to within a run in the second inning when Carlos Ruiz doubled home two runs off of Wolf, but the Brewers answered back with single runs in the third and fourth innings.   The Brew Crew pounded out 13 hits, including three each by Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun.

Wolf (11-10) allowed just two runs and seven hits over 6 2/3 innings, and John Axford pitched two scoreless innings to earn save number 20.

Mets vs. Cubs

The sliding Mets avoided a sweep as their offense exploded for 18 runs and 21 hits in an 18-5 victory over the Cubs in Chicago.

The Cubs built a 4-2 lead off of New York starter Jonathon Niese, helped by a two run homer from Aramis Ramirez.  However, the Mets knocked out Chicago starter Ryan Dempster (12-10) in the fifth with a five run inning.  Ruben Tejada singled home two runs to break a 4-4 tie, and added his first major league home run in the seventh as the Mets took the lead for good.   The Mets broke open the game by scoring five runs in both the eighth and ninth innings.  Tejada drove in five runs on the afternoon, and Ike Davis added four hits, including a home run.  Niese (9-7) wasn’t on top of his game, allowing five runs over six plus innings, but earned the victory thanks to New York’s offensive outburst.

Nationals vs. Pirates

The Nationals used a five run inning and solid starting pitching on their way to a 8-1 victory against the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

After scoring a run in the first on an RBI ground out from Ryan Zimmerman, the Nationals took control of the game in the fourth inning off of Charlie Morton (1-11) and the Pirates.  Adam Dunn homered, and Zimmerman singled home two more in the five run frame.  Meanwhile, Washington starter Jason Marquis (2-7) allowed just one run over six innings, courtesy of a Pedro Alvarez solo homer.  Zimmerman added another run scoring single in the sixth, finishing the game with four RBI to lead the Nationals to the victory.

Braves vs. Cubs

Derrek Lee went hitless in his Braves debut against his former team, but Atlanta mounted another late-inning rally and defeated the Cubs 5-3 in Chicago.

 

Cubs’ starter Ryan Dempster allowed just two runs and four hits over eight innings.  Chicago handed the ball to closer Carlos Marmol in the ninth to try to protect a 3-2 lead.  Marmol (2-3) walked the bases loaded, and then allowed a bases-clearing triple to Braves outfielder Rick Ankiel to give the Braves a 5-3 lead.  Billy Wagner allowed a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth, but retired the next three batters to earn save number 30.  Atlanta reliever Peter Moylan (5-2) pitched a perfect eighth inning to earn the victory.

 

 

Nationals vs. Phillies

The Phillies scored an early run, and ace Roy Halladay made sure it held up as the Phils defeated the Nationals 1-0 in Philadelphia.

 

The game’s lone run came in the third inning when Raul Ibanez doubled home Chase Utley off of Nats’ starter Jason Marquis (0-6).   Halladay (16-8) allowed eight hits and three walks over seven innings, but didn’t allow a run to score.  The Nationals finished the game with 10 hits, but stranded 12 baserunners in the shutout.  Phils’ closer Brad Lidge came on in the ninth and earned his 17th save.

 

 

Mets vs Pirates

The Mets offense finally woke up in Pittsburgh, and Mike Pelfrey pitched eight solid innings in New York’s 7-2 victory over the Pirates.

 

The Mets scored three runs in the top of the first off of Pirates’ starter Jeff Karstens (2-10), and added two more runs in the third and fourth innings.   Jose Reyes and David Wright paced the offense with three hits apiece, and Chris Carter added a home run and two RBI for the Mets.  Pelfrey (12-7) allowed just two runs (one earned) and five hits in his eight innings, striking out five.

 

 

Marlins vs. Astros

Anibel Sanchez was dominant, and Florida’s offense exploded late in the Marlins’ 9-0 victory over the Houston Astros in Miami.

 

Houston starter J.A. Happ (3-2) allowed a run in the first inning, and then held the Marlins scoreless until the sixth inning when Dan Uggla hit a two-run single.  Sanchez helped his own cause with a run-scoring single in the seventh, and the Marlins added three more runs in the inning to build a 7-0 lead.  Cody Ross and Hector Luna hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning for Florida to cap the scoring.   Sanchez (10-8) allowed just three hits over seven shutout innings, and the Florida bullpen pitched two perfect innings to close out the victory.

Braves Vs Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks defeated the Braves on Wednesday night in a wild finish by a score of 2-1.

The game saw great pitching performances from both sides with Kenshin Kawakami going 6 scoreless innings for the Braves allowing just 4 hits on 8 strikeouts. He was equally matched however by Arizona starter Ian Kennedy who went 7 strong innings allowing no runs, 3 hits and 6 strike outs.

All of the offense in this one would happen in the 8^th inning, when in the top half of the inning Jason Heyward doubled down the right field line and then was followed up by Brian McCann who hit a double of his own to drive in the first run of the game. This gave the Braves a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom half when a wild play would cost Atlanta the game.

With Mark Reynolds on base Gerardo Parra stepped to the plate and hit a ball to deep right center, both Heyward and centerfielder Nate McClouth went for the ball causing collision in the outfield. This allowed both Reynolds and Parra to score on the play giving him an inside the park homerun and the Diamondbacks the lead for good.

Aaron Heilman earned the win and Chad Quallas came in to earn his 12^th save of the season.

Nationals Vs Pirates

The Nationals continue to build up some momentum the night after Stephen Strasburg marvelous debate with a 7-5 win over the Pirates.

Adam Dunn wasted no time getting Washington on the board hitting a 2 run homer in the first, his 12^th of the season. But starter John Lannan couldn’t hold their early lead, Lannan went only 4.2 inning surrendering 10 hits and 5 runs.

The Nationals would fight right back to take the lead however on RBI Doubles by both Roger Bernadina and Ian Desmond. It would be short lived as the Pirates would come right back with an RBI single by Brad Lincoln to drive in Lastings Milledge tied the game up at 5.

In the bottom of the 7^th Ryan Zimmer drove in the winning run with an RBI single that allowed Christian Guzman to score. The Nationals would tack on one more in the eighth to give themselves a 7-5 lead as Many Capps came in and earned his 20^th save of the season.

Mets Vs Padres

Last Night’s game was postponed, a day/night double header has been announced for today with games starting at 1:10 and 7:10

Phillies Vs Marlins

Last night’s game was postponed due to rain, no makeup date has been set.

Nationals vs. Pirates

 

Stephen Strasburg made his highly anticipated major league debut last night in front of a standing room only crowd in Washington.  It seemed impossible that Strasburg would be able to live up to hype in his first start, but if anything, he exceeded expectations as the Nationals defeated the Pirates 5-2.

 

Strasburg struck out 14 and walked none over 7 dominating innings.  The Nats took a 1-0 lead thanks to a first inning home run by Ryan Zimmerman, and Strasburg was cruising until he surrendered a two run homer to Delwyn Young in the fourth inning.  After Young’s long ball, Strasburg took control.  He faced ten batters and retired all ten, striking out the last seven Pirates to face him.  The Nationals bats put Strasburg in position to win his debut in the sixth, scoring three runs courtesy of back-to-back home runs by Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham off Pirates starter Jeff Karstens.  The Nationals added another run in the eighth, and Matt Capps pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his 19th save.

 

The story of the night was clearly Strasburg.  With a 100 mph fastball, filthy curve ball, and command of the strike zone, it’s going to be fun to watch him pitch every five days.

 

 

Marlins vs. Phillies

 

Another stud prospect made his major league debut on Tuesday in Marlins outfielder Mike Stanton.  Stanton went 3 for 5 with 2 infield singles and 2 runs scored, but the Marlins couldn’t hold onto an early four run lead and fell to the Phillies 10-8 in Philadelphia.

 

Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick and Marlins starter Chris Volstad each gave up two home runs and allowed six runs before departing.  Gaby Sanchez and Hanley Ramirez homered for Florida, while Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino went deep for the Phils.  The Marlins took an 8-7 lead in the top of the eighth thanks to a Wes Helms RBI triple, but the Phillies scored three runs in the bottom of the inning, keyed by Ben Francisco’s two-run single.  Brad Lidge loaded the bases in the top of the ninth, but got Ronny Paulino to pop up to close out the game and earn the save.  Jose Contreras picked up the victory in relief, while Clay Hensley suffered the loss.

 

 

Mets vs. Padres

 

The Padres visited Citi Field to open up a three game series with the Mets, and it was an old fashioned pitchers duel in Flushing.   Thanks to instant replay and a walk-off home run from another NL East rookie sensation, the Mets defeated San Diego 2-1 in 11 innings to earn their ninth straight home victory.

 

Mike Pelfrey continued his dominant pitching for New York.  After Adrian Gonzalez doubled in a run in the top of the first, Pelfrey shut down the Padres, allowing just that one run over nine innings.  San Diego starter Clayton Richard held the Mets scoreless until two outs in the seventh.  Jose Reyes’ long drive to left was initially ruled in play and a double.  After the umpires huddled and went to video review, they correctly awarded Reyes a home run, which tied the game at 1.  The game remained tied until the bottom of the 11th, when rookie first baseman Ike Davis homered to right field off Padres reliever Edward Mujica to give the Mets a walk off victory.  Elmer Dessens earned the victory for the Mets in relief.

 

 

Braves vs. Diamondbacks

 

After falling to the Diamondbacks in Monday’s opener, the Braves evened the series with a 7-5 victory in Arizona.

 

Braves starter Kris Medlen allowed four runs in five innings, including three solo home runs.  Arizona starter Edwin Jackson also allowed four runs over six innings, as neither starter factored in the decision.  Troy Glaus’ RBI double broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth ining, and Billy Wagner pitched a scoreless ninth for his 10th save.  Jonny Venters picked up the victory for the Braves, while Esmerling Vasquez took the loss.  Omar Infante and Melky Cabrera each went 3 for 5 to lead a 14 hit attack for Atlanta.

( Written by our New Author: KLake13 )

Mets vs. Yankees

Mets opened up six game homestand with the first subway series of 2010, and this game was all pitching, as the Yankees beat the Mets 2-1. Hisanori Takahashi, making his first career MLB start, pitched 6 strong innings, giving up 5 hits and no runs. Elmer Dessens, who came in relief of Takahashi, took the loss. Javier Vasquez kept the Mets hitless through 4 and a 1/3, and striking out six to get the win.

Game changing play came in the top of the 7th with an error by Alex Cora. As a result, the Yankees took a 2-0 lead on a double by Kevin Russo. The Yankees bullpen kept the Mets scoreless until the 9th when Ike Davis hit an RBI double off Mariano Rivera. For more info, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Phillies vs. Red Sox

Boston was off to an early lead with a one-run homer by Victor Martinez in the first, but it wasn’t enough as the Phillies went on to beat the Red Sox 5-1. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth each homered for the Phillies. The only other Boston hits belonged to Adrian Beltre and Darnell McDonald.

Cole Hamels got the win for the Phillies going 7 innings and giving up one run on three hits. J.C. Romero got his second save of the season for Philadelphia. John Lackey took the loss, going 5 innings and giving up four runs on six hits. Check out Phillies Phandom Blog for more.

Marlins vs. White Sox

It was a big night for Chicago’s Alexei Ramirez who hit an RBI double and a three-run homer, as the White Sox went on to beat the Marlins 8-0. Florida bats were quiet most of the night, with the only hits belonging to Gaby Sanchez, Cody Ross, and Wes Helms.

Mark Buehrle got the win, throwing 7 shut-out innings for Chicago, and allowing only 3 hits. Ricky Nolasco, who took the loss, got beat up in his 5.1 innings, giving up 10 hits and 8 earned runs.  Check out Fish Guts Blog for more on last night’s game.

Braves vs. Pirates

The Braves beat the Pirates 7-0. The Braves took an early 1-0 lead on a Chipper Jones RBI. Jason Heyward had three RBI’s on the night. The Braves scored another run in the 7th off Jeff Karstens who pitched 3.1 innings of relief for the Pirates. Pittsburgh’s bats were quiet with their only hits coming from Bobby Crosby and Garrett Jones.

Tim Hudson got the win, going 8 innings for the Braves, and giving up 3 hits and no runs. Ross Ohlendorf took the loss, pitching only 3.2 innings for the Pirates, giving up 6 hits and 7 runs. For more in depth coverage, go to the Braves Baseball Blog.

Nationals vs. Orioles

The Orioles hung on to beat the Nationals by a score of 5-3. Adam Jones got the Orioles off to a quick start hitting a two-run homerun in the 2nd giving the O’s a 2-0 lead. Craig Tatum knocked in a pair of runs in the 3rd. The Nationals got on the board with a run in the 6th on a RBI ground out by Ivan Rodriguez. Willie Harris homered in the 8th, cutting the Orioles lead to 4-3.

David Hernandez got the win, going 5.1 innings for Baltimore, giving up one run, one hit and 5 walks. Scott Olsen took the loss, lasting 3 innings for the Nationals, and giving up 4 runs on 6 hits. Miguel Batista came in to pitch 4 innings of relief for the Nats. Go to Centerfield Gate Blog for more on the game.

Since 1997 only one National League East team has managed to win multiple World Series titles. That team is the Florida Marlins. Despite existing in a league that features the high spending New York Mets, the consistent Atlanta Braves, and the offensive juggernaut known as the Philadelphia Phillies, Florida has managed to remain competitive and successful.
The Florida Marlins are a remarkable story not because they win but because of how they win. The Florida Marlins operate with the knowledge of two incontrovertible facts. First, the team will not spend a tremendous amount of money in the free agent market or on payroll, period. Second, low attendance at home games does not present a financial problem due to league revenue sharing and a low payroll. Thus, it is possible to still make money as a business despite the fact that no one really wants to buy your product.
However, simply having a low payroll does not necessarily equal success. The key to the Marlins success is that the Marlins maintain the team’s low payroll by combining young players still playing out their rookie contracts and questionable veterans who are willing to play for short, minimum contracts. The inherent quality in both of these types of players is that they have the need to prove themselves. Young players know that the Marlins have no desire to pay top dollar for a valuable player, but the organization is more than willing to either flip that player for prospects or let the player leave during free agency and recoup draft picks. Thus, it is in the player’s personal interest to perform at his highest possible level to ensure continued, gainful employment as a professional baseball player. The same can be said about veteran players. Guys brought in on one or two year deals for about the league minimum know that if they want to continue playing and/or get paid more money, they have to take the opportunity given by the Marlins to show that they can produce.
For example, players such as Miguel Cabrera (traded to the Detroit Tigers, signed to 8yr/$153.5 million), Dontrelle Willis (traded to Detroit Tigers, signed for 3yr/$29 million), Josh Beckett (traded to Boston Red Sox, signed for 3yr/$30 million), Mike Lowell (traded to Boston Red Sox 3yr/$37.5 million), Cliff Floyd (traded to Expos for package of prospects including Carl Pavano), Luis Castillo (traded to Minnesota Twins, signed by New York Mets for 4yr/$25 million), Preston Wilson (traded to Colorado Rockies for Juan Pierre and Mike Hampton), and Derek Lee  (traded to Chicago Cubs, signed 5 yr/$65 million) all represent the Marlins’ plan to allow young players to develop and then trade them when they are at or near peak value. These players have then received more valuable contracts than the Marlins would have ever been willing to offer. In addition, players such as Ivan Rodriguez, Armando Benitez, and Todd Jones are examples of veterans who used their time as Marlins to procure more lucrative long-term deals.
Admittedly, the ability to continue to find successful and talented young players is vital for this type of organizational approach. However, to simply say that the Marlins have a talented scouting department dismisses the fact that when the Marlins trade talented players, they usually receive numerous prospects in return; thereby increasing the chance that at least one of those prospects will turn out to be talented. Prior to the 2002 season, the Marlins traded Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca to the Chicago Cubs for Julian Tavarez, Dontrelle Willis, Jose Cueto, and Ryan Jorgensen. Only Dontrelle Willis developed into an upper echelon player, albeit for a limited amount of time. Further, that same season, Cliff Floyd was traded back to the Expos for Carl Pavano, Justin Wayne, Mike Mordecai, Graeme Lloyd, Don Levinski, and Wilton Guerrero. Ryan Dempster was also traded for Juan Encarnacion and Ryan Snare. The point of this is to demonstrate that the Marlins turned 4 players into 12 players, but only two or three of those players turned out to be valuable. By trading valuable young talent at the right time, the Marlins were able to increase the quality and quantity of the talent they received in return, thus minimizing the impact of failed prospects.
This is one of the reasons that differentiate the Marlins from the Royals, Pirates, and Orioles. These organizations wring their hands when it comes to trading players away for fear of angering their fanbase. Thus, players are held onto longer and the team loses leverage when dealing with other teams. Another major reason these organizations have not found the success that the Marlins have is that they attempt to sign high priced free agents to give hope to their beleaguered fan bases. Without analyzing the moves of each organization, suffice to say that by paying someone drastically more than the rest of your team does not fuel the players desire to prove themselves, but rather creates questions like, “If they have the money to pay Player X, why am I not getting mine?” Not to mention that by allocating valuable resources of a small market team into such a limited asset the organization is prevented from investing throughout the team. Lastly, the Marlins traditionally do not trade for established talent by giving up prospects but vice versa. This way, the farm system of the Marlins is constantly infused with young players.
Now, this is not to say that the Marlins have not signed a high priced free agent, ex. Carlos Delgado, or that they will trade away every promising player. It is simply a unique organizational approach that may or may not change with the building of a new stadium and higher expectations. Thus, it should come as no surprise when the Marlins find success despite a meager payroll. Its not that the Marlins win, but how they win that makes them an organization that should be emulated by small market teams in both the National and American leagues.

close....but...no

The Pirates were looking to do something that probably not many picked earlier this week, and that was to win a series versus the Phillies.  After Garrett Jones came through with another late inning home run for this Pirates team, they were on their way to a game win of 3-2 and a series victory.  Garrett Jones hit a two run home run in the eighth inning with two out and one on, that put the Pirates in the lead for good, as Matt Capps held the Phils in the ninth for his 24th save.  Danny Bautista(1-0) got the relief victory for the Pirates as he worked two perfect innings with two strikeouts behind a well pitched game by Charlie Morton who went five innings and allowed only two runs.  The Pirates only other run was on a home run by Andrew McCutchen in the first.

J.A. Happ pitched very well in this game and really only made two mistakes.  Unfortunately both of those mistakes were home runs and led to the loss for Happ(10-3) as he went eight innings and allowed seven total hits, but two home runs.  His only run support was a Ryan Howard RBI groundout in the first and a Paul Bako solo shot in teh second before the Phils bats went silent.  Phillies Phandom has more on this game and all Phillies games.

Redding...wins?

In a rare event for the New York Mets yesterday in South Florida, they won by a score of 10-3.  Even more odd is that every position player had at least two hits including Daniel Murphy with two hits and three RBI and Anderson Hernandez with three hits and two runs scored and the Mets knocked seventeen in total.  Tim Redding, newly into the rotation pitched his second straight good start going 6.2 innings and only allowing five hits and three runs, but all three on homers to get the victory.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog covers all things Mets for you.

With the arm and bat!

Another shot, what else is new?

The Washington Nationals really hurt the Cubs this week, by now taking the series from them in Chicago by winning yesterday 5-4.  Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn added solo shots for the Nats, who barely held on to the lead for starter J.D. Martin.  Martin(3-3) went five innings allowing four hits and three runs, but two home runs in earning the victory.  After relief pitching allowed the Cubs to get within one, Mike MacDougal recorded his 14th save of the year with 1.2 innings of work only allowing a walk.    CenterfieldGate has more on this.
The Cubs had sent Randy Wells to the mound for this one, but he could not give them a series win.  Wells(9-7) lasted 6.1 innings allowing all five runs while walking four batters in taking the loss.  They almost got even for him as Aramis Ramirez hit a two run shot and Derek Lee added a solo homer, but that was all.

Howard rescues the Phils bullpen

Last night in Pittsburgh, the Philadelphia bullpen tried to give up another game to the Pirates late in the game.  Ryan Madson(5-4) was charged with his fifth blown save as he tried to save Cole Hamels eight inning no run gem, but allowed a pinch hit game tying home run.  Ryan Howard got him off the hook in the top of the tenth with a three run blast as the Phillies went on to win 4-1 and Madson actually got the win.  The Phillies only other run was on a Chase Utley solo bomb in the first and although the Phillies won, it wasted a classic Hamels start.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more.

Brandon Moss came up as a pinch hitter for the Pirates shortstop in the bottom of the ninth and hit a shot to right center field and the Pirates had hope.  Unfortunately Steven Jackson(2-3) put two runners on before recording an out in the ninth and gave way to Phil Dumatrait who gave up the home run to Ryan Howard.  Paul Maholm got a no decision but pitched very well, holding the Phillies to five hits and one run over seven innings of work.

"Ace" Mike Pelfrey

Josh Johnson has owned the Mets over his career, and although he was shaky last night, he got another win against them.  Johnson(13-3) was off his game in going six innings and allowing nine hits and three runs, but held on until his offense could come through for him.  Cody Ross got the Marlins even with a triple scoring two runs and later Ronnie Paulino hit a two run home run… the deciding blow in 1 5-3 final.  Leo Nunez pitched the ninth again, striking out two and allowing one hit and recorded his 16th save of the season, FishGuts has more on the game.

Mike Pelfrey is now the defacto ace of the Mets staff, now that Johan Santana and Oliver Perez have joined the army on the disabled list.  Pelfrey(9-9) went 5.2 innings allowing 11 hits and five runs, including five walks, only two strikeouts and a home run.  He still seems to have a lot of trouble with men on base and should be his number one issue going into the offseason.  Fernando Tatis stayed hot against Josh Johnson as he doubled, scored a run and had one RBI while accumulating three total hits.  Corey Sullivan and Anderson Hernandez added the two other RBI’s for the Mets as they dropped their fifth in a row, The Real Dirty Mets Blog will have more.

Apparently the photographers in Atlanta took the night off, but so did the Braves relief pitching.  The Padres went into the sixth inning down 3-0, and left that inning up 6-4 on their way to a 12-5 victory and second in a row against the Braves.  that sixth inning included RBI doubles by Will Venable and Nick Hundley, as well as RBI singles by Luis Rodriguez and Adrian Gonzalez.  Eckstein added two more RBI singles later in the game, amont a Kouzmanoff two run shot and another Adrian Gonzalez RBI single.  Tim Stauffer(2-6) got the win going five innings and leaving only giving up three runs and six hits in this game.

Kenshin Kawakami had pitched five scoreless innings in this game, and then only recorded one out in the sixth and ended up charged with seven hits and four runs in the game.  Braves relief pitching over the final 3.2 innings gave up 11 hits and eight runs to put this game out of reach.  Brian McCann hit a three run homer in the first and an RBI single in the ninth and Ryan Church had an RBI single in the sixth for all the Braves offense.  The Braves Baseball Blog has more info on this game.

Finally, a win!

The Cubs looked like they were gonna have to fight for a win, late in the game yesterday, but luckily they ran in to the Nationals relief pitching.  The Cubs got six in the eighth to extend their lead and won the game 9-4 against the Nats.  In the eighth inning Koy Hill had a two RBI double, followed by doubles also by Mike Fontenot and Derek Lee and finally an infield single by Aramis Ramirez to score the final run.  Angel Guzman(3-3) got the victory in the game after Rich Harden pitched six strong innings but left with a tie score.

Livan Hernandez only found himself out of work for a few days as the Nats picked him up and had him right into the rotation.  Hernandez went six innings only allowing two runs on five hits and received a no decision in his first start back with the Nats.  Jason Bergmann(2-3) was charged with the loss as he gave up the go ahead run in the seventh on two hits and the bullpen gave up six more runs after that in just one more inning of work.  Willingham, Guzman, Nieves and Willy Harris all had RBI’s for the Nationals in the loss.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more.

the walk off for the rook!

Andrew McCutchen had said he wanted to make amends for a play in the top of the ninth inning that allowed the Phillies to take the lead in the game.  He was able to do that, as he hit a two run home run off Phillies closer Brad Lidge to win the game for the Pittsburgh Pirates and redeemed himself by a score of 6-4.  The Pirates also added home runs from Ryan Doumit and a two run shot by Stephen Pearce in the game, and Brandon Moss had an RBI single in the ninth before McCutchen to tie the game.  Ross Ohlendorf went 6.1 innings allowing only two runs for to the NL leading Phillies but ended up with a no decision.  Matt Capps(3-7) recorded both his fourth blown save of the year and then got the win as he went one inning and was charged with two runs and three hits.

Even Jimmy Rollins hot streak couldn’t help the Phillies in this one.  Rollins hit home runs in the first inning and another solo shot in the third inning and until the ninth, that was all the Phillies could do.  In the ninth, Ben Francisco doubled home the tying run and Shane Victorino was credited with a triple on the misplay by McCutchen scoring the go ahead run.  Brad Lidge(0-6) though could not even record an out in the ninth as he gave up three hits and three runs, including the home run to McCutchen and it only took five pitches to do that.  Phillies Phandom will have more on this game and Lidge’s struggles.

Eckstein with the winner

On a rare night when Heath Bell blew a save, the Padres were able to pick him up later in the game.  Heath Bell in the ninth gave up a run to tie the game at 1, as he allowed two hits and a walk as well in the inning.  Later in the game though, David Eckstein doubled home Nick Hundley to score the game winning run, making it 2-1 in the twelth inning.  Joe Thatcher(1-0) got the victory as he worked 1.1 innings of hitless relief and Edward Mujica got his second save of the year.  Adrian Gonzalez drove in the only other Padres run in the third inning with a solo home run.

The Atlanta Braves got great pitching throughout this game, but ran into similar tough pitching on the other side of the game.  Jair Jurrjens went 7.2 inning and allowed only five hits, four walks and only allowed a solo home run, but ended with a no decision.  Adam LaRoche came through big time again for the Braves as he singled home Reid Gorecki in the bottom of the ninth and sent the game to extras.  Unfortunately Kris Medlan(3-4) gave up the eventual winning run in the twelth and took the loss for the Braves, dropping them another game back in the wildcard lead and putting them back in a tie with the Marlins, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Sean West shuts down the AAA Mets

Marlins pitcher Sean West was probably happy to be able to pitch to a minor league team again. Last night, West(5-5) went six innings allowing only six hits and one run and only needed 82 pitches to do that as he faced a depleted Mets squad.  He was supported by an RBI ground out by Uggla in the fourth and a Ross Gload single in the fifth to win the game 2-1.  Leo Nunez recorded his 15th save of the season and the Marlins gained a game on the Phillies in the East and kept up with the Rockies in the wildcard race as well.  FishGuts will have more on the Marlins.

Nelson Figueroa had a spot start for the Mets, who learned of Johan Santana needing surgery earlier in the day.  Figueroa(1-3) pitched well through five innings allowing only four hits and two runs, but one earned but taking a tough loss.  Fernando Tatis got the Mets on the board with an RBI single in the fourth, scoring Jeff Francouer, but the Mets could not do anything else in the loss, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Mets fans, remember this face?

The Washington Nationals either shocked the Cubs fans last night, or just made them angrier, not sure which one.  The Nationals won the game by a score of 15-6 last night and the offense exploded.  Josh Willingham hit two home runs, a solo shot and a three run shot as well and a grand slam from Elijah Dukes as well.  Garrett Mock(3-5) went seven innings and allowed only four runs while striking out six to get an easy victory.  CenterfieldGate has more information on this game and what to expect going forward.

The Chicago Cubs are just playing horribly, with no real excuse for what is going on.  Carlos Zambrano(7-5) could only get through 4.1 innings and was charged with huge numbers, eight runs, seven hits and only four strike outs.  The rest of the relief wasn’t much better as out of five relievers, three gave up runs in making this even more lopsided.  Zambrano tried to help himself as he hit one of a trio of Cubs homeruns, others were by Milton Bradley and Jake Baker in the game.