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.

Rollins breaks out of his slump

Jimmy Rollins went 2-5 with 2RBI and a run scored last night, further breaking out of his slump while helping his Phillies win versus the New York Mets 7-2.  The Phillies got all their runs in the first three innings against Mets starter Livan Hernandez(5-4) who lost his third decision in a row and looked terrible from the start last night.  Greg Dobbs, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley each had two RBI each for Philly to move back into first place all alone in the NL East.  Rodrigo Lopez(1-0) won his first game in almost two full years pitching into the seventh inning only giving up six hits and two earned runs.  To get more info on the Phillies and their win last night, check out Phillies Phandom.

Some bright spots for the Mets were that Ryan Church continued to be hot, going 3-4 with a run scored, and his one out actually was a trapped ball by Greg Dobbs.  Also, the bullpen in their second straight day of long relief, pitched five innings of one hit ball.  To get additional info on the loss, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

The Phillies and Mets will meet up today at 4pM on the Fox game of the week, Fernando Nieve takes on Jamie Moyer.

Volstad didn't have it tonigh

Rain delays aren’t a new thing to the Marlins being in Miami, and lately the Pirates have seen their fair share too.  The Pirates went through two rain delays Thursday against the Mets and dealt with another delay during the opening game of a series in Florida last night.  After all was said and done though, former Brave Charlie Morton(1-1) pitched six innings of one hit and no run ball against a big hitting Marlin team to get the win.  Pittsburgh pitching chased Marlins starter Chris Volstad(5-8) after only three innings and 47 pitches but four earned runs and added more later against Marlin relief.  Three pirates contributed two RBI each for Pittsburgh to take the opening game of the set and knock the Marlins out of their first place tie temporarily.

The Marlins’ Hanley Ramirez ended his RBI streak at 10 games when he failed to drive any runs in during this game and actually had no hits as well.  Catcher Scott Baker contributed three RBI on two hits and had two RBI in the game to lead the fish.

The two teams match back up at 6:10 in Miami tonight.

Nice debut

Brooks Conrad who was just called up to replace the injured Kelly Johnson wasted no time in making an impact for the Bravos.  In the seventh inning of a 5-5 game between the Nats and Braves, Conrad hit a three run home run to give the Braves the lead in a game they would eventually win 8-5 over the last place Nats.  Neither starting pitcher in this game could last a full five innings, and it was up to which relief pitchers could get the job done to win it.  The Braves had the better relief pitching, but by a slim margin as Rafael Soriano gave up two runs in his save chance in the ninth to record his ninth save by one run.  Boone Logan(1-0) worked a perfect 1.2 innings to earn the win for the hot Braves, winners of 5 in a row now, and they stayed two games behind the Phillies and moved into a third place tie with the Mets.  Jesus Colome(1-1) gave up the three run home run and took the loss for the Nationals who have now lost four games in a row.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

The Nationals continuously fought back in this game, including Christian Guzman getting two hits in four at bats and driving in three runs.  Adam Dunn hit his 21st home run as well to lead the team.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more Nats news.

The two teams continue their series at 1:05PM on Saturday afternoon.

this is celebrating?

The Mets have signed international free Agent Juan Urbina for a bit over 1M according to MLBTR.  Check MLBTR or our own Real Dirty Mets Blog for more. Juan is son of former Major Leaguer Ugueth Urbina, shown above celebrating a “win”

Jurrjens loses no-no in the 7th

Wednesday night was another tough one for the Phillies, but it was almost a whole lot worse for them as Jair Jurrjens(6-6) of the Braves went seven innings while only giving up a single hit, in his last inning of work.  He had the no hitter going into the seventh despite giving up an unearned run in the fourth inning on the way to one of his best pitched games in his short career.  The Braves supported him with plenty of offense starting in the fourth inning with Tuesday night’s hero Martin Prado getting two RBI and scoring a run in the third inning, and adding another two runs scored later in the game.  The Braves racked up seven runs on nine hits against Philly ace Cole Hamels(4-5) and got fourteen hits and eleven runs overall in winning the game 11-1.  Additional Braves information can be found at The Braves Baseball Blog.

There wasn’t much going for the Phillies on this night both on the offensive and defensive side of the game.  Cole Hamels couldn’t get through the fifth inning and the only reliever to pitch a perfect inning was Sergio Escalona in the seventh.  Greg Dobbs hit a sacrifice fly to get the only run in and struggling Shortstop Jimmy Rollins went 0-3 again and is now only batting .205 for the season.  To get more news and info on the Phillies, be sure to check out our new Phillies Phandom Blog here at NLEC.

The two teams meet again tonight at 7PM with the Phillies sending J.A. Happ to the hill against Javier Vazquez as the Phillies try to avoid a sweep and keep their divisional lead over the Marlins.

Marlins sweep the Nats

On a day when Marlins ace Josh Johnson didn’t have his best stuff, the Marlins offense was able to pick him up.  Josh Johnson was only able to last one out into the fourth inning, giving up five hits and four walks but surprisingly only one earned run.  The Marlins offense got him off the hook, but relief pitching almost gave the game right back to the Nationals when Renyel Pinto blew a save in the seventh inning.  Late in the game though, the Marlins offense was able to come through against the Nationals reliever Julian Tavarez(3-6) who gave up two runs without recording an out in the eighth inning taking the loss.  Dan Meyer(2-0) worked the final two outs of the eighth for the Marlins and Leo Nunez worked a perfect ninth to get his fourth save of the season.  Hanley Ramirez was able to record his 10th straight game with an RBI when he doubled in Chris Coghlan and Emilio Bonifacio home in the third inning of this game.

One of the bright spots for the Nationals in this game was that young pitcher Jordan Zimmermann pitched another quality game, going six innings giving up only six hits and two earned runs while striking out six in the no decision.  He also drove in a run in the first inning with a single.  You can get more Nationals info over at CenterfieldGate.

Both teams have the day off on Thursday and check back tomorrow for their series preview of the weekend as the Marlins welcome in the Pirates and the Nationals return home for the Braves to come in.

Pelf balked, but it didn't cost him!

Mike Pelfrey(6-3) was exactly what the Mets needed yesterday, going 7.2 Innings of shutout ball against the power hitting Milwaukee Brewers yesterday.  A day after the Mets had a closed door 25 minute meeting and all were required to get on the bus to the park, it was must win game for them.  The final score of the game was 1-0 on a Ryan Church single, scoring Luis Castillo from second base in the top of the sixth inning.  Francisco Rodriguez came in and got the save in the ninth for the Mets while only allowing one hit for his 21st save of the season.  Pelfrey even balked during the game, but thanks for a base running error by Prince Fielder, it did not cost him a run.  Get more Mets news and info at The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Yovani Gallardo pitched another gem against the Mets, but gave up the single run in seven innings.  He had twelve strikeouts during those innings only allowing five hits and two walks, but is now 0-1 against the Mets this year in two sterlings starts.

The Mets head to Pittsburgh for one game this afternoon as Tim Redding will hope to get the Mets on a streak before a matchup with their rival Phillies this weekend in Philadelphia.

If interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com

Aybar fills in nicely

Willy Aybar got the start in place of Evan Longoria who sat with an injury and was a pleasant surprise for the Rays.    Aybar hit a solo home run and drove in two others in the 6th on route to a 10-4 Tampa Bay win.  The Phillies lost their fourth straight series, and now are 2-10 in their last 12 games and only lead the NL East by a half a game over the New York Mets.  Andy Sonnanstine(6-7) worked 5.1 IP while giving up four runs for the win and Antonio Bastardo(2-3) couldn’t get through the fourth on route to the loss giving up six earned runs.  The Phillies will travel to Toronto this weekend and once again, hope to rebound.

He may not be hitting, but he can play D

The Mets and their “B” team managed to win three out of four from the first place St. Louis Cardinals this week.  In a week when yet another All-Star player went on the disabled list for the Mets, they won the finale of the series.  Johan Santana(9-5) pitched seven Innings while giving up only two runs, one earned and outdueling Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter.  Carpenter(5-2) lost despite also pitching 7 Innings but had one bad inning and that was all the runs the Mets needed.  Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth while walking two to get his 20th save of the year.  The Mets will now play the first ever Subway Series at Yankee stadium this weekend.  For more Mets info, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Hanley hits another Granny

Hanley Ramirez and the Orioles barely had any trouble this week against the formerly hot Baltimore Orioles.  Ramirez hit his second grand slam of the series amongst three total hits and five RBI as the Marlins won 11-3.  Sean West(3-2) breezed through six shutout innings and Rich Hill(3-2) didn’t get out of the fifth inning in taking the loss.  Hill gave up 6 runs on 8 hits and two home runs.  The Marlins will travel up to Tampa this weekend to play the Tampa Bay Rays.

Lowe with a terrible outting

The Yankees took two out of three this week from the Braves, but not in easy fashion.  The Yankees scored in every inning except the fifth and sixth on our route to an 11-7 victory over the Braves in the rubber game.  Johnny Damon and Alex Rodriguez had four RBI a piece in the game that featured eleven total pitchers and neither starter going four innings.  Alfredo Aceves(5-1) pitched 2.1 innings while giving up one hit and a walk in relief of Andy Pettitte for the win as Derek Lowe(7-6) worked into the fourth inning but gave up eight total runs, six earned on eleven hits and three walks for the loss.   The Braves will welcome in the Red Sox this weekend to Atlanta to complete interleague play.  For additional Braves news, be sure to stop by The Braves Baseball Blog.

Smoltz has a subpar debut

Former long time Brave had a disappointing debut in a Boston uniform last night in Washington.  Smoltz(0-1) took the loss while going five innings and giving up seven hits, one walk and five earned runs.  The Nationals scored four in the first inning off Smoltz who was starting for the first time in 2009 while winning the game 9-3.  Rookie Jordan Zimmermann(3-3) went seven innings of one run ball preserving the last game of the series for the Nats.  The Nationals will travel to Baltimore this weekend to finish their Interleague schedule.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more Nats info.

Check back later today for our NL East Series preview for the weekend.

Still an odd sight for Phils fans

The Phillies were unsuccessful in their bid to win consecutive games since playing the Mets 2 weeks ago, as they fell to the Rays 7-1 in Tampa.  Former long time Philly Pat “The Bat” Burrell hit a two-run homer in the 2nd that proved to be all the offense Tampa would need and got another RBI in the 8th on a ground out on route to Tampa’s 7-1 win.  Joe Blanton(4-4) took the loss going 7 strong innings while giving up  only two runs and left with the Phillies having a chance to get him off the hook.  J.C. Romero and Chan Ho Park dashed those dreams in the 8th inning as they allowed 5 runs between them in the inning.  Matt Garza(5-5) pitched 8 innings while giving up just a solo home run to Jayson Werth in the 7th  to even his record for the season.   The series finale is tonight when Antonio Bastardo gets the start against Andy Sonnanstine at 7:08PM.

Nieve goes to 3-0

The New York Mets barely recognizeable lineup managed to score a season high in runs against the NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals last night, winning 11-0.  David Wright contributed four hits while scoring 3 runs, and newly recalled Nick Evans got 2 hits and a 2 run home run in his 1st start of the season for the Mets.  Fernando Nieve(3-0) remained undefeated on the season picking up the win going six strong innings and three other Mets pitchers finished off the 4 hit shutout for the Mets.  Converted reliever Brad Thompson went five innings giving up five runs and eight hits to take the loss in the game.  The Mets and Cardinals finish off the four game series this afternoon at 1:10PM with a great matchup of Chris Carpenter taking on Johan Santana.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets info.

Hanley Ramirez with a 2 run single

The Florida Marlins kept up their late resurgence taking their fourth straight and second straight against the Baltimore Orioles in Miami.  Hanley Ramirez was once again a main contributer with a single in the 1st to score 2, and Dan Uggla also contributed two hits and two runs.  Ricky Nolasco(4-6) continues to get back into form after a trip to the minors working 7 innings for the win.  Jason Berken(1-4) took the loss for the Orioles, while Dan Meyer picked up his 1st save while filling in for the Marlins injured closer Matt Lindstrom.  The Marlins send Sean West to the hill against Rich Hill tonight in Miami before they travel north to Tampa this weekend.

You may not see this ever again

The Yankees were finally able to get a win, while jump starting their offense on Wednesday night in Atlanta.  Unlikely hero Francisco Cervelli got a rally started in the 6th inning to give the Yankees the lead, and they never looked back.  Joba Chamberlain(4-2) got his control back for this game, walking zero over 6.1 Innings pitched and giving up three runs, two earned on his way to the victory.  Mariano Rivera worked 1.1 Innings for his 16th save while striking out every batter he faced and even earning a rare at bat(pictured above) where he lined up.  Kenshin Kawakami left the game in the third inning after being hit in the neck with a line drive, the injury is said to not be serious.  Kris Medlen(2-3) took the loss in 2.2 Innings pitched for the Braves.  The series finale will feature Andy Pettitte on the mound for the Yanks and Derek Lowe for the Braves tonight in Atlanta.  More Braves information, always over at The Braves Baseball Blog.

Is this Fenway South - NL?

The Red Sox won their fourth straight last night, while “visiting” Nationals park in Washington D.C. and playing the Nats.  A crowd of 41,530 saw the Red Sox take their second straight in the nations capital, with help from Ortiz and Varitek’s home runs in a 6-4 victory.  Jon Lester went six innings giving up 3 runs and striking out six in getting the victory for the Red Sox and Jonathan Papelbon worked the ninth for his 17th save of the season. Craig Stammen(1-3) couldn’t bring the same magic he had last week at The New Yankee Stadium and worked 5.1 innings and got the loss in this game.  The series finale features Nats rookie Jordan Zimmermann facing off against former long time Brave John Smoltz.  This will be Smoltz’ first start since last season and first pitch is at 7:05PM.  For more Nats info, check out CenterfieldGate.

The New York Mets have sent Carlos Beltran to the 15 day DL this afternoon amongst a flurry of other moves. Check out the complete list over at The Real Dirty Mets Blog

Howard Hits a 3 run home run

6-20-09:In the 7th inning on Saturday night, Ryan Howard hit a pinch hit three run home run off Oriole reliever Danys Baez after being hospitalized with flu symptoms.  It looked like Philly may have finally found the magic they had in 2008, but this was before the 9th inning.  Still filling in as the closer for Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson(2-3) blew yet another save while giving up a solo home run to Greg Zaun and a 2 run shot to Brian Roberts which proved to be the game winner.  Mark Hendrickson(2-4) pitched the final 2 outs of the 8th and got the win while George Sherill pitched a perfect 9th for his 14th save.

Brian Roberts hurts the Phils again

6-21-09: Sunday did not bring much relief for the Phillies and their home woes.  Cole Hamels(4-3) was the victim of a lack of offense as he went 8 strong innings, giving up only 2 runs on 9 hits including 10 strike outs.  Jeremy Guthrie(5-7) was just a bit better, going 7 strong innings only giving up 3 hits, one being a solo home run and the only run he surrendered for the win.  The phaithful have resorted to booing 2007 MVP Jimmy Rollins.  The Phillies have now lost 8 of their last 9 and will be happy to travel to Tampa Bay for a World Series rematch this week.

Mets fans have that same look

6-20-09: Johan Santana(8-5) pitched 7.1 innings on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Citi Field, giving up only 2 runs.  The problem was that James Shields(6-5) went 7 innings while only giving up one run, including setting down his final 14 who faced him on route to the win.  The Mets can be happy that Santana had a nice bounce back start, but it is bittersweet since they still lost the game 3-1.  J.P. Howell got his 4th save in the 9th inning of the game.

Schneider with another 3 run HR

6-21-09: On Sunday, The Mets offense came to play, the problem was that the pitching decided to stay home.  Seven Mets pitchers stumbled through the game, giving up leads two separate times en route to a 10-6 loss.  The loss gets pinned on Bobby Parnell(2-3) who looks to be worn out lately after a blazing start to the season.  The Rays relief pitching wasn’t up to par either, but the hitting bailed them out.  Joe Nelson(2-0) got the win while giving up an earned run on a 3 run home run to Schneider in the 6th with two men on.  The Mets will now welcome in the NL Central Division leading Cardinals for a four game set.  For all Mets info, visit The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Josh Johnson stifles another NY team

6-20-09: The Marlins rebounded from a loss to the empire on Friday night with a lights out performance from Josh Johnson.  Johnson(7-1) went 7 innings giving up just 3 hits in earning another victory against a team hailing from New York.  A.J. Burnett(5-4) was hurt by bad play in the field by Johnny Damon and was collared with a tough loss.  Matt Lindstrom worked the 9th inning on only 6 pitches for his 13th save of the season.

Girardi argues a double switch

6-21-09: Sunday brought another 35,827 (Yankee) fans to Land Shark Stadium in Florida, hoping to see their former home town Yankees win with the ace on the mound.  They saw nothing like that, including Sabathia leaving after only 1.1 IP and giving up 1 earned run with tightness in his left biceps.  The bullpen managed to piece it together pretty well for the rest of the game, except for Brett Tomko(0-2) who gave up 3 runs in two innings to take the loss.  The Marlins and starter Chris Volstad(5-7) who got the win, took advantage of a rough day for Yankee pitching and took 2 out of 3 this weekend.  Matt Lindstrom got his 14th save of the season, but he left the tying and go ahead runs on base when Derek Jeter made the final out.  The Yankees are protesting the game though because of a lineup mixup in the 8th inning, so we will keep an eye on that, odds are nothing changes.  The Marlins will welcome in the suddenly hot Orioles to Miami this weekend, after the O’s have won 5 in a row against the Mets and Phillies.

Lowe gets a nice ovation, and a loss

6-20-09: Fresh off a great start by Kawakami on Friday night, the Braves hoped to have another top notch performance by their ace, Derek Lowe.  Unfortunately, they saw another masterful performance by a former NL East foe, Josh Beckett.  Josh Beckett(8-3) continued his resurgence this season with a complete game 5-hit shutout of the Braves on Saturday night while striking out 7 and giving up 11 hits.  Derek Lowe pitched into the seventh inning while being charged with all 3 runs but received a great ovation by the Boston faithful when he left the mound.

Bobby Cox gets tossed...again

6-21-09: Sunday brought a common site to Brave fans, as Bobby Cox was tossed yet again.  The Boston Red Sox won in walk off fashion on a Nick Green hit an unexpected home run in the bottom of the 9th.  Jonathan Papelbon(1-1) got the win in teh back and forth game, as Braves reliever Jeff Bennett(2-4) gave up the homerun to Green for the loss.  The tough loss gave the Red Sox the series victory and the Braves missed another chance to gain ground on both the Mets and the Phillies in the NL East.  The Braves return home to face the Yankees on Tuesday night, and visit The Braves Baseball Blog for more Braves news and info

Alberto Gonzalez reacts to another walk off

6-20-09: The Washington Nationals are getting used to this walk off thing and this winning thing!  The Nats won their second straight game in walk off fashion and the fourth overall.  In the bottom of the 12th inning, after failing to move Alberto Gonzalez over on a sacrifice bunt, Willie Harris decided to end the game himself.  Harris hit his 2nd home run of the year, and sent Scott Richmond(5-4) to the loss in the 12th inning.  Julian Tavarez (3-4) got the win after pitching 1.2 innings of scoreless relief for the Nationals.

Acta is still the manager!

6-21-09: Over a week after reports surfaced that his job was in jeopardy, Manny Acta was managing and going for a series sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays at home.  He should just be glad he still has a job, as the Blue Jays were able to manage a win and avoid the sweep of the last place Nationals.   Behind 9 runs and 5 RBI from Lyle Overbay, Ricky Romero(4-3) got the win on 7 strong innings of 2 run ball.  Nationals rookie Sharon Martis(5-2) took only his second loss of the year, despite an ERA over 5.  The Nats welcome in another big task as the Boston Red Sox come to town this Tuesday night.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more information on the Nats.

For more information on the National League East this week, stop back for the NL East Series preview later today.

Werth Strikes out with bases jammed

The Phillies lost their 2nd straight game and fourth in their last five, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays and Scott Richmond.  Richmond(5-3) went 8 strong innings giving up only 1 run and fanning 11 batters while Jamie Moyer(4-6) was tagged for the loss in 6 innings while giving up 6 earned runs.  Former Philly Scott Rolen hit his 4th home run along with Rod Barajas and Aaron Hill.  Philadelphia will look to salvage one game as the two teams finish their series this afternoon at 1:05PM with Casey Janssen for the Jays facing off against Joe Blanton for the Phils.

Feliciano has a rare bad outting

The Orioles evened up their series versus the Mets last night behind the bat of Aubrey Huff.  Huff connected on a deep drive to righ field, giving the usual reliable Pedro Feliciano(2-2) the loss.  Jim Johnson(3-3) picked up the win in relief for the Birds going 2 innings while giving up 1 hit and George Sherill picked up his 13th save of the season.  The series finale is tonight at 7:05pm with Livan Hernandez facing off against rookie Jason Berken of the Orioles.  For additional Mets news, go to The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Miller longs for early April 2009

The Marlins were knocked around for the second straight game in Boston as the Red Sox remain hot.  The Marlins starting pitching once again wasn’t as good as it needed to be and gave the Red Sox all the runs they needed for this win and the offense was non existent.  Andrew Miller(2-3) went just over 5 innings giving up 4 earned runs while Brad Penny(6-2) went the minimum 5 innings for the win while giving up just one run.  The Marlins will try to take one game from the Sox who have won 7 of their last 8 and send Ricky Nolasco to the hill against Boston lefty Jon Lester tonight at 7:10pm.

Owings already has 2 hr

In the Great American Bandbox, err Ballpark, the Braves lost their second straight game and 4th in the last 5 to the Cincinnati Reds.  Micah Owings(4-7) got the win and helped with his arm and his bat supplying 3 of the Reds total 4 runs on a 3 run homer in the fifth off losing pitcher Javier Vazquez(4-6).  Francisco Cordero pitched a scoreless ninth inning collecting his 16th save of the season.  They play a Thursday matinee beginning at 12:35PM this afternoon with rookie Tommy Hanson going for the Braves against Matt Maloney of the Reds.  For additional Braves information, check out The Braves Baseball Blog.

Did this home run land yet?

In a game that likely surprised most baseball fans, the Nats took a game from the Yankees behind a great performance by New York native John Lannan.  John Lannan(4-5) went 8.1 innings giving up 2 earned runs out performing disappointing Yankee pitcher Chien-Ming Wang(0-5) who took yet another loss.  Mike MacDougal got the final 2 stressful outs in the 9th to earn the save on a Robinson Cano double play ball.  Adam Dunn hit a home run to right field in the 4th inning that likely hasn’t landed yet and has nothing to do with the wind at Yankee Stadium.  The series finishes tonight at 1:05PM with Craig Stammen for the Nationals going against Joba Chamberlain for the Yankees.  For more Nationals news and insight, please visit The CenterFieldGate.