Pedro celebrates the Phillies divisional win

The Phillies rode a four run fourth inning against the Astros to take this game and the division, 10-3.  Raul Ibanez contributed a two run home run and a total of three RBI and two runs scored as the Phillies had a laugher.  Pedro Martinez only went four innings but Kyle Kendrick(3-1) worked three scoreless innings allowing just two hits for the victory.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more on the victory and congrats to them and their team on the third straight division victory.

Brian Moehler(8-12) was pretty terrible in this game, only lasting 4.1 innings but allowing six hits and seven runs including three walks in the loss.  Josh Towles had a great game, hitting two solo home runs to provide two of the three runs they received.  The series between the two teams ends today.

Chipper watches the playoffs fly away

The Florida Marlins are playing spoiler once again, as they seem to do every year, with their second consecutive win against the Braves, 5-4.  Ross Gload had a two run home run and Jorge Cantu went 3-5 with two runs scored and an RBI to lead the Marlins in this one.  Ricky Nolasco(13-9) went 7.2 innings allowing just four hits and two runs and striking out SIXTEEN batters in this one, what a gem.  Brenden Donnelly came on for the final out to get the save(2) in this one as Leo Nunez was struggling, but still got his 14th save of the season, check out FishGuts for more.

Javier Vazquez had a rare loss in a big game for the Braves.  Vazquez(15-10) went six innings and allowed eight hits and five runs (only three earned) but also struck out nine.  The Braves made a comeback bid in this one as they were down 5-0 entering the seventh.  Adam LaRoche had a two RBI single, followed by Yunel Escobar and Omar Infante RBI singles in the ninth before the Marlins put the game away, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Maxwell with a walkoff granny

Ah, the sought after matchup of the basement teams was won in a sweep by the Nats, with a 7-4 walk off win on Wednesday night.  Justin Maxwell came to the plate and hit a grand slam sending the Nats to a 7-4 win when they entered the inning down 4-2.  Adam Dunn had walked just before him to get them within one run and he took a KRod pitch out of the stadium.  Ron Villone(5-6) got the win with 0.2 innings pitched and you can get more at Centerfield Gate.

Francisco Rodriguez had one of the worst games a closer can take, thank god it meant nothing.  Rodriguez(3-6) blew his seventh save of the year and got two outs in the ninth while allowing three hits, five runs and two walks on 37 pitches.  Omir Santos had two RBI in this game to lead the Mets along with Carlos Beltran and Fernando Tatis, but all for naught.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Rollins with the big blast

Jimmy Rollins had one of many hits in the fifth inning in Milwaukee last night, a three run home run on way to a 9-4 route of the Brewers.  Rookie J.A. Happ(11-4) notched his 11th win and went 5.2 innings allowing only two runs on six hits to tie for the National League win victory for rookies.  Pedro Feliz and Shane Victorino also had three hits a piece for the Phillies who got back on track after another tough loss, check out Phillies Phandom for more.

Jeff Suppan is just terrible when he faces the Phillies, first it was in the NLDS last year, now this.  Suppan(7-11) only went 4.1 innings but allowed twelve hits and eight runs (seven earned) and raised his ERA for the year over 5 to 5.04.  Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard continue to slug it out for the NL RBI lead as they both finished this game at 132 for the year.

Furcal hits the go ahead homer

Going to the eighth inning, it looked like the Dodgers may have another let down against the National League’s worst team, until Furcal took the game into his hands.  Rafael Furcal hit a solo home run in the eighth inning and gave the Dodgers a 7-6 lead which would be the eventual final score.  Ramon Tronsoco(5-4) got the win in relief as he worked 1.1 innings of scoreless relief prior to the eighth inning and Jonathan Broxton got his 36th save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.

Nats starter J.D. Martin had a rough outting but was let off the hook late in the game.  Martin went only three innings and allowed five runs on six hits, but his offense got him a no decision.  Willie Harris drove in two runs in the game including what tied the game in the sixth.  Ron Villone(4-6) took the loss though as he gave up the homerun to Furcal in the eighth inning, Centerfield Gate has more on this loss, it is number 100 on the year.

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.

Maybe its the socks?

Tuesday night in Philly, the Rockies were looking for their fifth straight victory and send a message that they were for real.  They started the series well, as Garrett Atkins had a huge game including four RBI on a two run double and a two run home run.  Catcher, Chris Iannetta also added in two RBI as the Rockies went on to beat the Phillies 8-3.  Starter Jason Hammel(6-6) went 6.2 innings only allowing three runs, but scattering nine hits and six strike outs.

The Phillies have now lost five out of six games and three games straight since Cliff Lee’s masterful game on Friday night.  Tuesday’s starter Jamie Moyer had another bad start, and with Pedro Martinez on the horizon, when will the rumors of his demise begin?  Moyer(10-8) went five innings but was charged with six runs on six hits and four walks.  Former starter Rodrigo Lopez came on in relief and gave up two more runs in only two innings of work.  Jimmy Rollins was a bright spot for the Phillies as he went 2-5 with a two run home run, his twelth of the season.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more on this game and the Phillies.

Dunn with another blast

Tuesday night began an inter-division series between the Marlins and the Nationals (look for the Chatter Up! later today).  The Nationals drew first blood in this one even after being held scoreless for the first seven innings.  Going into the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game, the Nats were down 4-0, and thing didn’t look well as Josh Johnson was dealing.  That is when the bats got going though.  In the eighth inning, the Nationals had six runs including a two RBI double by Ronnie Belliard and a RBI single by Guzman.  The inning and game scoring was capped by Adam Dunn hitting a two run home run that put the Nats ahead 6-4 for good.  Nationals starter J.D. Martin only got through 4.1 innings before being pulled, but the relief was solid behind him.  Ron Villone(4-5) got the win in relief working 1.1 scoreless innings and Mike MacDougal got his ninth save of the season while getting through a shaky ninth inning.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more information regarding the Nats.

The Marlins were cruising in this one with Josh Johnson, and will be second guessing themselves for leaving him on the mound for a while.  Johnson got a no decision but was charged with four runs and six hits, all runs from the eighth inning he worked in but could not record an out.  Kiko Calero(2-1) was charged with the loss and a blown save in this game as he only got one out in the eighth.  Former National got the Marlins started in this game with an RBI in the first and scored another run on Jeremy Hermida’s seventh inning single.  Cody Ross who is on fire hit a home run in the fourth and was followed by another home run by PITCHER Josh Johnson.  FishGuts will have more on the Marlins and this game.

Vazquez comes through

The Braves were in need of a win on Tuesday night, as they had been free falling of late.  They sent Javier Vazquez to the mound against the last place San Diego Padres, and got what they wanted.  The Braves were down early, but Vazquez(9-7) got through seven innings only allowing four hits and two runs, while striking out six while throwing only 98 pitches.  The Braves scored in six different innings, putting up crooked numbers in the sixth and eighth to put the game away as the Braves won 9-2.  Adam LaRoche had another RBI since rejoining the Braves, and they got home runs from Martin Prado and Matt Diaz on way to a 9-2 victory.  Prado added another two RBI single in the game while staying on fire for a final line of 3-5 with 3 RBI and two runs scored.  The Braves Baseball Blog has more Braves information for you!

The Padres bats went back to sleep on Tuesday night adn they couldn’t help out starter Tim Stauffer.  Stauffer(1-3) got through five innigns scattering eight hits and three runs and got the loss even though he left with a close game.  Edward Mujica gave up four earned runs in in only one third of an inning.  Will Venable hit his fifth home run in the first inning and scored the only other Padres run on a Chase Headley double in the fourth.

What next?

The New York Mets can’t get out of their own way.  On Friday, they lost a game on a wild pitch and last night the deciding run was scored on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded by the same Pitcher, Sean Green.  In this back and forth game, the Cardinals took a 4-3 lead in the fifth, only to give up four in the bottom of the frame.   The Cardinals then got closer in the eighth on a solo home run by Pujols and tied it in the ninth.  Against Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez, the Cardinals got two runs on two doubles by Ankiel and Julio Lugo and a single by Skip Schumaker.  In the tenth inning, after Mark DeRosa was hit to give them the lead, Albert Pujols put it away with a grand slam to left center field.  Kyle McClellan(3-2) got the win while going through the ninth inning giving up only a hit and a walk before the winning inning.

The Mets had a lot of positives early in this game and it would have been a great win, rather than a demoralizing loss.  Johan Santana helped his own cause with a two run double in the second inning and was picked up later.  While down 5-4, the Mets got a two RBI double from Gary Sheffield followed by a Daniel Murphy double and a Cora single to take a 7-4 lead.  They would not get any other runs in the game.  Santana finished with a no decision while getting through eight innings and giving up five runs on nine hits.  Francisco Rodriguez got tagged with his fourth blown save of the season and Pedro Feliciano(4-4) got charged with three runs as he loaded the bases prior to Sean Green’s appearance.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has all the Mets info you need.

Ham Ram gets NL Player of the week

Fresh off the announcement that he was the National League Co-Player of the week , Hanley Ramirez went 3 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI bringing his average to .339 on the season while the Marlins defeated the Nationals 4-2.  This game was tied until the bottom of the eighth inning as there was a great pitched game by former Marlins Scott Olsen and Ricky Nolasco who appears to be turning his season around.  Nolasco(5-6) went eight innings of four hit ball while giving up only two runs and striking out eight.  Since being sent down to the minor league squad in late May with a 9.07 ERA in nine starts, Nolasco has a 1.80 ERA in five starts and is 4-1 in those games.  After Olsen pitched seven strong innings for the Nationals in his first start back from the disabled list, Ron Villone(3-5) went two thirds of an inning giving up what would eventually be the winning run to the Marlins.  Leo Nunez got the final out to record his third save of the season for the Marlins.  The Marlins moved into second place in the National League East with the victory and the series continues tonight.  For more Nationals news visit Centerfieldgate.

What could he be thinking?

The New York Mets continued their downward spiral on Monday night as they lost their fourth straight game, falling three full games behind the Phillies and even falling behind the Florida Marlins in the National League East.  Formerly undefeated Fernando Nieve(3-1) only lasted into the fourth inning this time, giving up eleven total hits and three earned runs and one home run.  The game was kept close until the Brewers broke it open in the final three innings getting seven runs off the final three Mets relievers, and those turned out to be important.  In the sixth inning, Brewers third basemen Casey McGehee made up for a Luis Castillo like error by hitting a grand slam, putting the Brew Crew up seven to three at that time.  Braden Looper(6-4) worked 6.1 innings against his former club only giving up one earned run and three in total and even contributed an RBI single.  Trevor Hoffman was summoned unexpectedly in the ninth inning to pick up his 18th save after Carlos Villanueva could only record one out while giving up five hits and three runs and making the game much closer than it actually was.  The two teams continue the series tonight at 8pm in Milwaukee and the Mets hope that ace Johan Santana can break their losing streak.  For additional Mets news, go to The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Ryan Madson walks in the tying run

In Philadelphia, Ryan Madson walked in the tying run in the top of the 9th for his 1st blown save since taking over for the injured Brad Lidge.  The Blue Jays went on to win the game with a 5 run 10th inning, with all runs and the loss being charged to reliever Clay Condrey(4-2).  Scott Downs pitched a perfect ninth for the Blue Jays to pick up the win(1-0).  The Phillies look to bounce back tonight with Jamie Moyer facing off against Scott Richmond.

Huff pulls a Castillo

At Camden Yards in Baltimore, the Mets got help from three Oriole errors on their way to a 6-4 victory.  The Castillo error fresh in their minds, Aubrey Huff botched a fly ball in the 7th inning off a David Wright blooper.  Two runs scored on the play and they proved to be the winning runs.  A dicey ninth inning started by Bobby Parnell and finished off by Francisco Rodriguez made the game closer than it should have been.  Mike Pelfrey(5-2) got his first win since early May, Rodriguez picked up his 17th save and Jeremy Guthrie(4-7) took the loss.  The two teams meet back up tonight at 7:10pm with Tim Redding facing off against the O’s Koji Uehara.  For additional Mets information and news go to The Real Dirty Mets Blog.

Ortiz heating up?

The Marlins started a three game set against the Red Sox at classic Fenway Park in Boston.    This game was all Red Sox from the beginning as they had all the runs they needed by the 4th inning.  David Ortiz hit his 5th home run of the year, and he may finally be breaking out of his season long slump.  Chris Volstad(4-7) took the loss for the Marlins with only 3.2 Innings pitched and 8 ER and Tim Wakefield(9-3) earned the win.  Tonight Andrew Miller takes on former Marlin Brad Penny at 7:10PM.

Herrera gets his 1st win

In Cincinnati, the teams waited through  an almost 2 hour rain delay to take the opening game of the set from the Braves.  Danny Herrera went three innings in rain delay relief of Aaron Harang, who only went 2 innings.  It was Herrera’s 1st major league victory and it was helped out by 3 RBI from Lance Nix of the Reds.  Herrera(1-2) got the win and Jair Jurrjens(5-5) took the loss in only 2 IP with 2 ER.  Tonight the Braves send Javier Vazquez to the hill against Micah Owings to try to get out of a small funk.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more Braves information.

A-Hern can even hit a HR at Yankee stadium

Finally, over at Yankee Stadium, Manny Acta(for now) and the Washington Nationals took on the New York Yankees.  Anderson Hernandez even took advantage of the winstream or whatever it is at Yankee Stadium causing balls to fly out and put the Nats in a temporary lead with a 3 run homer in the 5th.  This lead held up until the 7th when Ron Villone(3-4) of the Nats(16-46) bullpen coughed it up, sending them to their 46th loss of the year.  The Yankees(37-27) got almost 8 innings from their ace, C.C. Sabathia(6-4) for the win and Mariono Rivera got his 15th save of the year.  The David vs Goliath matchup continues tonight in the Bronx with John Lannon taking on Chien-Ming Wang.  For more Nationals news and information, go to CenterfieldGate.com

Mr. Met: "I'm a Man!"

The Mets (31-26) were defeated by the Phillies (34-23) in an extra innings battle by the score of 5-4. After a game saving catch by Jayson Werth in the bottom of the 10th, the Phillies Chase Utley hit the go ahead solo homerun off Bobby Parnell to lead off the 11th inning for his second homerun of the game and third of the series overall.  David Wright continued his hot hitting going 3 for 5 and  his agressiveness on the base paths stealing his 15th & 16th bases of the year. Phillies ace Cole Hamels was knocked around for 11 hits  on 4 runs in 5 innings, but the bullpen held the Mets to just 4 hits thereafter. Mike Pelfrey gave the Mets a “quality start” pitching 6+ innings only allowing 2 earned runs while also providing some offense with 2 hits and an Rbi on the night. The Mets and Phillies will play the rubber game of the series tonight at Citi Fieldd (7:10pm) where Mets RHP Tim Redding (0-2 6.97 ERA) will faceoff against Phillies LHP Jamie Moyer (4-5 6.27 ERA). For more info on the Mets go to http://www.nleastchatter.com/realdirtymets/

"I miss Shea!"

The Braves (29-29) lost the third game of their four game set versus the Pirates last night 3-2.  Jair Jurrjens (5-4)  pitched a “quality start”  despite picking up his fourth loss of the season going 6 innings while only alllowing 2 runs. Yunel Escobar continued his hot hitting going 2 for 4 raising his average to .302 on the season. The Braves will look to win the final game of the series this afternoon (1pm) where Braves RHP Javier Vasquez (4-5 3.43 ERA) will faceoff against Pirates LHP Paul Maholm (4-2 3.70 ERA). For more info on the Braves go to http://www.nleastchatter.com/BravesBaseballBlog/

Who ordered the fried fish?

The Marlins (29-32) suffered a blowout loss versus the Cardinals last night 13-4. Chris Volstad (4-6) took the loss  in a bad outing giving up 6 runs on 10hits over 5.2 innings. Jeremy Hermida continued to swing a hot bat going 3 for 5 , including his 8th homerun on the season. Marlins firstbasemen Jorge Cantu had to leave the game in the 7th inning due to dizziness and was not expected in the starting lineup for todays matinee game. The Marlins will look to win the rubber game of the series this afternoon (1pm) where Marlins LHP Andrew Miller (2-2 4.30ERA) will faceoff against Cardinals RHP Todd Wellemeyer (5-6 5.50 ERA).

It's not your fault young fella

The Nationals (15-42) suffered a tough loss by the score of 4-2 to the Reds  late last night after  a 9th inning rally to force the game into extra innings.  Nationals catcher Josh Bard (2 for 4) singled in the first run of the 9th, followed by a game tying single off the bat of pinch hitter Alberto Gonzalez. Ron Villone (3-1) took the loss on the night, walking the go ahead run which eventually scored off a double given up by Jason Bergmann. The Nationals will look to salvage the final game of the series this afternoon (4:35pm) where Nats LHP John Lannan (3-5 3.68 ERA) will faceoff against Reds RHP Micah Owings (3-7 4.90 ERA).