Mets vs. Nationals

The Mets beat the Nationals Saturday afternoon 7-2. Ruben Tejada scored on a sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. The next inning, Lucas Duda homered to make it 2-0. In the 6th, Michael Morse hit a solo shot for Washington, cutting the lead to 2-1. In the 7th, the Nationals tied it up on an infield single by Wilson Ramos. In the bottom of the 7th, David Wright hit a big three-run blast to center field to give the Mets a 5-2 lead. The following inning, Chris Carter hit a two-run shot.

Both starters got a no decision after today’s outting. Raul Valdes went 5.1 innings and gave up one run on three hits while striking out five. Yunesky Maya went 5 innings and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out four. Ryota Igarashi got the win for the Mets. Tyler Clippard took the loss.

Braves vs. Phillies

It was a tight game through 7 innings, but Philadelphia went on to beat the Braves 7-0. The Phillies scored four runs in the 7th. Three of those runs were on singles and one came on a wild pitch. Philadelphia went on to score one run in the 8th, and two more runs in the 9th. Atlanta hitters were held to just three hits all night. With the loss, Atlanta is not tied for the Wild Card.

Both starters got a no decision. Vance Worley went 5 innings for Philadelphia, and gave up just one hit while striking out three. Tommy Hanson went 5 innings for Atlanta and allowed six hits while striking out six. Antonio Bastardo got the win for the Phillies. Jonny Venters took the loss for Atlanta.

Marlins vs. Pirates

Florida took game two against the Pirates by a score of 2-0. Florida’s runs came in the bottom of the 4th inning when Mike Stanton started things with an RBI single. Chad Tracy would later hit a sacrifice fly in the inning to make it 2-0.

Jorge Sosa got the start for Florida in place of Alexa Sanabia who sat out with a stiff elbow. Sosa got a no decision after going 4 innings and giving up five hits while striking out one. Reliever Brian Sanches got the win for Florida. Charlie Morton took the loss for Pittsburgh. Morton went 6 innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out nine. Clay Hensley recorded his 6th save for the Marlins.

Braves vs. Phillies

The Phillies won in a score of 1-0 in a pitchers duel.  The only score came in the 8th when Raul Ibanez doubled scoring Jayson Werth.

Tommy Hanson pitched 6 innings giving up 2 hits, no runs, and 4 strikeouts.  Roy Oswalt pitched 7 innings giving up 1 hit, no runs, and 8 strikeouts.  The win went to Ryan Madson who pitched a perfect 8th.  Brad Lidge also earned his 26th save of the season.

Nationals vs. Astros

The Nationals beat the Astros in a score of 3-4. The Nationals scored in the 3rd when Ian Desmond singled home Danny Espinosa.  In the 4th Jason Michaels singled scoring Chris Johnson.  In the bottom of the inning Michael Morse hit a solo shot for the Nats.  In the 7th Angel Sanchez singled scoring Jason Michaels and Anderson Hernandez.  In the bottom of the inning Danny Espinosa homered scoring Justin Maxwell.

Wandy Rodriguez pitched 6.1 innings giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, and 6 strikeouts.  Jason Marquis pitched 6 innings giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, and 2 strikeouts.  The win went to Tyler Clippard who pitched 1 inning giving up 1 hit, no runs, and 2 strikeouts.  Sean Burnett got his 3rd  save after pitching to just 2 batters and giving up 1 hit.

Mets vs. Marlins

The Marlins beat the Mets in a score of 7-5. The Marlins scored 5 runs in the 1st when Dan Uggla singled scoring Cameron Maybin, Mike Stanton walked with the bases loaded scoring Logan Morrison, Wes Helms doubled scoring Dan Uggla and Gaby Sanchez, and Brad Davis grounded out scoring Mike Stanton.  The Mets scored in the 3rd when Jose Reyes singled home Ruben Tejada and in the 4th when Carlos Beltran hit a solo shot and Lucas Duda hit a sac fly to score David Wright.  In the 5th Wes Helms hit a sac fly to score Logan Morrison.  In the 8th Josh Thole walked with the bases loaded scoring Carlos Beltran and Chris Carter grounded out scoring Ike Davis.  In the 8th Dan Uggla singled scoring Osvaldo Martínez.

Alex Sanabia got the win and pitched 5 innings giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, and 2 strikeouts.  Jon Niese got the loss and pitched 5.2 innings giving up 5 hits, 6 runs, and 7 strikeouts.  Clay Hensley earned his 5th save of the season pitching the 9th and giving up 1 hit.

Nationals vs. Braves

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

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

Marlins vs. Phillies

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

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

Mets vs. Pirates

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

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

Marlins vs. 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.

Mets vs. Rockies

The Mets beat the Rockies in a score of 4-0.  In the 1st Angel Pagan singled home Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran hit a sac fly to score Angel Pagan.  In the 7th the Mets added 2 more runs when Jose Reyes singled home Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez hit a sac fly to score Johan Santana.

Johan Santana got the win after pitching a complete game shut out giving up just 4 hits with 10 strikeouts.  Jason Hammel got the loss after pitching 7 innings giving up 8 hits, 4 runs, and 4 strikeouts.

Phillies vs. Dodgers

The Phillies beat the Dodgers in a score of 10-9. The Dodgers scored 3 runs in the 1st when Ronnie Belliard singled home Scott Podsednik, Matt Kemp singled home James Loney, and Jamey Carroll singled home Ronnie Belliard.  In the 2nd The Phillies scored a run when Joe Blanton grounded out scoring Carlos Ruiz.  The Phillies added another run in the 4th when Carlos Ruiz singled home Jason Werth.  The Dodgers added a run in the 5th when Ronnie Belliard hit a sac fly to score Ryan Theriot.  They added 2 more in the 7th when Matt Kemp homered scoring James Loney.  In the 8th the Dodgers added 3 runs when Casey Blake singled home Scott Podsednik, Matt Kemp singled home Andre Either, and Jamey Carroll singled home Casey Blake.  The Phillies added 4 runs in the 8th when Jason Werth singled home Placido Polanco,  Ben Francisco doubled scoring Jason Werth, and Wilson Valdez singled home Ben Francisco.  In the 9th Placido Polanco and Mike Sweeney scored due to a fielding error and Carlos Ruiz doubled home Jason Werth and Ben Francisco to score the winning runs.

Clayton Kershaw pitched 6.2 innings giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, and 4 strikeouts.  Joe Blanton pitched 5.2 innings giving up 8 hits, 4 runs, and 3 strikeouts.  Danny Baez got the win after pitching 1 inning giving up just 1 hit.  The loss went to Jonathan Broxton who didn’t record an out giving up 1 hit and 4 runs.

Marlins vs. Nationals

The Marlins beat the Nationals in a score of 5-0. The Marlins scored 2 runs in the 2nd when Mike Stanton homered scoring Dan Uggla.  In the the 3rd they added another run when Cody Ross singled home Logan Morrison.   In the 8th the Marlins scored a run when Dan Uggla scored due to a wild pitch.  In the 9th Dan Uggla singled home Hanley Ramirez.

Ricky Nolasco got the win and pitched 6 innings giving up 6 hits, no runs, and 8 strikeouts.  The loss went to Livan Hernandez who pitched 6.1 innings giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, and 3 strikeouts.

The Braves had an off day.

Braves vs. Marlins

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

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

Mets vs. Nationals

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

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

Phillies vs. Pirates

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

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

Phillies vs. Twins

The Phillies beat the Twins by a score of 9-5. The Phillies scored early and often, getting three runs in the 1st and five runs in the 2nd. Philadelphia had back-to-back home runs by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the 2nd to make it 8-0. Howard had two home runs on the night along with a triple. The Twins got on the board in the 6th with an RBI single by Michael Cuddyer, and again in the 7th on a Nick Pinto home run. The Twins fought back to score two more in the 9th on a wild pitch and an RBI ground out by Orlando Hudson.

Joe Blanton got the win for the Phillies, going 6 innings and giving up three runs on seven hits. Nick Blackburn took the loss, lasting only 1.2 innings, allowing eight runs on six hits.

For more go to Phillies Phandom.

Nationals vs. White Sox

The Nationals lost to the White Sox in extra innings 2-1. The White Sox jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the 1st inning, but then the game was all pitching. Washington tied it up in the 7th with an RBI double by Adam Dunn. The game remained tied until the 11th when a single by Alex Rios scored Mark  Kotsay for the go ahead run.

Stephen Strasburg, who had a no decision, pitched 7 innings allowing one run on four hits and struck out ten. Drew Storen took the loss for the Nationals. Gavin Floyd also had a no decision, going 8 innings and giving up one run on four hits. J.J. Putz got the win. Bobby Jenks recorded his 14th save for Chicago.

Check out Centerfield Gate for more info.

Marlins vs. Rays

The Marlins snapped a three-game losing streak, beating the Rays 7-4. The Rays jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the 1st on an RBI double by Ben Zobrist. The Marlins responded in the bottom of the inning. After Chris Coghlan scored to make it 2-1, rookie Mike Stanton hit his first Major League home run — a grand slam — to give the Marlins a 5-2 lead. Florida would go on to score two more in the 2nd on singles by Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. Tampa Bay scored one run in the 4th on an error by Ramirez, and again in the 7th on a single by B.J. Upton.

Nate Robertson got the win, going 6 innings and allowing three runs on five hits. Matt Garza got the loss, throwing only 1.1 innings and giving up seven runs on seven hits. Leo Nunez got his 14th save for the Marlins.

Check out Fish Guts for more.

Braves vs. Royals

The Braves held onto first place in the NL East with their 6-4 win over the Royals. Atlanta struck first, scoring two runs in the 2nd on a sacrifice bunt by Derek Lowe and later in the inning on a wild pitch. Kansas City would tie it up with an RBI single by Jason Kendall in the 3rd and a home run by Billy Butler in the 4th. The Braves scored three more in the 4th with a double by Melky Cabrera and singles by Lowe and Chipper Jones. The Royals scored again in the 7th and 8th on singles by Wilson Betemit and Jose Guillen.

Derek Lowe got the win going 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on six hits. Brian Bannister took the loss, lasting only 4 innings and giving up five runs on seven hits. Billy Wagner got his 13th save for Atlanta.

Check out Braves Baseball for more.

Mets vs. Yankees

The Mets won their eighth straight, beating the Yankees 4-0. The Mets scored in the 1st on an RBI single by Ike Davis. They got two more runs in the eighth when a double by Angel Pagan scored Ruben Tejada and Jose Reyes. Reyes drove in a run in the 9th to make it 4-0. Nick Swisher went 2-5 and Francisco Cervelli went 2-4 for the Yankees.

Hisanori Takahashi pitched 6 strong innings to get the win, giving up no runs on four hits. Javier Vazquez took the loss, throwing 7 innings and allowing one run on three hits. Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 16th save.

Check out Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Nationals vs. Tigers

The Nationals fell to the Tigers 8-3 Wednesday night. Washington jumped out to an early lead with home runs by Adam Dunn in the 1st inning and Roger Bernadina in the 2nd.  Detroit responded in the bottom of the 2nd, scoring four runs on a single by Gerald Laird and a sacrifice fly by Don Kelly.  Down 5-2 in the 6th, Ivan Rodriguez drove in Christian Guzman with a single.  It wasn’t enough though as Detroit scored three more runs in the 7th on a Brennan Boesch home run.

Livan Hernandez took the loss, tossing 6.2 innings and giving up eight runs on seven hits. Justin Verlander got the win for the Tigers going 8 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits.

For more on the Nationals, check out Centerfield Gate.

Mets vs. Indians

The Mets beat the Indians 8-4, winning their sixth game in a row. The game was scoreless until the 3rd inning when Angel Pagan drove in Ruben Tejada on an RBI double starting off a five-run inning. Pagan went 3-5 with three RBIs on the night. In the bottom of the 4th, Shelley Duncan put the Indians on the board with a two-run homer. Top of the 6th, the Mets scored three more on RBI singles by Jeff Francoeur and Pagan. The Indians would go on to score another run in the eighth on a sac fly by Jhonny Peralta.

Jon Niese got the win for the Mets, going 7 innings and giving up three runs on eight hits. Mitch Talbot took the loss, lasting only 5.2 innings and allowing eight runs on 13 hits.

Go to the Real Dirty Mets Blog for more info.

Phillies vs. Yankees

The Phillies took game two against the Yankees, winning by a score of 6-3. Philadelphia got on the board first in the 2nd inning. Shane Victorino drove in three runs with a triple. The Phillies got two more in the 4th with back-to-back home runs by Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth. The Yankees scored in the 2nd and 5th innings on home runs by Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada respectively.

Jamie Moyer got the win for the Phillies, throwing 8 innings and giving up two runs on three hits. A.J. Burnett took the loss, going only 3.1 innings and allowing six runs on six hits.

Check out Phillies Phandom for more.

Marlins vs. Rangers

The Marlins lost their second in a row to the Rangers by a score of 6-3. The Rangers scored early and often with a run in each of the first three innings. Hanley Ramirez drove in a run in the 3rd cutting the Rangers lead to 3-1. Chris Coghlan doubled in the 5th inning to make it 3-2 Rangers. The Marlins bullpen was shaky giving up two runs in the 8th and a home run to Josh Hamilton in the top of the 9th.

Anibal Sanchez kept the Marlins in the game, but got the loss, going 6 innings and allowing three runs on eight hits.  Rangers starter Tommy Hunter lasted only 2.1 innings. He wound up with a no decision. Darren O’Day got the win for the Rangers, while Neftali Feliz got the save.

Check out Fish Guts for more.

Braves vs. Rays

The Braves beat the Rays 6-2, keeping themselves atop of the NL East. Troy Glaus drove in two runs in the 3rd to make it 3-0 Braves. In the bottom of the 8th the Braves scored two more runs on RBI singles by Melky Cabrera and Martin Prado. The Rays bats were quiet most of the night until the top of the ninth when they scored two runs on a single by Ben Zobrist and a double by Dioner Navarro.

Tommy Hanson threw 7 innings of shut out baseball to get the win for the Braves. He allowed no runs on three hits. Wade Davis got the loss, going 5 innings and giving up three runs on seven hits.

For more on the Braves, go to Braves Baseball.

Mets vs. Marlins

The Mets moved past the Marlins in the standings with a 4-3 win Friday. Florida got on the board in the 2^nd with an RBI single from Cameron Maybin. They added two more runs in the top of the 3^rd after an error by Ike Davis. R.A. Dickey helped himself out at the plate with an RBI single in the bottom of the 3^rd. Jeff Francoeur continued his hitting streak going 2-4. Mets went ahead and took the lead in the bottom of the 6^th on an RBI ground out by Ruben Tejada.

Dickey didn’t get off to a very good start on the mound, but fought back to get the win, throwing 6 1/3 innings while giving up three runs on seven hits. Anibal Sanchez took the loss, throwing 5 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on nine hits. Francisco Rodriguez, who got his 11^th save, made things interesting in the 9^th. After getting the first two outs, Rodriguez gave up a hit and a walk, before getting Hanley Ramirez to ground out to end the game.

Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog and Fish Guts for more on the Mets and Marlins.

Phillies vs. Padres

The Phillies beat the Padres in the series opener by a score of 3-2. The Padres scored in the 2^nd on an RBI single by Tony Gwynn. Shane Victorino hit a two-run homer in the 3^rd inning, his fifth homerun of the year. The Padres tied it up in the 5^th on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Gonzalez. The winning run came in the bottom of the 5^th when Jayson Werth walked with the bases loaded.

Roy Halladay got his 8^th win of the season, going seven innings and giving up 2 runs on 10 hits. Mat Latos got the loss, pitching only five innings and giving up three runs on four hits. Brad Lidge pitched a perfect 9^th for his 2^nd save of the season.

For more on the Phillies, go to Phillies Phandom.

Nationals vs. Reds

The Nationals ended a three game losing streak, beating the Reds 4-2. The Reds scored first in the 2^nd on an RBI single by Ramon Hernandez. The Nationals responded in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single by Christian Guzman, and again in the 3^rd with an RBI single by Roger Bernadina. The Reds tied it up in the 5^th when Orlando Cabrera scored on a single by Brandon Phillips. The Nationals scored two more in the 7^th on an RBI single by Ian Desmond and Willie Harris sac fly.

Livan Hernandez started for the Nationals, going six innings and giving up two runs on eight hits. Tyler Clippard, who came on to pitch in the 7^th, got the win. Aaron Harang went only four innings for the Reds, allowing two runs on eight hits. Enerio Del Rosario, who gave up two runs in the 7^th, took the loss. Matt Capps recorded his 18^th save of the season.

For more info, check out Centerfield Gate.

Braves vs. Dodgers

The Dodgers snapped the Braves nine game winning streak with a 5-4 win. The Dodgers got off to a fast start scoring two runs in the 1^st and 2^nd innings. The Braves got on the board in the 3^rd with an RBI single by Yunel Escobar and another run thanks to an error by Dodgers 3^rd baseman Jamey Carroll. The Braves tied it up in the 7th on a double by Escobar. The Dodgers went on to score the go ahead run in the 7th with an RBI single by James Loney.

Kenshin Kawakami took the loss for the Braves, going 6 1/3 innings and allowing five runs on nine hits. Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers, going 6 2/3 and giving up four runs on five hits. Hong-Chih Kuo got the win. Jonathan Broxton recorded his 14th save of the season for the Dodgers.

For more on the Braves, check out Braves Baseball.

I know, I know. This is a big day in the National League East. The Philadelphia Phillies dismantled the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series, in the Bronx, against C.C. Sabathia. The same pitcher they dismantled last year when he pitched for the Brewers. It begs the question, is the National League East the best division in baseball? Admittedly, it is early, and the Yankees could win four in a row and make this post irrelevant, but if you compare the division to the American League East, tell me that the teams do not match up? The Phillies and the Yankees, the Mets and the Red Sox, the Marlins and Rays, the Braves and Blue Jays, and the Nationals and Orioles. I guess that is a post for another time, but it will be an interesting off season argument.

Now on to the AFL:

The Phoenix Desert Dogs (Nationals) defeated the Peoria Javelinas 11-6 yesterday. The only Desert Dog from the National League East who saw any action was Drew Storen who pitched one inning giving up one hit and striking out a batter.

The Mesa Solar Sox (Marlins) routed the Scottsdale Scorpions (Phillies) by a final count of 12-5. Bryan Petersen led the way for the Solar Sox with a 2-5 effort, scoring two runs, driving in two and hitting a homerun. Steve Susdorf tried to keep the Scorpions close with a 2 run homerun in a 1-2 effort but Domonic Brown (0-5, 2K) and Edgar Garcia (2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER (4R)) failed to help him out.

Steve Susdorf, Scorpions

Future stars of the National League East keep bowing out of the AFL as the Marlins shut down Mike Stanton due to a sore back. Prior to this, Stanton was hitting a scorching .478 for the Solar Sox. The Marlins do expect Stanton to be ready for Spring Training.

Mike Stanton, Solar Sox

Lastly, the Peoria Saguaros (Braves) blanked the Surprise Rafters (Mets) 9-0. Freddie Freeman (3-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB) and Brandon Hicks (2-4, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB) led the hit parade while Jeff Lyman (1 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) and Lee Hyde (1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) helped to keep the Rafters off the scoreboard. The Rafters received a 2-4 day from Reese Havens and a 1-4 from Ruben Tejada.

 

 

  Todays actions will see the Phoenix Desert Dogs take on the Peoria Saguaros. The Mesa Solar Sox will give Andrew Miller the start against the Javelinas, and the Rafters will take on the Scorpions.