Braves vs. Marlins

Atlanta beat the Marlins 5-1 Wednesday afternoon, completing the sweep of Florida. A four-run 3rd inning put the Braves in the lead and they never looked back. After David Ross doubled home the Braves’ first run, Brooks Conrad followed with a three-run home run to center field. The Braves fifth run of the game came in the 8th when Florida’s reliever Will Ohman walked Eric Hinske to force home Freddie Freeman. The only run for Florida came in the 6th on an RBI single by Mike Stanton.

Derek Lowe got the win for Atlanta, going 5.2 innings and allowing one run on seven hits while striking out nine. Andrew Miller took the loss, lasting only 3 innings and giving up four runs on four hits while striking out two.

Mets vs. Brewers

Game One

The Mets dropped the first game of a doubleheader this afternoon by a score of 8-7. Milwaukee had a big six-run 3rd inning, but the Mets forged an impressive comeback. Chris Carter drove in two runs in the bottom of the 3rd with a single to left field. The following inning, Jose Reyes tripled to drive in two more runs. Lucas Duda hit a solo shot to cut the lead to 6-5. David Wright capped off the inning with a two-run home run to give the Mets the lead. The Mets’ bullpen wasn’t able to hold the lead, however, giving up two runs in the 8th inning to Milwaukee.

Neither starting pitcher was able to make it to the 5th inning for a win. Jon Niese only lasted 2.2 innings and gave up six runs on ten hits while striking out three. Yovani Gallardo went 3.1 innings and allowed seven runs on ten hits while striking out four. Carlos Villenueva got the win for Milwaukee. Manny Acosta took the loss for New York.

Game Two

Milwaukee took game two by a score of 3-1 to sweep the doubleheader. Milwaukee starter Dave Bush singled home the Brewers’ first run in the 3rd inning. It would remain 1-0 until the top of the 8th when the Brewers added on two more runs thanks to a two-RBI double off the bat of Ryan Braun. The Mets lone run of the game came in the bottom of the 8th on a sacrifice fly by Ike Davis.

R.A. Dickey took the loss for the Mets, going 7 innings and giving up one run on six hits while striking out four. Dave Bush got the win for Milwaukee, going 6 innings and allowing no runs on three hits while striking out one.

Nationals vs. Phillies

The home run happy Phils beat Washington 7-1. All of the Phillies seven runs came on home runs. Mike Sweeney and Ben Francisco each hit solo shots in the 2nd inning to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. John Mayberry then hit a three-run shot to make it 5-0. Francisco would later hit his second home run of the game in the 5th, a two-run shot to left field. Washington’s only run of the game came in the 4th inning when Nyjer Morgan scored on a ground out by Ian Desmond.

Joe Blanton got the win for Philadelphia, going 7 innings and giving up one run on three hits while striking out six. Ross Detwiler took the loss, going 4.2 innings and allowing seven runs on seven hits while striking out two.

Phillies vs. Mets

The first place Phillies stayed hot, defeating the Mets by a score of 3-2 in Philly for their 11th straight victory.

Shane Victorino led off the first with a home run and doubled home a run in the second off of Mets starter R.A. Dickey as the Phillies jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.  The Mets tied the game in the top of the fourth inning when Angel Pagan blasted a two run homer off of Joe Blanton, but the Phils regained the lead in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Carlos Ruiz RBI single.

Blanton (8-6) pitched seven solid innings for the victory, allowing just those two runs and striking out six.  Dickey (11-8) gave up three runs and eight hits over six innings and suffered the loss.  Brad Lidge pitched around a double and a walk to earn his 27th save and help the Phillies inch closer to the NL East crown.

Braves vs. Nationals

The Braves visited the nation’s capital hoping to get back on the winning track.  Instead, they dropped their fourth straight as the Nationals defeated Atlanta 8-3.

Adam Dunn hit two homers and drove in five runs to lead the way for the Nationals.   Dunn hit both homers off of Braves starter Tim Hudson.  Hudson (16-9) had a rough night, allowing six runs, six walks, and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings.  Meanwhile, Jordan Zimmermann (1-2) earned his first victory since June 2009, holding Atlanta to one run and three hits over five innings.  Willie Harris hit an inside-the-park home run for the Nationals in the victory, while Omar Infante homered for the Braves in the loss.

Marlins vs. Brewers

The Marlins fell a game below .500 after falling to the Brewers by a score of 6-2 Friday night in Milwaukee.

Ryan Braun drove in three runs to help the Brewers jump out to a 4-0 lead against Andrew Miller (1-4) and the Marlins.  Braun singled home two runs in the third and doubled home another run in the fifth.  Mark Rogers made his first major league start for the Brewers.  Rogers allowed no hits and struck out four, but was pulled after three innings as the Brewers had Rogers on a 60-pitch limit.  Jeremy Jeffress (1-0) earned his first career victory with two scoreless innings in relief.

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. Cubs

New York dropped their second straight game to the Cubs, losing Saturday 5-3. Chicago scored a run in the 2nd and 3rd innings to take a 2-0 lead. Luis Castillo made things interesting for the Mets in the top of the 4th, when he stole home after Lucas Duda struck out swinging, to cut the lead to 2-1. The Cubs responded in the following inning with two runs. Marlon Byrd doubled to drive home Starlin Castro, and Mets starter Jenrry Mejia threw a wild pitch to allow Byrd to score. Trailing 4-1 in the top of the 7th, Ike Davis hit a solo shot to right field to make it 4-2. This was the first home run for Davis since July 29. Just as soon as the Mets gained a run, however, they gave it right back. In the bottom of the 7th, Aramis Ramirez hit a home run to center field. The Mets tagged on their final run in the bottom of the 8th when Carlos Beltran doubled to bring home Castillo.

Carlos Zambrano got the win, going 7 innings and giving up two runs on four hits while striking out eight. Mejia took the loss in his big league debut as a starter. He went 5 innings and gave up four runs on eight hits while striking out two. Carlos Marmol recorded his 27th save for the Cubs.

Phillies vs. Brewers

The Phillies beat the Brewers 5-4 in Philadelphia. Home runs by Prince Fielder and Alcides Escobar in the 2nd inning made it 2-0 Milwaukee. Philadelphia responded with two home runs of their own in the bottom of the inning off the bats of Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth. Corey Hart would put the Brewers back on top in the 3rd with a solo shot of his own to right field. The Phillies would tie it up in the bottom of the inning when Jimmy Rollins scored on a single by Chase Utley. The game would remain tied until the 7th when Hart hit his second home run of the game, another solo shot, this time to left field. Just as they had in the other two innings in which the Brewers scored, Philadelphia came back once again in the bottom of the inning two score two runs. With the bases loaded, Placido Polanco hit a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Carlos Ruiz to tag up and score. Milwaukee’s left fielder Ryan Braun made a throwing error on the play, which allowed Wilson Valdez to score the go-ahead run.

Roy Halladay got the win, going 7 innings and giving up four runs on seven hits while striking out six. Milwaukee starter Dave Bush went 6 innings in his no decision. He allowed three runs on six hits while striking out five. Kameron Loe took the loss for Milwaukee. Brad Lidge got his 20th save for Philadelphia.

Nationals vs. Pirates

The Nationals beat up on the Pirates, winning 9-2. The game was scoreless until Washington put up a five-run 4th inning. Ivan Rodriguez drove in two runs with a single to center field. Danny Espinosa followed with an RBI single to drive home Roger Bernadina. Rodriguez would later score on a sacrifice fly by Justin Maxwell. Nyjer Morgan capped off the inning with a single to score Espinosa. Washington put up two more runs in the 5th inning thanks to a two-run shot by Rodriguez to make it 7-0. Pittsburgh finally got on the board in the bottom of the 5th with a home run off the bat of Andrew McCutchen. In the top of the 6th, Ian Desmond would double to drive in another run for Washington to make it 8-1. The final run of the night for Washington came in the top of the 8th on an RBI single by Michael Morse. Pittsburgh’s only other run of the game came in the bottom of the 8th on a double by Ronny Cedeno to score Pedro Alvarez.

John Lannan got the win for Washington, going 7 innings and giving up one run on five hits while striking out seven. Paul Maholm took the loss for Pittsburgh, going 4.1 innings and allowing seven runs on nine hits while striking out four.

Braves vs. Marlins

The Braves beat the Marlins 2-0 to hang on to their lead in the NL East. Atlanta’s Alex Gonzalez drove in the Braves’ two runs. The first run came in the 2nd inning on a double to center field to score Melky Cabrera. The second run came in the 6th on a single to center again allowing Brian McCann to score. Atlanta starter Jair Jurrjens held the Marlins to just four hits in the game.

Jurrjens and Florida starter Josh Johnson were in a pitchers duel for much of the night. Jurrjens got the win, however, going 7 innings and giving up just three hits while striking out seven. Johnson took the loss, going 6 innings and giving up two runs on eight hits while matching a career-high 12 strikeouts.  Billy Wagner recorded his 32nd save of the year for Atlanta.

Cliff Lee makes it 5-0

Yesterday, fresh off a stunning triple play ender to a ball game, Cliff Lee looked to make it three of four against the deteriorated Mets.  Lee(5-0) went seven innings allowing six hits and two runs, while striking out five and both runs allowed were in the first inning.  He got plenty of support from big man Ryan Howard as well.  Howard homered twice in the first three innings of the game, first with a three run shot, and later with a two run blow.  Raul Ibanez produced the only other run on a RBI double, which scored Chase Utley.  Phillies Phandom will have more info on the Phils.

The Mets learned of another injury prior to yesterday’s game and were forced to play with Jeff Francouer, and possibly won’t have him for some time.  With Bobby Parnell on the mound and a team full of backups, Parnell could not come through.  Parnell(3-6) gave up four hits and five runs in five innnings worked, but if you take away the bombs to Howard, did not do that bad, but still gets collared with the loss.  The Mets first run was scored on a wild play in the first where Chase Utley dropped a popup allowing Angel Pagan to score and then a throwing error to second, allowed him to score.  Later in the inning, Fernando Tatis hit a sac fly to score Sheffield, but the Mets could get nothing more against Cliff Lee.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has more on this game and Johan Santana’s injury.

Balester gets roughed up in the 6th

For a while, Yovani Gallardo probably wondered what he would have to do to get another win, as his team was down 1-0 until the sixth.  In the sixth inning, Ryan Braun got them ahead with a two run homer and was helped by RBI singles from Jason Kendall and Jody Gerut and finally an RBI groundout by Felipe Lopez.  Jody Gerut also added a solo shot in the eighth for insurance.  Gallardo(12-10) held on and gave up only one run and four hits in five innings but walked four against eight strike outs to throw 108 pitches.

The Nationals for a while looked like they may take a pitchers dual and split the four game set.  Unfortunately Colin Balester could not hold the lead in the sixth.  Balester(1-4) finished the day with five complete innings and five hits and four runs, including the shot to Ryan Braun.  The only run for the Nationals came from Will Nieves RBI groundout.  CenterfieldGate has more on the Nats latest struggles.

Happ watches Upton

Justin Upton wanted to make sure that the Diamondbacks won at least one game out of three against the Philadelphia Phillies.  In the first inning, he hit a two run home run off of Phillies starter J.A. Happ and int the eighth inning, he added an RBI single for insurance.  He also had three of the Diamondbacks total seven hits on a night the D’backs won 4-0.  Yusmeiro Petit(1-5) got his first win of the season as he went six innings but only gave up four hits and a walk while striking out eight.

The Philadelphia Phillies team, fresh off trading for last year’s AL Cy Young Award winner, Cliff Lee, came in this game with the ability to sweep.  J.A. Happ(7-2) took his second straight loss after seven straight winning decisions but pitched well.  He gave up only the two run home run to Upton ion the first and only three hits in total and two walks. in six innings.  Two Philly relievers gave up a run each and the Philly offense couldn’t get a run home, which is a rare occurrence.  Read more about this game and other Philly news at Phillies Phandom.

Johnson pitches, and hits!

Josh Johnson decided to take the game last night against the Braves into his own hands, in every possible way last night.  Johnson deposited a Kawakami pitch in the fourth inning into center field for a three run home run which at the time gave the Marlins a 4-0 lead on way to a 6-3 win.  Hanley Ramirez contributed a RBI triple in the third and a solo home run in the fifth and Dan Uggla even got into the home run derby in the fifth as well.  Johnson(10-2) got his tenth victory of the year as he went six innings and gave up eight hits on three runs, all from home runs.  The Marlins sent four relievers to the mound to finish it off, with Leo Nunez getting his eighth save of the year working a scoreless ninth.  Check out FishGuts for more about the win and the Fish.

Kenshin Kawakami(5-8) had a terrible start, and the home run ball hit him harder than any other pitcher in the game, and it always hurts to give one up to the opposing pitcher.  Kawakami went 4.2 innings giving up seven hits and six runs, including the three home runs and even walked four.  The Braves offense did its best against one of the best pitchers in the NL as Casey Kotchman hit a solo shot and Garret Anderson hit a home run for the second consecutive night, of the two run variety.  The Braves Baseball Blog has all the Braves info you need.

If you hadn’t heard, New York is now Seattle East, so as seems to be a normal occurance, the rain came and didn’t stop last night.  The Mets and Rox will play a day-night double header today at Citi Field.

McGehee gets a hold of one

The Brewers were looking to avoid being swept by the worst team in baseball (by record that is) last night in Milwaukee.  After the second inning though, it wasn’t looking good as they were already down 4-0.  The Brewers came back though starting in the third on a Ryan Braun triple that scored a run, and he later scored on a wild pitch.  After going down 5-3 in the sixth, they Brewers got three in the sixth and never looked back.  J.J. Hardy missed an RBI chance in the sixth as he grounded into a double play scoring a run, but got an RBI groundout in the eighth to pad the stats.  Casey McGehee had the biggest blast as he hit a pinch hit two run home run to give the Nats the lead in the sixth.  Manny Parra(5-8) went six innings but gave up five runs and five walks on nine hits to get a shaky win for the Brewers.  Trevor Hoffman came in and struck out two in the ninth for his 23rd save of the season.

The Nationals’ Garrett Mock left the game after the fifth in line for a victory if the bullpen could hold on.  Unfortunately for him, Tyler Clippard(1-1) who had been very solid of late, blew his first save of the year going 1.1 innings and gave up two runs on the home run to McGehee.  Christian Guzman and Nyjer Morgan continued their hot play though, each having two hits and a run scored and Guzman even added an RBI.  Ryan Zimmerman added two RBI as well as Nick Johnson getting an RBI for the night.  Check out CenterfieldGate for more Nats info.

The Phils are all smiles

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

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

Gload with his 1st career walk off

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

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

Big Pelf shuts the Rox down

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

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

Dunn hits a monster shot

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

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

Moyer old, but solid, as usual

Early in the game, it looked like Moyer was going to be on the losing side of this game as seven different D’Backs had been on base by the third inning.  He continued to get out of trouble and in the fourth inning, Ryan Howard got the Phils off to a start by hitting a two run home run.  Moyer(10-7) went 6.2 innings while scattering six hits and four walks, but allowing no runs.  Rollins, Ibanez, Feliz and Bako added RBI’s for the Phillies as they went on to win 6-2 on Monday night, now with a seven game division lead.  Phillies Phandom has all your Phillies news.

The Diamondbacks obviously wasted many opportunities, as evidenced by the fact Moyer lasted as long as he did.  The D’Backs finally did get on the board in the eighth inning after a Mark Reynolds solo home run and an RBI single by Chad Tracy later in that inning.  John Garland(5-10) went five innings giving up six runs on five hits but only three of those runs were earned because of errors behind him.

Tatis' Granny is the winner!

Fernando Tatis and the Mets have been horrendous all season with the bases loaded, and Tatis it seems, hits into a double play in every opportunity he sees.   Last night, Fernando Tatis stepped to the plate pinch hitting for left fielder Cory Sullivan with the b ases loaded only one out and every Met fan was thinking “here comes another double play”.  Tatis surprised everyone and put a ball into the left centerfield seats to help send the Mets to a 7-3 win against the wild card leading Rockies on Monday night.  Down 2-0 and then 3-1, the Mets climbed back with a Jeff Francouer home run, a Daniel Murphy RBI single and a Cory Sullivan Sacrifice fly to be in a tie game in the eighth inning for Tatis’ hit.  Pedro Feliciano(3-3) worked one inning giving up a hit and striking out two for the win and Francisco Rodriguez worked a perfect ninth in a non save situation to secure the victory.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets info.

The Rockies scored runs the same way they have been all season, getting three runs on two home runs.  In the second inning, Troy Tulowitzki hit a home run home run to deep center field for a 2-0 lead.  After the Mets cut the lead in half, Clint Barmes hit a long home run down the left field line to extend the lead temporarily to 3-1.  Starter Ubaldo Jimenez worked seven innings giving up three runs and left the game to the bullpen, already with a no decision.  Juan Rincon walked three in the eighth inning(one intentionally) and only got one out on a sacrifice bunt by Daniel Murphy.  Rincon(2-2) took the loss as Franklin Morales came in with the bases loaded and gave up the grand slam to mentioned above.

This sight will haunt the Brewers

The “Hammer”, Josh Willingham had a career game last night in Milwaukee, and one that you need to do a double take at the box score.  Willingham went 3-5 with 2 runs scored and 8 RBI on two grand slams, in consecutive innings none the less.  This was on way to a 14-6 Nationals route of the Brew Crew on Monday night.  Zimmerman added a solo home run of his own and Christian Guzman and Adam Dunn had a pair of RBI each.  Starter Craig Stammen couldn’t get out of the fourth inning as he was charged with five runs and couldn’t qualify for the victory, even though once the Nats took the lead in the fifth, they never looked back.  Jason Bergmann(1-1) worked 1.1 innings of relief giving up one run and was credited with the relief win.  Make sure to check CenterfieldGate for more Nats info.

Brewers starter Jeff Suppan had allowed no runs through the first four innings and he was even given a 2-0 lead by his team.  This was before the fifth inning came about and he only lasted one out into the sixth.  Suppan’s(5-8) final line is ugly, 5.1 innings pitched, 10 runs on 10 hits and four walks, all of those runs coming in the fifth and sixth inning.  Corey Hart and Ryan Braun homered in the losing effort for the Brew-Crew.

Holliday has a great debut

Yesterday all the news was about the St. Louis Cardinals trading for Matt Holliday formerly of the Oakland A’s.  Luckily for them, Holliday was only a train ride away in NYC and was available to hit cleanup in Philly last night.  Holliday didn’t disappoint going 4-5 with one rbi and a run scored as the Cardinals routed the Phillies 8-1.  Joel Pineiro(9-9) evened his record for the year as he went six innings giving up just three hits and a walk.  Julio Lugo started at second for the Cards and even had two hits, an rbi and two runs scored.

J.A. Happ(7-1) took his first loss of the year for the Phillies as he lasted only five innings while allowing five runs on five hits.  The Phillies offense was silent on this night as they only scored one run on a wild pitch in the seventh inning.  See Phillies Phandom for more Phils info.

Prado continues to stay hot

The Braves rebounded from a late loss to the Giants on Thursday by beating up on the Brew Crew in Milwaukee last night.  Martin Prado once again had a great game going 2-5 with four RBI, a run scored and a walk as the Braves won 9-4.  Javier Vazquez(8-7) got the win going seven innings of four run ball and being supported by a lot of offense behind him.  Chipper Jones and Nate McClouth hit home runs for the Braves in the win as well.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more info.

The Brewers had tied this game up 4-4 going into the sixth inning, but bad relief pitching doomed them on this night.  Carlos Villanueva(2-7) worked one inning and gave up a run, but being the Brewers offense went silent, he got the loss.  Ryan Braun hit a home run and a triple, getting two RBI on the game to lead the Brewers.

Hermida comes through

Last night the Marlins went into Los Angeles after sweeping through San Diego and were looking to stay hot against the best team in the National League.  Jeremy Hermida made sure that happened with a pinch hit RBI single in the seventh inning to give them the lead.  They would add two more runs on a Chris Coghlan home run and a Jorge Cantu RBI single on the way to a 6-3 win.  Josh Johnson(9-2) pitched seven more innings of three run ball to get another win.  Leo Nunez continues to fill in well for the injured Matt Lindstrom as he worked a perfect ninth for his seventh save of the season.  Check out FishGuts for more.

The Dodgers sent their young stud to the mound and he pitched well, but not well enough to win.  Clayton Kershaw went six innings giving up two earned runs and three overall, but did not factor in the decision.  James McDonald(2-2) got the loss working two-thirds of an inning and giving up the single to Hermida.  Andre Ethier did have two RBI for the Dodgers, they will try to get back on track Saturday.

that one hurt, eh?

The Houston Astros are one of the hottest teams in baseball and last night they beat one of the best pitchers in unconventional ways.  The Astros took a 3-1 lead in the game on a home run from starting pitcher Mike Hampton to start.  Then, later when the Mets had tied it up, former Phillies catcher filling in for an injured Berkman hit a two run double to put them up for good.  Mike Hampton(6-7) got the win while pitching into the sixth and being charged with four runs on eight hits.  Jose Valverde worked the ninth on only seven pitches to get his 11th save of the season securing a 5-4 win.

The Mets ace Johan Santana just didn’t have it on this night.  Santana(11-8) lasted 6.2 innings but gave up twelve hits and five runs against only three strike outs.  The Mets bounced back many times in this game, first in the fifth inning after they fell behind 3-1, and almost again in the sixth.  Jeff Francouer was thrown out at home on a great throw by right fielder Hunter Pence and there was a mini collision at the plate.  The Mets couldn’t get another run across and they lost their third in a row and are now 2-6 since the break.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets info.

Padres Get a win

The Padres entered Nationals Park last night on a losing streak and were facing the best team to get a win from.  They scored five runs on starter Garrett Mock for the Nationals on the way to their 6-2 victory.  The usually light hitting Luis Rodriguez went 2-4 with three RBI, including a solo home run.  Mat Latos(1-1) went 5.2 innings of two run ball to get his first victory.  The Padres will look turn this into a streak on Saturday.

Garret Mock(0-4) took another loss in this game as mentioned earlier, he gave up five runs in only 5.2 innings to the San Diego Padres.  The only offense the Nats could support him with though were solo shots from Christian Guzman and Ryan Zimmerman.   Check out Centerfieldgate for more info.

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