Braves vs. Dodgers

Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the 9th, the Braves came back to beat the Dodgers 4-2. Andre Ethier got things started in the 1st with a double, driving in Ryan Theriot to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. After allowing the 1st inning run, Tommy Hanson found himself in a pitchers duel with Chad Billingsley. The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the 6th when Atlanta tied it up on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jason Heyward to score Omar Infante. The Dodgers would take the lead once again as a throwing error by Brooks Conrad in the 8th allowed two runs to score. Down 3-1 in the 9th, L.A. pitching walked in a run cutting their lead to 3-2. With the bases loaded, Melky Cabrera then hit a single to drive home the winning runs.

Tommy Hanson went 7 innings, giving up one run on five hits while striking out three. Peter Moylan, who pitched the 9th, got the win for Atlanta. Chad Billingsley went 7 innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out eight for Los Angeles. Hong-Chih Kuo gave up three runs in his 1.1 innings of relief for the Dodgers to take the loss.

Marlins vs. Pirates

The Marlins fell to the Pirates in their series opener 7-1. A sacrifice fly by Garrett Jones and a single by Pedro Alvarez gave Pittsburgh an early 2-0 lead in the 1st. Florida got their only run of the game in the 4th on a ground out by Dan Uggla to score Logan Morrison.  The Pirates would go on to score four runs in the 6th on a double by Jones, followed by an Alvarez single. Andrew McCutchen homered in the 7th for Pittsburgh to make it 7-1.

Chris Volstad took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing five runs on five hits while only striking out two.  James McDonald got the win, going 7 innings and giving up one run on three hits while striking out six.

Mets vs. Astros

The Mets started their road trip off with a win as they beat the Astros 3-1. Carlos Beltran homered for the Mets in the 4th to give them a 1-0 lead. Houston tied it up in the 6th on a double by Chris Johnson. The game remained tied until the 9th, when David Wright scored on a wild pitch and then Jeff Francoeur tripled to score Beltran.

Jon Niese got a no decision after pitching 7 innings. He gave up one run on seven hits while striking out five. Pedro Feliciano got the win after pitching a third of an inning in relief. Wandy Rodriguez took a no decision as well after pitching 7 innings and allowing one run on four hits while striking out six. Matt Lindstrom took the loss for Houston after giving up the two runs in the 9th. Hisanori Takahashi closed out the game in place of Francisco Rodriguez to record his first save.

Phillies vs. Cubs

The Phillies rallied in the 9th inning to beat the Cubs 4-1. The game was scoreless until the 7th, when the Cubs put a run on the board. Starlin Castro scored on a bunt single by Ryan Theriot. Going into the 9th trailing 1-0, the Phillies scored four runs off Chicago closer Carlos Marmol. Placido Polanco tied up the game with a single. A wild pitch followed by a bases-loaded walk allowed for two more runs to score. Raul Ibanez drove in the Phillies fourth run on an infield single.

Cole Hamels went 7 innings, earning a no decision. He allowed one run on eight hits. Randy Wells went 7 innings, giving up no runs on seven hits, to earn a no decision. Marmol took the loss for Chicago. Brad Lidge recorded his 7th save of the season for Philadelphia.

Braves vs. Brewers

The Braves dropped their second game in a row to the Brewers, losing 6-3. The game was scoreless until the 4th inning when Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder grounded into a double play allowing Rickie Weeks to score.  Atlanta responded in the bottom of the inning with a two-run shot to left field off the bat of Matt Diaz, giving the Braves a 2-1 lead. The Brewers broke the game open in the 7th scoring five runs in the inning. Eric Hinske homered for Atlanta in the bottom of the 7th to cut the lead to 6-3.

Chris Narveson got the win for Milwaukee, going 6 innings while allowing two runs on six hits. Tim Hudson took the loss, going 6.2 innings and giving up six runs on six hits. John Axford got the save for Milwaukee, his 11th save of the season.

Marlins vs. Nationals

The Marlins beat the Nationals 2-0. The only runs of the game came in the 2nd inning. Florida’s Ronny Paulino singled to drive in Dan Uggla and Jorge Cantu. Despite having 11 hits on the night, Washington couldn’t get anybody home, leaving nine men in scoring position.

Josh Johnson got the win for Florida, going six innings and giving up no runs on seven hits. His ERA is now down to 1.62. Livan Hernandez took the loss, going 6 innings and allowing two runs on four hits. Leo Nunez recorded his 21st save of the season for Florida.

Mets vs. Giants

The Mets lost their third straight to the Giants, losing 8-4. The Giants scored five runs in the 2nd inning on singles by Juan Uribe and Pablo Sandoval, and a three-run shot to left field off the bat of Andres Torres. Buster Posey hit his 8th home run in the 3rd, giving the Giants a 6-0 lead. The Mets finally scored some runs in the 7th inning thanks to a two-run home run by Ike Davis.  The Giants responded in the bottom of the 7th with two more runs, taking a 8-2 lead. A sacrifice fly by David Wright in the 8th cut the lead to 8-3. Davis hit his 2nd homer of the night in the 9th to make it 8-4.

Hisanori Takahashi took the loss, lasting only 2.2 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits. Matt Cain got the win, going seven innings and allowing two runs on four hits. Brian Wilson recorded his 25th save of the season for the Giants.

Howard breaks out of a slump

The Phillies did something yesterday they had not done since 1984, sweep the Cubs in Chicago.  In the fourth inning, Ryan Howard broke out of the longest home run drought of his career, depositing a three run homer that would provide all the runs the Phillies needed with Cliff Lee on the mound.  Cliff Lee(3-0) went eight strong innings and only allowed six hits and run run, but did walk three to get his third win in as many tries and he is now undefeated in the NL with a 1.12 ERA.  Pedro Feliz also hit a home run in the fourth inning a few batters after Ryan Howard and drove Howard in for an insurance run in the sixth.  Phillies Phandom has more on the Phillies sweep.

Ryan Desmpter started out well for the Cubs as through the first three innings he looked virtually unhittable.  Dempster(6-6) ended up going six innings and gave up all six runs and eight hits in taking a loss for the Cubs.  Ryan Theriot produced the only run for the Cubs as he drove in Jake Baker in the fifth inning.

Cantu with a blast to start it off

Jorge Cantu hit a two run home run for the Marlins and that was the start of another win, and series win for the Marlins.  They never relinquished that lead and they exploded once starter Mike Hampton left after the fifth against the Astros relief.  Ronnie Paulino contributed a solo home run in that inning and Hanley Ramirez had a two run single as well.  Sean West(4-4) went six innings and allowed only one run and was able to cruise to the victory after the sixth inning outburst.  FishGuts has more information on this win for the Marlins and their march to get closer to the playoffs.

Mike Hampton started yesterdays game with a slightly bum leg.  Hampton(7-10) lasted five decent innings and left with his team having a shot at the game after allowing six hits and three runs, but allowing two home runs.  The Bullpen imploded and only Hampton’s RBI single and Darren Erstad’s single in the ninth put a dent in the scoreboard for the Astros.

Gomes hits three straight bombs

Jonny Gomes had a humongous games yesterday for the Cincinnati Reds as he went 3-4 with three runs scored and five RBI on THREE straight at bats with a home.  The Reds did not need much more offense to win this one but Ryan Hanigan also homered and Brandon Phillips had an RBI double late to lead the Reds to the 7-0 win over the Nats.  Bronson Arroyo(11-11) went the distance while being virtually unhittable giving up only two hits and one walk against the suddenly hapless Nationals.

The Nationals, as CenterfieldGate mentions, have now only scored three runs in their past three games and the offense has completely shut down.  Ryan Zimmerman did extend his hitting streak with a single, but Christian Guzman’s has ended, with the entire lineup looking terrible.  Colin Balester(1-2) did not help much either as he only went five innings and allowed five runs and two walks while giving up three home runs.  CenterfieldGate covers this game and more for all the Nats fans.

Martinez makes a good first impression

Pedro Martinez made his debut for the Philadelphia Phillies last night, replacing Jamie Moyer in the rotation and managed to get a win.  Martinez(1-0) went five innings allowing seven hits and three runs, while striking out five and he allowed two of his three runs in the fifth.  He was helped by a Phillies offense finally breaking out after a number of mediocre games, mainly with an eight run fourth.  In the fourth inning alone, Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez hit three run home runs, and Feliz and Ruiz added RBI singles as well.  The Phillies cruised after that to a 12-5 win for their second straight after being swept over the weekend, check out Phillies Phandom for more on them.

Jeff Samardzija made the start for the Cubbies on this day and could not do much against the Phillies offense.  Samardzija(1-2) went only 3.1 innings and allowed eight hits and seven runs and raised his era to 7.81 on the season.  RBI singles from Jake Baker, Milton Bradley and Ryan Theriot produced most of the offense for the Cubs.  They will hope to take the final game of the series today.

bound to have a bad start or two

The Florida Marlins couldn’t make it six in a row last night in south Florida, as they were beat up 14-6 by the Houston Astros.  The Astros got five runs in the first and added another in the second before the Marlins could get on the board.  Hunter Pence had the big blow in the first with a three run home run and actually finished the game with six RBI as he added another three run shot in the fourth inning.  Starter Bud Norris(3-0) went the minimum and allowed ten hits and four runs, five overall but was bailed out by stellar offense on this day.

Ricky Nolasco just had one of those days for the Marlins, they just hope its only one, unlike early this season.  Nolasco(8-8) only got through 3.1 innings and was tagged for eight hits and TEN earned runs which you don’t see very often.  He did help himself with the bat in the second with an RBI single and Hanley Ramirez contributed a two run home run in the fourth, but they could not manage enough to climb back into this one.  FishGuts has more on the Marlins and this win.

LaRoche - A welcome addition

The Atlanta Braves broke the Nationals winning streak Tuesday night and last night, they started them on a losing streak.  Derek Lowe(12-7) went seven strong innings and only allowed two runs on four walks and five strikeouts to get back in teh swing of things ans he had some offense behind him.  On their way to a 6-2 victory, the Braves hit four home runs of the solo variety, including two from Adam LaRoche and one each by Garrett Anderson and Martin Prado.  LaRoche even added an RBI later in the game while walking with the bases loaded for more insurance for the Braves.  The Braves Baseball Blog is your place to go for all Braves related info.

Nationals starter Craig Stammen had the opposite problem of Derek Lowe on this night, his offense did not do much for him.  Stammen got a no decision as he went six innings and allowed two runs, both on solo shots.  Jorge Sosa(1-1) who had been lights out so far for the Nats only got one out in the seventh and allowed what would eventually be the winning run to score on a home run.  Adam Dunn and Ronnie Belliard both had RBI singles for the Nationals and that produced both runs they would get, but once again, Christian Guzman singled to extend his streak to 17 games and Zimmerman now has a 15 game streak.  Centerfieldgate will have more on the Nats.

Whats this? A Save? a WIN?

The New York Mets managed once again to take the final game of a series, as they won 6-4 in Arizona yesterday.  For five innings of the game, it looked like the same old Mets offense as they were down 1-0 going into the top of the sixth.  At that point the Mets got three runs, on a wild pitch, and two more on a single while Tatis tried to stretch his hit to a double.  The Mets promptly lost the leadi n the seventh, only to uncharacteristically get it back in the eighth and ninth with three more runs.  Castillo singled home a run and then Corey Sullivan tripled home Castillo with what proved to be the winner.  Pedro Feliciano(5-4) got a blown save and a win in this one as he was on the mound to give up the tying runs in the seventh but got credit for the win as well, and Francisco Rodriguez got his 25th save of the season.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Jon Garland may have been his own worst enemy yesterday as he got the Mets on the board with his own error and wild pitch.  After that, the wheels came off for the inning nad he was headed for a loss except for Mets relief pitching.  Josh Whitesell and Miguel montero got him off the hook with RBI singles in the seventh inning.  Jon Rauch(2-1) got the loss as he gave up two runs on three hits in the eighth inning.  Josh Whitesell added another RBI single in the ninth, but that was all the D’Backs got in losing 6-4.

Werth sends Phils fans home happy

Last night, the Phillies offense wasn’t as high powered as it has been, instead most of the support was from pitching on this day.  Joe Blanton pitched seven innings only giving up one run against the Chicago Cubs, and the Phillies could only manage a solo home run from Jimmy Rollins against the Cubs starter.  Then the Phillies relief went six shutout, no hit innings including three by Chan Ho Park and one by Clay Condrey(6-2) who got the win.  Finally in the bottom of the thirteenth, the Phils got two man on with two out for Jayson Werth.  Jayson Werth hit his 21st home run of the year sending the Phillies to a walk off win and their 10th in a row by a score of 4-1.  The Series will conclude this afternoon in Philly, check out Phillies Phandom for more Phillies news and info.

The Cubs came into this series hot, but even on a night when the pitching was solid, their bats still were silent.  Fukudome got an RBI double in the fourth scoring Ryan Theriot for the only run they would get in this game.  After Rich Harden pitched seven innings of one run ball, in 5.2 innings pitched, only Jeff Samardzija(0-1) gave up a run, and the Phillies also only had two hits.

McCann leads the Bravos

Tuesday night in Atlanta brought more of the same for the Braves fans, as they won again by a convincing score.  The Braves were led on Tuesday night by another great night for catcher Brian McCann, going two for four with four RBI including a three run home run.  Martin Prado continued his hot hitting going three for five as well with three runs scored and an RBI as well.  Derek Lowe(9-7) seems to be back on track now, going six innings, allowing seven hits, one walk and only a single run for the win. Make sure to get to The Braves Baseball Blog for more Braves info.

The Giants only mustered one run and that was when the game was out of reach in the fifth.  Juan Uribe hit a single to score Matt Downs as the Giants are losing a hold of their wild card grip.  Ryan Sadowski(2-2) only lasted 3.2 innings and was tagged for eight hits and all eight runs for the Giants.

Volstad gets the W

Chris Volstad is hoping that he has found his groove again, after two of his last three outtings have been quality.  Volstad(7-9) went seven innings to get the win while only allowing one run and four hits before being lifted.  The Marlins scored a run in each of the 2nd, 3rd and 5th innings on RBI’s by John Baker, Jorge Cantu and Jeremy Hermida.  Leo Nunez worked the ninth, while giving up a solo home run, but got his sixth save of the year none the less.  FishGuts is the place to be for all the Marlins news you need.

Chad Gaudin didn’t have a bad game, but as it always seems in San Diego, didn’t get any support.  Gaudin(4-9) worked six innings giving up nine hits, but only three runs but took the loss.  Adrian Gonzalez put the Pads up top in the first, but that would be their only run until Kyle Banks hit a solo shot in the ninth, but the game would end in a 3-2 loss for the Padres.

Lannan goes the distance

John Lannan and the Nationals did something that their fans don’t see much these days, win!  With that win though, Lannan also pitched a complete game shutout, the first since August 15th, 2006 and first in the new ballpark.  Lannan(7-7) scattered seven hits and had a single strike out in only throwing 106 pitches to get the complete game, 4-0, and looks to be the Nats ace.  He got help from RBI’s from an Alberto Gonzalez and Josh Willingham sacrifice flies, and singles by Will Nieves and Adam Dunn.  They will try to take the series from the Mets tonight at 7pm.  CenterfieldGate has more information regarding the Nats.

The New York Mets looked terrible in their approach at the plate, and after hoping that a win Monday might get them rolling, they went right back to what has haunted them all season.  Oliver Perez(2-3) in his third start back from the DL looked solid for the first few innings but in the fourth fell apart, and managed six innings giving up four runs while walking another six batters.  All seven hits the Mets got were singles as well, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more info on this game and the Mets.

Lopez with another strong outting

Rodrigo Lopez, who is in for the injured Antonio Bastardo who is in for the injured Brett Myers is trying to keep Pedro Martinez out of the starting rotation as long as possible.  Lopez(2-0) got his second win of the season while holding the hot Cubs to only one run over six strong innings of work.  Of course, the Phillies offense which appears unstoppable gave him nine runs of support in those same six innings.  Raul Ibanez hit a three run home run in the first inning and Carlos Ruiz and Ryan Howard added home runs later in the game for the surging Phillies, on way to a 10-1 victory.  Chad Durbin got his 1st save of the year while working three innings of one hit ball to close out the game.  Check out Phillies Phandom for additional information about the Phils.

Ted Lilly(9-7) was rocked for nine runs(seven earned) and eight hits in only four innings of work for the Cubs and Ryan Theriot produced their only run with an RBI single in the fifth.

Diaz' triple puts the Braves in the lead

The Atlanta Braves are continuing their winning ways, unfortunately for them and the rest of the NL East, the Phillies are too.  After Tommy Hanson gave up the tying run in the top of the seventh inning to the Giants, Matt Diaz came through driving in what proved to be the two winning runs on a triple in the bottom of the inning.  Tommy Hanson(5-0) stayed undefeated on a day he probably didn’t figure to factor in the decision.  The Braves actually scored six runs in the frame to put the game away late, and even added two more in the eighth inning.  Ryan Church got his first home run as a Brave on this night as well.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more Braves commentary and information.

The Giants got another quality start from Jonathan Sanchez, although not of the no hit variety.  The Giants offense got him off the hook of a possible loss in the seventh as Sanchez went six innings giving up three runs.  Sergio Romo(2-1) got the loss while not retiring a batter in the seventh and giving up four earned runs for the Giants.

Ramirez helps out VandenHurk

Hanley Ramirez helped Rick VandenHurk get off to a good start on his trip back to the big leagues.  Hanley Ramirez homered in the first inning of what turned out to be a 3-2 Marlins win last night in San Diego.  VandenHurk(1-0) worked six strong innings while giving up two runs on five hits and two walks, but being hurt by the long ball, giving up two home runs.  Three Marlin relievers got holds during the game and current closer Leo Nunez got his fifth save of the year with Matt Lindstrom out.  The Marlins used smallball to get their other two runs on a groundout scoring a run and a bases loaded walk both in the seventh inning.  Check out FishGuts for great info on the Florida Marlins.

San Diego starter Tim Stauffer had his second straight strong start, but once again was not able to get a win, but at least this time he didn’t receive the loss.  Stauffer left with the lead after the sixth but Greg Burke(2-2) blew the save and took the loss giving up two runs in the seventh inning.  Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff provided all the offense for the Giants on solo home runs both in the sixth.

Hernandez continues to dominate the Nats

Livan Hernandez might be the Nationals worst nightmare…. no, seriously!  Hernandez has won his last eight decisions this versus the Nats including 3-0 this year.  Hernandez(6-5) left after seven innings giving up two runs on five hits and two walks and didn’t even reach the 100 pitch mark in that time.  He was helped by a 2-4 day from Daniel Murphy including two RBI’s and the same two RBI from Jeff Francouer as the Mets won 6-2.  Francouer now has seven RBI in seven games with the Mets after his ninth inning solo shot. Check out The Real Dirty Mets blog for more.

J.D. Martin(0-1) had a rough first couple innings for the Nationals allowing five runs in those two innings.  He then settled down but was pulled after four innings giving up five runs on eight hits.  The Nationals relief pitching was solid, only giving up the ninth inning home run to Francouer in five innings of work between Tyler Clippard and Logan Kensing.  Josh Bard provided all the offense for them on a double down the line scoring Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns.  Check out Centerfieldgate for more Nationals info.

Rain, Rain Didn't go away!

The Marlins WERE leading the Phillies 2-0 going to the bottom of the second inning last night in South Florida.  The box scores will never show that now, as the game was postponed and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader in September.  They will hope to finish up what is now a three game set this afternoon in Florida with both teams needing to reshuffle pitching staffs because of the short outtings for starters.  Check out Phillies Phandom and Fish Guts for more info about both teams.

Johan to the rescue

The Mets were in dire need of a win, and they sent ace Johan Santana to the mound yesterday afternoon in Atlanta.  Santana(11-7) delivered with seven shutout innings while allowing only five hits, a couple of walks and five strikeouts.  Through five innings it looked as though the Mets would waste another great start, but they finally broke through in the sixth.  A Bases loaded walk and a fielders choice gave them a 2-0 lead and they never looked back.  The team added three runs in the ninth inning on a Pagan triple, a squeeze play by Castillo and an RBI by Atlanta native Jeff Francoeur.  This was the first win the Mets had since the all-star break and since the game in Miami was rained out, they for once did not lose ground.  Check The Real Dirty Mets blog for more info on this game and all others.

The Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami(5-7) pitched well over 6.2 innings, but those two runs doomed him into the loss for the Braves.  Chipper Jones hit a solo home run in the eighth inning, and the Braves did load the bases, but the Mets were able to get out of the inning and there were no other threats. Go to The Braves Baseball Blog for more Braves content.

The four game set concludes on ESPN at 6pm tonight.

Zimmermann can't hold the lead

Last night in Washington Nationals took an early 4-0 lead over the Cubs, getting two runs in both the first and second innings.  The Nats couldn’t add on to that lead, and starter Jordan Zimmermann(3-5) couldn’t hold the Cubbies from coming back.  The Cubs got five runs in 5.1 innings against the young starter and the Nats only added one run late in the game.  Third basemen Ryan Zimmerman(no relation) hit a sac fly in the eighth to get them within one run, but no more and the Nats are now in danger of being swept today.  Check out Centerfieldgate for more information about the Nationals.

The Cubs starter Randy Wells(5-4) got through five innings and gutted it out after a bad start to get the win.  A Ryan Theriot triple scored two and former National Alfonso Soriano hit a three run homer in the sixth to give the Cubs the lead for good.  Kevin Gregg got a five out save for his 18th of the year.