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.

Phillies vs. Mets

R.A. Dickey and Cole Hamels locked up in a pitchers’ duel Friday night at Citi Field.  Both pitchers went the distance, but the night belonged to Dickey as the Mets defeated the Phillies 1-0.

Dickey’s knuckleball baffled the Phillies hitters all night long, and as he cruised through five hitless innings, Mets fans wondered if this might be the first no-hitter in franchise history.   But it was the opposing pitcher that spoiled that bid as Hamels hit a clean single to right field with one out in the sixth inning.   Meanwhile, Hamels kept the Mets off balance and off of the scoreboard.  It looked like the Mets had taken a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Mike Hessman hit a drive to left field that the umpires called a home run.  However, after a lengthy replay review, the umps ruled fan interference on the play and placed Hessman on third base.   Despite being on third with no outs, the Mets stranded Hessman and let a golden opportunity slip by.

In the sixth, the Mets finally broke through.  With two outs and no one on base, David Wright and Carlos Beltran hit back-to-back doubles to plate the game’s first – and only – run.  Dickey (8-5) didn’t allow a base runner after Hamels’ single, finishing with seven strikeouts in his nine innings.  Hamels (7-9) took the hard-luck loss for the Phils.

 

 

Braves vs. Dodgers

Pitching also stole the spotlight in Atlanta on Friday night as the first place Braves defeated the Dodgers by a score of 1-o.

The Braves’ Tim Hudson and the Dodgers’  Hiroki Kuroda matched zeroes for six innings.  The game’s lone run came in the seventh, when Brooks Conrad, playing third base in place of the injured Chipper Jones, homered to center field off of Kuroda.  

Hudson (14-5) allowed just 3 hits over eight innings of work, striking out six.  Kuroda (8-11) took the loss despite allowing just three hits in his seven innings.  Braves’ closer Billy Wagner came on in the ninth and locked down his 29th save of the season.

 

 

Nationals vs. Diamondbacks

The Nationals scored early and let their pitching do the rest, as the Nats defeated the Diamondbacks 4-2 in Washington.

The Nationals scored three runs in the first off of Arizona starter Joe Saunders (1-2), highlighted by a Ryan Zimmerman two-run single.   Wil Nieves extended Washington’s lead to 4-0 with a solo home run in the second.  The D-Backs cut the Nats lead in half with two fifth inning runs off of starter John Lannan, but managed just one hit after that.  Lannan (4-5) allowed just four hits over seven innings, striking out five.  Sean Burnett pitched two perfect innings, striking out four, to pick up his second save on the season.

 

 

Marlins vs. Reds

The Reds roughed up Marlins’ ace Josh Johnson Friday night as they cruised to a 7-2 victory in Cincinnati.

The Reds jumped on Johnson in the first inning, scoring three runs courtesy of RBI singles by Joey Votto, Scott Rolen, and Jay Bruce.  Bruce later homered as the Reds built a 7-0 lead.   The Marlins’ only offense came off of the bat of rookie Mike Stanton, who hit solo home runs in both the sixth and eighth innings. 

Edinson Volquez (3-1) scattered eight hits over six innings of work, allowing just one run and striking out six.  Johnson (10-5) lasted just 3.2 innings in the loss, allowing six runs and ten hits.

Nationals vs. Giants

The Nationals had a 4-2 lead going into the 7^th inning, but a number of costly plays kept them from getting the win, as they fell to the Giants 5-4. Adam Dunn hit his 10^th homerun of the year, and Josh Willingham and Alberto Gonzalez each went 2-3 for the Nationals. Aubrey Huff went 3-4 and Juan Uribe went 2-4 for the Giants.

Craig Stammen went 6.1 innings for the Nationals, giving up three runs on five hits. Sean Burnett came in to pitch in the 7^th for the  Nationals and wound up with the loss. Barry Zito pitched 6.1 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. Santiago Casilla finished off the 7^th and earned the win. Brian Wilson got his 12^th save of the season for the Giants.

For more, check out Centerfield Gate.

Braves vs. Marlins

It was an ugly night for the Braves defensively, who committed four errors. But what they lacked in defense they made up in offense in their 8-3 win over the Marlins. Braves and Marlins both scored in the 1^st inning. The Braves then tacked on two in the 4^th, followed by one in the 6^th and 7th, and finally three in the 8^th. Ricky Nolasco helped himself out with an RBI single in the 4^th for the Marlins. Hanley Ramirez and Ronny Paulino each went 2-4 for Florida.

Tim Hudson and Nolasco each went only four innings thanks to a 77-minute rain delay. Peter Moylan took the mound for the Braves following the rain delay and got the win. Nolasco took the loss after giving up three runs.

For more, check out Braves Baseball Blog and Fish Guts.

Mets vs. Phillies

The Mets have  gone 27 straight innings without giving up a run, and won their fifth in a row, sweeping the Phillies with a score of 3-0. Mike Pelfrey pitched 7 strong innings, giving up no runs on three hits to earn the win. Cole Hamels went 6.1 innings, giving up 3 runs on 9 hits, taking the loss. Francisco Rodriguez got his 9^th save of the season.

The Mets got on the board early with an RBI double by Jason Bay in the first inning. Their next two runs came in the bottom of the 7^th on a RBI double by Jose Reyes. Phillies bats were quiet once again. Shane Victorino was 3-4, with the only other Phillies hit belonging to Raul Ibanez.

For more info, go to Real Dirty Mets Blog and Phillies Phandom.

You were expecting Pedro?

Last night in Philadelphia, it was Pedro’s home debut, unfortunately Mother Nature didn’t cooperate.  Pedro Martinez got through three innings before a rain delay of just over an hour and he didn’t come back and couldn’t try to get a win, as he left losing.  Jamie Moyer(11-9) came in and pitched the final six innings of two hit ball while striking out five and allowed the Phils to come back and win the game 5-1.  Jayson Werth had a homer and an RBI double and Carlos Ruiz also added two RBI’s as the Phils were able to stay 4.5 up on the Marlins.  Phillies Phandom will have more on the Phils from this game.

Jon Garland did come back after the rain delay, and wasn’t the same as before the delay.  After coming back from the delay, Garland(6-11) gave up five runs in his final 3.1 innings pitched and took the loss.  The only offense the D’backs mustered was a solo home run leading off the game by Stephen Drew.

Nolasco with another gem

Ricky Nolasco saved the bullpen for the Marlins last night in Houston, pitching a gem of a complete game.  Nolasco(9-8) went the distance giving up three hits and two runs and striking out twn, his only mistake was a two run home run in the first.  The Marlins offense once again had his back as they got back even in the fourth and took the lead for good in the sixth inning winning 6-2.  Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu and Jeremy Hermida all added solo home runs for the Marlins who keep on chugging along and keeping the heat on the Colorado Rockies and the Phillies to keep winning.  FishGuts will have more information on the win and the Marlins current success.

The Astros got all the runs they could in the first inning on a two run home run by Carlos Lee which scored newly back from the Disabled List, Lance Berkman.  Nolasco shut them down after that, including only one additional hit as they couldn’t do anything from either side of the ball.  Bud Norris(3-1) went 5.2 innings and allowed five runs and a walk and two home runs as he took the loss.

Is he ever happy?

Last night, no one could have seen what would happen, with the suddenly heavy hitting Braves, facing the hobbled New York Mets.  Oliver Perez started how all Mets fans figured, as he allowed two home runs in the first three innings and the Mets were down 4-0.  Then the impossible happened, the Mets got ten base hits and eight runs, yes EIGHT in the bottom of the fourth inning and never looked back.  Oliver Perez(3-3) was able to get through five innings and only gave up those four runs and walked only one, but left with a sore knee.  The Mets bullpen went the final four innings allowing only five more baserunners as the Mets took the opener to the series.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog is your one stop shop for mets information.

Derek Lowe was the typical Derek Lowe for the first three innings of this game as he was shutting down the Mets and getting ground ball double plays when needed.  It all came unraveled in the fourth, and oddly enough, after he was hit on the hand with a ground ball, although he appeared to pitch fine afterwards.  Lowe’s(12-8) final line read 3.2 innings pitched, 11 hits and eight runs with no strike outs of ground balls.  The Braves offense was only able to produce a three run home run by Matt Diaz in the second and a solo shot from Adam LaRoche in the third inning.  The Braves Baseball Blog covers this loss and more.

CGon is on fire

The Rockies were barely able to sneak by the pesky Nationals last night visiting the Nations capital.  Going into the eighth inning, they were in a tie game before Carlos Gonzalez stepped to the plate.  Gonzalez hit a home run which broke the tie and lead to the eventual 4-3 win.  Clint Barmes followed with a solo home run in the ninth inning that proved to be the winning run and as mentioned earlier, helped the Rockies keep their lead on the wildcard.  Brad Hawpe added two RBI of his own on an RBI groundout and a solo shot early in the game.  Ubaldo Jimenez(11-9) was able to go eight innings and allowed just seven hits and two runs in earning the win and Huston Street worked a troubled ninth allowing three hits and a run, but did earn his 30th save of the season.

The Nationals bullpen couldn’t pick up the offense in this one, as late in the game, they faltered.  Sean Burnett(2-3) took the loss while recording one out but allowing the home run to Gonzalez and Tyler Clippard came in and finished the game with 1.2 innings but he also allowed a solo shot, putting the game out of reach.  Starter Craig Stammen, who received a no decision helped his own cause in the second with an RBI double and Nyjer Morgan and Christian Guzman added RBI singles as well.  CenterfieldGate covers the Nationals for you, check them out.

Zito beats the Phillies

The San Francisco Giants went into Sunday’s afternoon game against the Phillies with a chance to take three of four in the series, but a tough task of the Phillies ace Cole Hamels was in front of them.  For four and a half innings it looked like Hamels would shut them down.  In the fifth though, Freddy Sanchez got a two RBI double scoring Zito and Valez which tied the game.  Then later in the game, on a Ryan Howard error, Sanchez scored the go ahead run, and the Giants cruised from there.  The Giants added three more in the sixth inning on a Randy Winn RBI single and a Eugenio Valez two RBI single making the final score 7-3.  Barry Zito(7-10) lasted through six innings and was rewarded with a win, after the Phillies were up 3-1 by the top of the fifth inning.  Giants relief pitching went three innings and only allowed three hits the rest of the way.

The Phillies’ Cole Hamels is still trying to find his postseason form from last year, and it really seemed like he found it.  Things fell apart as mentioned above in the bottom of the fifth and Hamels took the loss.  Hamels(7-6) went five innings but pitched to four in the sixth inning and was charged with six earned runs, but seven overall because of Howard’s error.  Jimmy Rollins hit his 11th home run of the season in the fourth and the Phillies got two RBI singles by Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz to cap their scoring.  Phillies Phandom will have all your Phillies info.

Different Uni, same result

The Marlins had a tough task this weekend when they welcomed the Chicago Cubs into town for a three game set.  All three games were exciting and included a lot of come backs and bad relief pitching.  Sunday was no different, as the Marlins won in walk off fashion.  Ricky Nolasco went seven strong innings and gave up only one run on four hits and a walk while striking out seven, but actually left losing.  Cody Ross hit his 16th of the season in the seventh inning which for the time being tied the game.  That held up until Brenden Donnelly gave up a solo home run to Jake Fox and was headed for the loss.  Lucky for Donnelly, Kevin Gregg the former Marlins closer entered in the ninth inning for the save.  Gregg got one out before he gave up back to back home runs to Dan Uggla and Cody Ross, the second of the game from Ross and a game winner by a score of 3-2.  Check out FishGuts for more Marlins info and on their series victory against the Cubbies.

The Cubs also had a great starting otuting by Ryan Dempster, who went six scoreless innings while scattering three hits and four walks.  Aaron Heilman, the former Met instantly gave up the lead he had worked with, and as you read, Kevin Gregg blew the game for the Cubs.  Derek Lee had the lone RBI in the first six innings with an RBI single in the third and Jake Fox produced the only other run.

Kemp with a 3 run bomb

The Dodgers managed to get back on track this weekend taking two of three in Atlanta against the Braves.  Yesterday, Chad Billingsley was pitching a gem until he left after the fifth with an injury.  Billingsley(11-6) only allowed two hits, zero runs and one walk while striking out nine and left after 83 pitches and an apparent injury.  The Dodgers bullpen combined for four innings and only allowed three hits and one run on way to a 9-1 victory.  Matt Kemp had a huge game, going 3-5 with one run scored and five total RBI.  Three of those RBI came in the fifth with a three run home run, and he added two more in the eighth with a two run single.  James Loney also added two RBI for the Dodgers.

Jair Jurrjens had a rare mediocre start for the Braves, but was pitching well for the first four innings.  Jair Jurrjens(9-8) went five innings allowing ten hits and four runs, but all four runs came in the fifth inning of the game.  Martin Prado produced all the Braves runs with an RBI single in the eighth scoring Matt Diaz.  The Braves Baseball Blog will have more Braves info for you.

Pelf has a mediocre start

The New York Mets went into Sunday’s game hoping to have another solid game after a late inning win on Saturday night.  Mike Pelfrey, who had pitched great on Tuesday night against the Rockies just didn’t have it on Sunday though.  Pelfrey(8-7) took the loss going only five innings while allowing three runs and three walks and two more hit batsmen, in a row.  Jeff Francouer homered for the Mets and Alex Cora doubled in the fifth to produce the Mets only runs in the 5-2 win.  The Mets hope to get a series split tonight as the four game set ends at 7:10Pm.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Jon Garland had his second victory since May 19th in this game, as he was able to pitch a complete game.  Garland(6-10) allowed seven hits and two runs and pitched all the innings while using only 106 pitches.  He was helped by a Chad Tracy two run double and Gerardo Parra getting two late RBI to secure the victory.

Maholm serves one up

The Nationals were able to take the final game of the three game set against the Pirates in a battle of the young and rebuilding teams on Sunday.  Josh Willingham had the big blow in this game as he hit a two run home run in the seventh inning putting the Nats up 3-2 at the time.  Alberto Gonzalez added his second RBI in the game that inning on a ground rule double.  Willingham added his third RBI of the game in the eighth inning and put the game away for the Nationals.  Former Pirate Sean Burnett(2-2) got the win in relief recording just one out in the sixth inning.  Mike MacDougal recorded his seventh save of the season while only allowing a walk in the ninth inning.  CenterfieldGate will have more Nats info for you.

Paul Maholm(6-6) did not make many mistakes in this game, but in the sixth inning, he allowed the two run home run to Willingham and then was charged with the final run of the inning. The Pirates only three runs recorded were on two home runs.  The first was by Ronnie Cedeno in the third scoring Brandon Moss and the final was by Delwyn Young in the seventh, but that was all they would get in losing 5-3.

Dukes sent to AAA Syracuse

AP and ESPN report the Washington Nationals sent OF Elijah Dukes to Syracuse on Wednesday after the trade with Pittsburgh yesterday.  They did this in order to make room on the roster for Nyjer Morgan because Lastings Milledge was currently on the minor league roster when the trade was made.

Both players received on Tuesday are in Florida and at least Nyjer Morgan is available to play.

Earlier this afternoon the Nationals officially completed a trade which will bring them OF Nyjer Morgan from the Pittsburgh Pirates and left handed reliever Sean Burnett.  The Nationals gave up still young, but troublesome Lastings Milledge and reliever Joel Hanrahan to get the deal done.

Morgan is having a very solid season at the age of 28 batting .277 with 18 SB, 27 RBI and 77 total hits and is playing very solid defense as well.  Burnett has been a pretty solid reliever appearing in 38 games, pitching 32.1 innings to a 3.08 ERA and should help a troubled Nats bullpen.

Milledge will now play for his third team and hope to have the luck and success everyone thought he would for years now.  He is still only 24 years old and has the potential to put up All-star numbers.  He was demoted to the minors this year after failing to produce in the leadoff spot for the Nationals.

Hanrahan has had a rough season after being named the closer in spring training.  He only recorded 5 saves before being removed from the role.  The Nationals had been using a more closer by committee type approach and it is unclear how Pittsburgh will utilize the former starter.

Weigh in on your thoughts on the trade in the comments section