Time passes quickly most days down here under ground.

Has it really been 3 weeks since I cared enough about baseball to spill some electronic ink on Matt Holliday’s drop to cost the Cards game 2 of the NLDS? Were the Cardinals even IN the NLDS? Who did they play? Man, it’s tough when your team sucked as much as the Mets did this year.

I guess all that matters today is Phillies/Yankees in the 2009 World Series. As a Met fan, it’s no secret that this is a killer choice. I mean, of course I’ll watch the games, but since it’s impossible for me to passively watch any game in any sport “just for fun” without finding some (often ridiculous) reason to root for one over the other….I’ll have to eventually pick a side in this one. Trouble is, picking between the Phillies (ACK!) and the Yankees (D’OH!) for me is almost like deciding whether to wait for a week in the lifeboat and die of dehydration or to just jump in the water now and be immediately eaten by sharks.

Do I do the “New York” thing and root for the Yankees to win it all? That’s a tough sell for me, because I don’t view my allegiance to the Mets as having much if anything to do with me being physically located in New York. I became a Met fan because the seats were always cheap and plentiful in the ’70′s when I was a kid (and the Mets were losers) and my Uncle Danny (who worked at Shea) would sometimes get us in for free. I stayed a Met fan because of the early ’80′s promise of Hubie and Mookie and Ed Lynch and Keith Hernandez…who would turn us into winners…if I stayed loyal and wished for it hard enough. Which of course happened in 1986. I’ve remained a Met fan deep into my adulthood waiting for it all to happen again. Patiently most of the time, but recently with an urgency that has eaten me up.

Geography? Not so much.

Do I root for the Phillies because they’re from the NL East? Sounds like more geography to me. Not buying it.

To me, it comes down to this:

Had someone told me in the beginning of the season that while the Mets would be out of it (shocker), I’d have the choice of seeing either the Yankees or the Phillies lose the World Series and get embarrassed on a national stage, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose the Yankees. Again and again and again.

Because sometimes being a fan is all about flat out hating the other guy, and there’s no team I flat out hate more than the New York Yankees. Don’t get me wrong, I also hate the Phillies. But there are different levels of hate, and the Phillies just don’t spur me to the same level of disgust as the Yankees do. Maybe it’s because the Mets and Phils have both had their fair share of heartache these past 30 or so years and the Yankees seem to be perpetually awesome. Maybe it’s because I grew up with and continue to co-exist with oceans and oceans of Yankee fans who never let me forget that, you know, the Yanks are sort of good and have been for like a thousand years. In your face. Around the clock. Sort of wears on a guy, you know?

Phillie fans? Not so much. They’re way out in Philadelphia, which I’m pretty sure is in New Jersey. Sure, a pretty sizable group shows up now and again at CitiField when they make the trek up to antagonize me at a Met game. But other than that?

I can go whole weeks at a time without being made to eat shit by a Phillie fan, but I can’t walk 10 feet in New York City without being made to feel like I’m a leper for wearing a Met hat by some slack-jawed Yankee fan in a Giambi jersey.

Irrational? Sure, but that’s not unusual, is it?

I mean, it’s baseball, not molecular biology.

The life of a fan whose team is out of the money is sometimes pretty hard to bear. Sitting on the couch wondering what might have been while you stare bleary-eyed at out of towners all enjoying their minutes in the sun. Sometimes though, it’s actually not so bad. Last night was one of those times where I sort of felt safe in the confines of my living room watching games that don’t matter to me except to provide fodder for my blogging imagination. Last night, watching Matt Holliday drop that fly ball in left, I thanked the God of all that is holy that I wasn’t a Cardinal fan and that he wasn’t MY left fielder and that I didn’t just go down 2-0 to the Dodgers in the NLDS on a misplayed 3rd out that would have ended the game. Because if that was Fernando Tatis out there for the Mets dropping the 3rd out with K-Rod on the mound about to close out a beautifully pitched game by Johan Santana, I wouldn’t have come to work today. No, I’m pretty sure I’d be holed up in a bar on the Upper East Side cursing the sunlight right about now.

I wonder if Cardinal fans are as crazy as me, though. Something tells me they’re not. I know that they’re The Most Knowledgeable Fans In The Game (TM) and all that, and players just love getting dealt there so they can chat with these fans over the railing between innings about the suicide squeeze, wood bats and the works of Tom Robbins, but I have an inkling that fans all over Missouri got up today and went to work like normal people. Pissed, to be sure, but dignified. Just thankful to be here. Fully expecting to be back again if not next year, then soon thereafter. Because that’s what midwestern fans are like. Patient.

NL East fans just aren’t like that. Not in our DNA. We’re about triumph and tragedy. Highs and lows. Delight in the misfortune of others and unrepentant gloating at even the most routine of triumphs. Phillies fans booed Mike Schmidt, or so the story goes. As well as Santa Claus himself.

So watching last night as Ryan Franklin followed up Holliday’s error by walking Casey Blake, allowing an RBI single by Ronnie Belliard, throwing one past his catcher allowing the runners to advance, walking Russell Martin and finally giving up the game-winning run on a hit by the shell of a player that used to be known as Mark Loretta….I sat back and smiled. This didn’t happen to me this year. It may happen next year. In fact, I’m certain it will. Likely not in the post-season because the Mets aren’t making the post-season next year, but at some other time when I least expect it, they’ll pull the football away from me as I run up to kick it like Lucy did to Charlie Brown all those times in those Peanuts cartoons. But not this year. This year, it’s the Cardinal fans who get to eat the shit sandwich, and I tell you what, I don’t feel so bad about it.

That’s it from the underground today. Tonight I guess I’ll watch the Yanks and pray for a rain delay to screw up Burnett’s mechanics or something. I’m grasping at straws, I know it. This winter’s going to be very long indeed.

Jason Werth's Granny clinches the win

The story for the Phillies win last night went from a solid start for Joe Blanton after a tough one, to a big blast by Jayson Werth in the 6-1 win.  Jayson Werth hit a grand slam to put the game out of reach in the seventh inning for his 34th home run of the year against the last place Nats.  Joe Blanton(10-7) went six innings and allowed only five hits and four walks and seven strikeouts in getting his 10th win of the year.  Phillies Phandom has much more on this game and all Phillies news.

The Nationals once again could not muster any offense and let this game get away from them late even though they weren’t down much most of the game.  Livan Hernandez(8-11) took the loss but did go six innings only allowing seven hits and two runs during the game.  The only run was scored in the ninth inning on a RBI single by Willie Harris which scored Jason Maxwell.  Centerfield Gate is your place to go for all Nats news.

Cody Ross backs the fish

Cody Ross and the Marlins went on to beat the NL Cenrtal leading Cardinals again yesterday by a final score of 5-2.  Ross went 3-4 with two RBI and two of those runs were scored by second basemen Dan Uggla.  Josh Johnson(15-4) got back on track with a six inning outting allowing nine hits and just one run and no walks.  Once again Leo Nunez came in for the save recording the final two outs for his 22nd of the year on a Matt Holliday double play.  FishGuts has more on this game.

The Cardinals are having a rough go lately, losers of five of their past six against NL East opponents.  Joel Pineiro(14-11) went 5.1 innings and allowed ten hits and four runs for one of his worse outtings in taking the loss.  Julio Lugo got the first RBI for the Cardinals on a single in the sixth and the only other run was credited to Albert Pujols as he was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the ninth, but that would be it.

Braves beat the Mets on an error

The Atlanta Braves were down two going into the bottom of the ninth against the Mets, but came out winning 6-5.  The Braves tied the game with an Omar Infante sacrifice fly to start it and then an error by Daniel Murphy allowed David Ross to score the winning run to keep the Braves hot.  Former Met Ryan Church was the person who hit the error and also had an RBI single earlier in the game too.  Derek Lowe left this one early with a blister and Eric O’Flaherty(2-1) as the seventh Braves pitcher got the win with a scoreless top of the ninth.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more info on the Braves late march towards the postseason.

The New York Mets seem to want to lose games sometimes.  Francisco Rodriguez(3-5) got his 6th blown save of the year in this one and then took his fifth loss on the Daniel Murphy error.  It was a good night for Mets catchers as Josh Thole got a two RBI single in the second and Omir Santos hit a pinch hit solo homer in the eighth inning as well but it all got overlooked with the blown game.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has more on this game and the Mets follies.

Welcome to another edition of Chatter Up! here at NLEC. This week will match up Mark P Centerfield Gate against Matt Smith of Phillies Phandom. Enjoy!

MrNorthJersey(NLEC): Do you want and expect Willingham back in a Nationals uniform in 2010?

Mark P(CFG): There was talk of trading Willingham all season, but it never happened — and for good reason. The guy proved to be the hitter that we anticipated (and that I anticipated) when we got him from the Marlins. I think he’s now untouchable. You know, nothing’s impossible: but it would be hard to name a guy who the nats could get for him that would be as good. The fans love him and the guy just hits the hell out of the ball: who knows what he might have done had he started the season in the outfield, instead of that other guy … what’s his name? Oh yeah, Austin Kearns. How the Nationals brain trust could have ever concluded that he was better than Willingham is a question so embarassing it cannot be asked: and gives the term brain trust a whole different meaning.

MrNorthJersey(NLEC): Do you think MacDougal will opt out of his contract and test free agency?

Mark P(CFG): Good question. I somehow don’t think so. The Nats front office seems to think he will be back, talking endless of getting a set up guy that will make him the reliever for the team in 2010. This scares me, because MacDougal is one of those 9th inning guys who just scrapes by — but barely. The last thing this team needs is another collapses bullpen in 2010. Th next to last thing it needs is placing its trust in just one closer. I wouldn’t hold an audition for the spot necessarily (Joel Hanrahan won the audition in the Spring, for pity sake) but I sure wouldn’t think that “Heart Attack Mike” is the only answer we have.

Matt S(PP): The Nationals have been a much-improved squad over the last several weeks. Adam Dunn has had a tremendous season. Are you surprised by Dunn’s production this year and do you view him as a vital piece to the puzzle for next year?

Mark P(CFG): Yes, I’m surprised. You know, Dunn came with baggage: that he was a good hitter but with an indifferent attitude. That turned out to be false, or rather, perhaps it was true because Dunn got bored in Cincinnati (which is more than possible). I thought he would come in with about 29 to 32 homers and make a mash of the outfield. I could see it in my dreams: Dunning chasing down a ball hit over his head, dropping a line drive, tripping over his feet going into the corner. But not only has he really hit the cover off the ball, he has made a real effort to get better as a first baseman. You can see his defensive improvement, which is key, considering Guzman’s boot em and throw em away capabilities. If his defense gets better and he keeps hitting I would expect that the Nats would try to extend him. There aren’t many guys in the majors who can hit 40 homers and drive in 100 runs. And for some reason (stop the presses) Dunn seems to love it here. Who knew?

Matt S(PP): Are Nats fans clamoring for Stephen Strasburg at this point? Can you explain how Strasburg making the team out of spring training would impact the franchise and its fanbase?

Mark P(CFG): I am surprised and gratified by the patience showed by Nats fans. We regularly draw 20,000 to games in which the late innings are so painful that people have to wish they were somewhere else. But they keep coming back for more, night after night. That same patience is being shown now by fans who realize that while it would be nice to see Strasburg right now — or early next year — it would be far better to see him in the post-seasons, with a healthy arm, in 2011. If Strasburg makes the team out of spring training I would advise the front office (they’re not exactly on the phone with me all the time, but there you have it) to pitch him during the third or even fourth home game — when they absolutely need to fill the stadium. My sense is that when Strasburg arrives DC will have to assign more cops for crowd control. The place will be packed. We’re patient, very patient. But honestly, we can’t wait to see this guy.

Matt R(NLEC): I read on your site that it seems the Nats have asked Christian Guzman to move to 2b, how helpful will this truly be for the Nats going forward or does it just shift his suspect defense to a different position?

Mark P(CFG): I think this is a bad decision that confirms the kind of decision making that baseball eggheads rightly criticize: which is based on the assumption that a bad shortstop will somehow improve when he moves to second. I don’t buy it. Not even a little bit. You know, I am such a fan of Alberto Gonzalez (for those who don’t know, a kid out of the DR) that I hope the Nats put him at second, keep Ian Desmond (our rookie phenom) at short — and work a trade for Guzman. He will command an $8 million dollar salary next year and freeing it up would help us to get some middle infielders who can do the job. Or, better yet, we can use the money to sign a guy like Jon Garland. But then, of course, we’d really need a replacement for Guzman, as Garland is a ground ball specialist. To answer your question: putting Guzman at second simply shifts his suspect defense to a different position

Thanks again Mark, now onto Matt Smith of Phillies Phandom

MrNorthJersey(NLEC): With names like Brett Myers, Joe Blanton, Shane Victorino, Chan Ho Park, Scott Eyre, Chad Durbin, Clay Condrey, Tyler Walker, and possibly Pedro Feliz ($0.5mil buyout), becoming free agents this year who do you feel will they miss most if they do not resign them for 2010?

Matt S(PP): Well, most of these players are arbitration eligible. Blanton, Victorino, Durbin, Walker and Condrey won’t be free agents until after the 2010 season. In fact, I’m pretty sure Victorino has at least two more seasons until he can become a free agent. That said, I’m positive Victorino will be signed to a long-term deal in the neighborhood of three-four years. I have a feeling Blanton will ask for a lot of money, so he could go to arbitration. I don’t expect Myers back unless the Phillies feel he can compete with Brad Lidge for the closer role. At the same time, I don’t think Myers will turn down starter’s money in free agency, and the Phillies don’t really have a spot for him in the rotation. I think Chan Ho Park will re-sign, unless, of course, he’s hellbent on being a starter again. The Phillies should pick up Feliz’s option, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they let him go. And don’t be stunned if Pedro re-signs, too.

Matt R(NLEC): Continuing from the question above, I know the Phillies have bigger fish to fry (literally?) but do you think there are any obvious off-season targets?

Matt S(PP):Not at the moment. I’m sure they’ll look for a left-handed reliever and some bench help. If they part ways with Feliz, they’ll obviously be in the market for a third baseman.

Matt R(NLEC): If you had to choose today, rank what potential National League playoff teams you’d like to see the Phils play and why.

Matt S(PP): Dodgers, Cardinals, Rockies, Giants in order of which team I’d like to see them play in the first round. There is nothing the Dodgers are doing that worries me. I don’t think they have the starting pitching to win a playoff series. The Cardinals have an excellent lineup and an awesome one-two punch at the top of their rotation, but we’ve played them well this year, winning four of five games. The Rockies are hot right now, so they can be a scary opponent. If the Giants somehow get in, I fear facing Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain in the first two games of a five-game series.

Matt R(NLEC): What about the American League? The Phils took two of three from the Yanks early in the year, but this Yankees team is very different now, what about the Angels and Tigers? How well do you see the Phils matching up if they get there?

Matt S(PP):I actually think they match up well with any AL team. It’s so far off the radar, I prefer not to think about any potential World Series match ups right now In the AL, starting pitching isn’t as worrisome as some of those NL teams I mentioned.

Matt R(NLEC): Health check: Bullpen.. . after this weekend, are you more, less, or just about the same confidence in the bullpen?

Matt S(PP):Less. It’s been a struggle. It’s not a good thing having question marks at the back of the bullpen. It’s a different situation from last year, when the team was good to go in the pen. I know the offense has been hit-or-miss the last month or so, but the ninth inning is the biggest concern right now. Nothing will really change from now until October, either.

Please feel free to email any recommend questions or comments about the segment to mrose@nleastchatter.com or go to this forum topic and post a reply. We need questions for our next Chatter Up! Those games are Nats @ Mets and Phillies @ Braves.  Thanks for everyone’s participation!

Lee with a CG

Cliff Lee rebounded from a few bad outtings with a stellar game on Tuesday night.  Cliff Lee(7-2) pitched a complete game shutout giving up only six hits and walking three while striking out nine batters on 124 pitches.  He was given all five runs of offense in the first and second on a Chase Utley RBI single, a Carlos Ruiz two RBI double and a Jimmy Rollins RBI single during the 5-0 win.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more info on this game and the Phillies continued march to the playoffs.

Garrett Mock managed to get through six innings to save the bullpen a bit, but pitched poorly, especially early.  Mock(3-8) went six innings allowing seven hits and five runs and his season ERA is now 5.89.  The Nats offense was sleeping and only Jason Maxwell had more than one hit in this game, Centerfield Gate has more.

Uggla with the big blow

Neither team ran away with this one in St. Louis, but courtesy of Dan Uggla, the Marlins came away with a 2-1 win over the Cardinals.  In the sixth inning, while down 1-0, Dan Uggla hit a two run shot off starter Adam Wainwright and the Marlins bullpen closed the door to win this game 2-1.  Sean West(7-5) went six strong innings allowing six hits and just one run and nine k’s in this one and Leo Nunez got his 21st save on a perfect ninth with two strikeouts.  Check out FishGuts for more on the Marlins.

Albert Pujols hit a sacrifice fly in teh fifth scoring Rick Ankiel and that would be all the scoring the Cardinals got in this one, giving no run support to Wainwright.  Wainwright(18-8) went seven innings allowing seven hits and two runs and eight strike outs with his main blemish being a home run.

LaRoche with two long balls

Adam LaRoche had a huge day against the Mets last night during the Braves run away 6-0 victory.  LaRoche went 4-4 with four runs scored and three RBI, two of those RBI on home runs in leading the way.  Rookie Tommy Hanson(10-3) got his tenth victory of the year in a stellar seven inning three hit and eight strikeout performance for the win.  The Braves have now won five in a row to keep their small playoff hopes alive, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

What can you say about the Mets?  No much!  Pat Misch(1-3) went five tough innings allowing eight hits and four runs in taking the loss and the bullpen wasn’t much better behind him.  The Mets recorded only four total hits on the night, with two coming from Daniel Murphy but obviously no runs scored, The Real Dirty Mets Blog covers them.

Only one NL East game for Monday night, Marlins @ Cardinals, lets get to it..

Pujols celebrates as the Cardinals romp

The Marlins took an early lead against the Marlins on Monday, lost that lead, and then piled on to win 11-6.  Coby Rasmus and Matt Holliday led the Cardinals with three RBI each and Skip Schumaker had three hits in four at bats and a walk to get on base a total of 5 times as well and the Cards pounded out seventeen hits.  Todd Wellemeyer started but only got through the fourth before giving up nine hits and six runs before the offense and relief saved him.  Blake Hawksworth(4-0) got the win in relief by pitching 1.1 innings allowing no runs on a hit and a walk.

Ricky Nolasco had another tough start for the floundering fish.  Nolasco(11-9) got through five innings and gave up ten hits and seven runs and only struck out four in this one.  All Marlins runs came between the second and fourth inning, the final blow being a Nick Johnson two run home run scoring Chris Coghlan temporarily giving them a 6-4 lead.  Check out FishGuts for more on this game and the Marlins.

Lidge barely gets a save

Game 1

In the first game of a double dip yesterday, Kyle Kendrick made a spot start for the Phillies and looked great.  Kendrick(1-1) went 7.1 innings and only allowed seven hits and two earned runs, both on an Anderson Hernandez two run shot in the eighth.  He was supported by a Ben Francisco homer and a Shane Victorino two run homer early.  The hit that mattered though was an Andy Tracy RBI single in the bottom of the eighth giving insurance runs.  Brad Lidge narrowly got his 29th save of the season working the ninth and allowing three hits and two runs before getting the final out to end it.

The Mets sent John Maine to the mound after a long absence and although he could only pitch through the third because of a pitch count, he did well.  Maine(5-5) took the loss even though he only gave up two hits and a run on 57 pitches.  The Mets relief gave up a combined eight hits and four runs in the final five innings and did not help the Mets comeback.  Anderson Hernandez had the two run shot to bring them closer and in the ninth Josh Thole singled home Francouer and then came in himself on a Jeremy Reed single, but they could not get closer.

Pedro shuts down his former mates

Game 2:

Pedro Martinez is now 2-0 versus his former team and he absolutely shut them down last night in the nightcap.  Martinez(5-0) went eight innings allowing six hits and striking out seven while throwing 130 pitches! The only run was scored on an RBI single by Chase Utley, scoring Jimmy Rollins in the first inning.  Ryan Madson got his eighth save of the year but did allow one batter to get on base for the shaky bullpen.

Phillies Phandom has more on both games of this double dip for you!

Tim Redding pitched very well and well enough to win, but again, no offense behind him.  Tim Redding(2-6) went six innings and allowed three hit sand only the run in the first inning in taking a real tough luck loss.  Only Brian Schneider and Anderson Hernandez had multiple hits for the Mets as they will regroup and hope to win a few in Atlanta this week.

The Real Dirty Mets Blog will have more on the double dip from the Mets side of the diamond.

Umm..wow

The Florida Marlins ended a deflating and disappointing weekend with a 7-2 loss at the hands of the last place Nationals.  Nats ace John Lannan(9-11) went the minimum only allowing one run on six hits to get his 9th win of the year and let his offense do the rest.    Elijah Dukes and Pete Orr added two RBI a piece and rookie Ian Desmond continued to play well going 2-5 for the Nats in this one.  Centerfield Gate will have more on this game and the series and all the Nats news you need.

Chris Volstad was back from the minors to make a start and it did not go well for him.  Volstad(9-12) went only three innings and allowed five hits and four earned runs (five total) and allowed five walks and a home run on the day.  Unfortunately the offense couldn’t do much to get back in the game in this one.  Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross had the only RBI for the Marlins on this day and Hanley Ramirez added three hits, but this was a disappointing weekend for the Fish.  FishGuts has more on this.

Carpenter with a rare bad one

Javier Vazquez continues to be solid for the Braves, as he led them to a series sweep over the Central leading Cardinals yesterday 9-2.  Vazquez(9-2) went a complete game allowing seven hits and two runs and eight strikeouts to get the victory here.  Nate McClouth had four hits and Adam LaRoche had two hits and three RBI to lead the Braves to the sweep.  The Braves Baseball Blog has more on the Bravos.

Chris Carpenter does not have many starts like this, but unfortunately he laid an egg on Sunday.  Carpenter(16-4) managed through six taxing innings but gave up nine hits and seven runs and the offense was stagnant for him as well.  Matt Holliday had the only two RBI for the Cardinals in this one and Skip Schumaker had three hits, but the Cardinals will look to rebound from this tough weekend this week.

Here is your NL East Chatter Video Recap Edition courtesy of MLB.

Hamels leads the Phils in the rain

Phillies ace Cole Hamels seemed to have found his stuff last night as he led the Phillies to a 4-2 victory in a rainy night.  Hamels(9-9) pitched 6.2 innings while allowing seven hits and one run including six strikeouts for him to get a rare win versus the Mets.  Rollins, Utley, Feliz and Ruiz added solo RBI each during the win and Ryan Madson worked a shaky ninth allowing two hits and a run for his seventh save of the season,  Phillies Phandom will have more on this game.

Nelson Figueroa did not pitch badly, but used a lot of pitches in this one.  Figueroa(2-5) gave up nine hits and five walks but only two runs in 5.1 innings of work but was charged with the loss.  Mets relief gave up two more runs later in the game to put it out of reach and the offense was stagnant.  Castillo’s sacrifice fly in the seventh and Cory Sullivan’s double play ground out scored the Mets only runs of the game.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has all the Mets info for you.

JD Martin leads the Nats to the win

The Nationals have a chance to really hurt the playoff chances of the Florida Marlins this weekend in South Florida.  J.D. Martin(4-4) started the task off well last night as he went five strong innings only allowing two runs during a 5-3 Nationals victory.  Mike Morse doubled in the eventual winning run for the Nationals in the sixth and Zimmerman added a solo shot later to seal it as Mike MacDougal got his 15th save of the season.  Check out Centerfield Gate for more.

The Florida Marlins had just finally gained a game in the division, but lost it right back tonight with faulty pitching.  After Josh Johnson could only get through five innings of two run ball, Brian Sanches(4-2) gave up the two run double and took the loss in this one for the Marlins.  Hanley Ramirez’ two run homer and Dan Uggla’s solo shot later produced all the runs the Marlins would get, check out FishGuts for more.

Jurrjens with a gem

Jair Jurrjens pitched an absolute gem of a game on Friday night.  Jurrjens(11-10) went eight innings of six hit and no run ball with seven strike outs to get a nailbiting victory for the Braves.  Omar Infante got the only RBI on a fielders choice that turned into an error by Albert Pujols and Rafael Soriano was back on the mound closing, getting his 23rd of the year.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more on the game.

The Cardinals also got a great game from Joel Piniero.  Piniero(14-10) went seven innings and only allowed that one run on five hits in the game.  The umpiring was a bit suspect for Cardinals fans as it appeared that Holliday did score earlier in the game but was called out by the home plate ump, they will hope to get revenge today.

Please feel free to email any recommend questions or comments about the segment to mrose@nleastchatter.com or go to this forum topic and post a reply.  We need questions for our next Chatter Up! sessions, which are for Tuesday’s games of the Nationals @ Phillies and the Mets @ Braves.  Thanks for everyone’s participation!