Pedro celebrates the Phillies divisional win

The Phillies rode a four run fourth inning against the Astros to take this game and the division, 10-3.  Raul Ibanez contributed a two run home run and a total of three RBI and two runs scored as the Phillies had a laugher.  Pedro Martinez only went four innings but Kyle Kendrick(3-1) worked three scoreless innings allowing just two hits for the victory.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more on the victory and congrats to them and their team on the third straight division victory.

Brian Moehler(8-12) was pretty terrible in this game, only lasting 4.1 innings but allowing six hits and seven runs including three walks in the loss.  Josh Towles had a great game, hitting two solo home runs to provide two of the three runs they received.  The series between the two teams ends today.

Chipper watches the playoffs fly away

The Florida Marlins are playing spoiler once again, as they seem to do every year, with their second consecutive win against the Braves, 5-4.  Ross Gload had a two run home run and Jorge Cantu went 3-5 with two runs scored and an RBI to lead the Marlins in this one.  Ricky Nolasco(13-9) went 7.2 innings allowing just four hits and two runs and striking out SIXTEEN batters in this one, what a gem.  Brenden Donnelly came on for the final out to get the save(2) in this one as Leo Nunez was struggling, but still got his 14th save of the season, check out FishGuts for more.

Javier Vazquez had a rare loss in a big game for the Braves.  Vazquez(15-10) went six innings and allowed eight hits and five runs (only three earned) but also struck out nine.  The Braves made a comeback bid in this one as they were down 5-0 entering the seventh.  Adam LaRoche had a two RBI single, followed by Yunel Escobar and Omar Infante RBI singles in the ninth before the Marlins put the game away, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Maxwell with a walkoff granny

Ah, the sought after matchup of the basement teams was won in a sweep by the Nats, with a 7-4 walk off win on Wednesday night.  Justin Maxwell came to the plate and hit a grand slam sending the Nats to a 7-4 win when they entered the inning down 4-2.  Adam Dunn had walked just before him to get them within one run and he took a KRod pitch out of the stadium.  Ron Villone(5-6) got the win with 0.2 innings pitched and you can get more at Centerfield Gate.

Francisco Rodriguez had one of the worst games a closer can take, thank god it meant nothing.  Rodriguez(3-6) blew his seventh save of the year and got two outs in the ninth while allowing three hits, five runs and two walks on 37 pitches.  Omir Santos had two RBI in this game to lead the Mets along with Carlos Beltran and Fernando Tatis, but all for naught.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Feliz with a granny

Pedro Feliz helped the Phillies finally cut down on their magic number to win the National League East, during a 7-4 win against the Astros.  Pedro Feliz  hit a fourth inning grand slam in the fourth inning putting the Phillies up for good in this one.  J.A. Happ(12-4) pitched 5.2 innings giving up only nine hits and four runs (three earned) and threw 199 pitches for the win in this one.  Ryan Madson got his tenth save of the year as he appears to be the closer of the week, but did give up two hits before recording the final out and needed 27 pitches to do it, check out Phillies Phandom for more.

Wilton Lopez(0-1) couldn’t do what the no name pitcher on Monday could do to the Phillies and was tagged for five runs and six hits in only 3.2 innings.  The Astros got home runs from Lance Berkman early and a two run shot from Kaz Matsui in the sixth inning but they ended their four game winning streak for the year against the Phils.

Once again the photographers took the night off for the game… thanks!

Anyway, the Braves finally lost a game, and it was a damaging loss as both the Rockies and the Phillies both won.

Chris Coghlan had three hits and two runs scored and Cameron Maybin had two RBI as the Marlins went on to beat the Braves by a score of 5-4.  Josh Johnson pitched well through five, giving up three hits and a run but left with a no decision in this one as the Braves eventually tied it.  Renyel Pinto(4-1) worked 1.1 scoreless innings to get the victory in this one and Leo Nunez got his 25th save of the season, check FishGuts for more.

Tim Hudson had a rough start for the Braves as he went five innings and allowed seven hits and four runs and three walks, but was bailed out by the bats to not get the loss.  Kenshin Kawakami(7-12) went 1.2 innings of relief and gave up three hits and a run in taking the loss in this one.  Matt Diaz had the big blow in this one, a three run shot in the sixth to tie the game off Brian Sanches, but it wasn’t enough.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more.

MacDougal gets another S

The Nationals took advantage of bad defense for the Mets last night on way to their second straight win, 4-3.  Sean Green(1-4) gave up an unearned run with a walkwhile there were errors by the middle infielders for the Mets allowing the Nats to take the lead.  Tyler Clippard(3-2) worked two innings of scoreless relief to get the win as well and then passed to MacDougal for his 18th save of the season even though he gave up a hit, but struck out two.  Centerfield Gate has more on the Nats win.

Going to the eighth inning, the Mets were up 3-0, then it fell apart.  In the eighth, Pelfrey gave up a two run home run to rookie Ian Desmond and later, a RBI single to Ryan Zimmerman to allow the game to be tied.  The Mets got an RBI walk to Beltran in the first and two RBI singles, one by Pagan and one by Wright in the second inning.  They had a chance to tie it on a deep fly by Wright in the top of the ninth, but a great running catch by Elijah Dukes killed that momentum.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more.

Hamels is thinking about Playoffs

The Houston Astros continued to have the Phillies number last night in Philly, beating Hamels and the Phils 8-2.  Miguel Tejada went 4-5 with three runs and an RBI, CarlosLee added tow hits, two runs and an RBI and even former Met Jeff Keppinger got into things going 3-5 with two RBI on the day.  Yorman Bazardo(1-2) got his first win by lasting 5.2 innings and only allowed two hits and two runs to the heavy hitting Phillies.

Cole Hamels(10-10) dropped back to .500 on the season with a 6.2 inning stinker, allowing nine hits and six runs in this game.  The offense obviously didn’t help wither as Shane Victorino was the only Philly with two hits and only Chase Utley recorded the only RBI for them.  Phillies Phandom will have more on the Phillies and their struggles against the Astros.

Jurrjens with another gem

Jair Jurrjens is keeping the playoff hopes of the Braves alive, with a gem last night in a 4-0 win against the Fish.  Jurrjens(14-10) went seven innings and allowed just five hits and a walk with no runs, his season ERA is now 2.61, impressive.  The Braves only had three hits, but had ELEVEN walks to put up their four runs.  The RBI’s were credited to Nate McLouth, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann and Garrett Anderson.  The Braves Baseball Blog covers the Braves.

ELEVEN walks, that is absolutely insane and you can not expect to win with that.  Anibal Sanchez(3-8) went five innings and his line was two hits, three runs and EIGHT walks in the game.  No one in the offense had more than two hits, those went to John Baker and Chris Coghlan as the Marlins flounder down the stretch, check out FishGuts for more.

Is he doing the robot?

Ah, the matchup of the week, the last place Nats against the should be last place Mets, the Nats took the first game, 2-1.  Ross Detwiler(1-6) got his first major league win as he went six innings and allowed just seven hits and one run in the game, congrats.  Ryan Zimmerman got the Nats on the board in the first with a sacrifice fly and Mike Morse had a solo shot in the sixth that proved to be the game winning run.  Mike MacDougal got his 17th save of the season with a perfect ninth as well.  Centerfield Gate has more on the Nationals and many things baseball.

Nelson Figueroa pitched well enough to win yet again, but he does play on the 2009 Mets, so that didn’t happen.  Figueroa(2-8) got the loss in six innings allowing six hits and two runs, basically just on that home run in this one.  Fernando Tatis had the only RBI with a single to Center field in the sixth scoring Carlos Beltran, temporarily tying the game.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog covers this and many other issues the Mets face entering the offseason.

Entering our final week of the season and recaps..here we go

Raul Ibanez scores in the fifth

Joe Blanton helped the Phillies finally cut some games off their magic number yesterday as he helped them win in Milwaukee 6-5.  Blanton(12-7) did not have one of his best games of the year, but went 5.2 innings and allowed seven hits and five runs on 124 pitches for the win.  Jimmy Rollins led off with a solo home run and Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino had RBI doubles to put the Phils up 4-0 in the second inning.  Ryan Madson got his ninth save of the year but did give up a double to Prince Fielder to make it anothe r stressful game.  Check out Phillies Phandom for more on this game and the Phils march to the postseason.

For a while in this one, it looked like the Brewers might be blown out, but in the sixth, they got a bit closer.  Matt Gamel, the rookie had a three run home run scoring Cameron and Escobar and Ryan Braun later singled home Corey Hart to make it a one run game.  Dave Bush(5-9) was chased after only 4.1 innings of work and giving up nine hits and five runs for the Brewers and taking the loss in this one.

Prado and Chipper score go ahead runs in the tenth

The Braves were looking for a sweep yesterday and some tenth inning heroics helped them get that win 6-3.  Brian McCann grounded out to score Nate McLouth to put them ahead 4-3 and then Omar Infante put the insurance runs on with a two run single scoring Martin Prado and Chipper Jones.  Mike Gonzalez(5-4) got credit for the win as he pitched the ninth giving up only one hit and Rafael Soriano got his 27th save of the season with a perfect bottom of the tenth inning, check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more on this incredible run by the Braves.

Well, one goo thing in this game was Zimmerman and Willingham hitting back to back home runs in the first inning to put the Nats up early, unfortunately the lead didn’t last.  Livan Hernandez pitched 6.1 innings allowing three runs on six hits for a solid Livan type start, but MacDougal couldn’t hold the tie for the Nats.  MacDougal(1-1) gave up two hits and three runs in his one inning of work, sending the Nats to the sweep, check out Centerfield Gate for more.

Misch with a CG shutout..wow

Pat Misch helped the Mets extract a bit of revenge on the pesky Marlins yesterday, winning 4-0.  Pat Misch(2-4) went a full nine innings allowing eight hits and three walks , but no runs as the Mets eliminated the Marlins from the Playoffs, as was done to them the past two seasons.  Jeff Francouer continued a solid half season as a Met going 2-5 with two runs scored and a two run home run as well.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for insight on the Mets offseason plans or what they should do at least.

Chris Volstad definitely lost his good stuff this year, and needs to find it in the offense.  Volstad(9-13) went only four innings and allowed five hits and three runs with the big blow being the home run to Francouer.  Even worse, the Marlins could not manage a run in the game, with Coghlan and Maybin leading the way with two hits, check out FishGuts for the latest on the Marlins.

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

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

Lidge blows #11

The Florida Marlins were looking to take two of three against the first place Phillies last night and pull closer in the wildcard and division, but were down headed to late innings.  They fought back late in the game with a Gaby Sanchez home run in the eighth, a Cody Ross RBI single in the eighth and finally a Jorge Cantu RBI single to tie it in the ninth.  That wasn’t the end of it though, as Brett Carroll singled home Hanley Ramirez with the winning run against struggling closer Brad Lidge in the bottom of the ninth to win 7-6.  Dan Meyer(3-1) got the win while working a scoreless inning in the ninth as the Marlins try to keep their playoff hopes alive, FishGuts has more.

Brad Lidge is a far cry from last year’s perfect season, now with his 11th blown save of the year.  Lidge only recorded two outs in the bottom of the ninth while allowing three hits and a walk while giving up two runs and his ERA is now 7.48 on the season.  The blown save took another win away from starter Cole Hamels and took the emphasis off a game in which both Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard homered and Howard had a total of four RBI.  Phillies Phandom will cover Lidge’s struggle.

Cox with an extension and another win

On a night when it was announced that Bobby Cox would manage for another season, the Braves gave him another win.  Tim Hudson(2-1) went six innings allowing nine hits and two runs to continue a successful Tommy John comeback and the bottom of the order did the heavy lifting for the Braves.  Adam LaRoche went 3-5 with two RBI and Kelly Johnson went 1-3 with two RBI on way to the 5-2 win.  Rafael Soriano once again worked the ninth allowing just a walk to get his 26th save of the season, check out Braves Baseball Blog for more.

Mike Pelfrey absolutely can’t find the magic he had last year as he lost again.  Pelfrey(10-12) went six innings and allowed nine hits and four runs (although three earned) in taking another loss.  Luis Castillo singled home Pelfrey in the third and then Angel Pagan had an RBI on a fielders’ choice error in the fourth for their only runs.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has more on the game and the Mets floundering season.

The Nats win one in walk off fashion

The Nationals took a game from the Dodgers last night, with a final score of 5-4 and in walk off fashion on Pete Orr’s sacrifice fly in the ninth.  Ryan Zimmerman had a big blow in the sixth as he hit a three run home run off Chad Billingsley to temporarily tie the game.  The Nats would go ahead onf Elijah Dukes RBI groundout before giving it back again in the ninth.  Saul Rivera(1-3) got the win as he worked the final two outs of the top of the ninth inning on only three pitches. Check out Centerfield Gate for an in depth recap on the game.

Chad Billingsley pitched well through the first six innings but then appeared to break down in the sixth inning.  Billingsley went six innings allowing just one hit and three runs, but walking four and striking out nine, the one hit being the big three run homer.  On offense, Andre Ethier, James Loney and Russell Martin were credited with RBI’s in the game but no one had more than two hits for the Dodgers.

Game 1

Ibanez with a blast

The Phillies drew first blood in the double dip in Miami yesterday, as they came on late for a 9-3 win.  Joe Blanton(11-7) went seven shutout innings allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out nine to get the victory.  Ryan Howard had two hits and three RBI to lead the Phillies in the game with a big two run double to put the game away.

Josh Johnson has been struggling of late, and yesterday was no exception.  Johnson(15-5) went five innings allowing seven hits and four runs, but struck out ten batters.  He left down 4-0 but also got little run support during the game in taking this loss.  In the eighth inning, the Marlins socred their only three runs on a Hanley Ramirez RBI double and then a Dan Uggla two RBI single.

In the second game of the double dip, the Marlins got even, with a 3-0 victory.  Anibal Sanchez(3-7) pitched a gem, as he went eight innings of two hit ball and allowed no runs before giving way to Leo Nunez for his 24th save of the season.  Dan Uggla and Cody Ross hit solo home runs and to cap the scoring, Hanley Ramirez had an RBI double in the fifth inning.

Jamie Moyer is usually a Marlin killer, and in this one he pitched well, but not well enough to win.  Moyer(12-10) went seven innings of three run, nine hit ball in taking the loss.  The Phillies as a team only had four baserunners, so the bats were pretty silent in this one.

Check out FishGuts for more on the Marlins aspect in this doubleheader and Phillies Phandom for the Phillies.

Why is Chipper front and center when playing the Mets?

The Atlanta Braves continued steamrolling the lowly Mets last night, with a 3-1 victory in New York.  Jair Jurrjens(13-10) won again versus the Mets as he went seven innings and allowed just five hits and a single run in this one.  The Braves actually were down 1-0 before Yunel Escobar singled home Martin Prado and Chipper Jones in the second inning.  That 2-1 score stood until the ninth when Adam LaRoche singled home Yunel Escobar with an insurance run.  Rafael Soriano worked the ninth allowing one walk around striking out the side to get his 25th save of the year.  The Braves Baseball Blog has more info on this win.

The Mets, what more can you say about them and how many times have I wrote that?  Nelson Figueroa(2-7) actually turned in a quality start as he went seven innings of two hit, three walk and two run ball, but had no run support behind him.  Luis Castillo had an RBI single scoring Anderson Hernandez in the third, but that would be it for the Metsies, check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more on them.

Kuroda shuts down the Nats

The Los Angeles Dodgers came in and beat down on the worst NL team, the Nats last night 14-2.  Rafael Furcal had a pair of two RBI singles to lead the way for the Dodgers and former Nat, Ronnie Belliard added two hits, two runs and an RBI during the rout.  Hiroki Kuroda(8-6) went six innings allowing just four hits and two runs to get the win in this one, leaving at only 81 pitches.

Livan Hernandez had his worst start as a National this year.  Hernandez(8-12) went 3.2 innings and allowed eight hits, eight runs and four walks to put the Nats in a big early hole.  The lone Nats runs were scored on a two run homer by Adam Dunn scoring Ryan Zimmerman in the third inning, which temporarily had them in a lead before Hernandez’s imposion.  Check out Centerfield Gate for more on the Nats.

Just one game on Monday night, and it was a laugher…

Jones hurts the Metsies again

The Atlanta Braves had no problem in this one, as they had put up 11 runs in three innings on way to an 11-3 romping of the Mets last night.  Garrett Anderson hit a two run home run to cap a four run first and Chipper Jones added a big blow with a three run home run in the second inning as well early in this one.  Derek Lowe(15-9) was able to cost through five innings allowing just six hits and three runs and leaving with just 69 pitches on the day.  Kenshin Kawakami picked up the save pitching four innings of one hit ball.  The Braves Baseball Blog is the place to go for Brave info.

Pat Misch was awful for the Mets, just absolutely awful.  Misch(1-4) got through 1.1 innings and allowed seven hits and eight runs and THREE home runs, Lance Broadway wasn’t much better giving up three more runs in 1.2 innings  following.  Young catcher Josh Thole had an RBI groundout in the second as well as an Angel Pagan RBI groundout in the fifth sandwiched around a Daniel Murphy solo homer in the fourth for all the scoring.  The Real Dirty Mets Blog has more on the Mets season winding down.