I don't think this is very possible….but could the Nationals have their supremacy in the NL East threatened over the final two and a half weeks of the season? The Braves defeated Washington 5-1 on Sunday to complete a three game sweep, and Atlanta is now 5.5 out in the NL East, which is the smallest lead in the National League (even smaller than that of Braves wild card lead over the Cardinals). After the Braves got swept in Milwaukee last week and lost three games in the standings, it doesn't seem very likely. But Washington's final 16 games all come against playoff contenders (six with the Phillies, four with the Brewers, and three each against the Cardinals and Dodgers), while the Braves have nine combined against noncontenders Miami and New York, and three each with the Phillies and Pirates. Atlanta would have to 13-2 to tie for the division title if the Nationals play just .500 ball…but if Washington struggles, the door could be open for a streaking Braves team to claim the division crown.
Game of the Day: Padres 12, Rockies 11. This game…oh lord, this game. The Rockies were esentially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday night, but this loss was the official capper on the deal. Yonder Alonso gave the Padres a 1-0 lead in the first before the Rockies rushed back with three in the second on pitcher Alex White's second homer of the year, and two more in the third on Matt McBride's first career homer. Then, it was the Padres turn, and they scored ten straight runs between the third and fifth innings with a two-run homer by the white hot Chase Headley in the fifth being the final blow. Next, it was the Rockies turn to rally, tying the game with six in the eighth topped off by a Josh Rutledge grand slam. But it was the Padres who would eventually prevail, walking off after an Alonso single to extinguish the Rockies already slim playoff chances for the year. Perhaps the craziest part of this game? It was at Petco Park, and not Coors Field. Yeah, that just happened.
Pitching Lines of the Day: The Brewers are doing their damndest to stay in the playoff hunt, and their young pitching has been a major help to their dynamic offense. In Sunday's 3-0 win over the Mets, it was Wily Peralta's turn to impress. He allowed just two hits and one walk over eight shutout innings, striking out five New York hitters in the process. Matt Harrison continued his surprising year for the Rangers in their 2-1 win over the Mariners, throwing 8 2/3 innings and allowing one run on six hits, walking one and striking out five. Brandon Morrow was effective in Toronto's 5-0 win over the Red Sox, throwing six shutout innings and allowing four hits, walking one and striking out three. The loss actually knocked Boston out of playoff contention, before any other AL East team…now that's something.
Hitting Lines of the Day: There was a ton of offense on Sunday. Anthony Rizzo broke the Pirates' heart yet again in the Cubs' 13-9 victory, going 3/5 with three runs, six RBI, a double, and a pair of homers. Not to be undone, Pedro Alvarez of the Pirates went 2/5 with two homers and five RBI. In a devastating 7-6 loss to the Indians, Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers went 3/5 with three runs, three RBI, a double, and a homer. In Baltimore's 9-5, sweep avoiding win in Oakland, Matt Wieters went 2/3 with two walks, three runs scored, and a pair of solo homers, whlie Endy Chavez (of all people) went 4/4 with two runs, two RBI, a walk, and a double. Finally, there's Ryan Braun, the man who should be NL MVP for the second year in a row…he went 2/4 with a pair of homers in Milwaukee's win. He's very quietly leading the league in homers, and is second in RBI and fifth in batting average. Braun has also stolen 24 bases just for the hell of it, and leads the NL with a .989 OPS, just three points behind the aforementioned Cabrera for the major league lead.
Other Games: The Yankees beat the Rays 6-4 to stay atop the AL East. The Reds edged the Marlins 5-4 in 11. A four run seventh inning gave the Astros a 7-6 win over the Phillies, sending Philly to a disappointing series loss in Houston. A second inning three-run homer by Mark Trumbo was enough to give the Angels a 4-3 win over the Royals. The White Sox blew out the Twins 9-2 to move two games up on the Tigers in the AL Central. The Cardinals beat the Dodgers 5-2 in 12 to move to a game up in the race for the second NL wild card. The Diamondbacks shellacked Ryan Vogelsong and the Giants, winning 10-2.
Today's Games: We only have a half slate of games today, and the only day game will be a big one between the Tigers and White Sox as a makeup of last week's game with Doug Fister and Jose Quintana on the hill. Cliff Lee and RA Dickey will battle in Flushing. The now out of it Red Sox will try to play spoiler in Tampa Bay. Tim Hudson starts for the Braves in Miami. Chris Tillman returns to face the franchise that drafted him as Baltimore takes on Seattle. Madison Bumgarner will start for the Giants against the Rockies.
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
