The Atlanta Braves are falling a bit under the radar this season, but lately, they're playing some pretty good baseball. The Braves have won seven straight games, sweeping both the Cardinals and Rockies at Turner Field to move to 11.5 games up in the NL East.. Their lead is so large in fact that their 11.5 game lead is just as large as the other five divisional races combined. The second place Nationals are closer to the last place Marlins than they are to Atlanta in the standings. Technically, the race isn't over, but realistically, it is.
PIC OF THE DAY
Brad Lidge comes out of the bullpen one last time. (Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports)
Game of the Night: Red Sox 8, Mariners 7. What the hell, Seattle? Felix Hernandez laid waste to Boston's offense through seven innings, and Tom Wilhelmsen came in to mop up the scraps in the ninth with a 7-2 lead. Wilhelmsen faced four batters, allowed two walks, a single, and a double, and left the game with a 7-3 lead and the bases loaded. Oliver Perez proceeded to allow a pair of run-scoring singles, cutting the lead to a run, before getting the first out of the inning when he struck out David Ortiz. Yoervis Medina then replaced Perez, and gave up a single, a walk, and a walkoff single to give the Red Sox the victory. The final lines for Seattle's bullpen, including the eighth inning pitched by Charlie Furbush? 1 1/3 innings, seven hits, seven runs, four walks, and two strikeouts. Sorry you don't get the win Felix, you should have tried harder!
Pitching Lines of the Night: Yu Darvish dominated the Diamondbacks in a 7-1 Rangers win, allowing five hits over seven shutout innings, striking out 14 without a walk. Cole Hamels pitched very well for the Phillies in their 2-1 loss to the Giants, giving up seven hits in eight scoreless innings, punching out five and walking one. Matt Cain was just as good for the Giants, allowing one run on six hits in eight innings, walking a pair and striking out seven. In that tough Mariners' loss in Boston, Felix Hernandez gave up one run on six hits over seven innings, striking out eight and walking two. The Cardinals salvaged their five game series in Pittsburgh with a 13-0 romp, and Joe Kelly allowed three hits in six shutout innings, walking four and striking out four.
Hitting Lines of the Night: Ryan Raburn helped the Indians to a 6-1 win over the White Sox, going 3/4 with two homers and four RBI. Justin Upton carried the Braves to an 11-2 smashing over the Rockies, going 2/5 with two homers and five RBI. The duo of Anthony Rizzo and Junior Lake provided all of the offense for the Cubs in their 6-4 loss to the Dodgers, with Rizzo going 2/3 with two solo homers and a walk and Lake going 2/4 with two solo homers. AJ Pierzynski helped the Rangers top the Diamondbacks, going 3/4 with a homer, three RBI, and a stolen base.
Other Games: The Royals won their ninth in a row, topping the Twins 7-2. The Marlins beat Matt Harvey and the Mets 3-0. The Orioles doubled up the Astros 6-3 as Bud Norris won his Baltimore debut. The Angels topped the Blue Jays 8-2.
What You Missed: August waiver trade candidates, the trade deadline winners and losers, and July's players of the month.
Today's Games: Hyun-Jin Ryu and Travis Wood duel in Chicago. Kris Medlen starts for the Braves in Philly against the debuting Ethan Martin. Chris Tillman and the Orioles host the Mariners. Doug Fister starts for the Tigers as they welcome the White Sox to Detroit. Randall Delgado and the Diamondbacks travel to Boston to take on Jon Lester and the Red Sox. Jhoulys Chacin and Gerrit Cole will face off in Pittsburgh. Shelby Miller and the Cardinals take on the Reds in Cincinnati. Madison Bumgarner and Chris Archer square off in St Pete. Jose Fernandez and the Marlins host the Indians. Jarred Cosart and the Astros take on the Twins in Minnesota. Jordan Zimmermann and the Nationals take on the Brewers in Milwaukee. Alexi Ogando starts for the Rangers in Oakland. CC Sabathia and Andrew Cashner face off in San Diego.
National TV: Cardinals-Reds (7 PM, MLB Network), Diamondbacks-Red Sox (7 PM, MLB Network)
MLB.tv Free Game: Rockies-Pirates (7 PM)
Pitching Matchup of the Day: Madison Bumgarner vs Chris Archer (Giants vs Rays, 7 PM)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
