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Leading Off
What's happening in the world of Major League Baseball.
September 2007
Saturday September 29, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 8:47PM EST on September 29, 2007
John Maine took a no-hitter deep into the 8th inning and New York's offense exploded in a critical home victory Saturday. As the Phillies lost to the Nationals, both teams are tied at the top of the NL East going into the last day of the season. Maine punched out 14 Marlins in his 1-hit gem, and the Mets' offense backed him early and often. Their 19-hit attack was paced by Lastings Milledge (two homers) and Ramon Castro who also connected, and Luis Castillo who had three key hits. New York sends ace veteran Tom Glavine to win Sunday's game and keep the Mets' postseason hopes alive.  
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Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 10:03AM EST on September 29, 2007
New York lost its eighth straight home game to Florida last night, 7-4, falling one game back in the NL East. The fighting Phillies blanked the Nats 6-0 to take the lead. For the Mets in the 3rd inning, starter Oliver Perez hit three batters, two with the bases loaded. His 3.2 inning outing ended with six earned runs. Though New York's bullpen held, the Mets' mighty lineup couldn't score in the last four innings. Florida's relief corps has not allowed a run in its last four games.
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Friday September 28, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 10:42AM EST on September 28, 2007
Swept (as usual) by Florida, Chicago limped out of Miami with a two game lead over Milwaukee in the NL Central. The Cubs left 10 runners on the basepaths in the latest loss, 6-4. The Marlins put together a potent attack, chasing Cubs' starter Steve Trachsel after just 4.1 innings. Hanley Ramirez hit his 29th homer as he, Jeremy Hermida and Alejandro De Aza had two hits each. Though the Cubs closed to 5-4 with a 3-run sixth, they failed to score once again off the Marlins' bullpen. In the series, Chicago went 3 for 20 with runners in scoring position.
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Thursday September 27, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 10:47AM EST on September 27, 2007
Kyle Lohse pitched seven strong innings, silencing Braves' bats enough to help Philadelphia glide past Atlanta last night 5-2. Coupled with New York's third loss in a row to Washington, the Phillies reside just one game out of first place in the NL East. The Phils took advantage of shaky defense by Tim Hudson and  Chipper Jones to establish a 4-0 lead. Pinch-hitter Shane Victorino hit a solo homer, Greg Dobbs had a key two-run single and despite Mark Teixeira's two-run homer, Philadelphia, basically, never looked back.
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Wednesday September 26, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 10:28AM EST on September 26, 2007
San Diego scored four in the top of the 9th last night to take an urgently needed victory over San Francisco, 6-4. The Padres' slumping Brian Giles led the charge with a two-out, 3-run homer, then Trevor Hoffman sealed the win with his 41st save. Before the late inning heroics, the Giants cruised after posting a 4-run 2nd inning against the Padres' Brett Tomko. San Diego produced solo homers in 6th and 7th by Scott Hairston and Khalil Greene to close within two, setting up the game-winning dramatics by Giles.
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Tuesday September 25, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 10:47AM EST on September 25, 2007
In the first of seven games at Shea Stadium to finish the regular season, New York was thrashed by Washington last night 13-4. Mets' young righty Mike Pelfrey gave up five walks and six earned runs in less than six innings pitched. The game turned into an ugly rout as Austin Kearns hit a 3-run homer, Ronnie Belliard drove in three runs and Ryan Langerhans polished off the Mets with a 3-run shot in the top of the 9th. New York looks to regroup tonight, hosting the Nats with a 2-game division lead as the pursuing Phillies take on Atlanta.  ... (more)
Monday September 24, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 11:17AM EST on September 24, 2007
Colorado beat San Diego Sunday, capping a series' sweep and their eighth win in a row. The result? The Rockies moved to within 1.5 games of the Padres' Wild Card lead. Colorado's young bats roughed up Greg Maddux as Brad Hawpe homered and Ryan Spilborghs collected three hits. On the mound, Jeff Francis pitched well to earn his 17th victory. The Padres' ill-timed losing streak was inflamed by the ejection of outfielder Milton Bradley after a bizarre 8th inning altercation with umpire Mike Winters. Manager Bud Black inadvertently injured Bradley's knee while restraining him. Black himself was later ejected.
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Saturday September 22, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 10:30AM EST on September 22, 2007
New York lost a 14 inning brawl to Toronto last night 5-4. The Jays' Gregg Zaun put a pause in the Yankees' postseason plans with a home run swat in the top of the 14th, capping what had been a scoreless pitchers' duel for the first six innings. Aces Wang and Halladay baffled opposing batters as the tense Yankee Stadium crowd looked on.  Then Toronto took a 4-0 lead in the 7th and 8th before New York stormed back with a 4-run 9th inning rally. In extras, the bats went silent again until Zaun pulled the trigger.
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Friday September 21, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 11:45AM EST on September 21, 2007
New York's lead in the NL East is now 1.5 games as the team lost last night to Florida 8-7 in 10 innings. Meanwhile, the Phillies rallied for another win to keep the pressure on. The Mets scratched closer Billy Wagner due to back spasms and their ragtag relief corps let up four runs in the 9th and 10th to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The Marlins' Dan Uggla smacked a game-winning double to seal the win in the 10th. Veteran starter Tom Glavine, staked to a 3-run lead, gave up five runs in the bottom of the 5th to ignite Florida's first comeback. After the Mets' rallied for four in the top of the 9th, Wagner's substitute, Jorge Sosa, let the Fish score three to tie and take it into extra innings.
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Thursday September 20, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 11:04AM EST on September 20, 2007
C.C. Sabathia grabbed his 18th win to lead Cleveland over Detroit 4-2, polishing off a series sweep of the fading Motown team. With the victory, the Indians tied the L.A. Angels for the best record in baseball at 90-62. Now 7.5 back in the division, the bad news for Detroit is that the team trails New York in the wild card race by 5.5. The sting of the series' loss is that much worse because the Tigers led in every game, but allowed the Tribe to rally for three straight wins.
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Wednesday September 19, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 10:49AM EST on September 19, 2007
Philadelphia won 7-4 in 14 innings last night in St. Louis, trimming the Mets' lead to 1.5 games in the NL East. The game was a wild, marathon struggle, using up 19 pitchers from both teams. Pinch-hitter Rod Barajas singled home the tiebreaking run and Jayson Werth belted a two-run triple to secure the win, all with two outs in the top of the 14th inning. In the last week, the Phillies have won six in a row after falling seven games back in the division. With just a handful of games left, we could see a down-to-the-wire NL East horse race.
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Tuesday September 18, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 10:55AM EST on September 18, 2007
Frank Thomas slammed three home runs to pace Toronto in a 6-1 win over Boston Monday. In the AL East, the Red Sox now lead by a slim 3.5 games, the smallest margin since early May. Two of the homers came off knuckle baller Tim Wakefield who gave up three to Thomas back in 1996. Unlike many power hitters, the Hurt seems to like the knuckle ball action. Dustin McGowan pitched a complete game gem for the Jays, striking out nine and walking none. Thomas' homers knocked in five of Toronto's runs, with Vernon Wells driving in the sixth.
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Monday September 17, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 2:49PM EST on September 17, 2007
Colorado still clings to wild card hopes after a 13-0 Sunday thrashing of the Florida Marlins. The Rockies needed the breakout win to avoid a home sweep and retain a chance of postseason play. Todd Helton helped the team's cause with his 300th home run. Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins also paced the 20-hit attack with homers of their own, as Holliday matched his career high with a 4-hit game. On the mound, Franklin Morales allowed just three hits in six innings for his 2nd win, striking out five with no walks.
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Friday September 14, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 10:36AM EST on September 14, 2007
Arizona stretched its NL West lead to 4 games Thursday, beating the Giants 9-4 in San Francisco. Brandon Webb set the tone on the mound, getting the job done without his best stuff. Webb allowed 4 earned runs and scattered 7 hits in 7 innings. The Diamondbacks' young offense kept up its torrid pace, banging out 11 hits and plating 9 runs. Still, Arizona stranded 16 men on base. Mark Reynolds and Chris Snyder hit back-to-back home runs, while Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew and Augie Ojeda each had two-hit nights.
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Thursday September 13, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 10:43AM EST on September 13, 2007
Chicago claimed a key win last night, edging Houston 3-2 at Minute Maid park. Cubs' starter Rich Hill pitched a gem, giving up just three hits in a strong 7-inning effort. As usual, Hill received stingy offensive production to back him, but he didn't require much. Cliff Floyd contributed with a homer and triple, and Mark DeRosa pitched in with a pair of hits. Then the Cubs' bullpen held off the Astros' rally as Ryan Dempster picked up his 26th save despite allowing a run-scoring triple by Mike Lamb. In the end, Houston's rally fell one run short.
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Wednesday September 12, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 9:59AM EST on September 12, 2007
New York topped Toronto 9-2 last night for the team's 6th win in a row and a record 20 games above .500 for the first time all season (82-62). The Yankees now sport a four game lead over Detroit in the AL Wild Card race. In another power display, New York's Jason Giambi hit a grand slam and Jorge Posada belted a solo shot to lead the offense. Young starter Phil Hughes, who has struggled, allowed just one earned run in six strong innings. After a very poor start, the Yankees have notched a 61-33 record since the end of May.
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Tuesday September 11, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 11:15AM EST on September 11, 2007
Scott Kazmir dominated the Red Sox in Boston Monday night, striking out 10 and allowing no runner past 2nd base. The 1-0 shutout was achieved with Boston's David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez purposely out of the lineup. Tampa Bay's staff ace, Kazmir has a 2.73 ERA versus the Sox, and their lefty reduced lineup did no better, with righties Dustin Pedroia and Mike Lowell going 1 for 8. Boston starter Curt Schilling also pitched well, tossing a 5 hitter over six innings. But the Rays scored the only run they needed on Greg Norton's double in the 5th followed by a pair of sac flies.
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Monday September 10, 2007
Permalink Posted by: Skeet at 11:20AM EST on September 10, 2007
Milwaukee led off the game with three back to back homers, then kept the hits coming for a decisive 10-5 win in Cincinnati. Only the third team in history to start a game with three home runs, the Brewers' Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun went deep and the momentum led Milwaukee to a one game lead in the NL Central. In the first four innings, the Brewers top three batters notched 24 total bases. Ace hurler Ben Sheets (12-4), less than two weeks off the DL, was far from sharp but still claimed the victory. ... (more)