It took the Phillies 159 games to do it, but with sparkling pitching performances by the Kyles, Kyle Lohse and Kyle Kendrick. a gritty offense and more clutch performances by the bullpen “A Team” tandem of J.C. Romero, Tom Gordon and Brett Myers which gave up 4 hits, 2 walks and only 1 run in 5 innings of work over the two games, the Phillies have finally caught the Mets with 5-2 and 6-4 victories over the Atlantic Braves before the charged-up, screaming, towel-waving Phillies fans at Citizen’s Bank stadium..  The Phillies and Met stand all knotted up at 87-72 atop the NL East division as the season comes down to the three dramatic final games of the regular season.

The Washington Nationals overcame a 6-2 Mets lead on Wednesday with a 5 run 5th inning and added 2 more insurance runs in the 9th off of dead-armed closer Billy Wagner for a 9-6 win.  The Mets wasted 2 homers and 3 RBIs by centerfielder Carlos Betran. 

On Thursday night, the St. Louis Cardinals nicked Pedro Martinez for a run in the 1st inning and two more in the 3rd for a 3-0 win over the Mets in a make-up game as Joel Pineiro, who pitched 8 great innings, and closer  Jason Isringhausen combined to make the lead stand up and to hand Martinez his first loss of the season since returning from the DL.

In the NL wild card race, the San Diego Padres maintained their one game lead on the Phillies and Mets with an 11-3 rout of the Giants on Wedbnesday followed by a  9-5 pasting of the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.

It was Brett Myers on the mound to close out Thursday’s game, but for a moment the demons of Phillies past popped up.  Gordon had just escaped trouble in the 7th and Romero was recipient in the 8th of a rare Chase Utley throwing error followed by his (Utley’s) start of a crushing double-play to choke-off a Braves threat before it began.

Leading off the Braves 9th was rightfielder Jeff Francoeur.   Myers’ first pitch; a fastball up in Francoeurs’ wheelhouse and he took care of it — way out of Citizen’s Bank Park to leftfield to narrow the Phil’s lead to 6-4.  And the visions came back; the 1964 collapse, slow-footed Greg Luzinski’s trapped fly ball in leftfield in the 1977 NLCS vs the Dodgers, or more recently, the Mets back-to-back-to-back homers off of Cole Hamels in a Phillies win this season just to name a few.

Then Myers got centerfielder Andruw Jones to ground out to Abraham Nunez playing 3rd base.  One out.  But then leftfielder Matt Diaz singled to leftfield.  Then pinch hitter Yunel Escobar really gave us a scare.
He lit into Myers with a screaming line drive toward 3rd base with trouble written all over it.  But there was Nunez leaping and spearing the drive in a highlights film catch for the 2nd out.  Then Myers put the Braves out of misery striking out 2nd baseman  Kelly Johnson to seal the win and the 1st place tie.

On Wednesday, the Phillies got a superb 7 inning performance from Kyle Lohse, a pinch homer from Shane Victorino and a 3 for 4 day from shortstop Jimmie Rollins who edges closer to a .300 BA to go along with 208 hits, 30 homers, 38 doubles and 38 stolen bases.  Romero, Gordon and Myers took care of sealing both Wednesday’s and Thursday’s games.

On Thursday, 1st baseman Ryan Howard and leftfielder Pat Burrell took care of the lumber, each homering and driving in two runs with the Phils’ first 2 runs scoring on Atlanta throwing and fielding errors.  Howard’s 44th homer, a shot rightfield capped a 4 run 1st inning and Burrell’s 30th dinger in the 3rd inning, a 2 run shot, gave the Phillies insurance which the Phillies needed as 3rd baseman Chipper Jones and 1st baseman Mark Teixeira hit back to back homers to draw the Braves to within 6-3 prior to Francoeur’s solo shot off of Myers in the 9th inning.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on these and on all of Wednesday’s and Thursday’s games, click here and here.

With the NL East division title on the line, the Phillies entertain the Washington Nationals on Friday through Sunday for the final three games of the regular season. 

On Friday, lefthander Cole Hamels goes for his 15th win opposed by Tim Redding who held the Phillies to one run over 8 innings in his last appearance.  On Saturday, erratic Adam Eaton, whose start was pushed back from Wednesday, is opposed by rookie lefthander Matt Chico.  In Sunday’s regular season finale, veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer goes for hs 14th win vs Jason Bergmann who held the Phillies to 2 runs, 4 hits in 6 innings in his last start against them.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on all of Friday’s games, click here.

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Jamie Moyer edged out Oliver Perez in a tight 6 inning battle of lefthanders, both shortstop Jimmy Rollins and leftfielder Pat Burrell stroked first inning homers and the Phillies’ bullpen once again came up big holding the Mets scoreless over the final 3 innings, thanks to a controversial game-ending double play on an interference call, to win a  3-2 nail-biter in game 3 of their 4 game series.

With the win, the Phillies moved to within 3 games of the NL East leading Mets.  They remain in second place, two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves who defeated Florida by a 7-4 score.  The Phils remain 2 games behind new wild card leading  Arizona Diamondbacks who lost a close 3-1 game to the new NL Central Division leading San Diego Padres.

After 3rd baseman David Wright stroked a two-out solo homer to centerfield off of Moyer, Rollins, hitting righthanded, led off with a homer and Burrell followed suit with a clout to centerfield off of Oliver Perez to put the Phillies up by 2-1 after 1 inning. 

The score remained the same until centerfielder Carlos Beltran led off the 4th inning with a double to leftfield and scored on 1st baseman Carlos Delgado’s RBI single to leftfield to knot the score at 2-2.

The Phils took the lead for good in the 5th inning as Perez issued a lead off walk to pitcher Moyer.  Rollins and 2nd baseman Tadahito Iguchi, replacing Chase Utley who was given the day off by manager Charlie Manuel, singled to load the bases with none out.  Burrell, who narrowly missed getting a grand slam on a previous pitch of the at bat as the ball landed just inches foul of the left-field pole, drove in Moyer with the lead run on a sacrifice fly to leftfield, after which Perez struck out 1st baseman  Ryan Howard and centerfelder Aaron Rowand to retire the side.  Losing pitcher Perez (12-9) struck out 10 for the game, while walking 5 and giving up 3 runs on 5 hits over 6 innings.

Winning pitcher Moyer (12-10) gave up 2 runs on 8 hits while walking 2 and striking out 4 in 6 innings.

The bullpens took over from there.  Reliever Jorge Sosa held the Phils to 1 hit over the 7th and 8th innings, while relievers J.C. Romero and Tom Gordon likewise held the Mets scoreless in the 7th and 8th innings respectively.  Things got a bit dicey for closer Brett Myers in 9th as the Mets got 2 hits and had runners at the corners with one out and pinch hitter  Shawn Green at bat. 

After striking out Carlos Delgado, Myers gave up singles to both catcher Paul Lo Duca and pinch hitter Marlon Anderson.  Endy Chavez, pinch running for Lo Duca, advanced to 3rd base on Anderson’s single.

But Myers recorded his 13th save by getting Green to ground into a controversial game-ending double play, shortstop to 2nd to 1st.

AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston describes the situation for Yahoo sports;

The Mets had runners on the corners with one out against closer Brett Myers when pinch-hitter Shawn Green hit a slow roller to shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who shoveled the ball to Tadahito Iguchi at second.

Anderson made a rough slide at Iguchi outside the line and knocked the second baseman down as he threw to first. Second base umpire CB Bucknor ruled interference and a double play, sending Anderson into a fit.

He ripped off his helmet and jumped up in protest, and manager Willie Randolph also rushed out to argue.

Anderson demanded an explanation and said he didn’t receive one.

“My foot was on top of the bag when I touched him,” Anderson said. “I haven’t read the rule book tonight, but maybe somebody will have an explanation for it. My foot was on the bag when I made contact with him.”

Crew chief Joe West spoke on Bucknor’s behalf.

“Marlon Anderson went after the second baseman to break up the double play and did not, and could not reach the base, which is what he argued,” he told a pool reporter. “He went out of his way to interfere with the play that created the interference. CB made a great call, made a gutsy call and he didn’t back down from the call at all.”

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on this and all of Wednesday’s games, click here.

Kyle Lohse goes for the Phillies against “El Duque” Orlando Hernandez in the series finale as a Phillies sweep becomes a  distinct possibility.     

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on all of Thursday’s games, click here.

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“The Scooter,” diminutive shortstop and leadoff hitter Phil Rizzuto, of the Yankees’ golden era teams which won 11 pennants and nine World Series between 1941 and 1956, passed away in his sleep late Monday night while fighting a bout with pneumonia.

AP baseball writer Ben Walker highlights both Rizzuto’s playing career and his 40 year distinguished broadcasting career for Yahoo sports;

Rizzuto was the oldest living Hall of Famer. He played for the Yankees throughout the 1940s and ’50s, won seven World Series titles, was an AL MVP and played in five All-Star games.

Rizzuto later announced Yankees games for four decades and his No. 10 was retired by baseball’s most storied team.

“I guess heaven must have needed a shortstop,” Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. “He epitomized the Yankee spirit — gritty and hard charging — and he wore the pinstripes proudly.”

At 5-foot-6, Rizzuto was a flashy player who could always be counted on for a perfect bunt, a nice slide or a diving catch in a lineup better known for its cornerstone sluggers. He played 13 seasons alongside the likes of Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle in a career interrupted by Navy service in World War II.

“Phil was a gem, one of the greatest people I ever knew — a dear friend and great teammate,” said Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, who frequently visited Rizzuto in his later years.

“When I first came up to the Yankees, he was like a big — actually, small — brother to me. He’s meant an awful lot to baseball and the Yankees and has left us with a lot of wonderful memories,” he said.

Rizzuto was equipped with a productive bat, sure hands and quick feet that earned him his nickname and a mention on his Hall plaque that he “overcame diminutive size.”

A leadoff man, he was a superb bunter, used to good advantage by the Yankees teams that won 11 pennants and nine World Series between 1941 and 1956.

“He was a Yankee all the way,” Indians Hall of Famer Bob Feller said.

“Phil could hit, he could run, he was good on the basepaths and he was a great shortstop. He knew the fundamentals of the game and he got 100 percent out of his ability. He played it hard and he played it fair,” he said.

Born in Brooklyn, Rizzuto tried out with the Dodgers and New York Giants when he was 16, but because of his size was dismissed by Dodgers manager Casey Stengel, who told him to “Go get a shoeshine box.” Rizzuto went on to become one of Stengel’s most dependable players.

A Rizzuto bunt, a steal and a DiMaggio hit made up the scoring trademark of the Yankees’ golden era, and he played errorless ball in 21 consecutive World Series games. DiMaggio said the shortstop “held the team together.”

Rizzuto came to the Yankees in 1941 and batted .307 as a rookie. After the war, he returned in 1946 and became the American League MVP in 1950. He batted .324 that season with a slugging percentage of .439 and 200 hits, second most in the league. He also went 58 games without an error, making 288 straight plays.

He led all AL shortstops in double plays three times and had a career batting average of .273 with at least a .930 fielding percentage. He played in five All-Star games.

Rizzuto remembered Aug. 25, 1956, as a day he thought was the “end of the world,” the day Stengel released him to make room for clutch-hitting Enos Slaughter in the pennant drive.

Rizzuto then began a second career as a broadcaster, one for which he became at least equally well known. His voice dripped with his native Brooklyn.

In his decades on the radio and TV, Rizzuto’s favorite phrase was “Holy cow!” He trotted it out when calling Roger Maris’ record-breaking 61st home run in 1961 and the saying became so much a part of him, the team presented him with a cow wearing a halo when they held a day in his honor in 1985. The cow knocked Rizzuto over and, of course, he shouted, “Holy cow!”

In an age of broadcasters who spout statistics and repeat the obvious, Rizzuto loved to talk about things like his fear of lightning, the style of an umpire’s shoes or even the prospect of outfielder Dave Winfield as a candidate for president.

He liked to acknowledge birthdays and anniversaries, read notes from fans, praised the baked delicacies at his favorite restaurant and send messages to old cronies. And if he missed a play, he would scribble “ww” in his scorecard box score. That, he said, meant “wasn’t watching.”

His popularity was such that at a recent auction a Rizzuto cap embedded with a wad of chewing gum sold for more than $8,000. In the New York area, Rizzuto’s antics became a staple for TV ads.

Despite his qualifications, Rizzuto was passed over for the Hall of Fame 15 times by the writers and 11 times by the Veterans Committee. Finally, a persuasive speech by Ted Williams pushed Rizzuto into Cooperstown in 1994.

Williams, a member of the committee, argued that Rizzuto was the man who made the difference between the Yankees and his Red Sox. He was fond of saying, “If we’d had Rizzuto in Boston, we’d have won all those pennants instead of New York.”

“I never thought I deserved to be in the Hall of Fame,” Rizzuto once said. “The Hall of Fame is for the big guys, pitchers with 100 mph fastballs and hitters who sock homers and drive in a lot of runs. That’s the way it always has been and the way it should be.”

Rizzuto is survived by his wife, Cora, whom he married in 1943; daughters Cindy Rizzuto, Patricia Rizzuto and Penny Rizzuto Yetto; son Phil Rizzuto Jr.; and two granddaughters.

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The Phillies bullpen totally shut down the Washington Nationals over the last 3 1/3 innings allowing no hits and issuing only one walk and centerfielder Aaron Rowand unknotted a 3-3 tie by ripping a two out solo homer to leftfield as the Phillies edged the Nationals by a 4-3 score in their series opener.  Rowand went 3 for 4 for the game, scoring the tying run in the 6th inning, while nailing opposing pitcher Jason Bergmann at the plate on a two out 3rd inning single by 2nd baseman Ronnie Belliard.

In winning, the Phils stayed even, 5 games behind the NL East leading Mets who defeated Pittsburgh by an 8-4 score as John Maine won his 11th, and 2 games behind Atlanta who edged San Francisco by a 7-5 score in 13 innings. 

Catcher Carlos Ruiz opened the scoring for the Phillies in the 2nd inning with a two out RBI double to left-centerfield.

In the 3rd inning, the Nationals threatened to tie the game.  With two outs and opposing pitcher Jason Bergmann on 2nd base after reaching on a fielder’s choice.  Belliard singled to center and Bergmann was waved home only to be nailed at the plate by Aaron Rowand’s bullet relay.  It was Rowand’s 10th assist of the season as Phillies outfielders own the major-league lead with 31 such assists.

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins led off the 3rd inning with a solo blast to rightfield for his 20th homer of the season as the Phils upped the lead to 2-0.

Apparently, Bergman injured himself running on the play where Rowand threw him out at the plate as AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston explains for Yahoo sports; 

The Nationals lost starter Jason Bergmann in the third inning with tightness in his left hamstring from running the bases. He walked Chase Utley with one out in the third. Then trainer and pitching coach Randy St. Claire came out for a visit and soon signaled for the left-handed Billy Traber.

The Nationals went ahead in the 4th inning after loading the bases with one out on a double, a walk and a hit batsman.  Catcher Brian Schneider then clubbed a bases-clearing double deep to centerfield off of rookie Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick.

Kendrick then settled down and retired the side in the 4th inning and
and got through the 5th inning allowing no hits and avoiding further damage despite walking shortstop Felipe Lopez who he later picked off of first base.

Kendrick began the 6th inning getting the first two hitters out.  But after rightfielder Austin Kearns singled to right, Manuel brought in lefthanded reliever J. C. Romero to pitch to Brian Schneider who had burned Kendrik in his previous at bat.  Romero got Schneider on strikes to end the inning.

Rowand got things going in the 6th with a one out double and took 3rd base on a wild pitch.  He scored the tying run on leftfielder Pat Burrell’s sacrifice fly to rightfield.

Romero got the first out of the 7th inning before being lifted as manager Manuel wanted a match-up of righthander Ryan Madson facing righthanded pinch-hitter Tony Batista.   Batista popped out to the catcher, but Madson hit Felipe Lopez.  He recovered to retire Belliard on a grounder to the pitcher.

Madson followed breezing through a one-two-three 8th inning, after which Rowand made him the winning pitcher by resolving the issue with his two out solo homer off of Nationals reliever and losing pitcher Luis Ayala. 

AP Sports Writer Gelston describes the scene;

Rowand went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored. He hit a 2-2 pitch off Luis Ayala (0-2) into the left-field seats for his 14th homer of the season, sending the crowd of 40,110 into a frenzy.

Reliever Antonio Alfonseca issued a lead-off walk to Austin Kearns before nailing the game down by retiring the next 3 hitters for his 8th save.

For the scores, boxscores on this and all of Tuesday’s games, click here.

On Wednesday, in a battle of lefthanders, Cole Hamels seeks his 12th win vs Matt Chico.  In Thursday’s finale, Adam Eaton goes for his 10h win opposed by 29 1/2 year old lefthander and former Phillies farmhand Mike Bacsik.

The Phils then entertain the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three game weekend series.  For the Phillies to catch and overtake both the Mets and Braves, these games with 2nd division caliber clubs are MUST WINS.

Philly.com’s Todd Zolecki reports on the progress of Phillies pitcher Brett Myers in his rehab assignments;

Myers made his second rehabilitation appearance for single-A Clearwater last night, at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla.

In 11/3 innings against the Tampa Yankees, Myers allowed one hit and struck out three. Myers is tenatively scheduled to make another rehab appearance tomorrow night for Clearwater.

Myers has not pitched for the Phillies since May 23 because of a strained right shoulder. There is a chance he could rejoin the Phillies’ bullpen before the end of the week.

Myers’ return to the active roster will inevitably bring up questions concerning the roles of closer and set-up man.

Will closing be handled by way of committee; Myers and Tom Gordon?  Or will a committee determine the set-up role; either between Myers and Ryan Madson, or Gordon and Madson? 

For the scores, boxscores on all of this and all of Wednesday’s games, click here.

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Former Yankees 3rd baseman Clete Boyer, who routinely made diving stops and from-the-knees throws, passed away at age 70 on Monday from complications of a brain hemorrhage.

AP baseball writer Ben Walker recaps Boyer’s playing career for Yahoo sports

Boyer played from 1955-71 with the Yankees, Kansas City Athletics and Atlanta. He helped the Yankees reach the World Series in five straight years from 1960-64, when they won two titles.

Boyer’s death came on the 50th anniversary of the day he joined the Yankees, completing a dozen-player trade between New York and the A’s.

“He was a great Yankee and a tough guy. He never talked too much but he was extremely hardworking. A wonderful third baseman, and had fire in his belly,” Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said through a spokesman.

In 1964, Boyer and his brother, Ken, became the first brothers to homer in the same World Series game. They did it in Game 7, and nodded to each other as they rounded the bases.

The St. Louis Cardinals won the Series and Ken was the NL MVP that season. An All-Star third baseman, he died in 1982 at age 51.

Another brother, Cloyd, pitched in the majors from 1949-55. There were 14 children in the Boyer family.

Cletis Leroy Boyer was a career .242 hitter with 162 home runs and 654 RBIs. Decent stats, but it was fielding that became his signature.

Boyer added an air of flamboyance to a Yankees team that otherwise played with a conservative precision.

“In all my years of playing with him, he only made one bad throw to me,” former Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson said by telephone from his home in South Carolina.

“When I made the double play, I could just about close my eyes, put my glove up and the ball would be there,” he said. “I would consider him one of the best players defensively. And when we got in the World Series and the lights came up, he made those great, great plays.”

Boyer’s lone Gold Glove came in 1969 in Atlanta; he might’ve earned more had it not been for the peerless Brooks Robinson.

“He was in the Brooksie era. He didn’t get as much attention as Brooksie,” said Yankees manager Joe Torre, a former Boyer teammate with the Braves.

“Plus, he was a little goofy,” he said. “Certainly, it helps you play the game.”

After finishing with Atlanta, Boyer played in Japan. He later coached under Billy Martin with Oakland and the Yankees.

Boyer was part of an exceptional Yankees infield in the 1960s that included Richardson, shortstop Tony Kubek and first basemen Moose Skowron.

Richardson said he was with Boyer last month in New York for a reunion of the 1961 Yankees infield. “We had three or four, we looked forward to them,” Richardson said.

The Yankees beat Cincinnati in the 1961 World Series. Boyer’s best Series performance came in 1962, when he hit .318 with a home run and four RBIs in the seven-game victory over San Francisco.

Boyer made his major league debut at 18 with Kansas City. With Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and Roger Maris, the Yankees started out every season in the early 1960s as the team to beat.

“He always said, ‘I wish you could have played on the team that we had in the ’60s. We’d have won 150 games,”‘ Yankees pitching coach Ron Guidry said.

“You’d talk to Moose and he would always tell you how good a third baseman he was,” he said. “You talked to Whitey Ford and he’d tell you, ‘I didn’t have to worry about ground balls. I could pitch inside, throw breaking balls. If they hit it down the third-base line, he was going to catch it.”‘

Richardson praised Boyer’s other attributes.

“I would give him a lot of credit for being a good No. 8 hitter. It wasn’t easy in those days, with the pitcher hitting being you,” Richardson said. “He was a team player and a great teacher.

Former Yankee 3rd baseman, Clete Boyer passes away at age 70.

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Jamie Moyer’s run at a no-hitter in the Phillies 6-1 win over Florida was probably one of the lesser news-worthy items in the MLB on a big newsday.

In addition to the sad news regarding pitcher Josh Hancock’s demise in a vehicular accident, there were a number of classic baseball news items.

Firstly, there was rookie Colorado Rockies’ slick-fielding shortstop Troy Tulowitzki’s unassisted triple-play in the 7th inning of Colorado’s 11 inning 9-7 win over the Atlanta Braves.

MLB.com’s Owen Perkins reports the scene;

In the top of the seventh inning of a tied game, with runners on first and second, nobody out, and the count full, Chipper Jones hit a line drive at Tulowitzki, who snared the ball in flight, stepped on second to double up  Kelly Johnson, and tagged Edgar Renteria between first and second for an unassisted triple play.

Just to be safe, Tulowitzki fired the ball to Todd Helton at first, but three outs was sufficient on the play.

A second was about half the time it took for Tulowitzki to retire the side, taking advantage of aggressive baserunning on a 3-2 count.

“It’s amazing,” Tulowitzki said once he’d had time to put the play in perspective. “It kind of just fell into my lap, but I’ll take it.”

It was just the 13th unassisted triple play in Major League history, and all those who witnessed it shared the heart-stopping moment of inescapable wonder the play produced.

Last season, this blog featured an entry on former Phillies 2nd baseman Mickey Morandini’s unassisted triple-play in 1992.
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The Boston Red Sox are intent on fufilling their side of the bargain on my pre-season prediction of a Phillies-Red Sox World Series.

On Sunday, they completed a 3 game sweep of the New York Yankees in the Bronx with a 7-4 win.

Yahoo sports’ AP recap sets the game-ending scene;

Julian Tavarez (1-2) and four relievers held New York to seven hits, with Papelbon pitching the ninth for his eighth save in eight chances.

              

Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon stepped on first base for the final out, arm raised high. Boston, which got home runs from David Ortiz, Alex Cora and Manny Ramirez, is 5-1 against New York this season. The Red Sox have a four-game division lead and are 6 1/2 ahead of the Yankees, baseball’s $195 million bust.

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Finally, I guess that, based on John Maine’s stellar performances in the otherwise shakey New York Mets starting rotation, I will have to revise my previously spoken, but unblogged analogy of the Mets pitching staff.  It now seems that lifting that old Boston Braves analogy of the late 40’s, early 50’s would be more appropriate; “Glavine, Maine and 2 days of rain.”  Tom Glavine is 3-1, John Maine is 4-0 with his most recent masterpiece being a a 7 inning, 3 hit shutout, with help from the bullpen who closed down the Washington Nationals on 3 hits over the final 2 innings in registering a 1-0 win.

Yahoo Sports’ AP recap summarizes the game;

The Mets managed only three hits, but one was Beltran’s solo shot, and that was enough to back John Maine’s latest impressive outing for a 1-0 victory over the Nationals.

Maine (4-0) struck out a career-high eight and allowed three hits in lowering his ERA to 1.35.

“He showed me again he’s getting better and better,” Mets manager Willie Randolph said. “Each time out, he’s stronger and stronger.”

Beltran’s fifth homer came with one out in the sixth off starter Jason Bergmann (0-2), who allowed two hits over seven innings and trimmed his ERA to 2.79.

Mark Hale of the New York Post adds this observation;

Maine’s season has been surprising. He was a good pitcher for the Mets last year and his postseason outings were impressive. This season, though, Maine has been exceptional. He’s given up 18 hits in 33.1 innings - a fantastic ratio - and the Mets are 5-0 in games he starts.

                 

Stay tuned for a piece of Phillies baseball trivia; the only 2 Phillies pitchers to toss no-hitters at Veteran Stadium and for a report on the new Israel Baseball League which, on Saturday night drafted, among others, 71 year old Sandy Koufax to join the league.
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