GAME THREAD: NL: WASHINGTON (72-87) at PHILADELPHIA (86-72)

NL: WASHINGTON (72-87) at PHILADELPHIA (86-72)

<h3>Surging Phillies look to overtake Mets in NL East</h3>

Washington (72-87) at Philadelphia (87-72) 7:05 pm EDT

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Just over two weeks ago, thePhiladelphia Phillies were seven games behind the New York Metsin the National League East Division. But things have changeddramatically over the last 15 days.


The Phillies aim to continue their improbable late-September runand overtake the reeling Mets in the NL East when they host theWashington Nationals in the opener of a crucial three-gameseries Friday.


Philadelphia has won 14 of its last 19 games to climb into a tiewith New York (87-72) at the top of the NL East standings andsit one game behind the San Diego Padres (88-71) in the wildcard race.


Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell homered Thursday to lead thePhillies to a 6-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

Howard has belted six homers and driven in 15 runs over his last10 contests. The reigning league MVP is batting .265 with 44home runs and 130 RBI this season.


On Friday, the Phillies send ace Cole Hamels (14-5, 3.54 ERA) tothe mound. Hamels has won his last three decisions but hasmissed significant time the past two months with a strained leftelbow.


The 23-year-old lefthander lasted just five innings, yieldingone run and two hits with two walks and six strikeouts in a 5-3loss to the Nationals on Sunday.


Washington will counter with righthander Tim Redding (3-5,3.53), who is winless in his last five starts.


The Nationals have won four straight contests, includingWednesday's 9-6 triumph over the Mets - a victory whichcompleted a three-game series sweep.

 

NL: WASHINGTON (72-87) at PHILADELPHIA (86-72)

<h3>Phillies looking to take NL East crown</h3>

Washington (72-88) at Philadelphia (88-72) ,3:55 pm EDT

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) - The Philadelphia Phillies had not heldthe National League East Division lead all season ... until now.

The Phillies have a chance to win their first division titlesince 1993 on Saturday when they host the Washington Nationalsin second of a three-game series.


Lefthanded ace Cole Hamels tossed eight dominant innings asPhiladelphia defeated Washington, 6-0, in the opener of theseason-ending series Friday.


The victory, coupled with New York Mets' 7-4 loss to the FloridaMarlins at Shea Stadium, moved the Phillies into first place inthe National League East ahead of the Mets (87-73). The lasttime the Phillies led the NL East this late in the season was onOctober 1, 1993, which was the last time they reached thepostseason.


Philadelphia could win the division Saturday with a win coupledwith a New York loss to Florida.


Adam Eaton (10-9, 6.33 ERA) will take the mound forPhiladelphia, which has won three straight contests. Theeight-year veteran righthander has struggled at home thisseason, going 3-6 with a 6.57 ERA in 14 starts at Citizens BankPark.


The Nationals, who had a four-game winning streak snappedFriday, will send lefthander Matt Chico (6-9, 4.75) to the hill.The 24-year-old rookie was tagged for four runs and six hitswith three walks in his only career start against the Phillies,a 7-5 setback on July 25.

 

NL: WASHINGTON (73-88) at PHILADELPHIA (88-73)

<h3>Phillies hoping to take NL East crown</h3>



<div class="pre">Washington (73-88) at Philadelphia (88-73) 1:35 pm EDT</div>

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The National League East has come downto the last day.


The Philadelphia Phillies will look to win their first divisiontitle since 1993 when they host the Washington Nationals onSunday in the regular-season finale.


The Phillies complicated their division title hopes on Saturday,as Matt Chico pitched six-plus effective innings and theNationals feasted on errors, bad baserunning and ineffectivestarting pitching by the Phillies to post a 4-2 win.

Philadelphia's loss, coupled with the New York Mets' 13-0 routof the Florida Marlins, dropped the Phillies (88-73) back into afirst-place tie with the Mets (88-73) in the NL East with onegame remaining for each team.


The Phillies' defense suffered a nightmarish seventh inningSaturday. Ryan Zimmerman trotted home on a wild pitch by J.C.Romero, giving the Nationals a 4-0 advantage. Catcher CarlosRuiz then threw the ball into center field while attempting tothrow out pinch runner Justin Maxwell.


Philadelphia, which had a three-game winning streak snapped,will send veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer (13-12, 5.15 ERA) tothe mound. The 44-year-old Moyer struggled in his last start,surrendering six runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings in a 10-6setback to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.


Washington will counter with righthander Jason Bergmann (6-5,4.33), who has won five straight decisions and has not lostsince June 30.

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">WASHINGTON AT PHILADELPHIA -- LINEUPS

WASHINGTON PHILADELPHIA
AVG HR RBI AVG HR RBI
Felipe Lopez SS .245 9 50 Jimmy Rollins SS .295 30 93
Ronnie Belliard 2B .288 11 58 Shane Victorino RF .283 12 46
Ryan Zimmerman 3B .268 24 91 Chase Utley 2B .332 22 102
Dmitri Young 1B .320 13 74 Ryan Howard 1B .265 46 133
Austin Kearns RF .266 16 73 Aaron Rowand CF .311 27 89
Wily Mo Pena LF .302 8 22 Pat Burrell LF .257 30 97
Jesus Flores C .247 4 25 Greg Dobbs 3B .273 10 55
Justin Maxwell CF .304 2 5 Carlos Ruiz C .257 6 54
Jason Bergmann RHP .139 0 0 Jamie Moyer LHP .127 0 2
(6-5, 4.33) (13-12, 5.15)</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">NL AT PHILADELPHIA
WARMUPS: WAS - JASON BERGMANN (6-5, 4.33)
PHI - JAMIE MOYER (13-12, 5.15)

UMPIRES: HP - PHIL CUZZI
1B - ROB DRAKE
2B - GARY DARLING
3B - BRUCE DRECKMAN

WEATHER: 73 Degrees, sunny
WIND: 7 mph, right to left</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">NL AT PHILADELPHIA
STARTING BATS: WAS - JASON BERGMANN AND JESUS FLORES
PHI - JAMIE MOYER AND CARLOS RUIZ

DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: F LOPEZ (.245, 9 HR, 50 RBI)
R BELLIARD (.288, 11 HR, 58 RBI)
R ZIMMERMAN (.268, 24 HR, 91 RBI)</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
WASHINGTON 0 0 1 0
PHILADELPHIA 0 0 0 (BOT 1)

CURRENT PITCHERS: WAS - JASON BERGMANN
PHI - JAMIE MOYER

DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: J ROLLINS (.295, 30 HR, 93 RBI)
S VICTORINO (.283, 12 HR, 46 RBI)
C UTLEY (.332, 22 HR, 102 RBI)</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">WASHINGTON (0) VS PHILADELPHIA (0) - MID 1ST - IN PROGRESS

WASHINGTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
F Lopez ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .245
R Belliard 2b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .289
R Zimmerman 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .268
D Young 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .319
A Kearns rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .266
W Pena lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .302
J Flores c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247
J Maxwell cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .304
J Bergmann p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .139

Totals 4 0 1 0 0 0 2

BATTING: 2B - R Belliard (35, J Moyer). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out
- D Young 1. Team LOB - 1.


PHILADELPHIA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Rollins ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .295
S Victorino rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .283
C Utley 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .332
R Howard 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .265
A Rowand cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .311
P Burrell lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257
G Dobbs 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273
C Ruiz c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257
J Moyer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .127

Totals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

BATTING: Team LOB - 0.


----------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON - 0 -- 0
PHILADELPHIA - -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON ip h r er bb so hr era
J Bergmann 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.33

PHILADELPHIA ip h r er bb so hr era
J Moyer 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.12

Pitches-strikes: J Moyer 13-9. Ground balls-fly balls: J Moyer 2-1. Batters
faced: J Moyer 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Phil Cuzzi. 1B--Rob Drake. 2B--Gary Darling. 3B--Bruce Dreckman.

Weather: 73 degrees, sunny. Wind: 7 mph, right to left.</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">NL AT PHILADELPHIA
CONFIRMED STARTERS: WAS - JASON BERGMANN
PHI - JAMIE MOYER</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">NL AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY CHASE UTLEY SCORED JIMMY ROLLINS.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, NONE ON, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 0
PHILADELPHIA 1 BOTTOM, 1ST

DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: R HOWARD (.265, 46 HR, 133 RBI)</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
WASHINGTON 0 0 1 0
PHILADELPHIA 1 1 1 0 (TOP 2)

CURRENT PITCHERS: WAS - JASON BERGMANN
PHI - JAMIE MOYER

DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: A KEARNS (.266, 16 HR, 73 RBI)
W PENA (.302, 8 HR, 22 RBI)
J FLORES (.247, 4 HR, 25 RBI)</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">WASHINGTON (0) VS PHILADELPHIA (1) - END 1ST - IN PROGRESS

WASHINGTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
F Lopez ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .245
R Belliard 2b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .289
R Zimmerman 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .268
D Young 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .319
A Kearns rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .266
W Pena lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .302
J Flores c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247
J Maxwell cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .304
J Bergmann p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .139

Totals 4 0 1 0 0 0 2

BATTING: 2B - R Belliard (35, J Moyer). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out
- D Young 1. Team LOB - 1.


PHILADELPHIA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Rollins ss 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .296
S Victorino rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .282
C Utley 2b 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .332
R Howard 1b 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .264
A Rowand cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .311
P Burrell lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257
G Dobbs 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273
C Ruiz c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257
J Moyer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .127

Totals 3 1 1 1 0 1 1

BATTING: SF - C Utley. RBI - C Utley (103). Team LOB - 0.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Rollins 2 (41, 2nd base off J Bergmann/J Flores, 3rd base
off J Bergmann/J Flores).


----------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON - 0 -- 0
PHILADELPHIA - 1 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON ip h r er bb so hr era
J Bergmann 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 4.37

PHILADELPHIA ip h r er bb so hr era
J Moyer 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.12

Pitches-strikes: J Bergmann 24-13; J Moyer 13-9. Ground balls-fly balls: J
Bergmann 1-1; J Moyer 2-1. Batters faced: J Bergmann 4; J Moyer 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Phil Cuzzi. 1B--Rob Drake. 2B--Gary Darling. 3B--Bruce Dreckman.

Weather: 75 degrees, sunny. Wind: 7 mph, right to left.</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
WASHINGTON 0 0 0 1 0
PHILADELPHIA 1 1 1 0 (BOT 2)

CURRENT PITCHERS: WAS - JASON BERGMANN
PHI - JAMIE MOYER

DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: A ROWAND (.311, 27 HR, 89 RBI)
P BURRELL (.257, 30 HR, 97 RBI)
G DOBBS (.273, 10 HR, 55 RBI)</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">WASHINGTON (0) VS PHILADELPHIA (1) - MID 2ND - IN PROGRESS

WASHINGTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
F Lopez ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .245
R Belliard 2b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .289
R Zimmerman 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .268
D Young 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .319
A Kearns rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .265
W Pena lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .300
J Flores c 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .246
J Maxwell cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .304
J Bergmann p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .139

Totals 7 0 1 0 0 2 2

BATTING: 2B - R Belliard (35, J Moyer). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out
- D Young 1. Team LOB - 1.


PHILADELPHIA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Rollins ss 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .296
S Victorino rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .282
C Utley 2b 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .332
R Howard 1b 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .264
A Rowand cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .311
P Burrell lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257
G Dobbs 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273
C Ruiz c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257
J Moyer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .127

Totals 3 1 1 1 0 1 1

BATTING: SF - C Utley. RBI - C Utley (103). Team LOB - 0.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Rollins 2 (41, 2nd base off J Bergmann/J Flores, 3rd base
off J Bergmann/J Flores).


----------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON - 00 -- 0
PHILADELPHIA - 1 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON ip h r er bb so hr era
J Bergmann 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 4.37

PHILADELPHIA ip h r er bb so hr era
J Moyer 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 5.10

Pitches-strikes: J Bergmann 24-13; J Moyer 29-19. Ground balls-fly balls: J
Bergmann 1-1; J Moyer 2-2. Batters faced: J Bergmann 4; J Moyer 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Phil Cuzzi. 1B--Rob Drake. 2B--Gary Darling. 3B--Bruce Dreckman.

Weather: 75 degrees, sunny. Wind: 7 mph, right to left.</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
WASHINGTON 0 0 0 1 0
PHILADELPHIA 1 0 1 1 0 (TOP 3)

CURRENT PITCHERS: WAS - JASON BERGMANN
PHI - JAMIE MOYER

DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: J MAXWELL (.304, 2 HR, 5 RBI)
J BERGMANN (.139, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
F LOPEZ (.245, 0-FOR-1)</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">WASHINGTON (0) VS PHILADELPHIA (1) - END 2ND - IN PROGRESS

WASHINGTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
F Lopez ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .245
R Belliard 2b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .289
R Zimmerman 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .268
D Young 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .319
A Kearns rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .265
W Pena lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .300
J Flores c 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .246
J Maxwell cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .304
J Bergmann p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .139

Totals 7 0 1 0 0 2 2

BATTING: 2B - R Belliard (35, J Moyer). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out
- D Young 1. Team LOB - 1.


PHILADELPHIA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Rollins ss 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .296
S Victorino rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .282
C Utley 2b 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .332
R Howard 1b 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .264
A Rowand cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .310
P Burrell lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257
G Dobbs 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .272
C Ruiz c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257
J Moyer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .127

Totals 6 1 1 1 0 1 1

BATTING: SF - C Utley. RBI - C Utley (103). Team LOB - 0.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Rollins 2 (41, 2nd base off J Bergmann/J Flores, 3rd base
off J Bergmann/J Flores).


----------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON - 00 -- 0
PHILADELPHIA - 10 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON ip h r er bb so hr era
J Bergmann 2 1 1 1 0 1 0 4.33

PHILADELPHIA ip h r er bb so hr era
J Moyer 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 5.10

Pitches-strikes: J Bergmann 32-20; J Moyer 29-19. Ground balls-fly balls: J
Bergmann 3-2; J Moyer 2-2. Batters faced: J Bergmann 7; J Moyer 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Phil Cuzzi. 1B--Rob Drake. 2B--Gary Darling. 3B--Bruce Dreckman.

Weather: 75 degrees, sunny. Wind: 7 mph, right to left.</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
WASHINGTON 0 0 0 0 1 0
PHILADELPHIA 1 0 1 1 0 (BOT 3)

CURRENT PITCHERS: WAS - JASON BERGMANN
PHI - JAMIE MOYER

DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: C RUIZ (.257, 6 HR, 54 RBI)
J MOYER (.127, 0 HR, 2 RBI)
J ROLLINS (.296, 1-FOR-1)</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">WASHINGTON (0) VS PHILADELPHIA (1) - MID 3RD - IN PROGRESS

WASHINGTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
F Lopez ss 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .245
R Belliard 2b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .289
R Zimmerman 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .268
D Young 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .319
A Kearns rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .265
W Pena lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .300
J Flores c 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .246
J Maxwell cf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .292
J Bergmann p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .135

Totals 10 0 1 0 0 3 2

BATTING: 2B - R Belliard (35, J Moyer). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out
- D Young 1. Team LOB - 1.


PHILADELPHIA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Rollins ss 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .296
S Victorino rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .282
C Utley 2b 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .332
R Howard 1b 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .264
A Rowand cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .310
P Burrell lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257
G Dobbs 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .272
C Ruiz c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257
J Moyer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .127

Totals 6 1 1 1 0 1 1

BATTING: SF - C Utley. RBI - C Utley (103). Team LOB - 0.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Rollins 2 (41, 2nd base off J Bergmann/J Flores, 3rd base
off J Bergmann/J Flores).


----------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON - 000 -- 0
PHILADELPHIA - 10 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON ip h r er bb so hr era
J Bergmann 2 1 1 1 0 1 0 4.33

PHILADELPHIA ip h r er bb so hr era
J Moyer 3 1 0 0 0 3 0 5.07

Pitches-strikes: J Bergmann 32-20; J Moyer 42-27. Ground balls-fly balls: J
Bergmann 3-2; J Moyer 3-3. Batters faced: J Bergmann 7; J Moyer 10.

UMPIRES: HP--Phil Cuzzi. 1B--Rob Drake. 2B--Gary Darling. 3B--Bruce Dreckman.

Weather: 75 degrees, sunny. Wind: 7 mph, right to left.</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">NL AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY RYAN HOWARD SCORED CARLOS RUIZ AND JIMMY ROLLINS.

SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, R HOWARD ON FIRST, S VICTORINO ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 0
PHILADELPHIA 3 BOTTOM, 3RD

DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: A ROWAND (.310, 0-FOR-1)</div>

 

NL: WASHINGTON at PHILADELPHIA

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
WASHINGTON 0 0 0 0 1 0
PHILADELPHIA 1 0 2 3 3 0 (TOP 4)

CURRENT PITCHERS: WAS - JASON BERGMANN
PHI - JAMIE MOYER

DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: R BELLIARD (.289, 1-FOR-1)
R ZIMMERMAN (.268, 0-FOR-1)
D YOUNG (.319, 0-FOR-1)</div>