To start the game, Cole Hamels went 6.2 strong innings — allowing only one earned run while striking out six. Chan Ho Park and Brett Myers set the table for the new closer Ryan Madson. Madson, who has replaced Brad Lidge as the closer, pitched the ninth to record his seventh save of the season.

While Lidge hasn’t been the closer since his latest ugly outing, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel says that this switch isn’t permanent. Instead, Manuel said that he’s just giving Lidge a break. However, if Lidge struggles, the good news for Philadelphia is that Madson seems to be up for the job.

With the win, the Phillies now lead the NL East by six games over the Florida Marlins and eight games over the Atlanta Braves. Unless they fall apart, the Phillies will at least have a chance to defend their title in the 2009 baseball playoffs.

Will Brad Lidge regain his role as closer? (Image: Zuma Press)

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Phillies Pitchers Power Past Mets

With the Red Sox, Wagner will likely become the team’s setup man in front of closer Jonathan Papelbon. Although Wagner has been one of the best closers in the history of baseball, he said that he’s willing to alter his role in hopes of winning a World Series championship.

Last season, Wagner was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery after injuring his elbow. In fact, he just recently returned to the big leagues for the Mets. In two appearances, Wagner allowed no hits and struck out four in two innings.

At 38, Wagner says that he envisions his future as a closer. It’s very likely that he’ll end the season with the Red Sox and then hit the free agent market in the offseason and look for a team that will sign him to close out ballgames.

Billy Wagner - Boston Red Sox (Image: Zuma Press)

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Billy Wagner Traded to the Red Sox

In five starts with the Phillies, Lee is now 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA. In his latest start, he helped the Phillies beat the New York Mets by a final score of 6-2 on Monday. In seven innings, Lee gave up six hits and no earned runs while he struck out five batters.

Offensively, Ryan Howard carried the Phillies. In the first inning, he hit a three-run homer. In the third inning, he blasted a two-run dinger. Howard is now hitting .268 with 34 homers and 104 RBIs.

The win was the third in the row for Philadelphia. In their attempt to win back-to-back World Series championships, the Phillies have a 7-game lead in the NL East over the Atlanta Braves. At 72-50, the Phillies have the least number of losses in the National League.

Cliff Lee - Philadelphia Phillies (Image: Zuma Press)

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Cliff Lee Once Again Fantastic for Phillies

In May, Hernandez was 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA. In June, his ERA was 3.69. But the last two months have been a nightmare. In July, his ERA was 7.33. This month, he was 0-3 with an 11.30 ERA. Against the San Francisco Giants in his last start, Hernandez gave up six earned runs and 11 hits in 5.1 innings.

All told, Hernandez has a 7-8 record on the season and a 5.47 ERA. For his career, Hernandez has a record of 154-147 to go with a 4.43 ERA. It’ll be interesting to see if another team brings him in to eat some innings down the stretch run of the season.

By releasing Hernandez, the Mets opened up room to get a look at Billy Wagner. After missing the entire season after shoulder surgery, Wagner will get a few innings in the next few weeks. The Mets are hoping that a contender decides to trade for Wagner before the end of the season.

Livan Hernandez Released (Image: Zuma Press)

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Livan Hernandez Released by the Mets

The pitch in question, a 94 mile per hour heater from Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants, hit Wright in the helmet. Wright suffered a concussion and is suffering from concussion-related symptoms. He’s scheduled to undergo further tests.

The 26-year-old Wright was having an interesting season for the Mets. While his batting average and on-base percentage (.324 and .414) are very good and near his career-highs, his power numbers were down. Last year he had 33 homers and 124 RBIs. This season, the right-handed hitter has just eight home runs and 55 RBIs.

Wright is just the latest Mets star to meet the injury bug this season. Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado have all missed significant time and all three could also be out for the season — like Wright.

David Wright in pain after getting hit on the helmet (Image: Zuma Press)

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David Wright Placed on the DL

Bernazard’s tirade aimed at the minor league team in which he reportedly took off his shirt was only one of the items that apparently led to his exit. His other incidents include a verbal confrontation with closer Francisco Rodriguez, a tirade due to the fact that a seat he wanted was being used by a scout and rumors that he was the one who orchestrated Willie Randolph getting fired.

Bernazard had been with the Mets since 2004. Prior to landing with the Mets, he worked with the MLBPA.

The Mets struggles probably aren’t helping matters. Currently 46-51, New York is 10.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies. Most of the team’s problems have been due to an unusually high amount of injuries.

Omar Minaya fires Tony Bernazard (Image: Zuma Press)

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Tony Bernazard Fired by the New York Mets

Jose Reyes Injury Update (Image: Zuma Press)

The bad news for Mets fans is that there isn’t a definite plan for when he can return to the lineup. His initial injury was a calf strain. However, he has since suffered a hamstring tear.

On the season, Reyes is hitting .279 with two homers, 15 RBI, 18 runs and 11 stolen bases. At 25, many experts thought this could be a huge year for Reyes but that hasn’t happened. Instead, the shortstop is struggling to find his way back onto the field.

To date, Reyes’ best season may have been in 2006 when he hit .300 with 19 homers, 81 RBI, 122 runs and 64 stolen bases.

According to Reyes, he doesn’t think his latest hamstring injury is as serious as hamstring injuries he has suffered in the past. That said, no one really knows when he’ll return to the Mets’ lineup.

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Jose Reyes Injury Update – Leg Injuries

On the season, Rodriguez has 12 saves and no blown saves in 20 appearances. His record is 1-0 to go with a 0.87 ERA. Last year while with the Los Angeles Angels, he set a major league record with 62 saves in one season. He broke the record formerly held by Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox.

Without Rodriguez, the Mets were able to defeat the Boston Red Sox on Saturday by a final count of 3-2. In the top of the ninth inning Omir Santos hit a two-run homer to give New York the lead. In the bottom of the ninth, J.J. Putz filled in for Rodriguez as the closer and was able to pick up his second save of the 2009 baseball season.

Francisco Rodriguez - New York Mets Closer (Image: Zuma Press)

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Francisco Rodriguez Sent to the Hospital

In the first inning, Albert Pujols got an RBI on a sacrifice fly. In the third inning, Pujols hit an RBI single to put the Cardinals up 2-1. St. Louis would never trail again.

Pujols finished the outing by going 2-for-3 to lift his batting average to .315. He also has four homers and 18 RBI on the season.

In eight innings, Pineiro allowed six hits, two walks and two earned runs. He lowered his ERA to 4.12 and is now 3-0 on the season. The 30-year-old out of Puerto Rico is well on his way to winning double-digit games for the first time since 2003 with the Seattle Mariners.

With the win, the Cardinals are now 10-5, while the Mets are 6-8 after the loss.

Albert Pujols (Image: Newscom)

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Pujols and Pineiro Lead Cardinals to Victor

Gary Sheffield Hits 500th Homer (Image: Newscom)

Sheffield’s homer actually was very helpful for the Mets. With New York trailing by a run in the bottom of the seventh, Sheffield’s solo shot tied the score. In the bottom of the ninth, the Mets got the winning run when Luis Castillo hit an infield single and scored Carlos Delgado from third base.

The 40-year-old Sheffield has already been through a lot in the 2009 season. Before the season began, he was released by the Detroit Tigers. After flirting with a host of teams, Sheffield decided to sign with the Mets.

Not only was that Sheffield’s first homer of the season, it was also his first hit. In seven previous at-bats, he had walked three times and struck out twice.

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Gary Sheffield Hits 500th Home Run