Here’s a look at some of the NL action this weekend.

Marlins@Mets – Mets sweep second straight series

• It was the best of times – the Mets now 8 game win streak is tied with the 1986 world championship team for the earliest streak of that length in franchise history, both starting in the 6th game of the season.
• It was the worst of times – the Marlins, touted by some as NL East favorites, have stumbled to a 3-10 start; their only worse beginnings were at 2-11, two seasons ago en route to a 13-41 mark on May 30, and in 1998 after their post-championship fire sale

More after the jump.

• Met pitching allowed only two walks over the last three games of the series, both to pinch-hitters. This is just the second time Met starters have allowed no walks in 6+ innings in 3 straight against the same opponent; the other time was just two years ago, against the Yankees on May 28-30, 2013
• On the flip side, 3 straight games with no starters drawing a walk is a first for the Marlins. In fact, other than the Yankee series noted above, it’s the first time any Mets opponent has seen its starters go walk-less in 3 straight contests.

Phillies@Nationals – Nats take finale for 3-1 series win

• Offense was at a premium as the Nationals’ 10 hits in game 2 was the only time either team reached double figures in base knocks. Philadelphia notched exactly 7 hits in each of the last 3 games, marking the 12th time a Phillies team has done that against the same opponent.
• Philadelphia was held homer-less in the series and has homered in only 3 games this season, tied with the Brewers for fewest in the majors. Last season, the Phillies were 18-55 when they didn’t go deep.
• Nationals starters went 6+ innings in each game, the first time they’ve done that in a 4-game series and not allowed a home run since the franchise relocated to Washington.

Brewers@Pirates – Bucs sweep punch-less Brew crew

• Milwaukee’s swoon intensified, going homer-less in the 3 game set and without an extra-base knock in the last two. The good news, if any, was not reaching double-digits in batting strikeouts in any of the games; the bad news was still having more Ks than hits each time, only the second time since 2001 the Brewers have done those two things together in each game of a 3 game series.
• It’s early days, of course, but Pittsburgh has 7 regular starters aged 26-29 and two others in that age sweet spot who have appeared in more than half the Pirate games. Only 5 teams have gotten 100 games from 8 players aged 26-29, led by the world champion 1987 Twins with 10 such players.

Padres@Cubs – Friars beat Jon Lester in series rubber match

• It’s not the start Lester or the Cubs were envisioning. His loss on Sunday leaves Lester with a 6.89 ERA and 1.79 WHIP after three starts.
• In the first two games, the Cubs starter bequeathed the lead but the bullpen couldn’t hold it, surrendering three 7th inning runs in game 1, and four 9th inning tallies in game 2 (that four spot only tied the game, enabling Chicago to escape with an 11th inning walk-off win). Notwithstanding those two games, the Cub relief corps has started quite well with a 2.65 ERA, ranked 9th in MLB and almost two runs better than the 4.52 ERA posted by the starters.
• The new look Friars have four Wils (or Wills) on the roster, only the third San Diego team with more than one, and the first with more than two. Wil Myers and Will Middlebrooks homered in game 1, and Wil Nieves and Will Venable did likewise last weekend, the first two times two Wil(l)s have homered for the Padres (the closest San Diego came to doing that previously was in 1976 when Willie McCovey and Willie Davis homered in consecutive games).

Rockies@Dodgers – Rocky weekend for Colorado as LA sweeps

• Clayton Kershaw bagged his first win in game 1, striking out twelve in just 6 innings, but allowing two homers, only the 11th searchable start with as many Ks and HRs in so few innings, and just the second with the starter getting the W.
• In game 2, DJ LeMahieu homered off Zack Greinke in the 7th to get Colorado within one, but the Dodger pen shut down the Rocks the rest of the way, a task made easier by the offense when it matched Colorado’s deuce in the home half of that 7th inning.
• Brandon McCarthy completed the sweep with 6 shutout innings on Sunday, as three Dodgers had multiple extra-base hits (and a fourth had a HR) in a 7-0 whitewash. It was the 50th searchable game with exactly 3 Dodgers with two XBHs, with only 3 games with four such players, one on July 29th last year against the Braves.

Diamondbacks@Giants – Snakes take three of four as slow start for champs continues

• In the opener, San Francisco spotted the D-Backs a 4-1 lead as Madison Bumgarner was roughed up for all 4 runs, including 2 home runs, over 7 innings. But, the Giants fought back to tie on Joe Panik‘s RBI triple in the 9th. With the winning run 90 feet away, Arizona loaded the bases and then brought in Andrew Chafin who struck out Nori Aoki to end the threat. In the 10th, Jeremy Affeldt retired the first two Arizona batters before giving way to closer Santiago Casilla, who was greeted by an A.J. Pollock home run. But, the D-Back’s blew that save opportunity too, so the game moved on to the 12th and Aaron Hill‘s two-run double that finally secured the W for Arizona. It was only the 8th time the Diamondbacks have won a game in which two relievers blew a save.
• Josh Collmenter pitched the shutout in game 2, as Arizona launched a 9-run, 18-hit attack against Jake Peavy, who failed to survive the fourth inning. It’s the first shutout of the young season, and only the third by a Diamondback when striking out two or less.
• In game 3, Giant rookie Chris Heston had his 3rd strong outing, allowing only a solo HR in 7.2 IP. Heston becomes the first searchable Giant who, in the first 6 games of his career, posted 3 starts of 6+ IP allowing no more than one ER and two BB, a feat more impressive still in that Heston has just 4 starts in those 6 games.
• In the finale, Jeremy Hellickson collected his first win for Arizona, allowing just a run over 6.2 IP. It’s only the 5th time that two Diamondback starters have posted wins in the same series when striking out two or less in 6+ IP.

Reds@Cardinals – Cincinnati bats fall silent as Cards sweep

• Well, almost silent. Zack Cozart collected 3 hits in each of the first two games, the first such back-to-back of his career. But, aside from Joey Votto, he didn’t get much help from his friends. This was the first time since Sep 15-17, 1967 that the Reds have been swept by the Cardinals with no more than 2 runs and 9 hits in each game.
• For St. Louis, it’s just the second time since 2005 with three straight wins against the same opponent by starters allowing one run or less in 6+ IP.
• Matt Carpenter had an extra-base hit in each game of the series, extending his streak to 7 games overall. The only longer streak by a Cardinal third baseman was 8 games by Whitey Kurowski in 1947.