For the last three seasons, the National League East has been a two-horse race. In 2010, the Philadelphia Phillies topped the Atlanta Braves by six games, while the third place team was 17 games back. 2011 was dominated by the Phillies, who finished 13 games ahead of second place Atlanta and 21.5 games ahead of third place. The 2012 season ended with the Washington Nationals on top of the division, four games ahead of Atlanta and 17 games in front of Philadelphia. Okay, so 2011 wasn’t really a “two-horse race” per se, but the point is there haven’t been three teams contending for the pennant in quite a while. In fact, the last time there were two teams in the NL East within five games of the division winner was 2007. So, is this the year that the NL East will again have three contenders for the pennant? I believe it is; but first, let’s explore who WON’T be in the hunt for the postseason.
The Miami Marlins are 7-19 so far this season, which is worst in the majors. They rank last in MLB in runs scored, batting average, and slugging percentage and 28th in on-base percentage. Adding salt to their wounds, the team just placed slugger Giancarlo Stanton on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring. As a result, everyone in America can once again not name a single player in the Marlins’ starting lineup. It’s fairly safe to say that the Miami Marlins will not be contending for a playoff berth.
Although New York Mets’ new found ace Matt Harvey is having a Cy Young-like start to the season, the rest of the pitching staff is not pulling their weight. As a whole, the Mets rank 20th or worse in all four major pitching categories. Since his hot start, catcher John Buck has cooled down. His .241 batting average is inching closer and closer to the Mendoza Line with every game. David Wright is quietly having another good season, but the Mets will need a slew of batters to get hot and stay hot to compete in this division. At this point in the season, it would be irresponsible to count the Mets out of the playoffs, but I spent five and half years at college, so I’ll go ahead and do it. Do not expect to see Harvey pitching in the playoffs, barring a trade to a contender before the deadline, which isn’t likely.
That leaves the Philadelphia Phillies to compete with early season frontrunners Atlanta and Washington for a postseason berth. It’s difficult to speculate what is wrong with the Phillies this year. They have one of the most talented pitching staffs and batting lineups in the league, yet are off to a disappointing 12-14 start so far. You could definitely argue that this year’s roster is as good, if not better, than the 2011 squad that won 102 games. With a pitching staff that includes Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels, you can’t count the Phillies out. If they can get back on track and Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins can stay healthy, the possibilities are endless for this team.
Both the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves have rosters built for the grueling 162 game MLB season. Washington is struggling to score runs lately, but expect them to find the bats on their upcoming trip to Pittsburgh. They’ve also been plagued by the injury bug which has caused Ryan Zimmerman, Danny Espinosa, and Jayson Werth to miss time. The Braves continue to play well and lead the NL East with a record of 17-9, which includes a 5-0 mark so far against the Nationals. Keep in mind that they are still playing without pitchers Brandon Beachy and Jonny Venters, and starting catcher Brian McCann.
I think this will be the first time in four years that three teams from the National League East will have a chance at a pennant down the stretch. The Phillies and Nationals will start scoring runs eventually and the Braves will likely cool off at some point. I’m not saying they will have an epic collapse in September like they did in 2011, but they will remain within striking distance for Washington and Philadelphia.
NL East Notes
Braves pitcher Tim Hudson earned his 200th career win on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals, throwing seven innings of three hit ball and adding a double and a solo home run at the plate. Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth is sitting a game after fouling a ball off his ankle during Monday’s game in Atlanta. He hopes to be back by Wednesday. Braves catcher Brian McCann will likely complete a rehab assignment during a four game stint with Triple-A Gwinnett. He hopes to be back early next week. Phillies outfielder Delmon Young returned from the disabled list on Tuesday and went 2-for-3 with a home run against the Cleveland Indians.