Braves vs. Phillies

Despite a late rally, the Braves were able to hold on to win 8-7 against the Phillies, and with a San Diego loss, became the 2010 NL Wild Card winner. Philadelphia got things started in the 3rd with a two-run blast off the bat of John Mayberry. In the bottom of the 3rd, Jason Heyward tripled to drive home Rick Ankiel to cut the lead to 2-1. RBI singles by Brooks Conrad and Tim Hudson, followed by a two-run triple by Omar Infante equaled a four-run 4th inning for Atlanta. Derrek Lee homered in the 5th to make it 6-2 Atlanta. Conrad singled home the 7th run of the game for Altanta. The Braves would tag on one more run in the 6th. Jayson Werth hit a two-run shot for the Phillies in the 7th to cut the lead to 8-4, and added three more runs in the 8th.

Tim Hudson got the win for Atlanta, going 7 innings and allowing four runs on two hits while striking out three. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel allowed for three of his starters to get a few innings in today’s game. Cole Hamels began the game though, going 2 innings and giving up no hits while striking out two. Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton also pitched an inning, giving up one run and four runs respectively. Danys Baez took the loss for Philadelphia. Billy Wagner recorded his 37th save of the season for Atlanta.

Mets vs. Nationals

It took 14 innings, but Washington beat the Mets 2-1 in the final game of the season for both teams. The first runs of the game for either team came in the 5th inning. In the top of the 5th, Roger Bernadina scored on a single by Alberto Gonzalez. In the bottom of the inning, Josh Thole grounded into a double play allowing Angel Pagan to score. It remained tied until the top of the 14th when Oliver Perez entered the game for the Mets. After striking out Ian Desmond, Perez then hit Adam Kennedy and walked the next two batters to load the bases. Perez then walked Justin Maxwell forcing home the winning run for Washington.

Both starters got a no decision in game. Mike Pelfrey went 7 innings and allowed one run on four hits while striking out four. Livan Hernandez went 6.2 innings and gave up one run on six hits while striking out one. Joel Peralta got the win for Washington. Oliver Perez took the loss for New York. Miguel Batista recorded his 2nd save for Washington.

Marlins vs. Pirates

The Marlins beat Pittsburgh 5-2 Sunday and grabbed third place in the NL East. A two-run home run by Dan Uggla in the 1st inning gave Florida a quick 2-0 lead. Pittsburgh cut the lead to 2-1 in the 2nd inning on a solo shot off the bat of Ronny Cedeno. A single by Andrew McCutchen in the 5th tied up the game. In the bottom of the 6th, a potential home run off the bat of Wes Helms turned into a ground-rule double after the umpires reviewed the play. Uggla scored on the play. Florida went on to score two more runs in the 7th inning.

Anibal Sanchez got the win for Florida, going 6 innings and giving up two runs on four hits while striking out seven. Brian Burres took the loss, going 5.2 innings and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out four. Clay Hensley recorded his 7th save for Florida.

Phillies vs. Nationals

The first place Phillies exploded for six first inning runs, and Roy Oswalt tossed six solid innings as the Phils defeated the Nationals 9-1 in Philly.

After a Ryan Zimmerman RBI single put Washington ahead in the top of the first, the Phillies went to work against Nationals starter Jason Marquis.  Marquis (2-9) retired the first batter of the inning, but then allowed the next eight batters to reach base before being knocked out of the game.  Jayson Werth tied the game with an RBI infield single, and Raul Ibanez followed with a two run single.  Oswalt contributed to the offensive outburst with an RBI single of his own as the Phils jumped out to a 6-1 lead. 

Oswalt (13-13) allowed just one run and six hits over his six innings, striking out seven along the way.   Werth and Carlos Ruiz homered off of the Nationals bullpen to cap the scoring for the Phils.  Zimmerman finished with a 4 for 4 night at the plate in a losing cause for the Nats.

Braves vs. Mets

The Braves overcame an early three run deficit and the ejection of their manager, defeating the Mets by a score of 6-4 at Citi Field to keep pace with the Phillies in the NL East.

In the bottom of the second inning, Bobby Cox was ejected for the 158th time (a major league record) for arguing balls and strikes.  The Mets went on to score three runs in the inning against Atlanta starter Tommy Hanson, thanks to RBI singles from Lucas Duda, pitcher Jonathon Niese, and Jose Reyes.  The Braves bounced back in the fourth inning, captilizing on a David Wright throwing error to score six unearned runs off of Niese (9-9).   Melky Cabrera hit an RBI single to start the scoring, and Omar Infante delivered a two run double to tie the game.  Jason Heyward then delivered the big blow, launching a three run homer to right field to give the Braves a 6-3 lead.

Duda hit his first major league home run off of Hanson in the bottom of the fourth inning, but that would be the last run of the night for either team.  Hanson (10-11) went six innings to earn the victory, and Billy Wagner pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 34th save.

Marlins vs. Cubs

The Marlins and Cubs each received solid pitching on Friday night in Florida.  Chicago was the only team to score in the pitchers’ duel, defeating the Marlins by a score of 2-0.

Ryan Dempster (14-10) pitched seven shutout innings against his former team, allowing just four hits while striking out five.  Florida starter Alex Sanabia (4-3) pitched well, but couldn’t keep the Cubs off of the scoreboard.  Alfonso Soriano hit an RBI double in the second inning, and Geovany Soto doubled home a run in the sixth inning to deliver the only two runs of the evening.  

The Marlins had a chance in the ninth as Cubs closer Carlos Marmol walked the first two batters of the inning.  However, Marmol rebounded to retire the next three batters and earn save number 32.

Marlins vs. Nationals

Jason Marquis was good, but Anibal Sanchez was better, as the Marlins beat the Nationals 4-1. Marquis had himself a no-hitter through the first four innings before Florida got to him in the 5th. With two outs in the top of the 5th, Emilio Bonifacio singled to drive in Chad Tracy and Mike Stanton, giving the Marlins a 2-0 lead. Florida would score another run in the 8th on an RBI single by Logan Morrison, and again in the 9th on a fielding error by Washington’s Adam Dunn. Sanchez had his own no-hitter going until the 5th inning. Washington was held to just five hits in the game. Their only run came in the bottom of the 8th on a double by Wilson Ramos to score Nyjer Morgan.

Sanchez got the win, going 7.2 innings and giving up one run on four hits while striking out four. Marquis took the loss, going 6 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out eight. Clay Hensley recorded his 2nd save for the Marlins.

Mets vs. Phillies

The Mets held on to play spoilers today, beating Philadelphia 4-3. New York got it going early against Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick. Ike Davis drove in the Mets first run in the 1st on a ground-rule double. New York would later add a run in the 3rd on a solo shot off the bat of Jose Reyes. Davis drove in two more runs in the 7th to make it 4-0 Mets. Philadelphia, however, made things interesting in the top of the 8th. Ross Gload scored the first run for Philadelphia on a single by Shane Victorino. A few batters later, Ryan Howard knocked in two runs on a single to center field. The Mets bullpen was able to hold on though and finish the game to get the win.

Mike Pelfrey got the win, going 7.1 strong innings and giving up two runs on six hits while striking out five. Kyle Kendrick took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out only one. Hisanori Takahashi recorded his 6th save for the Mets.

Braves vs. Cardinals

It took 12 innings, but the Braves were able to hang on and beat the Cardinals 6-3 in yet another walk-off win, putting them back in a tie for first place in the NL East. With two outs in the 1st inning, Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook walked Nate McLouth to force home the first run for Atlanta. It remained 1-0 until the 5th when McLouth tripled to drive in Martin Prado. St. Louis tied it up in the top of the 6th on a two-run double by Albert Pujols. Jason Heyward put the Braves ahead in the 7th with a solo shot to right field. In the top of the 8th, however, it was Pujols once again who tied up the game. Pujols grounded into a force out allowing Brendan Ryan to score. The game was tied until the bottom of the 12 when, with two men on, Alex Gonzalez hit his second career walk-off home run.

Atlanta’s starter Tommy Hanson went 7 innings to get the no decision. He allowed two runs on five hits while striking out five. Reliever Craig Kimbrel got the win for Atlanta. Westbrook went 6 innings in his start for St. Louis to also get a no decision. He gave up two runs on seven hits while striking out three. Mitchell Boggs took the loss for St. Louis.

Phillies vs. Mets

Phillies ace Roy Halladay used his arm and his bat to help first place Philadelphia defeat the Mets by a score of 8-4 at Citi Field on Friday evening.

After the Phillies scored two runs in the top of the second off of Mets rookie Jenrry Mejia, the Mets responded with three runs in the bottom of the third, capped by a Carlos Beltran two run homer to give New York a 3-2 lead.  That lead was short lived, however.  In the top of the fourth, Ryan Howard hit an opposite field home run off of Mejia (0-4) to tie the game.  Then, with two outs and the bases loaded, Halladay singled to center field to drive home two runs and give Philly a 5-3 lead.  Shane Victorino followed with an RBI single of his own as the Phils scored four runs in the frame.

Chase Utley added a solo homer in Philadelphia’s two run seventh inning.  Meanwhile, Halladay (18-10) made sure those runs stood up, going 7 2/3 innings and limiting the Mets to four runs and eight hits.

Braves vs. Cardinals

The Braves used a six run sixth inning to defeat the Cardinals by a score of 8-6 in Atlanta and keep pace with the Phillies in the NL East.

After both teams traded runs in the second inning, the Cardinals built a 4-1 lead off of Braves starter Mike Minor.  Matt Holliday hit a two run homer to give St. Louis the lead, and then pitcher Chris Carpenter helped his own cause with an opposite field home run – his second career homer.

The Braves responded with a run in the fourth, and then the Braves rallied for six runs in the sixth off of Carpenter (15-6).  After Jason Heyward and Martin Prado each drove in a run to tie the score, Brian McCann hit what would have been an ordinary sacrifice fly.  However, St. Louis right fielder John Jay dropped McCann’s fly ball, allowing two runs to score and McCann to reach third base.  The Braves added two more runs in the inning to take an 8-4 lead.

The Cardinals scored two runs in the seventh, but couldn’t get any closer.  Braves reliever Peter Moylan (6-2) pitched a scoreless sixth inning to earn the victory, and closer Billy Wagner picked up save number 33 with a perfect ninth.

Marlins  vs. Nationals

The Marlins scored two runs in the first and never looked back thanks to solid pitching as Florida defeated the Nationals 3-1 in Washington.

Dan Uggla drove home the game’s first run, and Wes Helms followed with a sacrifice fly as the Marlins took an early 2-0 lead off of John Lannan and the Nats.   The score remained that way until the seventh, when Florida catcher Brad Davis homered off of Lannan (7-7) to increase the Marlins lead to 3-0.  Those runs turned out to be more than enough for the Florida pitching staff.

Starter Alex Sanabia (4-2) allowed no runs and three hits over 6 2/3 innings to earn the victory.  After the Nationals scored a run in the eighth, Clay Hensley came on and retired all four batters he faced to earn his first career save.

Phillies vs. Dodgers

The Phillies beat the Dodgers Wednesday afternoon 5-1, and won their series against Los Angeles. Home runs by Jimmy Rollins in the 1st inning and Shane Victorino in the 2nd gave Philadelphia an early 2-0 lead. The Phillies tagged on another run in the 7th on a double by Chase Utley. An RBI single by Rollins followed by a ground-rule double off the bat of Utley added two runs for Philadelphia in the 9th. Utley had a career-high three doubles in the game. The Dodgers did not get their first hit until the 6th inning off Roy Oswalt. Their only run of the game came in the bottom of the 8th when James Loney singled for L.A. to drive home Jamey Carroll.

Oswalt got the win for Philadelphia, going 6.1 innings and giving up no runs on one hit while striking out six. Clayton Kershaw took the loss for L.A., going 6 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out eleven.

Braves vs. Mets

The Braves dealt the Mets their third straight loss, winning 4-1. Atlanta scored in the 1st inning on a two-run double by Martin Prado. Rick Ankiel scored in the 2nd inning on a single by Omar Infante. Infante would later score Atlanta’s 4th run when Jason Heyward doubled to left field. The Mets lone run of the game came in the 8th. Ike Davis scored on a single by Luis Hernandez.

Tommy Hanson got the win, his first since July 3. Hanson threw 7 innings of one-hit ball. He gave up no runs while striking out three. Mike Pelfrey took the loss, going 5 innings and giving up four runs on nine hits while striking out two. Billy Wagner recorded his 31st save of the season for Atlanta.

Marlins vs. Nationals

It was a wild one down in Florida as the Marlins beat the Nationals 16-10. The Nationals got on the board first with a 1st inning run on a single by Michael Morse. Florida responded with 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st, followed by 5 more in the 2nd and 4 in the 3rd. In the top of the 6th, Marlins starter Chris Volstad threw a pitch behind Morgan, who in response, charged the mound and began a bench-clearing brawl. The incident stems from a play Tuesday night in which Morgan barreled into Marlins catcher Brett Hayes at home plate. Hayes suffered a separated left shoulder. Morgan and Volstad, along with Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez and reliever Jose Veras were ejected. When all was said and done, Washington went on to score three runs in the inning. A solo shot by Wil Nieves in the 7th followed by an RBI single by Willie Harris made it 15-10. Suddenly Washington found themselves back in the ballgame, but Florida tagged on their final run in the bottom of the 7th on a home run off the bat of Cameron Maybin, and was able to hang on.

Before being tossed from the game, Volstad went 5 innings, giving up six runs on nine hits while striking out four to get the win. Scott Olsen took the loss, lasting only 1.2 innings and giving up nine runs on eight hits while striking out only one batter.

Braves vs. Dodgers

Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the 9th, the Braves came back to beat the Dodgers 4-2. Andre Ethier got things started in the 1st with a double, driving in Ryan Theriot to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. After allowing the 1st inning run, Tommy Hanson found himself in a pitchers duel with Chad Billingsley. The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the 6th when Atlanta tied it up on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jason Heyward to score Omar Infante. The Dodgers would take the lead once again as a throwing error by Brooks Conrad in the 8th allowed two runs to score. Down 3-1 in the 9th, L.A. pitching walked in a run cutting their lead to 3-2. With the bases loaded, Melky Cabrera then hit a single to drive home the winning runs.

Tommy Hanson went 7 innings, giving up one run on five hits while striking out three. Peter Moylan, who pitched the 9th, got the win for Atlanta. Chad Billingsley went 7 innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out eight for Los Angeles. Hong-Chih Kuo gave up three runs in his 1.1 innings of relief for the Dodgers to take the loss.

Marlins vs. Pirates

The Marlins fell to the Pirates in their series opener 7-1. A sacrifice fly by Garrett Jones and a single by Pedro Alvarez gave Pittsburgh an early 2-0 lead in the 1st. Florida got their only run of the game in the 4th on a ground out by Dan Uggla to score Logan Morrison.  The Pirates would go on to score four runs in the 6th on a double by Jones, followed by an Alvarez single. Andrew McCutchen homered in the 7th for Pittsburgh to make it 7-1.

Chris Volstad took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing five runs on five hits while only striking out two.  James McDonald got the win, going 7 innings and giving up one run on three hits while striking out six.

Mets vs. Astros

The Mets started their road trip off with a win as they beat the Astros 3-1. Carlos Beltran homered for the Mets in the 4th to give them a 1-0 lead. Houston tied it up in the 6th on a double by Chris Johnson. The game remained tied until the 9th, when David Wright scored on a wild pitch and then Jeff Francoeur tripled to score Beltran.

Jon Niese got a no decision after pitching 7 innings. He gave up one run on seven hits while striking out five. Pedro Feliciano got the win after pitching a third of an inning in relief. Wandy Rodriguez took a no decision as well after pitching 7 innings and allowing one run on four hits while striking out six. Matt Lindstrom took the loss for Houston after giving up the two runs in the 9th. Hisanori Takahashi closed out the game in place of Francisco Rodriguez to record his first save.

Braves vs Astros

The first place Braves were the lone NL East team in action on Monday.  Atlanta lefty Mike Minor pitched six effective innings in his major league debut, but the Astros used a 6-run seventh inning to defeat the Braves by a score of 10-4 in Houston.

Minor allowed four runs (three earned) in his six innings, allowing five hits and striking out five.   Home runs by Jason Heyward and Brian McCann off of Astros’ starter Bud Norris helped the Braves build a 4-3 lead, but the Astros scored an unearned run off of Minor in the sixth to tie the game.  With the score tied at 4 in the seventh, Kyle Farnsworth came on in relief for the Braves and allowed an RBI single to Jeff Keppinger which gave Houston a 5-4 lead.  Peter Moylan relieved Farnsworth and allowed a run-scoring single to Carlos Lee before things got wild.  With the bases loaded, Chris Johnson singled to left field to drive in two runs.   On the play, Braves catcher Brian McCann fired to third base to try to nail Lee advancing on the play, but McCann’s throw went into left field, and both Lee and Johnson scored to give the Astros a 10-4 lead. 

Tim Byrdak (2-1) retired one batter in relief and earned the victory for Houston, while Farnsworth (0-1) took the loss.

Marlins vs. Rockies

The Marlins beat the Rockies 5-2 Wednesday. Florida jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the 1st on back-to-back doubles by Dan Uggla and Jorge Cantu. The Marlins added three more runs in the 2nd on a home run to center field off the bat of Gaby Sanchez. The Rockies did not get on the board until the 8th, when Seth Smith homered, cutting the Marlins lead to 5-2.

Ricky Nolasco got the win, going 8 innings and giving up two runs on four hits. Jason Hammel took the loss, lasting 7 innings and allowing five runs on six hits. Leo Nunez recorded his 23rd save of the season for Florida.

Nationals vs. Reds

The Nationals beat the Reds 8-5. Cincinnati struck first, scoring in the 3rd inning on a single by Orlando Cabrera. Washington tied it up in the top of the 4th, and scored two more in the 5th and added 4 runs in the 6th.  The Reds tacked on two runs in the bottom of the 6th on a Miguel Cairo single. Ryan Hanigan scored in the 7th for Cincinnati, cutting the Nationals lead to 7-4. Chris Heisey singled in the Reds 5th run of the game in the 8th. Willie Harris homered in the 9th to make it 8-5 Washington.

Stephen Strasburg got the win, going 5.2 innings and giving up three runs on seven hits. Bronson Arroyo took the loss, throwing 5.2 innings and allowing seven runs on six hits. Matt Capps recorded his 24th save for Washington.

Phillies vs. Cardinals

The Phillies fell to the Cardinals 5-1. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the 4th inning on a single by Albert Pujols. The Phillies tied it up in the 5th on a home run off the bat of Ryan Howard. Matt Holliday gave St. Louis the lead in the 7th with a homer to left field. The Cardinals would go on to score three more runs in the 8th.

Jaime Garcia got the win, going 7 innings and giving up one run on four hits. Joe Blanton took the loss, throwing 7 innings and giving up five runs on seven hits. Ryan Franklin got his 18th save for  St. Louis.

Braves vs. Padres

The Braves lost to the Padres in  12 innings 6-4. Singles by Everth Cabrera and Jerry Hairston Jr. gave San Diego a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning. Atlanta tied it up in the 3rd when Chipper Jones singled, scoring Martin Prado and Jason Heyward. Brian McCann homered in the inning, giving Atlanta a 4-2 lead. It remained 4-2 until the 9th, when the Padres tied up the game on a Scott Hairston home run and Yorvit Torrealba double. The game was tied until the 12th when Nick Hundley hit a two-run double giving San Diego a 6-4 lead.

Starting pitchers Tommy Hanson and Jon Garland both had a no decision. Hanson went 6.1 innings and gave up two runs on six hits. Garland lasted 5 innings and allowed four runs on six hits. Tim Stauffer got the win for San Diego. Heath Bell recorded his 27th save.

Mets vs. Diamondbacks

The Mets lost to the Diamondbacks 4-3 in extra innings. The Mets took an early 1-0 lead in the first thanks to a home run off the bat of Angel Pagan. Chris Young led off the bottom of the inning with a home run for Arizona. Rusty Ryal and Mark Reynolds both homered for the Diamondbacks as well, giving Arizona a 3-2 lead in the 4th. Rod Barajas homered for the Mets in the 6th to tie the game. The game was tied until the 14th inning when Arizona’s Chris Snyder hit walkoff single.

Jon Niese went 5 innings and allowed three runs on six hits to get a no decision. Dan Haren got a no decision as well as he went 6 innings and gave up three runs on six hits. Oliver Perez returned for the Mets, and threw 1.1 innings, giving up one hit and walking two. Fernando Nieve took the loss for New York. Blaine Boyer got the win for Arizona.

For the second part of my series of Articles on the future super stars of the NL East I will be focusing on Atlanta Braves Outfielder Jason Heyward. Heyward has had a lot of pressure put on him in his career already despite only being 20 years old, Joe Morgan went as far as to say during a nationally televised game that he predicted he would be the Rookie of the Year before even seeing him swing a bat.

Despite all of the preseason hype and added pressure that was put on the Braves young slugger, he has been everything they have hoped for thus far and then some. Through the first two months of the season Heyward is hitting .269 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI, He ranks 5^th in the NL in walks and 7^th in both RBI and OBP. He also ranks above the league leaders in outfield assist, not a bad start for a rookie.

The Braves have been known for grooming homegrown talent such as Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, and Brian McCann and now Jason Heyward seems poised to be the future of the Braves organization. It didn’t take long for Heyward to make his presence felt as he hit a home run in his much anticipated first career at bat. He has also been named National League Rookie of the Month in both April and May.

It is no surprise that Heyward is off to such a fast start as everyone knew this young man was talented coming out of the minor leagues. In 2009 while playing at both the AA and AAA level he was named minor league player of the year by Baseball America and USA Today. It didn’t take long for the young star to make a name for himself in spring training, during a batting practice session he hit two balls that helped his legend grow, one off of a coca cola truck in the parking lot of right center field and another that broke the sun roof of the Braves Assistant GM.

With the help the young “Phenom” is providing at the plate and in the field the Braves are on top of the NL East right now with a 34-26 record. With the combination of their starting pitching and timely hitting the Braves are trying to make the postseason for the first time since 2005 and Heyward might be just the spark they need to lead them there at a young age.

Heyward is the early on favorite to win Rookie of The Year honors and look for him to continue to make improvements as this year goes on.

Next week I will be writing on the New York Mets young First Baseman, Ike Davis.

People around baseball often look at Memorial Day as the first major checkpoint of the season.   As we approach the 50 game mark, it’s a good time to take a look at the standings to see where the teams are sitting.  Is a team poised to run away with the division?  Is there a solid two-team race developing that looks looks like it may go down to the wire?  Is there a team that is already so far out of first place that they are starting to make plans for next season?

Take a look at the NL East standings.  Coming into Friday night’s action, 3 games separated first place from last place, and each team had a record of .500 or better.   The division is clearly up for grabs, which got me thinking of one of my favorite TV shows, Survivor.  Before a challenge, host Jeff Probst declares “immunity up for grabs.”    Instead of immunity, a division crown is at stake in the latest reality series - Survivor: NL East.  Let’s take a look at the competitors:

After back-to-back World Series appearances, the Phillies came into this season as the clear favorites.  Their everyday lineup remained mostly intact, and they added arguably the best pitcher in the majors to their rotation with the acquisition of Roy Halladay.  However, the Phils have been hurt by injuries, most notably to shortstop Jimmy Rollins and closer Brad Lidge.  They also are not clicking on all cylinders offensively, as evident by being shut out four times over the past week.  Despite all of the injuries and struggles, the Phillies still find themselves on top of the division.  They have the ability to run away with the East if they get healthy and play to form, but it hasn’t happened yet.

The Braves ended April five games under .500, but have played much better baseball in May.  A few win streaks have them four games over .500 in Bobby Cox‘s last season at the helm.   The Braves have the pitching to hang around for the long haul, with a solid starting rotation led by Tim Hudson and Tommy Hanson, and a healthy Billy Wagner closing games.  Will the Braves offense be enough?  Rookie phenom Jason Heyward has certainly showed all of the hype was warranted.  Can he keep it up?  Will the Chipper Jones of old return?  

The Mets?  Who knows what to make of the team from Flushing.  Part roller coaster and part circus act at times, the Mets have already jumped from last place to first place, and back to last place.  After their most recent hot streak, they now find themselves in the middle of the pack.  Can they hang around and find themselves playing meaningful September baseball?   It’s possible, but they have several huge question marks.  When will Carlos Beltran come back, or will he be back at all?  Will the Mets find three reliable starters to stick behind Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey? 

Then there are the Nationals.  Those pesky Nats.  All of the talk coming into the season was about Stephen Strasburg, and in major media outlets, Strasburg is still all you hear about when it comes to the team from DC.  News flash: the man with the 100 mph fastball has yet to throw a pitch in the majors, but the Nationals are showing that they are no longer the doormat of the NL East.  The Nats have received solid pitching in the early going, “capped” off by closer Matt Capps, who converted his first 16 save chances.  Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn provide a dangerous 3-4 combination to the Nats lineup.   They may not be able to hang around until the end, but their early season success is no mirage.  The Nats are a good ballclub, and their future looks bright.

Over the past two decades, what team owns the most World Series titles in the divison?  That would be the Florida Marlins.  The Marlins may have the deepest rotation in the division, led by ace Josh Johnson.   Each of the Marlins’ starters is fully capable of shutting down an opposing team.  Hanley Ramirez and company can also score enough runs to remain competitive throughout.  But will their bullpen eventually do them in?  With a new stadium on the horizon, will they be able to add payroll to try and make a run?

Who will Outhit, Outplay, Outlast to become the winner of Survivor: NL East?  Stay tuned to see whose torches get snuffed out.   There are likely to be some twists and surprises as this marathon of a season plays out.  You don’t want to miss it.