NL East Standings 9/5/11 - MLB.com

The Philadelphia Phillies still reign supreme in the National League East with a 88-48 record.  In fact they still have the best record in the majors.  But the Phillies have had a couple losses lately against Eastern rivals Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins, which are two teams the Phillies should have no trouble beating.  The Phillies hot and cold offense is a contributing factor to the losses.  Though they have had some blow outs in their favor, it seems that when one of the Phillies gets into a hitting slump, it becomes viral and they all catch it.  Can’t always rely on the pitchers to bail them out.

And speaking of pitching, the Phillies bullpen is suddenly not looking so reliable and that’s definitely a concern heading down the stretch. But with the best record and what some still consider to be the best starting rotation in baseball, the odds are still in the Phillies corner.

On Monday night, the Atlanta Braves begin a 3-game series against the Phillies, who they have been desperately been trying to catch in the east.  And though the Phillies maintain a considerable lead on the Braves (7 and 1/2 games) they are resting comfortably as top dog in the Wild Card race.  With the San Francisco Giants a good 8 and 1/2 games back, the Braves are in a good position right now.  However, there is no doubt they would LOVE to knock the Phillies off the NL East pedestal and win the division.  But if they have to get in with the wild card, can’t see them being too upset about that.

» Continue reading “NL East Division: Labor Day Edition”

Standings courtesy of: MLB.com

The Philadelphia Phillies continue to reign supreme in the National League East.  And still boast the best overall record in the majors.  Pretty much everything is working well for them, except the occasional lack of offense. Even with losing starters Joe Blanton and Roy Oswalt, they still have aces Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels. With the addition of rookie pitchers Vance Worley and Michael Stutes, and of course having a healthy Chase Utley back only improves an already formidable team.

For more on the Phillies, please visit Aerys Sports Philadelphia Phillies site:  View from Section 116

Though the Phillies are still the ‘team to beat’ the surging Washington Nationals are sneaking their way into the mix. But not without controversy. After sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals then a week later sweeping the Seattle Mariners their manager Jim Riggleman resigned. And as of Monday, one-time Mets skipper Davey Johnson took over.  Currently the Nats have dropped two to the Los Angeles Angels and are hoping tonight to avoid being swept themselves.

For more on the Nationals and Riggleman’s resignaton, please visit Aerys Sports Washington Nationals site:  Win For Teddy

If you thought the Nationals sudden winning was shocking, the collapse of the Florida Marlins was probably even more astonishing.  The bottom dwelling Marlins are having an abysmal June, with a record 23 losses, its no wonder their manager Edwin Rodriguez quit on June 19th.

Their interim manager is Jack McKeon who was at the helm back in 2003 when the Marlins won the World Series. McKeon is 80 years old, making him the second-oldest manager in major league history.  The Marlins have lost a record 23 games in the month of June, with wins coming few and far between.  The Marlins were hoping to get right-handed pitcher Josh Johnson back sooner rather than later but they can’t do the happy dance just yet.

The two-time All-Star, who is on the 60-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, resumed throwing off the mound on June 17. He has continued tossing in side bullpen sessions every couple of days since.  To make sure there aren’t any complications with his shoulder, the 27-year-old right-hander will get another medical opinion from Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama.  - Marlins.com

For more on the Marlins, please visit Aerys Sports Florida Marlins site:  Fishy Situation

The Atlanta Braves have held onto the second spot for a while now, but they just can’t seem to catch the Phillies, not yet anyway. The Braves swept the Toronto Blue Jays in three games last week and could possible sweep the Seattle Mariners tonight.  Their pitching continues to be their strong suit except for maybe a struggling Derek Lowe. But they are getting help from the likes of catcher Brian McCann whose batting average is .317 and first baseman Freddie Freeman.

Freeman has hit safely in eight of his last 12 games and is batting .304 (45-for-148) with five homers and 20 RBIs over his last 38 games (since May 14) to raise his season batting average 45 points in that span (from .220 to .265). - Braves.com

For more on the Braves, please visit Aerys Sports Atlanta Braves site:   She is Out of Your League

The New York Mets are above .500 for the first time since April 6th.  With a 40-39 record and in third place behind the Phillies, the Mets are 15-10 in the month of June.  Last night they had an impressive 14-3 romp over the Detroit Tigers and broke a grand slam drought thanks to both Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran.  The Mets’ last grand slam before last night’s game was on August 1, 2009 by Angel Pagan.

For more on the Mets, please visit Aerys Sports NY Mets site:  Curious Case of Sidd Finch