With a little more than one month to go in the regular season, the NL East remains up for grabs. The New York Mets, who had an murky and unpredictable first half of the season, have since been on fire after picking up a new manager just before the All-Star break. Since Jerry Manuel has come on board, the Mets have amassed a 38-28 record, ripping of a 10-game winning streak prior to July 15th. Intended staff ace Johann Santana looks like he'll earn his $16.9 million a year, by having a 2.64 ERA and winning his last five games. (where he was given a decision). However, it's sure to bet that the Mets still have last year’s collapse on their mind, as well as a shaky bullpen and a starting rotation with a hole. There's no doubt about it though; these Mets will look to finish strong and make the playoffs in their last year at Shea Stadium.
The Philadelphia Phillies have run a little hot, and a little cold in the month of August, but at the time of this post, have taken the NL East lead with a 13-inning slaying of New York. The Phillies’ biggest concern has been a lack of run support for their starting pitchers. However, the Phils have displayed an explosive offense with recent 8-1 and 9-2 shellackings of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and with that a sense of determination with a 5-2 win in extras after coming behind in the bottom of the ninth. If the Phillies want to defend their NL East title, they have do go through the rest of the division, with 8 out of their last 10 series against NL East opponents.
The biggest surprise of the division has been the Florida Marlins. The Fish don't have a single player making over $5 million in 2008 (Paul Lo Duca makes exactly that, and he was a National to start with) However, they play with the tenacity of a team with a payroll of 20 times that. Hanley Ramirez, the 24 year old shortstop, leads the team in average, homeruns, hits, runs and stolen bases. It goes without saying that he has played extremely well this year and is a major reason why the Marlins have done well this year. Lack of strong starting pitching, however, looks to be the Fish’s biggest concern and will probably keep them out of the playoffs. Don't you wish it was 2003?
The Braves have had a tough year. That also goes without saying. Despite having a strong lineup with Chipper Jones and Brian McCann, pitching and injuries have derailed the Braves’ hopes for a playoff berth this year. Combine the team's ERA of 4.60, and the injuries to future Hall of Famers John Smoltz and Tom Glavine as you begin to comprehend what has happened down in Hot-lanta. With the trading of Mark Teixeira, it wouldn’t be surprising if Bobby Cox is let go after this season and a total revamping of this squad begins. This just in: Mark Kotsay, a playing chip the Braves were reported to keep has in fact been shipped to Boston.
Finally, in last place is the Washington Nationals. The team hasn’t finished above fourth in the division since their move to the nation’s capital. With an extraordinary lack of talent, a lackluster GM and trouble selling seats, the team needs an ace and potentially a major offensive player to complement current players like Aaron Boone, Christian Guzman, and Ryan Zimmerman if they want to compete in the NL East next year.
THE BOTTOMLINE
With the Marlins fading, the division will come down to the Mets and Phillies. Expect only one of these teams to make the playoffs with the other falling short of the Wildcard spot. While the Mets have an arguably better starting staff, the Phillies have a stronger bullpen with Brad Lidge as the closer. If the Phillies can give good run support for their starters, than they will repeat as NL East Champs.
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