NL East Roundup: Mets Gaining Traction as Rest of Division Sputters

I said a week ago that, because of injuries, the Mets had left the door open for any of the teams in the division to get hot and supplant them in first place.

Against all odds though, it’s been the Mets that have caught fire, winners of five of their last six. They’re pitching at an elite level, they’re starting to hit better and scariest of all, they’re only just beginning to get healthy.

The Nationals are potentially on the verge of a rebuild, the Marlins are still seemingly not quite at the level where they could realistically compete for the division crown and the Phillies have shown all year that they’re a .500 team at best.

It’s a two-horse race at this point between the Mets and Braves, but Atlanta can’t quite seem to get out of the starting gate.

1. New York Mets (27-21)

Last 10: 6-4

Who’s Hot: Jacob deGrom

Realistically, the Mets’ ace could fill this spot every week, but it’s important to pause and take a minute every once in a while just to realize how special a player deGrom is. In his two starts since returning from the IL deGrom has worked 11 innings, given up one run and struck out 17. His ERA is down to 0.71 on the year and his WHIP is 0.57. Those are absurd, historic numbers.

Oh, and he’s hitting .450 with 3 RBI, because of course he is.

Who’s Not: Sean Reid-Foley

This is purely from a business standpoint as on the field, Reid-Foley has been outstanding. In six appearances Reid-Foley has pitched to a 1.98 ERA and has absolutely eaten up innings, working more than two in all but one of his outings.

Unfortunately for the 25-year-old righty, he has options on his contract and was sent down Monday when the Mets activated Seth Lugo from the IL. Smart money says this won’t be the last we see of Reid-Foley in 2021, but it’s a rough break for a pitcher clearly at the top of his game.

Injury Report

Things are finally looking up on the injury front for the Mets. Key guys like Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, J.D. Davis, Carlos Carrasco and Noah Syndergaard still seem a ways away from returning, but the roster resembles a major league team much more than it did even 10 days ago.

Aside from deGrom, Taijuan Walker made his return and continued his dominant pitching – his ERA is down to 1.84 on the year. Pete Alonso came off the IL Monday after 13 days and promptly drove in four runs, including a two-run homer.

Outlook

I’m still not sold that the Braves are completely dead, but the Mets are in a pretty enviable spot as of now. They survived the worst of their injury woes, somehow widening their division lead in the process, and are getting healthier every day. New York has one more game with Arizona before a four-game set with San Diego and two games in Baltimore wrap up a nine-game cross-country road trip.

2. Philadelphia Phillies (26-29, 4.5 GB)

Last 10: 4-6

Who’s Hot: Odubel Herrera

I’ve used Herrera here before, but the center fielder just keeps hitting. Herrera is 6-for-11 in his last two games, including two home runs on Tuesday.

Who’s Not: Alec Bohm

Last year’s Rookie of the Year runner-up just can’t get on track in 2021. In his last seven, Bohm is slashing just .167/.286/.167 and his struggles have bled over to the field. The Phillies have toyed with the idea of sending Bohm to the minors to try to work on things, a surprising development for the 24 year old.

Injury Report

Outfielder Roman Quinn suffered a torn Achilles and will not return this season. Didi Gregorius and Bryce Harper are both eligible to come off the IL this week, but the Phillies say neither will just yet.

Outlook

Want a perfect example of the Phillies’ season through two months in 2021? Monday night they were trounced by the Reds to the tune of 11-1. Tuesday, they bounced back to beat the same Red team 17-3. And so it goes for the frustrating Phils. They’re just three games under .500 with plenty of season left, but have shown no real ability to play better than that mark.

3. Atlanta Braves (25-28, 4.5 GB)

Last 10: 5-5

Who’s Hot: Charlie Morton

There’s no doubt the Braves can hit the ball, the issue is whether or not the pitching staff can keep up. In that regard, Morton has been a steady presence in the Brave rotation. Over his last three starts the veteran righty has combined to throw 18 innings, allowing four earned runs and striking out 23.

Who’s Not: Marcell Ozuna

Ozuna’s season was already in trouble after fracturing two of his fingers last week, but now his entire career is in jeopardy. The outfielder was arrested in Georgia on Saturday under charges of domestic assault. The situation is extremely serious and could realistically derail the career of Ozuna, who signed a five-year deal in the offseason.

Injury Report

The Braves were fortunate on the injury front this past week. Starter Mike Soroka hasn’t been ruled out for the year and will be reevaluated next week.

Outlook

Even without Travis d’Arnaud and Ozuna the Braves’ lineup is still power-packed and capable of going off any given night. The problem all season has been stringing wins together and it’s continued into June, as after winning four straight against the Pirates and Red Sox, Atlanta has dropped three of its last four. Even at under .500 they’re by no means out of the division race, but the Braves badly need a win streak to make up ground on the Mets.

4. Miami Marlins (24-30, 6 GB)

Last 10: 4-6

Who’s Hot: Starling Marte

The All-Star center fielder returned last weekend after over a month on the IL and has immediately made his presence felt. In three games, Marte is 4-for-10 and has doubled in each.

Who’s Not: The offense

Pitching has been the Marlins strength all year, and there’s enough in the lineup to compete, but as of late Miami just isn’t scoring enough. In their last five losses, the Marlins have scored zero, two, two, one and one runs. Even with a very good young rotation and one of the best bullpens in the game, those numbers aren’t going to win you many games.

Injury Report

The good news is that starter Elieser Hernandez could join an already impressive young rotation as soon as this week. Contrarily, potential ace Sixto Sanchez had his rehab paused after suffering from shoulder soreness.

Shortstop Miguel Rojas also hit the IL after dislocating his left index finger and X-rays revealed a small fracture.

Outlook

Every time I think maybe the Marlins aren’t a year away from serious contention, they give me a reason to doubt them. Miami has dropped four in a row and five of six since taking a series from the Mets two weekends ago. After their current series at the Blue Jays, seven of eight games come against two of the worst teams in the league in Pittsburgh and Colorado. There’s certainly an opportunity for the Marlins to make a move.

5. Washington Nationals (23-29, 6 GB)

Last 10: 4-6

Who’s Hot: Juan Soto

The outstanding youngster is finally rounding into form after injury issues earlier in the year. Over his last 15 games, Soto is hitting .315 and has one more walk – 11 – than strike outs. His two-run homer in the eighth inning Tuesday put the finishing touches on an 11-6 win over the Braves.

Who’s Not: Will Harris

It’s been a tough 2021 for the veteran reliever. He was misdiagnosed with a blood clot before the year, and has only made eight appearances, pitching to an even 9.00 ERA. Harris hasn’t pitched in over a week and it was revealed over the weekend he has Thoracic outlet syndrome. Harris has opted for surgery, but it’s an extremely tough injury to come back from and at 36 years old, his future is very much in doubt.

Injury Report

The biggest news out of D.C. this week was Stephen Strasburg being removed from his start Tuesday after just 30 pitches. After missing virtually all of 2020, Strasburg has already missed a chunk of 2021 with shoulder inflammation, so this is a potentially alarming development for the 2019 World Series MVP.

Outlook

Things are bad enough in Washington that rumors are starting to surface of trading Max Scherzer. The Nationals lost five in a row before Tuesday’s win in Atlanta, have possibly lost Strasberg to injury again and haven’t been able to climb out of the basement in the NL East despite being given every opportunity by the four teams in front of them. If the Nats decide retooling for 2022 is the best course of action, Scherzer should get them quite a haul, and guys like Trae Turner and Soto provide a nice base to build from.