Atlanta Braves: (6-4; -7)
The Atlanta Braves took two of three from the Marlins and will face the San Diego Padres this week. Of note, Tim Hudson make a rehab start over the weekend in AAA. His scheduled opponent would have been Jake Peavy of the White Sox AAA affiliate, but Peavy was pushed a day back. Anyway, Hudson could be close to returning, as he threw 89 pitches in 6 innings of work.
Florida Marlins: (5-5; -8)
The Marlins lost an important series to the Braves, and will return home to face the Mets. Sean West will face Nelson Figueroa (according to the Marlins website). The Marlins trail the San Francisco Giants by 5 games in the Wild Card. Nick Johnson has been sidelined with an injured hamstring, but has not been placed on the DL yet. A move may happen before the Mets series.
Philadelphia Phillies: (8-2; Leader)
The Phillies finished up a … well, you know by now. They will start a weekday series against their instate rival, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by .5 games in the race for the top spot in the NL. Which is not a good idea, because then they’ll have to face the Giants in a short series.
Washington Nationals: (4-6; -29.5)
The Nationals lost three of four to the Milwaukee Brewers and will travel to Chicago to see the Cubs. The Nationals “lead” the Bryce Harper sweepstakes by 4 games over the Kansas City Royals, the Mets are 13 “back.”
Weekly Stat: It feels odd rooting for a team to lose games in the standings, but a quick look at the overall standings shows that we may be in good position. Right now the Mets would have the 10th overall pick. We’re 4.5 games “back” of the 5th overall pick, and 5.5 “back” of the 3rd overall pick (Anthony Ranuado?). Another big point is that top-15 picks are compensation protected. Meaning, that if the Mets sign a Type A Free Agent, we would surrender a 2nd round pick, rather than a top 15 1st round pick. Of course, it’s almost cruel to ask fans to pay $9.25 for nachos to watch a team tank.
Till Next Time
