Since 2007 The Philadelphia Phillies have been the kings of The National
League East. The Phillies have earned five consecutive division titles
and they have won one World Series Championship during this stretch. The
Phillies ascended to the top of the division by bullying The New York
Mets along the way.The Mets faltered down the stretch in 2007 and 2008
allowing The Phils to win the division. Philadelphia’s main rival in the
division has been The Mets, but they now have a team to their immediate
south to contend with. In the early stages of 2012, The Washington
Nationals are in first place in The NL East while The Phils are bringing
up the rear. The Mets who were left for dead in spring training are
hanging tough in the division as they are 3-1 so far against
Philadelphia.
The Mets and Nationals have something in common as they are both trying
to catch The Phillies while they are napping. The Phils won 102 games in
the regular season last year and won the division by 13 games. I
expected The Phillies to stumble out of the gates this season. All-Star
first baseman Ryan Howard ruptured his Achilles tendon in the final
at-bat of The National League Division Series against The St. Louis
Cardinals. Second baseman Chase Utley has been hobbled by an ailing
knee. Neither player has taken the field for Philadelphia which has left
a huge void in the middle of the lineup. Howard and Utley combined to
hit 44 home runs last year as the heart of the batting order.
The Nationals finished 2011 with 80 wins which was the franchise’s
second highest win total since moving to The Nation’s Capitol from
Montreal in 2005. The Nationals success can be attributed to manager
Davey Johnson. Johnson came on board in the middle of the 2011 campaign
and he has helped to change the culture in Washington. Johnson has
earned a reputation as a player’s manager which has allowed him to have
success. Johnson won The World Series in 1986 while managing The Mets.
Johnson also took The Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles to the
postseason.
Now Johnson has The Nationals believing. The team’s pitching staff has
the best earned run average in Major League Baseball at 2.59. Excitement
has surfaced for the return of pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg and
19-year old rookie Bryce Harper.
Straburg’s electric fastball is enough to make hitters re-think playing
baseball. Harper is getting his feet wet since being called up on April
27. Nobody can accuse Harper of not hustling on the field. Harper has
yet to hit a home run, but he did steal home plate off of Phillies
pitcher Cole Hamels on May 6. During that game, Hamels intentionally hit
Harper with a pitch which has earned him a five-game suspension from
Major League Baseball while drawing the ire of Nats general manager Mike
Rizzo. Rizzo called the act “classless” as it was Hamels’ way of
welcoming Harper to the big leagues. Both The Nationals and Phillies
have taken note of the incident which will surely be brought up again
when the two teams meet on May 21 in The City of Brotherly Love.
The Mets are the wild card in the equation as they have become an
afterthought in the division. After the fallout from Mets owner Fred
Wilpon’s dealings with convicted Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff the team
was in financial disarray. The Mets parted with All-Star shortstop Jose
Reyes who was a fan favorite as they watched him join The Miami Marlins
as a free agent. Many skeptics pegged The Mets to lose at least 100
games this year. It could still happen, but The Mets are putting up a
fight in the early going. I expected The Mets to start off strong in
April and May while faltering in the summer, but they appear as if they
can hang in there a little longer than I expected. Starting pitcher
Johan Santana has returned from a shoulder injury. Santana is not the
dominant pitcher that he once was with The Minnesota Twins, but he is
proving to be a steady force at the top of the rotation for The Mets.
Santana has three quality starts in his last three outings while earning
his first victory of the season.
As a team The Mets have the third best battting average in The NL at
.262. The Mets are one of the tougher teams in baseball with two outs as
well. The Mets lead The NL with a .295 team batting average with two outs. The Mets also have ten comeback victories which is tied with The Atlanta Braves for the most in baseball this season. This never say die attitude allowed Mets rookie infielder
Jordany Valdespin to hit a pinch-hit three run home run off of Phillies
closer Johnathan Papelbon giving The Mets a 5-2 victory on Monday night.
However The Mets will need to find some consistent protection in the
lineup behind All-Star third baseman David Wright. Wright’s batting
average is at .375 on the season but he will be hurt if first baseman
Ike Davis cannot get out of his funk. Davis’ batting average is still
below .200 and he is on pace for 199 strikeouts.
I still believe that is The Phillies division to lose. Starting pitchers
Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee along with Hamels have the ability to put
this team on their backs. The Phillies are a veteran team that knows how
to win while the young upstarts in Queens and D.C. will give them all
they can handle. The battle on I-95 will be interesting, and The
Phillies are right in the middle of it.
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