As expected, the NL East has been a grind so far.
The Phillies, Braves, Mets and Nationals are within five games of each other, with Philadelphia in first place at 19-14. Those four teams came into the season with high expectations , and given all the games they play against each other, it figured to be difficult for anyone to pull away. So far, that has been the case.
The Phillies beat Washington 7-1 on Sunday to widen their lead over the fourth-place Nationals. Philadelphia is 15-9 against the NL East, although that includes a 5-2 mark against the last-place Marlins.
The truth is, the top four teams in this fascinating division all have issues to worry about in the early going:
— The Phillies have been solid, but so far Bryce Harper is having a similar season to last year — decent overall numbers, but a low batting average. Hes hitting .233. Right-hander Nick Pivetta struggled so much, he earned a trip to the minors. Like in 2018, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the majors in defensive efficiency ratio.
— Atlantas pitching staff has a 4.29 ERA — and thats with Max Fried (2.11) and Mike Soroka (1.14) off to terrific starts. Sean Newcomb and Mike Foltynewicz have had a rough go of it so far.
— The Mets have been outscored by 23 runs on the season and have allowed the second-most runs in the National League. Thats startling, given how much they expect from their top two starters.
— The Nationals have the worst ERA in the NL, and a few members of the bullpen have put up some truly ugly numbers. As for the everyday lineup: injuries to Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon arent helping.
Elsewhere around the majors:
SPARKLING
Heading into Sundays games, Detroits Matthew Boyd led all major league pitchers in the fangraphs.com version of wins above replacement. His success does not appear to be a fluke. Boyd has a 3.05 ERA and is also among the big league leaders in strikeouts.
The 28-year-old Boyd has been a bright spot for the rebuilding Tigers, but he might also be expendable if he continues to pitch well and imRead More – Source
As expected, the NL East has been a grind so far.
The Phillies, Braves, Mets and Nationals are within five games of each other, with Philadelphia in first place at 19-14. Those four teams came into the season with high expectations , and given all the games they play against each other, it figured to be difficult for anyone to pull away. So far, that has been the case.
The Phillies beat Washington 7-1 on Sunday to widen their lead over the fourth-place Nationals. Philadelphia is 15-9 against the NL East, although that includes a 5-2 mark against the last-place Marlins.
The truth is, the top four teams in this fascinating division all have issues to worry about in the early going:
— The Phillies have been solid, but so far Bryce Harper is having a similar season to last year — decent overall numbers, but a low batting average. Hes hitting .233. Right-hander Nick Pivetta struggled so much, he earned a trip to the minors. Like in 2018, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the majors in defensive efficiency ratio.
— Atlantas pitching staff has a 4.29 ERA — and thats with Max Fried (2.11) and Mike Soroka (1.14) off to terrific starts. Sean Newcomb and Mike Foltynewicz have had a rough go of it so far.
— The Mets have been outscored by 23 runs on the season and have allowed the second-most runs in the National League. Thats startling, given how much they expect from their top two starters.
— The Nationals have the worst ERA in the NL, and a few members of the bullpen have put up some truly ugly numbers. As for the everyday lineup: injuries to Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon arent helping.
Elsewhere around the majors:
SPARKLING
Heading into Sundays games, Detroits Matthew Boyd led all major league pitchers in the fangraphs.com version of wins above replacement. His success does not appear to be a fluke. Boyd has a 3.05 ERA and is also among the big league leaders in strikeouts.
The 28-year-old Boyd has been a bright spot for the rebuilding Tigers, but he might also be expendable if he continues to pitch well and imRead More – Source
