NL East still close after two months
May 29, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder
Marlon Byrd(3) hits a home run in the seventh inning of a game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia Phillies
It is no fun being in last place, but that is where the Phillies find themselves. The good news is that they are only six games out of first in the tight race of the NL East. Philadelphia won a series and lost a series last week as they dropped three of four to the Mets. The Phillies were able to win two games against the Colorado Rockies though.
Philadelphia will play one more game with the Mets, a makeup game from earlier in the season. Then they start a six-game road trip to take on the Nationals and Cincinnati Reds. Washington is 16-15 at home, Cincinnati is 12-12 at home, and Philadelphia is 12-12 on the road, so it is anyone’s guess as to who will win those games this week. The Phillies can ill afford to go on a losing streak if they want to stay in contention in the division.
Chase Utley continues to be one of the best hitters in baseball this season boasting a .320 batting average. He has a league-leading 22 doubles with only four home runs, but he may need to start hitting some balls out of the park to give the Phillies some more run support. A surprise player continues to be Marlon Byrd, as he has 17 doubles, eight home runs, and 32 RBI. Byrd has never been an elite player, but he has been a critical part of the Philadelphia offense so far this season.
The only Philadelphia pitcher with at least four wins is Cliff Lee. The former all-star has a 3.18 ERA with 61 strikeouts but has an opposing batting average of .287. Cole Hamels has yet to really find his best stuff as he sits at 1-3 with a 4.01 ERA. Jonathan Papelbon is 13 of 14 in save opportunities this year (including his walk-off walk vs the Texas Rangers earlier this year) and has yet to give up a home run. The bullpen isn’t awful, but it’s lack of run support are probably why the Phillies are struggling to get to the .500 mark on the season.