June 19-21 NL simulation: Cincy gains in St. Louis

In the NL East this 2020 MLB season simulation, Atlanta leads by a whisker.

By winning their three-game series at Nationals Park while the Phillies were losing theirs at home, the Braves edged back into first place in the NL East by 11 percentage points.

The Nats won the Friday opener 8-5 thanks to an 11-hit attack and Victor Robles’ two-homer, four-RBI game. Those offset a seventh-inning Johan Camargo grand slam and made a winner of Daniel Hudson, 3-2.

The Phillies took temporary advantage, polishing off Michael Wacha and the Mets 7-5. Jean Segura’s eighth-inning single drove in the deciding runs.

But the Braves effectively tied the race Saturday, beating the Nats 7-4 while Jacob DeGrom shut down the Phillies 4-2. DeGrom, 6-5, held Philadelphia to one run and two hits over seven innings, benefitting from Jake Marisnick’s two-RBI base hit in the second inning. In Washington, meanwhile, Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman, Dansby Swanson, and Marcell Ozuna all homered as the Braves rallied with seven runs in the final three innings to beat Washington 7-4. Stephen Strasburg took the defeat, evening his record at 6-6.

That left the race essentially deadlocked entering play Sunday. In Washington, Sean Newcomb ran his record to 13-5 with seven innings of one-run work.  Adam Duvall homered, singled twice and drove in three runs for a 4-2 Braves victory. While that was happening, Stephen Matz and three relievers shut down the Phillies on five hits, giving New York a 4-3 win. Robinson Cano broke a 3-3 tie with a seventh-inning RBI double that proved to be the difference.

San  Francisco’s Jeff Samardzija beat the Marlins 4-2 Friday with help from Hunter Pence’s second-inning two-run home run. The Giants won again Saturday, this time 3-2, thanks to another Pence two-run home run, this one coming in the sixth inning.

On Sunday Elieser Hernandez allowed just three hits in six innings and the Marlins breezed to a 6-0 victory.  Garrett Cooper hit a three-run home run and Matt Joyce drove in two more

                                                W-L         Pct           GB

Atlanta Braves                   46-32     .590        —

Philadelphia Phillies         44-32     .579        1

Washington Nationals     40-37     .519        5.5

New York Mets                  32-46     .410      14

Miami Marlins                   30-47     .390      15.5