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NL East monthly check-up: Braves, Mets, Phillies, Marlins, Nationals

By K Michael Sweetman

May 28, 2023; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider (99) pitches Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
May 28, 2023; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider (99) pitches Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 26, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer (21) pitches in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer (21) pitches in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

The New York Mets entered the month with the golden gift of 12 straight games against the Tigers, Rockies, Reds, and Nationals. They were three and a half back from Atlanta at that point, and while I don’t think anyone forsaw the Braves just treading water, there was a nice opportunity with that schedule to maybe catch up to them or perhaps even take over first place. Well, the Mets went 4-8 over those 12 games, played .500 ball themselves the rest of the way, and slipped into third place. Same ol’ Mets. This is going to be a hotly contested division all season long, and if New York can’t get out of its own way, then the highest payrolled team in the league is going to be playing golf this fall instead of playoff games.

Max Scherzer, except for one little hiccup against Detroit on May 3, has been pretty good lately. He’s allowed just two earned runs over his last three starts and the Mets were 3-1 with him on the bump this month. Kodai Senga was pretty impressive as well, and looks like he’s really starting to figure things out. Senga threw 6.0 innings and allowed just one earned run, with 12 strikeouts, in an extra-inning win versus Tampa Bay on the 17th, and tossed another gem later in the month, this time against the Phillies, throwing 7.0 innings of one hit ball, with nine punchouts. New York managed to win three of his starts this month and in all, per Gary Cohen of SNY, the Mets are 14-0 when their starting pitcher throws at least 6.0 innings this season.

Pete Alonso clobbered 10 homers this month, including seven in his last 13 games, and leads the league with 20 on the season. He is also third in RBI, with 46, and, along with Francisco Lindor, they have 86 between them. They are the muscles that make this lineup move. There are tough outs throughout this batting order, but these guys are RBI machines. Omar Narvaez was supposed to be this team’s primary catcher this year, but he hit the shelf early with a calf injury and the Mets have since handed the keys to home to 21-year-old Francisco Alvarez. Alvarez has really come into his own, especially this past month. He’s pretty solid defensively, with a nice arm behind the dish, but I know a couple of Mets fans who have been waiting for that bat to come around. Well, over his last nine games Alvarez is hitting .353 with a 1.258 OPS, and has five homers and 13 RBI to go along with all that great behind the plate stuff. This kid is a sharp shooter with upper management written all over him.

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