NL East Standings: Braves toy with the NY Mets, Phillies allowed to sneak back in

It wasn’t long ago the Philadelphia Phillies were struggling and the New York Mets were looking ahead to 10 games against their biggest NL East contenders. Unfortunately, 30% into that stretch versus the Phillies and Atlanta Braves and the top of the NL East standings is more crowded than it should be.

Dropping 6 in a row has allowed the Phillies to tie the Mets for the lead in the division. Both teams are 45-30 heading into their 3 games over the weekend beginning on Friday. The only consolation prize is that there’s a lot of baseball left on the schedule and this isn’t necessarily a sign of things to come.

The NL East standings have two seats at the top with the Mets and Phillies now tied

Here’s how the rest of the division looks right now for those curious about the basement dwellers:

Mets 45-30
Phillies 45-30
Braves 34-39
Nationals 31-44
Marlins 29-44

The Braves remain 10 games behind the Mets and 5.5 out of a Wild Card spot. Earning a Wild Card spot won’t be easy. It’s currently occupied by the loser of the NL East race, San Francisco Giants, and San Diego Padres. Runner-ups in the NL Central need not apply although the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals are only a half game out. Wouldn’t you know, the Cincinnati Reds aren’t so far out either at only 1.5 games behind the Padres who hold the coveted final spot.

Early on in 2024, focus for the Mets was on the NL Wild Card. They’d eventually take the final spot. Their possession of the NL East for the bulk of this season wasn’t some sort of a mistake. Unless you believe the Mets pitching is going to let them down and the cavalry won’t be any better, New York and Philadelphia will trade the top spot regularly much like a WWE Championship belt during the Attitude Era. 

There are two kinds of Mets fans. Those who fear having to play the Phillies on the road this weekend and seeing a distance grow and those who see this as an opportunity to rebound nicely; and not one of those self-made Angel Reese rebounds she is known for.

The Mets helped breathe some life into the Braves by getting swept. As we could’ve predicted, a heartbreaking loss, a shutout, and a semi-blowout were the results. The Braves caught the Mets wounded. We see them again next week. Payback would be nice.