The National League East is a small logjam, thanks to the Phillies’ 0-2 showing at Citi Field. At 14-12, the Phils are a half game above the Mets and Marlins in first place. While this weekend won’t give the Phils great opportunity to separate from those two teams, it could allow the Phils to brush away the Braves. They get down to a three-gamer at Citizens Bank Park starting tonight.
The Braves hit the skids after starting strong against the Phillies. Their rotation – praised in the offseason – has sort of lived up to its potential. Young starter Jair Jurrjens carries a 2.01 ERA, while new additions Derek Lowe (3.98) and Javier Vazquez (4.19) are doing close to what they were asked to do. But they’ve won two straight and are trying to grab the .500 ring again.
The Phillies, meanwhile, can knock them down considerably. Let’s say the Phils sweep them – suddenly the Braves are scuffling at 13-18, while the Phils are far ahead of them at 17-12. Would be nice. And though it’s May, it’s possible that the Phils can start leaving the Braves in their rear-view starting now.
Tim MalcolmTim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.
