Standings

1st- Atlanta Braves- 42-30

2nd- Philadelphia Phillies- 39-32, 2.5 games back

3rd- New York Mets- 34-37, 7.5 games back

4th- Washington Nationals- 33-38, 8.5 games back

5th- Miami Marlins- 25-44, 15.5 games back

Recap

PHILLIES

The Phillies started this week with a brutal loss to the Diamondbacks at home. Arizona started off the game with three straight home runs off of Jerad Eickhoff. Eickhoff, whose ERA on the season now sits at 5.02, went only three innings and allowed 7 runs on 5 hits. All of the hits Eickhoff surrendered were home runs. 

Arizona totaled eight home runs in the game and beat the Phillies by a final score of 13-8. The Phillies added five home runs of their own, two from Scott Kingery, to set a combined home run record of 13 in the loss.

The Phillies ultimately lost the series after being shutout 2-0 in the final game. The team managed only three hits combined in the loss, wasting Zach Eflin’s start in which he allowed two runs over eight innings pitched. 

Philadelphia then traveled to Atlanta to start arguably the biggest series of the season to date. And they could not have picked a much worse way to start it off. After taking a 5-1 lead into the sixth inning, the Phillies allowed 8 runs from the sixth inning on and lost 9-8 in a complete bullpen meltdown. Hector Neris was charged with three runs in the ninth in his first blown save of the season.

After a comeback win in the second game, the Phillies were shelled in the final game, losing the series and falling further behind the red hot Braves. The final game was never even competitive, as the Phillies lost 15-1 and were outhit 19 to 6. 

Upcoming games- Four in Washington against the Nats, followed by three at home against Miami

BRAVES

The Braves continued their torrid stretch by sweeping the Pirates at home in a four game series, propelling them into sole possession of first place in the NL East.

Atlanta then took the first game from the Phillies in comeback fashion, with Brian McCann’s walk-off single in the ninth inning completing an eight run rally to the lead. That victory extended their winning streak to eight games in a row. During the stretch, the Braves hit a ridiculous 17 home runs. 

Despite having their winning streak snapped, Atlanta ended up taking the crucial series from the Phillies, winning the rubber match by a final score of 15-1. Josh Donaldson was on fire in the series, going 7 for 13 with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs. The Braves are now 9-1 in their last ten games and 12-3 in the month of June, riding the hot streak into sole possession of first place in the NL East.  

Upcoming games- Three at home against the Mets, followed by three in Washington

METS

After having their first game against the Yankees postponed, the Mets split a doubleheader with their crosstown rivals on Tuesday. The first game saw the Yankees explode for 12 runs in a 12-5 loss, while the second game saw the Mets get even in a 10-4 win.

Jason Vargas continued his strong stretch, going six innings while allowing three runs and earning the win. The Mets hit three home runs in the win, with Pete Alonso hitting a three run shot for his 22nd of his rookie season. 

The Mets then came home to host St Louis, with the first game on Thursday being suspended then continued on Friday as part of a double header.

New York lost both of the games on Friday, the first a 10 inning loss in which they led 4-2 after eight innings. Closer Edwin Diaz continued his struggles, giving up three runs on four hits across two innings pitched and blowing his third save of the season. The second loss was a 9-5 affair that featured four Cardinals home runs. 

New York bounced back to win 8-7 on Saturday with Alonso homering again, his 23rd of the season which gave him sole possession of second in the National League in the category. But, New York lost the final game of the series 4-3 and saw Vargas leave the game in the fourth inning with a calf cramp on the same day they sent Noah Syndergaard to the injured list.

Upcoming games- Start of a long road trip with three in Atlanta, followed by four in Chicago against the Cubs

NATIONALS

Washington split a quick two game series in Chicago against the White Sox to start the week. The win was a 12-1 blowout which featured three extra base hits from Trea Turner, including a home run and a grand slam from Kurt Suzuki. 

The Nats then split a four game series at home against the Diamondbacks, with the highlight being Sunday’s 15-5 laugher. Matt Adams hit a pair of home runs in the game, one being a grand slam and the other being a three run shot. 

Upcoming games- Seven at home with four against the Phillies, followed by three against the Braves

MARLINS

Miami lost the first two games against St. Louis by a combined score of 11-2 before winning the final game 9-0. In his Major League debut, Marlins starter Jordan Yamamoto threw seven shutout innings while allowing only three hits and two walks and notching five strikeouts. 

The Marlins followed that up with a series loss to the Pirates in three games. The worst loss came Friday, a game where the Marlins were shutout 11-0 by four Pirates pitchers despite getting nine hits. 

Upcoming games- Seven game road trip with four in St. Louis, followed by three in Philadelphia. 

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