Does Anyone Want To Win The NL East?

On their first night without All-Star 2B Chase Utley, the Phillies gained ground on the Mets and Braves, with a rain-shortened 8-1 victory over Pittsburgh. It was just one game, but the Phillies showed that they can still hit, even without their best player. Earlier in the day, the Phillies acquired Tadahito Iguchi from the White Sox, who will fill in for Utley. Ultimately the Utley injury may not slow the Phillies down too much, as it coincides with the return of Brett Myers to the bullpen and Pat Burrell's hot streak.

Fact is, the Phillies seem to have more offense than they know what to do with. Michael Bourn, filling in for Aaron Rowand (who suffered the first tag-related injury I have ever heard of), went 4-4 and stole a base. He's going to give Charlie Manuel a difficult decision (though Manuel makes any decision seem difficult) with his bid for increased playing time. Odds are he'll continue to be the Phillies relief left fielder, once Rowand recovers. Losing Utley is going to hurt, but with Rollins, Howard, Rowand, and the rest, the Phillies should have enough to get by. Pitching is their main concern, but that should be addressed (for now anyway) with rookies Kyle Kendrick and J.D. Durbin showing signs that they are here to stay, and with the return of Myers to the closer role.

Of course, should the Phillies rally and win the division, it will have more to do with the poor play of the Mets and Braves. While both teams have pitching staffs superior to Philadelphia's, neither team can hit. The Mets have two good hitters: Jose Reyes and David Wright...and that's it. Carlos Delgado is a shell of his former self, Carlos Beltran has been playing hurt all year (though he may come back strong now that he's getting some time off), Paul LoDuca can't drive in a run to save his life, and the current outfielders are either washed up (Moises Alou and Shawn Green) or unproven (Lastings Milledge). They've been saved by good, if erratic, starting pitching and a comparably good bullpen. I say 'comparably good' because the Mets only have two good relievers: Billy Wagner and Pedro Feliciano. Not that impressive, but it's two more than the Phillies have. As good as their starters have been, it has not been reliable. There really has not been one guy who has been a stopper for the Mets. Some Mets fans think that will change once Pedro Martinez returns, but odds are he will be very mediocre and it's doubtful that he will be any better than whoever he replaces. For that matter, it will be tough to figure out who he should replace. Odds are it will be Jorge Sosa, who has struggled of late, but there isn't a clear-cut choice and one has to wonder how that decision will affect clubhouse chemistry.

The Braves' offense has not been that great either. They've gotten no offense out of their first basemen all year and have been involved in trade talks for Mark Teixiera, who, if they could lock him up long-term, would be a great fit. However, it is unlikely that the Braves are willing to pay the asking price of C Jarrod Saltalamacchia. If the Braves are that high on Saltalamacchia, why not trade their current starter, Brian McCann for first base help? He wouldn't be able to land a talent like Teixiera, but he could probably get them Adam Dunn, or a similarly talented player. A move like that might give the Braves enough offense to win the division.

In all likelihood, no major moves will be coming for any of these teams. The Mets don't really have room to add anyone. Who could they trade for? They have too many outfielders already, they can't sit Delgado, there aren't any available second basemen who could make a difference (with the possible exception of Brian Roberts), and they'll already have a logjam in the rotation when Pedro returns. If the Braves are unwilling to move one of their catchers, there isn't much they can do. The Phillies simply don't have any trading chips, except for maybe Michael Bourn, but with Rowand's impending free agency (and his injury-prone nature. He got injured playing TAG), they would do well to hang on to him.

So who's going to win the division? Well it's tough to say. It seems like all three teams have been stuck in neutral recently. The Mets have played just well enough to keep the Phillies and Braves at bay, but haven't built up their lead. It's hard to see them getting better as the season goes on, unless either Pedro exceeds all realistic expectations, or Beltran fully recovers during his time off and returns to his '06 form. The Braves might make a deal to improve their chances, but as of now, a major move seems unlikely. The Phillies have Myers returning and will get Utley back in, at best, about three weeks, but in those three weeks they will face the Cubs, Brewers, and Braves. With an improved bullpen and a fairly easy September schedule, the Phillies have a decent shot at catching up to the Mets or making another wildcard run, but there's no telling how they'll fare without Utley over the next month or so.

The fact is, someone has to win the NL East and the Mets just might do it because of the early lead they built up. It would be fitting considering holding a slim lead is about all the Mets have done well this season.