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National League Least..Um.. East

M

Mitchell

Level of Coral Feather
Joined
Sep 9, 2002
Messages
33,544
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48
Has anyone noticed how pathetically bad all of the "contenders" in the National League East are playing? The Philles have lost six games in a row, including several to the pathetic Orioles at home, while the Mets and Braves have both lost seven out of ten. The Braves are currently four games under 500, but only four and a half games out of first, after a dismal three and six road trip.

Even more amazing, is the the Phillies, while still maintaining a two game lead in the East, (which is mainly due to the Mets and Braves poor play) are a brutal 13-22 at home. That is one of the worst records so late in a season at home for a division leader that I can ever recall. Philly is, inexplicably, 23-9 on the road.

I dont know if any baseball fans remember 1973, when all six teams in the National League East, hovered around 500 or just below all year, and the Mets, who were 11 1-2 games out, and in last place, in August, stormed back to win the division with an 83-79 record. This year is looking a lot like 1973 so far, with all mediocre teams in the division.

So what do people think, are the usual suspects, (Mets, Phillies, hopefully Braves, even Marlins) going to get hot? or is this going to be a year where they all are bad into September, and one winning streak of three to five games will decide a very weak division at the end? With the way all these teams are playing so far, I wouldnt be surprised to see the latter.

Mitch
 
Though I will agree that the NL East is pretty bad right now, don't sell my Orioles short. The number of young players that we have accumulated and who are finding major league success is a sign of good things to come. Everybody knows Roberts, Jones and Markakis. Now we've got Wieters and Reimold adding punch to the lineup. Then there's Bergesen and Berken adding a much-needed jolt to the starting rotation. What's more is that the likes of Tillman, Arrieta, Patton, Hernandez and Matusz, to name a few, are all knocking on the door. Will my O's finish in last place? Likely. But don't be surprised if they make a Tampa Bay-like turnaround in a few years' time.
 
Adam, I'm sure your Orioles will be good in a couple of years, probably a lot better than my Braves.

The problem is: Contending teams like the Phillies, who want to win divisions, and get to the playoffs, need to play well at home, and beat the lesser teams. I remember in the mid to late 1980s when the Mets were regular contenders for the division title, and the Braves were in last place, the Mets used to kick the Braves ass when Atlanta came into Shea Stadium. In fact, there was only one year between 1983 and 1991 that the Braves had a winning record against the Mets for the season at all, (1987), and that was primarially because of a three game series sweep by the Braves in Atlanta.

If the Phillies and Mets are hopeful of playing in October, they are simply going to have to play better. I keep waiting for the Phillies record to catch up with them. Essentially, the Phillies record is a reverse of what it should be. It would be very freaky if the Phillies continue to play as they are, and win the division, with say, 82 to 85 wins, if their record is 10 games under 500 at home, and 10 games over 500 on the road. I just dont see that happening. In 2001, the Braves won the East with 88 wins, and had a 40-41 record at home, and 48-34 on the road. One game under 500 at home isnt ten games under.

It will be interesting to see if anyone in the NL East gets hot, or if the current trend is how it is all season.

Mitch
 
Well, yeah, I can't argue with that. Right now, the Phillies should be able to beat the Orioles, at least on paper. Of course, the entire NL East has fallen victim to the Birds. Before sweeping the Phils, I'm sure you know they took 2 out of 3 from both the Mets and your Braves. Inter-league play has been kind to us this year, for whatever reason.
 
As a whole, the NL East is 26 games below .500 today, which is the worst of any division in baseball.

On the other hand, this is entirely due to the Washington Nationals; the other four teams are one game over. 500 in total. So right now the division consists of one awful team and four mediocre teams.
 
milagros317 said:
As a whole, the NL East is 26 games below .500 today, which is the worst of any division in baseball.

On the other hand, this is entirely due to the Washington Nationals; the other four teams are one game over. 500 in total. So right now the division consists of one awful team and four mediocre teams.
Click to expand...

Kind of what the NL West has been for that last several years until this year.
 
Mitchell said:
Has anyone noticed how pathetically bad all of the "contenders" in the National League East are playing? The Philles have lost six games in a row, including several to the pathetic Orioles at home, while the Mets and Braves have both lost seven out of ten. The Braves are currently four games under 500, but only four and a half games out of first, after a dismal three and six road trip.

Even more amazing, is the the Phillies, while still maintaining a two game lead in the East, (which is mainly due to the Mets and Braves poor play) are a brutal 13-22 at home. That is one of the worst records so late in a season at home for a division leader that I can ever recall. Philly is, inexplicably, 23-9 on the road.

I dont know if any baseball fans remember 1973, when all six teams in the National League East, hovered around 500 or just below all year, and the Mets, who were 11 1-2 games out, and in last place, in August, stormed back to win the division with an 83-79 record. This year is looking a lot like 1973 so far, with all mediocre teams in the division.

So what do people think, are the usual suspects, (Mets, Phillies, hopefully Braves, even Marlins) going to get hot? or is this going to be a year where they all are bad into September, and one winning streak of three to five games will decide a very weak division at the end? With the way all these teams are playing so far, I wouldnt be surprised to see the latter.

Mitch
Click to expand...

Now I want you to correct me if I am wrong:

Are the Mets missing the following players???:

1) Carlos Delgado
2) Jose Reyes
3) John Maine
4) Oliver Perez ( no big loss by the way trust me )
5) J. J. Putz
6) Ryan Church ( was on the DL for three weeks earlier this season )
7) Brian Schneider ( was on the DL for a month earlier this season )
8) Angel Pagan ( no big deal )
9) Carlos Beltran

Now I am not an expert and the only sport I really know is cricket but the Mets were counting on at least six of those nine guys that are missing from the team. If you ask me, they are actually doing better than could be hoped for under these circumstances. If you were asking me which, of course , you weren't because what would a cricket fan know about baseball. 😀
 
ticklingfeet4fu said:
Now I want you to correct me if I am wrong:

Are the Mets missing the following players???:

1) Carlos Delgado
2) Jose Reyes
3) John Maine
4) Oliver Perez ( no big loss by the way trust me )
5) J. J. Putz
6) Ryan Church ( was on the DL for three weeks earlier this season )
7) Brian Schneider ( was on the DL for a month earlier this season )
8) Angel Pagan ( no big deal )
9) Carlos Beltran

Now I am not an expert and the only sport I really know is cricket but the Mets were counting on at least six of those nine guys that are missing from the team. If you ask me, they are actually doing better than could be hoped for under these circumstances. If you were asking me which, of course , you weren't because what would a cricket fan know about baseball. 😀
Click to expand...

We have talked many many times about how multiple injuries can just wreck a team chances. You have always told to me that injuries are just an excuse , I believe now you are seeing my side of the discussion a bit more clearly .

This is an undeniable fact, not an excuse. Multiple injuries to key players make it nearly impossible for any team to meet the expectations bestowed upon them.

I think I need to store this entry for future reference purposes . :imouttahe
 
FlockOfSeagulls said:
We have talked many many times about how multiple injuries can just wreck a team chances. You have always told to me that injuries are just an excuse , I believe now you are seeing my side of the discussion a bit more clearly .

This is an undeniable fact, not an excuse. Multiple injuries to key players make it nearly impossible for any team to meet the expectations bestowed upon them.

I think I need to store this entry for future reference purposes . :imouttahe
Click to expand...

I never used the term injuries. Look over my post. Not once did I use the term injuries. I said Church and Schneider were on the DL. But that is as close as I came to using the term.
 
4u, you are right, the Mets are missing many players.

That having been said, during their 1991 to 2005 run, there were times that the Braves had major injuries as well, and won the division. Maybe not as many as the Mets now, but a lot.

In 2000 for example, the Braves were missing John Smoltz, one of their top pitchers, and Andres Galaragga, their first baseman who had hit 43 homers the year before, for the whole season, and they still won the East.

Injuries are a part of the game, and the purpose of my post was not to attack the Mets, but rather, to demonstrate how the division as a whole has been weak.

Would the players you mentioned make the Mets better? Of course. Would their presence neccessarially mean that the Mets would be Waltzing to the NL East title like they did in 2006? No one can predict that.

The way the Braves are playing, I've just about given up on them for 2009 unless a miracle happens. The NL East is going to be won by either the Mets or the Phillies, and I still say, even when the Mets get their players back, I think the race is going to be close, and is going to go into September. After all, weren't the Mets basically healthy in 2007 and 2008, and was the race not decided in September? (Not a taunt, just a fact).

Mitch
 
Mitchell said:
4u, you are right, the Mets are missing many players.

That having been said, during their 1991 to 2005 run, there were times that the Braves had major injuries as well, and won the division. Maybe not as many as the Mets now, but a lot.

In 2000 for example, the Braves were missing John Smoltz, one of their top pitchers, and Andres Galaragga, their first baseman who had hit 43 homers the year before, for the whole season, and they still won the East.

Injuries are a part of the game, and the purpose of my post was not to attack the Mets, but rather, to demonstrate how the division as a whole has been weak.

Would the players you mentioned make the Mets better? Of course. Would their presence neccessarially mean that the Mets would be Waltzing to the NL East title like they did in 2006? No one can predict that.

The way the Braves are playing, I've just about given up on them for 2009 unless a miracle happens. The NL East is going to be won by either the Mets or the Phillies, and I still say, even when the Mets get their players back, I think the race is going to be close, and is going to go into September. After all, weren't the Mets basically healthy in 2007 and 2008, and was the race not decided in September? (Not a taunt, just a fact).

Mitch
Click to expand...

bringing up the 07 & 08 seasons for the Mets from a Braves fan has to be considered a taunt. But isn`t that what division rivalries are all about ?
 
Injuries have certainly played a part, but I for one feel the entire National League is several steps behind the AL in terms of talent. The AL East is the best division in baseball by far, and the remaining contenders from the central and west are definitely better than what the NL has to offer (with the possible exception of the Dodgers, or Yankees-west if you will). I hope some of the NL teams will get hot, but it looks like a down year for the league on the whole.
 
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