Biggest July Storylines for the Phillies
The NL East and Red-Hot Nationals
The Mets are still in first place with a 44-37 record, while the Braves, Phillies, and Nationals are all tied up, each 4 1/2 games out of first. The Marlins are now nine games out, alone at the bottom of the barrel.
NL East in June:
- New York Mets: 15-15
- Atlanta Braves: 13-15
- Washington Nationals: 19-9
- Philadelphia Phillies: 12-12
- Miami Marlins: 10-17
After finishing below .500 in both April and May, the Nationals were the only team in the division to have an above-.500 June. Part of the reason they surged is Kyle Schwarber, who hit 16 home runs in the month of June and had an OPS of 1.122. If the Nats can keep this up, they might be in first place when the deadline comes around, though the Mets have been feisty all weekend, taking two of three from the Yankees in the famous Subway Series.
The Braves continue to have holes on their roster and while there is still time to make a push, they have to start soon, otherwise, they could be out of it.
The Marlins have been an interesting team. While they are in last place the month of June was not kind to them. They had a 6-17 record in one-run games, and have now lost Sixto Sanchez for the year to shoulder surgery.
However, the Marlins’ Pythagorean record is 42-37 which would be a lot closer to first place than what they are now. They are a better team than their record indicates, and a team that could be difficult to play against for any of these NL East teams.