Sizing up the NL East teams chasing the Phillies | Extra Innings

The Phillies, after playing 17 games in 17 days, were able to enjoy a day off Monday. The 17 games were not the Phillies’ best stretch of baseball, but they survived it. And they are still in first place. May will begin Wednesday, and the Phillies will start the month in first place for the first time since 2011.

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— Matt Breen (extrainnings@philly.com)

It’s far too early to start calculating the Phillies’ magic number, but it’s never too early to take a peek at the standings and keep an eye on the other teams in the division. The Phillies will carry a two-game lead into tonight’s series opener with the Tigers, and they will begin May in first place for the first time in eight seasons.

Here’s a look at the teams chasing them.

Atlanta: The Braves, back to .500 after winning Monday night, are hanging around thanks to their offense, because pitching has been a struggle. Their starting rotation has the fourth-worst ERA in the National League, and their bullpen has given up the NL’s fourth-most runs. Ozzie Albies, an All-Star last season as a rookie, has four homers in his last six games and seems to be heating up. The Braves are in the midst of playing 20 straight games without a day off, including a trip out west. It’ll be interesting to see where they stand when they finally get a day off on May 13.

New York: The Mets’ problems are similar to the Braves’, as their bullpen came up short again Monday night. The unit’s 5.63 ERA is the second worst in the National League, and only one reliever, closer Edwin Diaz, has been reliable. But it was Diaz who cracked in the ninth inning Monday. The Mets have starting pitchers — Jacob DeGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz — but likely aren’t deep enough to contend for an entire season.

Washington: The Nationals, too, have a bullpen problem. We’re sensing a pattern here. The Braves bullpen has the NL’s fourth-worst ERA, the Mets have the second worst, and the Nationals have the worst. The Nationals have the arms and bats that should allow them to overcome their shaky bullpen. Patrick Corbin ran into trouble Monday night but is still a premier pitcher, especially in a rotation with Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. Anthony Rendon has the third-highest OPS in the majors and the Nationals have three threats in their lineup — Juan Soto, Victor Robles, and Carter Kieboom — who are 21 or younger. The Nationals come to Philly this weekend. They might begin May in third place, but they seem to be the team to watch.

Miami: The only thing that really matters about the Marlins is how many games each of the other NL East teams has left against them. The division could come down to who beats up on Miami the most over their 19 meetings. The Phillies have already played them seven times, and the three other teams have played the Marlins just three times each. The Marlins’ next division series will be this weekend against the Braves.

Yes, the Phillies are 16-12 for the second straight year. But this season feels much different, Bob Brookover writes. This year, Brooky writes, instead of asking if the Phillies can keep it up, we’re asking why their record is not better. “I think it feels like two different teams,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “In all fairness, last year’s club at this point, we were a tad over our skis.”

It was enough of a challenge to play 17 games in 17 days, but the Phillies also lost four key players in five days. That stretch is over, the Phillies are in first place, and they are starting to get healthy. The Phillies survived their first major test of the season.

Tommy Hunter was back this week with the Phillies, and he told Scott Lauber that it provided a nice piece of sanity after spending so much time alone in Florida as he rehabs his arm injury. Hunter is out at least until the end of May, but the Phillies should receive an update on his status this week.

Tonight: Vince Velasquez faces Tigers right-hander Tyson Ross, 7:05 p.m.

Tomorrow: Aaron Nola starts against Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull, 7:05 p.m.

Thursday: The Phillies enjoy a day off.

Friday: The Nationals arrive for a three-game series, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday: Jimmy Rollins retires before the second game of the series, 7:05 p.m.

Sunday: Series finale with the Nats before heading to St. Louis and Kansas City, 2:05 p.m.

One more stat about Zach Eflin’s complete game Sunday: He has not issued a walk in any of his three career complete games, joining just five other major leaguers since 2016 to have three walk-free complete games. The others are Max Scherzer (4), Chris Sale (4), Rick Porcello (4), Ivan Nova (4), and Corey Kluber (3). Pretty good company for Eflin.

Send questions by email or on Twitter @matt_breen.

Question: My question is regarding Cesar Hernandez at second base. Not only is he an offensive liability, but now a defensive liability as well. Any hope for a change? - Hal M. via email.

Answer: Yes, but not right now. Hernandez is the best option to start at second base, but that could change in about a week. If Hernandez is still struggling, I envision Scott Kingery getting some starts at second base once he returns from his hamstring injury.

Kingery was hitting well when he went to the injured list, and the Phillies will want his bat in the lineup when he returns. Second base, if Hernandez is struggling, would be an easy place to play him.