When looking at the division that could provide the most compelling pennant race, the National League East would be one of the current leaders in the clubhouse.
The New York Mets threatened to pull away with a sizzling start to the season. The Atlanta Braves, coming off a run to the World Series title, has made things interesting recently and only trails by 2½ games going into the All-Star break.
Both Philadelphia and Miami had stretches when the Phillies and Marlins looked like teams capable of contending for a division title. Both teams will have plenty of work in the second half of the season to make that happen.
According to the sportsbook, seven of the top 13 leaders in the National League Most Valuable Player race are from the NL East, so there is plenty of star power to keep tabs on in this division.
Let’s check the latest MLB lines, stats, injury reports, and MLB odds for National League East. We’ve plenty of MLB spreads for you to consider.
Keep on reading for a breakdown of how the NL East teams fared in the first half of the season.
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New York Mets
When the season began, the Mets’ faithful certainly would have signed up for a scenario where their team headed into the All-Star break leading the division, even though preseason Cy Young favorite Jacob deGrom has yet to pitch.
The ace is expected back later this month so the dynamic tandem of deGrom and Max Scherzer at the top of the rotation could help the Mets win the NL East for the first time since 2015.
Scherzer is 6-1 in 11 starts while the duo of Taijuan Walker and David Peterson are a combined 12-4. Carlos Carrasco has already won 10 games despite a 4.27 ERA. When looking at the pitching staff, it is hard to miss what is being done by closer Edwin Diaz. He has 20 saves with 75 strikeouts in 38.1 innings.
Pete Alonso (24 home runs, 78 RBIs) has carried the offense at times even if he’s hit a rough patch recently. Veterans Jeff McNeil (.300 average, 19 doubles), Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and Mark Canha have been helping Alonso. Shortstop Francisco Lindor may only be batting .248, but he does have 16 home runs and 66 RBIs. The depth in the batting order has helped the Mets go from having +150 odds to win the division when the season started to its current -165.
The MLB playoff odds list the Mets at +750 to win the World Series. They were +1100 when the season began.
GRADE: A
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Atlanta Braves
The Braves certainly deserve high marks for resiliency. Atlanta won the World Series despite losing star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. during the season. Now the Braves are without a second baseman, but that hasn’t stopped Atlanta from surging up the division standings.
Austin Riley is challenging for the NL homer lead as he has 27. Offseason acquisition Matt Olson has 34 doubles and 17 home runs. Dansby Swanson is doing a little bit of everything with a .294 average, 14 stolen bases, a team-leading 60 runs and 36 extra-base hits while continuing to provide rock-solid defense at shortstop.
.@LieutenantDans7 at your service!#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/f56ZzO6LrB
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 16, 2022
Max Fried (10-3, 2.64 ERA, 109 strikeouts) has teamed with youngsters Kyle Wright (11-4, 2.95 ERA, 107 strikeouts) and Spencer Strider (4-3, 3.03 ERA with 114 strikeouts in 74.1 innings) to lead the rotation.
When looking at the MLB picks, not much has changed with the Braves, who began the season at +140 in the division odds and are now at +135. The World Series odds for the Braves have moved from +1200 to +900.
GRADE: B+
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Philadelphia Phillies
This has been a rather entertaining first half of the season in Philadelphia. When Joe Girardi was let go as manager and Rob Thomson took over, the Phillies won the next eight games. Philadelphia is just 13-12 in the last 25 games and have fallen off the pace in the NL East. It hasn’t helped that MVP candidate Bryce Harper is currently sidelined.
Kyle Schwarber is providing the power with 28 home runs despite hitting only .208. Prized offseason acquisition Nick Castellanos has only eight homers and a .251 average. Rhys Hoskins is another high home run, low batting average player.
Something to consider for those who bet online: Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola came into the season fifth and seventh in the NL Cy Young odds and they are currently sixth and eighth, even though they are a combined 14-12. The other starting pitchers have ERAs over 4.00.
The division odds for the Phillies have plummeted from +400 to +1400, although there hasn’t been much change in the World Series odds that started the season at +3300 and currently sit at +4000.
GRADE: C+
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Miami Marlins
When Miami ended April with seven wins in a row, there was some talk that perhaps the Marlins were ready to make a move in the competitive NL East. However, things are back to normal. Not even winning the first five games in July is enough for the Marlins to be anything but an after-thought in the division race. The odds to win the NL East have moved from +1400 to +10000 with the World Series odds now at +20000 after beginning the year at +6600.
The brilliance of Sandy Alcantara (9.4, 1.76 ERA 123 strikeouts) has been lost with the Marlins sitting at 43-48 going into the All-Star break. Those making MLB predictions weren’t high on Alcantara’s Cy Young odds when the season started. However, he is the current Cy Young front-runner at -135. Pablo Lopez (6-4, 2.86 ERA) has been pretty solid along with relievers Anthony Bass and Steven Okert. The regression of Trevor Rogers (4-9, 5.46 ERA has been troubling.
Second baseman Jazz Chisholm (14 home runs, 12 stolen bases) is leading the offense. Garrett Cooper has been the only other consistent contributor.
GRADE: C+
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Washington Nationals
Washington wasn’t expected to compete in this division and that certainly has been the case.
The Nationals have the worst record (31-63) in the majors and now there have been reports that star outfielder Juan Soto is unhappy after turning down a long-term contract extension.
Soto is hitting .409 with six home runs in July, so he is showing signs of life. Soto was the MVP favorite before the season started. He is now 13th at +5000. Josh Bell (.311, 13 home runs, 50 RBIs) has provided some offensive assistance for Soto. However, Nelson Cruz (.242 average, eight home runs) has been a disappointment.
The pitching has been absolutely horrendous. Josiah Gray’s 4.40 ERA is the best among pitchers with at least 10 starts. Patrick Corbin is just 4-12 with a 5.87 ERA.
The odds to win the division have gone from +4500 to +100000 with the odds to win the World Series at +20000.
Considering how this roster has been dismantled in recent years, it is hard to give the Nationals a failing grade, but getting the lowest mark in the division seems appropriate.
GRADE: C-
