Right now, there are three teams battling it out for dominance in the NL East. All of them have 22 losses, and all of them are within one win of each other. One of them is the Washington Nationals, but you knew that was going to happen. The other two...are the Braves and Phillies, some of the most unlikely power teams in baseball right now. And they're showing Washington the ropes most of the time, too.
There's something about this Phillies team that has a scrappy, underdog quality to them that hasn't been felt since, oh...2007 maybe? But where that team had defined stars, here anyone can have a hero moment. Odubel Herrera has cooled down a bit since his crazy start to the month, but he's still leading the team. Rhys Hoskins isn't doing perfectly, but he can still hit in the clutch. Even Maikel Franco or Carlos Santana, both of whom have improved significantly since their Philly low-points, can give you power.
The rotation has evolved to the point where the top three options, Nola, Arrieta and Pivetta, have all been lights-out, and keeping the team strong. And yes, I realize that Vince Velasquez is leading the team in strikeouts, but unless he gets his wins up that won't really matter. This is a strong, varied team that can be good at a bunch of things at once. They're not overpowered, they're not stacked, they're not trying too hard. They're just pretty good, and that's enough right now.
The NL East stalemate might not have a definitive winner, but whoever eventually reigns will have earned it. All three teams are pretty great, but, as a Philadelphian, I have a tiny bias.
Coming Tomorrow- The catcher for a team that has fallen rather far, but thankfully isn't in last anymore.
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