Nearly a month into the season, nobody besides the Mets seems interested in winning the National League East. Yesterday, the Braves left Citizens Bank Park having squandered an excellent opportunity to build on their surprising start, with two losses in three games against the last place Phillies, including a 5-4 stinker yesterday. Meanwhile, the Phillies actually moved themselves into a tie with the Nationals, who entered the season as the heavy favorite to claim the division title.
Like the division itself, yesterday’s game felt like a matter of who wanted to lose it more. It ended at the wall in left field, where Jonathan Papelbon came a couple feet away from blowing his first save of the season.