Updated NL EAST Predictions

1. Phillies 92-70: As I predicted prior to the year, I still believe the Phils win the east. I now believe it will be easier than I thought it would though. The Phils continue to mash the ball and play thru injuries.SP Cole Hamels is just now rounding into form, closer Brad Lidge has been as bad as he can be, SS Jimmy Rollins has been awful, yet the Phils are in first by 3 games. Brett Myers is out for the year, the Phils have two rookie southpaws in the starting rotation and it isnt slowing them down. We will see if it lasts but due to the fact that this team plays such good defense and has such fantastic offensive chemistry, I stick to my earlier call.

2. New York Mets, 88-74. I think the Mets are a better team than we have seen, but they clearly are not what people thought they would be. Carlos Delgado may be out all year, Jose Reyes has missed a month already, JJ Putz is out for a month or two, and the team is all over the place. They have a great closer finally, and Johan Santana has been as good as ever, but the team plays awful defense and has yet to hit for power throughout the lineup.

3. Atlanta Braves 86-76. The team is very similar to the Mets in that they simply cannot get any offensive consistency. Their late game pitching has been very solid, for once. Their starters have been fine, probably the best in the division, but the defense has been average at best. The problem here is the offense. 3b Chipper Jones has been in and out of the lineup, and probably will be all year. Without him, they have no power hitting at all other than C Brian McCann. Add tot he fact that catchers wear down over the course of a season, and the Braves need Jones in the lineup to have any shot at the wildcard. RF Jeff Franceour has been awful, 2b Kelly Johnson has regressed, and LF Garrett Anderson is crappy. The Braves traded for CF Nate McLouth last week, which should add 3-4 wins to their total, both because of his offensive upgrade over Jordan Schafer and his top tier defense, but the team has too many holes right now to win the east. Still, I think the wildcard is obtainable, especially if the Cubs continue to stink.

4. Florida Marlins 77-85. They started 11-1, everyone thought they were the bees knees but most baseball realists knew this team simply doesnt have the defense, hitting, bullpen, or starters to maintain that pace. The biggest bright spot has been the pitching of ace righty Josh Johnson who is fully recovered and again dominant after his surgery of 2 seasons ago. He has pitched as well as anyone in baseball and is a major star in the making. 1b Jorge Cantu has had a nice year, but they have gotten average to below average production from their outfield and pretty much every spot ont he field but 1st and short (Hanley Ramirez). Their pen has been solid, aside from closer Matty Lidstrom. SP Annibal Sanchez is hurt again, SP Andrew Miller has not gotten better, and SP Ricky Nolasco has been all over the place. Their are very few bright spots so far for everyone's favorite offseason sleeper team.

5. Washington Nationals. 58-104. Wow. Just abysmal. Good news first: Offseason signee RF/LF Adam Dunn has been fantastic, hitting for power and for once, average as well (265 compared to 245 last year). CF Lastings Milledge was sent down, again. Possible maniac CF Elijah Dukes has been pretty good, hitting for power and playing slightly above average defense in Milledge's stead. 3b Ryan Zimmerman had a monster first 6 weeks and is certainly carrying his own, as are SS Cristian Guzman and 1b Nick Johnson. The bullpen has blown a ton of saves, and shows no sign of getting better. The Nats simply have no closer and everyone who has tried, has failed on an almost immeasurable scale. They have 4 rookies in their starting rotation, which I must confess to never having seen before. None of those pitchers (Sergio Martis, Jordan Zimmermann, Ross Detwiler, and Craig Stammen) has been awful, which is nice. In fact, Martis and Zimmermann have actually thrown pretty well, considering how bad the team is. The best thing anyone could say about the Nats is they will draft college stud Steevn Strasberg with their first overall pick. This kid can throw 102mph and doesnt walk anyone at all. So thats the best news of all in a world of bad news for Washington fans. Wait till next year, again.