NL East

The Phillies are looking very good.  They just clinched the National League East for the fourth time in a row, and they are going to head into the postseason soon.  Earlier in the season, we probably wouldn't have expected this, but here they are, looking great.

With October coming up and a playoff berth guaranteed for the Phillies, it brings up a big question:  Will this team do as good of a job in the postseason as they have done in the last few years?

The Atlanta Braves are limping towards the finish line and on Tuesday they got some news that’s really not helping their cause.

According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, via Twitter, Braves 2B/3B Martin Prado will be done for the season with a hip pointer and torn oblique muscle.

The Mets are currently 76-79. Including tonight's game (in progress), they have seven games remaining: four against the Brewers and three against the Nationals.

If the Mets were in a heated pennant race, they would have lucked out considering their competition over this next week. But since they were eliminated from playoff contention a while ago, I would now like to see if the team can at least manage to finish .500.

So that begs the question: can a .500 finish be considered a success for this team?

Part 2 of 7

The Philadelphia Phillies current era of success has been built around a nucleus of talented players. Some players have come and gone, but that core has been present through the team's rise and current reign as one of baseball's elite teams. 

Players such as Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Cole Hamels are at the center of the core and have served as the key catalysts to the organization's ascension from an "also-ran" to an elite ball club. 

After clinching their fourth straight division title, the Philadelphia Phillies have established themselves as the team to beat in the National League.

It began in Washington on April 5, and fittingly, it has ended in Washington with the Philadelphia Phillies crushing the Washington Nationals, 8-0 en route to a divisional clinch.

And with every ending comes a new beginning.

Now, Dem Phightin' Phils will begin the process of gearing up for their fourth postseason berth in as many years.

And they do it HEALTHY!

Jimmy Rollins will return as soon as today, and the rest of the musketeers are in good health and playing at an incredibly high level.

Now that baseball's version of LeBron James has signed his $10 million dollar deal,  the waiting game is officially over.

Late last week, Bryce Harper: SI cover boy, made his debut in the Instructional League.

There is not much that can be said that already hasn't.

Harper is a phenom for now, and only time will tell if this new version of the "next big thing" can live up to all the hype.  

Monday night, the Philadelphia Phillies won the NL East for the fourth straight season in a row.

Up in Toronto, the New York Yankees evening could have been a champagne party too. Instead, AJ Burnett imploded worse than ever on the mound and the Blue Jays won the game 7-5.

Burnett could not even get out of the third inning, and he was to blame for all seven runs scored.

Rock bottom?

I came across an article on AOL Fanhouse today about Washington Nationals’ super-prospect Bryce Harper that I found interesting.

AOL Fanhouse scout Frankie Piliere believes Harper is not ready for the very competitive Arizona Fall League.

They trailed the Atlanta Braves by as many as seven games after the All-Star break. They had an extremely mediocre record of 48-46 on July 21.

Their hitting was terrible, their pitchers were struggling, and they couldn't stay healthy.

Despite three consecutive National League Eastern Division titles, two World Series appearances, and a world championship, the Phillies appeared to be done.

Think again.