NL East

September 1 marks the annual date when major league rosters expand from 25 to 40 active players.  The opportunity it poses varies circumstantially from team to team, but it always promises a chance to see some fresh faces in our favorite familiar uniforms.

In the past week, the Mets split a four-game series with the Phillies by winning two games, before winning two out of three against the Nationals as the calendar has turned to September.

The Washington Nationals are surging and will enter September in contention for a playoff spot. Entering the final day of August, the Nationals are 16-10 in the month, which has given them a reason to play meaningful baseball in September.

The pieces of the puzzle have been coming together for Washington. Perhaps they were not able to handle the early season hype that surrounded the team, but, as for now, they have a chance for redemption.

As the New York Mets embark on the final month of the 2013 season, a few things are quite clear: This year will likely mark the fifth straight losing campaign in Flushing, long-term positions aren't filled across the diamond, and, with Matt Harvey's 2014 in jeopardy, thoughts of competing next year have been shelved.

While it feels like more doom and gloom in Queens, NY, there are reasons to watch this baseball team in September.

More than a month after reports surfaced that Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez had reached a lucrative, multi-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, a deal between Gonzalez and the team has finally—

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