NL East

It is about that time of the Major League Baseball season.

Despite having played only a little over a third of their season, the contenders are starting to separate themselves from the pretenders. And with that separation comes speculation of whether certain teams will be buyers or sellers come the MLB trade deadline at the end of July.

Another banner month for the Miami Marlins.

Not.

After an 8-19 April, the Marlins managed to outdo themselves with a 6-22 May. Very impressive.

Included in that torrid month was a season-long nine game losing streak, and the Marlins never won more than three consecutive games.

Big Brown—one of Ryan Howard's many nicknames—was bestowed upon the first baseman during his reign as the Philadelphia Phillies' best power hitter.  Now a changing of the guard is in order. Big Brown Part Deux: The Real Big Brown is already underway.

The New York Mets are headed for their fifth-straight losing season and another summer spent in baseball oblivion.

Despite the recent sweep of the Yankees, the Mets stand at 22-30 and nine games back of the Braves in the NL East through the month of May. The Mets have finished in fourth place in each of the past four seasons and are likely to finish in that same spot this season.

Obviously we're just over two months out from Major League Baseball's trade deadline, but already there is some speculation as to who might find themselves to be buyers and who might be sellers come July 31. 

One of the more intriguing characters in this year's midsummer drama will be the Philadelphia Phillies. 

When the Atlanta Braves signed center fielder B.J. Upton last winter to a lucrative five-year, $75.25 million contact, they envisioned a young star who would provide solid production in the middle of their batting order for years to come.

They may one day rue that deal.

May has come and gone, and the Washington Nationals are still struggling to stay above the .500 mark. At 27-27, it's time for Davey Johnson's club to step it up and play more consistent baseball.

Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was forced to leave Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves with an undisclosed injury, according to ESPN senior baseball analyst Jim Bowden via Twitter:

Ike Davis’ nightmare 2013 season continues to spiral out of control with each at-bat, and he could be demoted to the minors in the near future, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

FINAL

New York Yankees 1 - 2 New York Mets

WP: Scott Rice (3-3, 3.38 ERA)

LP: Mariano Rivera (0-1, 1.86 ERA)

Top 6th: Lyle Overbay RBI single

Bottom 9th: David Wright RBI single, Lucas Duda RBI walkoff single