Kallet: Mets, Nationals Are The NL East Race, And It Will Be Fascinating
By Brad Kallet
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The Mets and the Nationals, as expected, finished April atop the standings in the NL East. Washington went 16-7; New York went 15-7.
Both clubs lived up to expectations as the top two teams in the division, but they were handed very soft early-season schedules.
Washington, especially, was handed a prime opportunity to jump out of the gate with a bang. Manager Dusty Baker's club began the season with six games against the NL-worst Braves, six games against the Marlins, six games against the Phillies and three games against the American League-worst Twins.
After a quick two-game set against the reigning World Series champion Royals at Kauffman Stadium, the Amazins' took on the Phillies six times, the Marlins three times and the Braves three times, and had series with the sub-.500 Reds and Indians.
That's not exactly a murderers' row, though the Marlins have played decent baseball and the Phillies have arguably been the biggest surprise of this young season. But do we really expect these teams to contend?
As the Nats and Mets were dominating the lesser competition and pouring on the wins, no one was disputing the fact that these are clearly two of the best in baseball. But many were, understandably so, pointing out the fact that they weren't really playing anyone, for lack of a better opinion.
That changed this past weekend. Both teams were tested, and both passed with flying colors.
The Nationals went to St. Louis for a three-game set and the Mets welcomed San Francisco into Queens. Neither the Cardinals nor the Giants are off to fast starts, but both teams are perennial winners that are loaded with talent. Ignore their current records. We all know that when the dust settles in October, Mike Matheny and Bruce Bochy will have their squads fighting for a spot in the postseason.
The Nationals and the Mets had a chance this past weekend to prove that they are -- along with the Cubs and the Pirates -- the class of the senior circuit; that living in the NL East isn't a fast track to the playoffs.
The results were convincing. The Nationals made a statement with a road sweep of the Cards, outscoring last year's Central champs 17-6.
The Mets made their move quickly, beating the Giants 13-1 on Friday night behind a franchise-record 12-run inning. New York edged San Francisco on Saturday to take the series before running into Madison Bumgarner on Sunday and quietly dropping the finale.
You don't need to be Casey Stengel to see that the Nationals are healthier, hungrier and flat-out better than they were a year ago. They will win a lot of games and give the Mets a run for their money. Neither team has really slumped yet. (I refuse to acknowledge the Mets' 2-5 start as a slump.) But both will at some point or another, as all do over a marathon 162-game season. The Mets will eventually stop launching balls over the fence at an incredible clip, and the bullpen will almost certainly blow a lead or two.
And at some point, we think, Daniel Murphy will cease to hit like Ted Williams.
But if you think an extended stretch against upper-echelon teams will doom either of these clubs into oblivion, think again. Yes, the Mets and the Nationals will continue to beat up on the dregs of the National League. But they'll also rack up their fair share of victories against playoff-caliber clubs.
As good as the Nationals have looked in the first month and change -- and they've looked spectacular -- I still believe that the Mets have the all-around better team. From the starting pitching to the offense to the 'pen, New York is well-rounded and more built to withstand potential injuries and obstacles. Terry Collins' bunch should still be the favorite as it aims to repeat as division champions.
This race will come down to how these bitter rivals play against each other, as it should. The proof is in the pudding, and we'll see these teams square off 19 times over the next few months. The Mets and Nats haven't played yet, but their highly-anticipated first series of the season will begin at Citi Field on May 17. The teams will then meet the following week at Nationals Park.
They'll play each other three times at the end of June, four times in July and six times in September, with the final regular-season series in Washington, D.C. from Sept. 12-14.
The Nationals improved to 4-0 on their difficult road trip on Monday night with a 2-0 win over the Royals in Kansas City. They'll play the champs twice more before finishing the trip in Chicago against the major league-best Cubs.
The Mets got a reprieve early this week in the form of a series with the lowly Braves. They took the opener with ease on Monday night and will host Atlanta two more times before embarking on an 11-game West Coast trip against the Padres, Dodgers and Rockies.
We should know a lot more about the team -- and the division -- when it returns to New York on May 16.
The Nationals will be waiting for them.
Brad Kallet is the managing editor of TENNIS.com and a frequent contributor to WFAN.com. Follow him on Twitter @brad_kallet
