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Home > ajcsportstalk > Archives > 2007 > April > 01 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USOn the Beat
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sportswriters from the other 4 cities with NL East teams offered their thoughts on this year’s division race. What’s your take on their views of this year’s NL East showdown? Post comments below.
JUAN C. RODRIGUEZ, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The three contenders — New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta — all have question marks in key places. The Braves made some great offseason moves in the bullpen, but I liked their chances considerably better before Mike Hampton’s oblique injury. Plus, I’m not convinced Chipper Jones will be in the lineup enough to give the Braves the production they need out of that spot. The Mets have one of the better everyday lineups in baseball and their bullpen is deep, but they still need more than five innings a night from their starters. If the Phillies can make a back-end bullpen upgrade at some point during the season, I’ll give them a slight edge.
The Nationals look like they might be on the verge of a disastrous season. The Marlins were among baseball’s biggest surprises in 2006, but they’re already down a key starting pitcher in Josh Johnson, and I can’t imagine all their returning second-year players improving.
ADAM RUBIN, New York Daily News
The Braves had been labeled the favorites to win the NL East since their move to the division. Now the Mets deserve that team-to-beat label, no matter how much shortstop Jimmy Rollins has chirped about the Phillies’ winter improvements.
The Mets have a dominant lineup and the division’s best bullpen. Still, it’s doubtful they will hold a double-digit lead in the standings during the second half this season. They should score enough runs to mask any trouble, but the rotation is a major question mark.
Who’ll give the Mets the biggest run for their money? The Phillies would appear that team. They certainly have a lineup to rival the Mets and a deep rotation. No one underestimates Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz, either, with Atlanta’s vastly improved bullpen a major asset.
TODD ZOLECKI, Philadelphia Inquirer
Jimmy Rollins proclaimed in February that the Phillies are the team to beat in the NL East, which certainly raised eyebrows in New York and Atlanta. The Phillies have a talented offense and deep starting rotation, but their bullpen has been unimpressive at best. That could be a major problem.
The NL East looks like a potential three-team race with the Mets, Braves and Phillies. The best pitching should win. If the Phillies can add a piece to their bullpen, they have the edge.
BARRY SVRLUGA, Washington Post
Being from Washington, let’s start from the bottom. The most certain aspect of a wide-open division is that the Nationals will finish in last place. (Disheveled rotation, $33 million payroll, first-year manager, injured first baseman.) And I’ll take the Florida Marlins as fourth, given Josh Johnson’s problems and, well, the talent in the rest of the division.
How about the Braves for third? Bullpen better, worried about right side of infield, wear and tear on Chipper and Andruw. Still, they could beat out the Mets for one reason and one reason only: an old, tired rotation, unless Mike Pelfrey can save it. That leaves us with: Philadelphia. Rotation is deep enough, and I would argue that Chase Utley-Ryan Howard have replaced Carlos Beltran-Carlos Delgado, Chipper-Andruw or Miguel Cabrera-Anybody as the most feared back-to-back hitters in the division.
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