May 31, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Denard Span (2) celebrates with left fielder Roger Bernadina (33) after a win against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Two months are done in the season and the National League East does not look as strong as most experts predicted it would be before the season. The Atlanta Braves (+49) are the only team in the division with a positive run differential. The rest of the teams, Washington Nationals (-22), Philadelphia Phillies (-50), New York Mets (-37), and the Miami Marlins (-86) all have significantly negative run differentials.

Atlanta Braves

Jordan Schafer Making The Most Of His Second Chance | Tomahawk Take

Four years ago many were ready to tag Jordan Schafer as the center fielder of the future for the Atlanta Braves. Now at the age of 26, with a stint in Houston under his belt, Schafer finally appears ready for that prominent role.

Should The Braves Be Concerned About Tim Hudson? | Tomahawk Take

Tim Hudson’s awful May continued when he got hammered in Toronto on Monday. So now the question on a lot of lips is, What’s the matter with Huddy? The answer’s nothing really. You don’t agree I know so let me expand.

B.J. Upton could be demoted | ESPN

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez says he has considered asking center fielder B.J. Upton to work out his struggles in a minor league assignment.

Washington Nationals

Anthony Rendon Promoted To AAA | District on Deck

Nationals top prospect 3B Anthony Rendon has been promoted to AAA Syracuse from AA Harrisburg, according to Geoff Morrow.

Strasburg Leaves Start Against Atlanta After Two Innings | District on Deck

After the second inning of today’s game in Atlanta, Stephen Strasburg left the game with some sort of injury. He did not seem to be in pain, and no injury was obvious. He was shown on TV in the dugout, protesting his removal to Davey Johnson.

Kip Wells An Option For The Nationals? | All Over the Hill

The Angels released veteran pitcher Kip Wells this afternoon, making the 36-year old a free agent. Wells had struggled to a 10.36 ERA with an 8.1 BB/9 ratio in 24.1 innings at AAA Salt Lake this season.

Philadelphia Phillies

Phillies Take Rare Step In Right Direction, Release Chad Durbin | That Balls Outta Here

Chad Durbin, an all-around nice guy with a great smile, has been released by the Phillies for being awful.

The Phillies reliever has had a miserable 2013, among other miserable 2013s in the bullpen, and will no longer be called upon to try and not make a six-run lead a nine-run lead. The Phillies announced the release of their recently re-signed on the cheap 2008 alum this afternoon, to the delight of a city brimming with enthusiasm for the start of Philly Beer Week.

The Dangers Of Both Selling And Not Selling | That Balls Outta Here

We are 54 games into the 162-game marathon that is the baseball regular season, and after 54 games, there is still no clear idea on where this team is going.

Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Adam Morgan has small tear in rotator cuff | Lehigh Valley

The Philadelphia Phillies announced late tonight that an MRI revealed a small tear in Adam Morgan’s left rotator cuff.

The plan, according to the organization is for the left-hander to either have a Platelet Rich Plasma or cortisone injection sometime next week.

New York Mets

Baseball: It Will Keep You Humble | Rising Apple

The Mets went from the ultimate high of sweeping the Subway Series to the disappointment of giving the Miami Marlins just their fourteenth win of the season. The Mets have not had many highs this season, or even for the past few seasons, but the struggle will only make future successes sweeter.

Don’t Forget About Travis D’Arnaud | Rising Apple

Before he was acquired by the Mets as part of the R.A. Dickey trade, it was reported all over the place that the Blue Jays wouldn’t part with Travis d’Arnaud in any deal for the Cy Young award winning knuckleballer. When d’Arnaud showed up in Port St. Lucie this spring, he impressed everyone, tearing the cover off the ball at times and playing solid defense behind the dish. He was then sent to AAA Las Vegas to start the year, with the expectation that he would join the big league club sooner rather than later.

Lucas Duda Helping Revive New York Mets’ Offense | Yahoo!

The New York Mets have won five straight games, including a surprising four-game sweep of the New York Yankees in this year’s Subway Series. The pitching has been incredible, but Terry Collins has seen his offense start to come back to life. Lucas Duda being more aggressive at the plate is a major reason why.

May 21, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Delmon Young (3) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins were shutout for the ninth time in the 2013 season on a 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.  Cliff Lee was brilliant on the mound for the Phils tossing a complete game and allowing only 3 Marlins hits on the night.   Not only could the Marlins muster just 3 singles, 2 of those never left the infield.

Just to make matters worse, Marlins starter Kevin Slowey left after the fifth inning due to a back injury.  Slowey had limited the Phils to only one run to that point, scattering six hits and walking none while recording six strikeouts.  After having surrendered 11 earned runs in his two previous starts, it appeared that Slowey was returning to the form he had displayed earlier in the season before the injury struck.

On offense the Marlins only threat occurred in the second inning when they loaded the bases on a single by Marcell Ozuna followed by a walk and hit by pitch.  That is as far as it went though with Lee inducing the next hitter, Nick Green, to ground into a double play and then getting a pop out to end the inning.   The double play was the Marlins’ 47^th hit into on the season which ranks them second in the National League behind only the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Derek Dietrich and Miguel Olivo had the other two Marlins hits on the night.  The Marlins now have a team batting average of .222 on the season and an OPS of .599.  That .599 OPS would rank in the top 10 of all time worst OPS by a team if the season ended today.

Cliff Lee improved his record to 5-2 while Slowey dropped to 1-5 on the season.

Up Next: The Marlins will travel to Chicago for an interleague series with the White Sox this weekend.  The Friday starter will be Tom Koehler (0-2) for the Fish and John Danks (0-0) making his season debut for the White Sox.

May 16, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper (34) walks to the plate for his at bat during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The National League East has always been one of the more competitive division in all of baseball. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies have been perennial contenders over the past few seasons. The Washington Nationals are the new kids on the block with a roster heavy in talent. Finally, the New York Mets and Miami Marlins flip-flop between last place from season-to-season, though the Marlins have held that distinction for the past year and a half.

Let’s take a moment today to get caught up with all of the latest news from our NL East foes:

Atlanta Braves

Can BJ Upton Turn Things Around? | Tomahawk Take

I’ve been as critical as anyone of BJ Upton, and critical of the Braves organization for going after him at such a high price tag, when his career numbers don’t suggest to me that he was worth what he’s being paid.  We all know the downside, and the negatives.  BJ has a career BA of just .251, and the last time that he hit for that average was 2008 when he hit for a .273 average.

Braves’ Venters Undergoes 2nd Tommy John Surgery | CBS Atlanta

Atlanta Braves reliever Jonny Venters has undergone the second major elbow operation of his career and will miss the rest of the season.

Jason Heyward goes 2-for-4 in return | ESPN

Braves right fielder Jason Heyward was activated from the disabled list and started against the Dodgers on Friday night, giving manager Fredi Gonzalez his full projected lineup for the first time this season.

Washington Nationals

Bryce Harper sustained an injury crashing into the wall in Dodger Stadium on Monday evening. Here is a video of the injury. (skip to the 21 second mark to see the injury)

Bryce Harper Avoids Concussion, DL After Scary Collision With Wall | District on Deck

During yesterday’s 6-2 win in LA, Bryce Harper crashed into the right field wall chasing after what would become a triple by A.J. Ellis. He was briefly motionless on the ground, but stood up under his own power shortly thereafter. However, he was bloody, especially around his neck, when he stood up. He left the game, replaced by Roger Bernadina. Now, the Nationals’ official Twitter reports that Harper has received eleven stitches..

Inside The Numbers: Bryce Harper’s (Near) Perfect Season | All Over the Hill

Bryce Harper lead the Washington Nationals to a commanding 8-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds tonight, smashing a towering 434-foot homerun en route to a 2 for 3 night with a walk. Just a typical night for the slugger. After setting the bar high with two multi-homer games and an astounding 11 multi-hit performances in just twice that number of games, Harper has made it difficult for himself to excite fans with stellar nights anymore; they just expect it. But in a season where the Nats, predicted by many to win the World Series, have already been labeled choke-artists after an 11-11 start, what Harper is truly doing is being overlooked.

Philadelphia Phillies

Top 5 Worst Philadelphia Phillies Free-Agent Signings | Yahoo!

The Philadelphia Phillies have had mixed results with free agency since it all started in 1976. First baseman Richie Hebner was their first significant signing in December of that year. Pete Rose was their best in December 1978.

Jimmy Rollins Acknowledges Cruel, Finite Nature Of Time | That Balls Outta Here

Todd Zolecki really dug into Jimmy Rollins’ memories and nostalgia today, and offered a dystopian view of the future.

Phillies Team Doctor Chooses Words On Roy Halladay Very, Very Carefully | That Balls Outta Here

Roy Halladay’s surgery is over, and the incredibly intense recovery process is underway.

That leaves things up to Phillies head trainer Dr. Michael Ciccotti, who has the unenviable task of relaying information to a ravenous public over the course of the next few weeks.

New York Mets

The Importance Of Jonathon Niese And Shaun Marcum | Rising Apple

Allow me to preface this with the following: regardless of how well both Jonathon Niese and Shaun Marcum perform for the remainder of the season, I don’t expect the Mets to completely erase the damage they’ve done to their record and have a miraculous run.  It’s not out of the realm of possibility, but it appears this team simply has too many holes to seriously compete.

It’s Time For Ike Davis To Go To Vegas | Rising Apple

Ike Davis came into tonight’s game with a .169 batting average.  Including tonight’s game he has struck out in all but three games in May.  It has gotten to the point where I am happy to see him make contact, even if it is a soft groundout to the second baseman, as it often is.  Davis went through a similar slump to start last season and worked out of it in the Major Leagues.  This year the Mets cannot wait for that to happen.

Ike Davis demotion talk intensifying | ESPN

Although Ike Davis snapped an 0-for-24 skid Friday in a 3-2 win against the Chicago Cubs, the internal discussion about potentially demoting the first baseman has only intensified, ESPNNewYork.com has learned.

May 5, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria (3) celebrates hitting a grand slam home run with left fielder Juan Pierre (9) during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins played inspired baseball to win the final two games of their series over the weekend against the Philadelphia Phillies, including a 14-2 blowout on Sunday.  It appears that inspiration may have come from an unflattering newspaper story in the Delaware County Daily Times.  The headline called the team the “Sadsack Marlins” and went on to compare them to a team mascot.  The story includes this particularly derogatory line:

Like a good mascot, the Marlins help you find joy on the deadest night, are easy to laugh at and occasionally wear silly brightly colored clothing. Where they go from a good mascot to great is if they are in the building, there is a very good chance the other team is going to win

A Marlins team employee posted the headline in the clubhouse and it appears that the team took notice:

“Sadsack Marlins” find inspiration from unflattering headline – Palm Beach Post

The Marlins are 2-0 since a team employee posted a newspaper article on the clubhouse wall Saturday morning.

Ozuna keeps hit streak alive – Marlins.com

Marcell Ozuna’s first impression has certainly been a good one.  The 22-year-old right fielder has provided an immediate boost to the Marlins.

Miami Marlins’ Jose Fernandez Gets Opportunity to Meet His Idol – Rant Sports

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez was very excited to travel to Pennsylvania this weekend. Not because he was going to get a chance to pitch against the talented Philadelphia Phillies, but the fact that he was finally going to get to meet his idol, starter Cliff Lee.

Pierre steals 600, celebrates with Hawaiian Punch, Honey Buns – Sun Sentinel

The plunder of 600 stolen bases was laid out around Juan Pierre’s locker late Thursday night.  The lineup card from the Miami Marlins’ 7-2 loss to the Phillies was displayed with the uprooted base where Pierre attained the milestone.

Fielding a surprising weakness for Miami – Marlins.com

An expected strength has been a weakness for the Marlins this season.  Heading into the year, the club anticipated having a solid defense. But blunders in the field have repeatedly happened. The Marlins had committed 23 errors entering Saturday, tied with the Cubs for the second most in the National League. The Nationals had made 24 errors.

Injury bug has impact on players in Marlins-Blue Jays mega trade – Miami Herald

The Marlins’ mega-trade with Toronto is beginning to looked cursed — for both teams.  On the same day the Blue Jays placed pitcher Josh Johnson on the disabled list with arm problems, Marlins manager Mike Redmond said pitcher Henderson Alvarez sustained a “setback” in his recovery from right-shoulder inflammation and has stopped throwing.

Here at Marlin Maniac:

Miami Marlins: The lineup Giancarlo Stanton returns to could be better than what he left

At the beginning of the season, there was legitimate concern about how bad the Marlins lineup could be in 2013. There were age and durability questions surrounding Placido Polanco and Juan Pierre. Adeiny Hechavarria was not expected to hit much, but stay afloat because of his defense at short stop. Questions were asked if Justin Ruggiano could repeat his 2012 season after being a career quad-A player.

The Good, The Great, and The Hech: Miami Marlins (9-22) vs Philadelphia Phillies (14-17) 4/5/13 Recap

How do you top Jose Fernandez 1st MLB career win, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0? How about today’s game? Welcome to this season’s first The Good, The Great, and The Hech Marlins Recap. I’m so excited so let us just begin. Quick recap– The Good: We beat Phillies 14-2 giving us our 2nd straight victory; The Great: Kevin Slowey’s pitching, Marcell Ozuna’s bat, and Justin Ruggiano’s bat and glove, and The Hech: His name is Adeiny Hechavarria!

Jose Fernandez Dominant Start Against the Phillies- A Pitch F/X recap

Baseball is a very complicated sport to analyze, things change and happen very quickly, often from game to game. Jose Fernandez has been one of the few bright spots for the Marlins this year. As a rookie pitcher and a stud prospect at that, Fernandez will be over-analyzed this year and even next. The press, executives, scouts, fantasy baseball owners and especially Marlins fans will be looking at every one of his starts to see what changes from game to game. Yesterday, Fernandez looked dominant. Today I want to break down what Pitch F/X saw in Fernandez’ start.

Miami Marlins @ Philadelphia Phillies Game Preview: Sunday, May 5th 2:35 PM EST (Game 32)

The Miami Marlins will look to bounce back and even their four-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday afternoon. They will do so with their most consistent pitcher taking the mound. Slowey has the 10th best ERA (2.15) in the National League, but has received just a measly average run support of 1.33 in his first six starts. While Slowey’s 3.14 FIP suggests that regression should be on it’s way, it still has been a joy watching Slowey early on.

Miami Marlins Place Austin Kearns on Bereavement, Call up Kyle Skipworth; Injury Updates for Fish

Austin Kearns had to suddenly leave the Miami Marlins yesterday to attend to a personal matter. As was expected, the Marlins placed Kearns on the bereavement list today and recalled catcher Kyle Skipworth.

The Kids are Alright: Fernandez, Ozuna beat Phillies 2-0

Jose Fernandez gave up a first inning single to Freddy Galvis on Saturday night, and then didn’t give up anything more, as the Marlins beat the Phillies 2-0 behind a gem of a pitching performance by the youngster. Fernandez retired 17 in a row after allowing the single until he walked Galvis in the 7th inning.

Miami Marlins @ Philadelphia Phillies Game Preview: Saturday, May 4th 7:05 PM EST (Game 31)

After dropping the first two games in the series, the Marlins will turn to their young phenom, Jose Fernandez. The Marlins will try to avoid another series loss behind Fernandez, who will be opposed by Cole Hamels of the Phillies.

Fishing the NL East: Tim Hudson Earns Win Number 200

Have not done a link dump for the latest news around the National League East in a while, but am going to start doing this on a weekly basis going forward. Let’s check out all the latest happenings in the NL East:

Miami Marlins @ Philadelphia Phillies Game Preview: Friday, May 3rd 7:05 PM EST (Game 30)

The Miami Marlins will try to bounce back and even their series with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night. The Marlins kept the game close last night, until the Phillies offense exploded in the eight inning and put the game out of reach for the Marlins.

Back To Losing: Miami Marlins Get Blown Out By The Philadelphia Phillies

Another game for the Miami Marlins and yet another loss for the struggling fish. Although they were able to put together a nice little win streak of three games, the Marlins are back to the square one as they have now lost their previous two games. So far this season has been one of much disappointment for fans and although there weren’t exactly high expectations set coming into the season, the fact that the Marlins are tied with the Houston Astros for the worst record in the league (8-21), is quite upsetting.

The Good:

We beat the Phillies 14-2 giving us our 2nd victory in a row and splitting the series 2-2 with those dread Phillies.

The Great:

The bats finally came alive to help Slowey get his first victory of the season. This is not saying that Slowey’s pitching has been bad this season, but before this game Slowey had the worst run support per inning pitched in the majors. Slowey went 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB and 7 SO. This helped drop his ERA to 1.81 this season. Ozuna has stepped up in Giancarlo Stanton’s absence. Today his bat was very much alive, doubling in the first to score Juan Pierre and Placido Polanco. His bat didn’t die there. In the 6th he singled scoring Chris Valaika. For the day Ozuna went 4-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, and BB with 2 singles and 2 doubles. Finally we come to Justin Ruggiano. He sent 2 balls flying over the fence, a solo shot in the in the 8th and then a 2 run shot in the 9th; but his bat was not his highlight of the game. In the 4th Justin made a diving catch in center field robbing Chase Utley of a base hit. Can you say SportCenter Top 10!

The Hech:

May 5, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria (3) celebrates hitting a grand slam home run with left fielder Juan Pierre (9) during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

His name is Adeiny Hechavarria! Today Adeiny had 7 RBI, a 3 run triple in the 1st, and a Grand Slam in the 3rd. Hech made sure that in no way the Phillies were going to coming back this game.

What a way to follow Jose Fernandez first career win! If the bats keep up like this The Ugly Season that everyone is predicting will turn into The Good Season that all Marlins Fans want. Enjoy the rest of the week and as always Go Marlins!