June Standings: No team wants to runaway with the NL East crown

Drew Smith
June 30, 2025
Phillies
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NL EAST – The Mets just got swept by the Pirates. They gave up 30 runs and scored 4 the entire weekend. Absolute clown show. The only reason Philly fans couldn’t make fun of them is because, well, we already lived that exact nightmare three weeks ago.

Instead of dunking on the Mets, the the majority of the Phillies fan base is drinking the Sports Talk Radio Kool Aid and arguing whether or not it’s a good thing to take 2-of-3 on the road against the Braves. Meanwhile, the rest of us are simply hoping The Fightins will finally learn how to run away with the NL East crown.

June Standings Update: No team wants to runaway with the NL East crown

The Phillies and Mets are locked in the saddest game of chicken for the NL East crown. The Mets have lost 12 of their last 15, and the Phillies are just coasting at .500 over their last 10. Every time one team tries to stink it up, the other does the exact same thing.

March/April: Phillies start the season dragging their feet at 17-13. Mets go full steam at 21-10. We all assumed the Phillies were gunning for a Wild Card spot.
May: The Phils hit their stride (19-9), and the Mets started their slow descent into chaos (15-12).
June: Both teams said, “Let’s be mid.” Phillies are hovering around .500 and the Mets just puked all over the field in Pittsburgh.

The silver lining here is that the rest of the NL East is in a coma. The Braves, Marlins, and Nats are all double digits back, and somehow two teams that look totally broken are still top-seven in all of baseball.

Internal Drama in the NL East, Baby

The Mets are having players-only meetings. Never a good sign.
The Phillies outfielders are questioning Rob Thomson, so it’s safe to say the vibes aren’t great.

Oh, and neither team is healthy. The Mets’ rotation has been in a body cast. The Phillies have been missing serious thump in the lineup, and two of their best pitchers are either hurt or suspended. Yet here they are… still standing.

Bryce Harper reinstated from 10-day injured list

Looking Ahead at the Schedules…

I’ve been nails on my prediction that I wrote a few weeks back outside of the Phillies getting swept in Houston. I had them dropping 2-of-3 and we all know how it actually turned out.

Looking ahead, I have them taking 2-of-3 from the Padres and Reds this week, before ending the pre All-Star break 2-4 on the road against the Giants and Padres.

Phillies remaining schedule and record prediction at the All-Star break

Regardless, both the Mets and Phillies will face the Yankees, Giants, and Padres before we hit August. The Phillies also have the Red Sox on the schedule (July 21-23).

Gear up in the shop >>

It’s tough sledding for sure, but if I had to guess, we’ll be in a very similar situation to begin August with a 1.5-2.5 game lead in the NL East and we’ll be right back in the same spot arguing over meaningless shit while completely ignoring the fact that the MLB season is a long, grueling marathon filled with massive highs and crushing lows.

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

Look, it’s frustrating, but also kind of amazing. Both of these teams are flawed. They’re dramatic and wildly inconsistent but they’re also damn good. It always amazes me how quickly people forget that baseball is all about getting hot at the right time.

Here in Philly, we’ve seen the best of it in 2022 and the majority of 2023. Then, we saw the opposite end of the spectrum in 2024. We’re driving head first into the Dog Days right now, but rest assured, when the weather cools down and the playoff push kicks into gear, we’re going to get a vintage September in the NL East.