National League East News

While we haven't reached the point of the season where teams have definitively decided whether they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, most general managers around baseball already have a pretty good idea of which way they are leaning.

With last night's 4-2 loss, the Nats have dropped three straight, and two in a row to the Phillies, allowing themselves to fall two games below .500 and basically into a tie for second with Philly, both sitting 7 games back from Atlanta in the NL East.

To say the Washington Nationals are having problems scoring runs is an absolute understatement.

The Phillies are getting closer to being whole again as Carlos Ruiz returned to the lineup Tuesday with Chase Utley perhaps a few days away.

Zack Wheeler lived up the hype in his major league debut, pitching six scoreless innings to lead the New York Mets to a 6-1 victory over the first-place Atlanta Braves and a doubleheader sweep on Tuesday.

Zack Wheeler lived up the hype in his major league debut, pitching six scoreless innings to lead the New York Mets to a 6-1 victory over the first-place Atlanta Braves and a doubleheader sweep on Tuesday.

The Washington Nationals were expected to be the team to beat in the National League this season, but things have not panned out that way.

The teams went into Tuesday night separated by one game in the standings. Both arrived at Citizens Bank Park more than a week's worth of games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East.

Matt Harvey pitched six hitless innings, John Buck homered and the New York Mets held off another Atlanta comeback, beating the Braves 4-3 Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader.

Harvey pitched six hitless innings, John Buck homered and the New York Mets held on for a 4-3 victory over the Braves in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday.

The Washington Nationals will try to bounce back from their recent loss Tuesday in the continuation of a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Getting selected to play in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is one of the toughest things to do as a player, whether you're a star or the 25th man on the roster.

The Padres are the National League's hottest team, so hot that they turned Fathers' Day into a weeklong celebration, rattling off six straight wins in consecutive sweeps of the NL East-leading Braves and the NL West-leading Diamondbacks.

Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton gets a high-five from teammate Juan Pierre, right, after Stanton hits a two-run home run, as Arizona Diamondbacks' Miguel Montero, left, looks on during the sixth inning of a baseball game on Monday, June 17, 2013, in Phoenix.

Lincoln Saltdogs pitcher Joe Bisenius, a Bishop Heelan graduate, has been signed by the Atlanta Braves.

Jun 11, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Batting practice baseballs are seen in a basket prior to the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

The Atlanta Braves will try to pad their lead in the National League East, as they entertain the New York Mets on Monday for the first of five straight games between the division rivals at Turner Field.

John Lannan spent his first six seasons with the Washington Nationals , and he'll face his former team for the first time when he takes the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series between National League East rivals.

It's amazing what a simple week can do to the MLB standings. In this case, the National League standings had a little bit of a shake up mostly in the West.

Atlanta won its second straight to take the three-game series and increase its NL East lead to 6 1/2 games.