5 Reasons Why the Phillies-Braves Series Could Still Be a Playoff Preview

Before the 2012 season began, an early May series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves would've been expected to be a big matchup, one that would help determine the NL East winner and likely a postseason wild card. 

The Phillies had a disappointing April, one which has them in fourth place as the calendar turns to May. Of course, it's early, and Philadelphia hasn't played so badly as to knock itself out of the race. They are still very much in contention. 

The Braves played well in April, perhaps better than expected. And thanks to the struggles of the Phillies and Marlins, Atlanta has been able to stay up near the top of the division standings. Many expected the Braves to battle for a playoff spot, and they haven't shown any reason why they won't.

Meanwhile, the rest of the NL East isn't exactly knocking the Phillies and Braves out of contention. 

So, do we have a possible playoff preview beginning Tuesday night at Turner Field? It is entirely possible, and here are five reasons why. 

Phillies Are Near .500

April couldn't have gone much worse for the Phillies. Yes, as MLB.com's Todd Zolecki points out, they finished with their first losing April since 2007. 

But despite scoring the fourth-fewest runs in the National League, as well as poor performance from previously dependable middle relievers, the Phillies are only one game under .500 and 3.5 games out of first place in the NL East. That is hardly insurmountable. 

Yes, the Phillies need to improve their impotent offense. Perhaps the return of Ryan Howard will help with that. If Chase Utley can return, that would obviously help too. 

However, their incumbent hitters should also improve. Hunter Pence is not a .253 hitter. Nor is Placido Polanco. And Shane Victorino doesn't typically compile an OPS of .656.

A return to the leadoff spot seems to have boosted Jimmy Rollins, though.

The Phillies certainly can't depend on the likes of Ty Wigginton and Juan Pierre to keep their lineup afloat. (Is it even afloat? Probably underwater.) But their veteran hitters should eventually come through to provide some run production. 

Nationals Are Sliding

Getting swept over the weekend by the Los Angeles Dodgers exposed several weaknesses the Washington Nationals are struggling with right now. 

We already knew the Nats weren't hitting. But the injury to Ryan Zimmerman and continued poor play from the left-field carousel compelled GM Mike Rizzo to hit the panic button. Not only was top prospect Bryce Harper recalled, but Triple-A slugger Tyler Moore was brought up for reinforcements as well.

Brad Lidge's abdominal injury also thinned out what was a deep bullpen for the Nats. When Henry Rodriguez blew a save on Saturday versus the Dodgers, Davey Johnson had to go with Tom Gorzelanny in extra innings. Gorzelanny promptly served up a walkoff home run to Matt Kemp. 

If the Nats can't fix these two problems soon, their promising season could go south fast.

Braves Swinging Big Sticks

The Braves were expected to be the NL East contender struggling to score runs this season. But coming into Tuesday's play, Atlanta led the NL in runs scored with 116. Only the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers have scored more in the majors. 

Michael Bourn has been every bit the leadoff hitter and center fielder the Braves expected when they traded for him last season. Freddie Freeman is carrying his late surge from last year into this one. Dan Uggla has shaken off his usual slow start. And rookie Tyler Pastornicky is hushing questions about his hitting during the spring.

Perhaps the best development has been Jason Heyward's rebound. Can he return to the production level of his rookie year? 

Surprisingly, the one weak spot in the Braves' lineup has been Brian McCann. You have to figure that won't continue, though suffering an injury to his side over the weekend might not help. Cole Hamels starting the series opener for the Phillies could provide a boost. McCann is 13-for-49 (.265) against him in his career. 

Marlins a Disappointment

As rough as April was for the Phillies, the Marlins were even worse. They've scored the second-fewest runs in the NL while allowing 87. 

Among hitters with 70 or more at-bats, Giancarlo Stanton leads Miami with a .247 batting average. Omar Infante and Logan Morrison have actually hit better than that, but they have fewer plate appearances due to injuries. Infante also probably shouldn't be leading the team in home runs when Stanton and Hanley Ramirez are in the lineup. 

Jose Reyes has an on-base percentage of .293, compelling manager Ozzie Guillen to briefly move him to the No. 2 spot in the batting order. Unfortunately for the Marlins, Emilio Bonifacio hit even worse as a leadoff hitter. 

Overall, there are just far too many batters with an OPS of .650 or below in what was expected to be a rather productive Marlins lineup.

Meanwhile, the pitching staff has suffered from Josh Johnson working his way back from a shoulder injury. And Heath Bell has been disastrous thus far as a closer, bringing up the question of whether or not he's hurting somewhere. Edward Mujica hasn't been as bad as Bell, but he hasn't pitched very well as the bullpen's setup man. 

Starting Pitching Is Sweet

The Phillies' starting pitching has kept them in contention while the lineup is struggling to generate some offense.

Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee have pitched as well as expected (though Lee's oblique injury will keep him out longer than expected), and Vance Worley is showing that last season wasn't a fluke, as he leads the staff in strikeouts (32) and has compiled a 1.97 ERA. 

But the biggest surprise might be Joe Blanton, who has a 3.81 ERA despite giving up 31 hits in 26 innings. Perhaps the key is that he's allowed a Lee-like three walks thus far.

The starting rotation was expected to be a strength for the Braves as well. For the most part, those starters haven't disappointed.

Brandon Beachy has been outstanding, with 20 strikeouts in 25.2 innings and a 1.05 ERA. Tommy Hanson is throwing strikeout stuff too, with 28 Ks in 30 innings. Mike Minor has been inconsistent, as Monday's outing versus the Pittsburgh Pirates demonstrated, but he's also been mowing down opposing hitters, whiffing 30 in 30.2 innings. 

The true underperformer was Jair Jurrjens, and he was sent to the minors. Taking his place just in time is Tim Hudson, the veteran ace of the staff. His first start since returning from back surgery was encouraging, with two runs allowed in five innings. 

If Randall Delgado can stay out of the middle of the strike zone and be a serviceable fifth starter (he's much more talented than that), the Braves could arguably have the deepest rotation in the NL. 

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