Phillies-Mets: Aces Deal For NL East Supremacy as Philadelphia Battles New York

As a Phillies fan, I am hoping that the 2010 Philadelphia Phillies' season is not becoming that of the New York Mets' 2009 season, one riddled with injuries and a lost season before the All-Star break

I can hear the laughing all the way from Queens.

Really though, here's what the Phillies awful 9-1 loss means: The Phillies are in third place, 1.5 games behind the Mets and a half-game behind behind Washington. A win today by the Phillies only assures them to be a half-game behind the Mets.

Not to mention what Washington does.

The wheels have come off the bus for the Phillies. Jimmy Rollins, J.A. Happ, Ryan Madson, and Joe Blanton are currently on the DL, and the players missing time this season already include Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino, and Brad Lidge.

Lidge pitched one-third of an inning and gave up the second home run of the game for Rod Barajas.

Past Roy Halladay, starting pitching has been mediocre at best, and as of today, Halladay (4-1, 0.69) represents the team's best chance of winning.

The bullpen is inconsistent and there is no defined closer. Right now, J.C. Romero is the best option in that role.

Today's game sees a superb matchup of aces: Mike Pelfrey (pictured) pitches for the Mets, with a stellar 4-0 record and a .069 ERA.

Wow. And it is a nationally-televised game.

In the late inning of last night's 9-1 loss, Comcast announcer Chris Wheeler was talking to Tom McCarthy and talking about the "wacky" standings on May 1.

"Wait to see what it looks like in September," Wheeler said.

Don't be so smug you baseball chair jockey. It is a long season and the Phillies will come back.

But to infer the Mets are going away? Don't fool yourself.