Logjammin'

The first place team in the NL East has 26 losses on the season. So does the fifth/last place team. That's what's commonly referred to as a "tight" division.

After yesterday's doubleheader split against the Giants, the Mets find themselves tied with the resurgent Phillies (not to be confused with the insurgent Phillies of Kirkuk) one game off the pace.

The pace in question is, for the moment, being set by the Washington Nationals, who have won four in a row. It's a nice story, but I'm sticking to my guns on this one: the Nats are meat. "Real" first place teams, or even just "good" teams, don't allow more runs than they score. It's bad practice.

Meanwhile, preseason faves Atlanta and Florida have been faltering, so what we have is pretty much a five-way tie, with every team between .500 and .550. To give you a better idea of these teams' almost Orwellian conformity, you could fit the entire division between Boston and Toronto, who are 2nd and 3rd in the AL East standings.

For more "Wow, that's a close race!" commentary, Marty Noble's gotchu.