Read: The 2nd Half
In his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney breaks down the second half schedules of 10 National League contenders.
As far as the NL East is concerned, here is Olney’s breakdown for the Mets, Phillies and Marlins:
New York Mets (67 games)
Games against teams with records of .500 or better: 30. Home games: 35.The hurdle: Beginning in late August, the Mets have an eight-game road trip that takes them through Philadelphia, Florida and Milwaukee.
The Big Finish: Seven home games, against good teams — the Cubs and Marlins
Philadelphia Phillies (66 games)
Games against teams with records of .500 or better: 31. Home games: 31.
The hurdle: Right out of the All-Star break, the Phillies play 12 of their first 15 games on the road, including trips into Florida, New York and St. Louis.
The Big Finish: Six home games, in consecutive series against the Braves and Nationals
Florida Marlins (67 games)
Games against teams with records of .500 or better: 41. Home games: 35.The hurdle: The Marlins’ second-half schedule is an absolute meat-grinder, including this — from Aug. 5 to 17, Florida plays, in order, the Phillies, Mets, Cardinals and Cubs.
The Big Finish: Seven road games, including a makeup game in Cincinnati. Absolutely brutal.
…ummm…excuse me…did olney forget the Braves are in the NL…i know they have battled with injuries and underachieving players (Jeff Francoeur) but they are only five games under .500 and are by no means out of it yet…
