Phillies Lead NL East as Mets Surge and Braves Falter

The National League East remained a study in contradictions this week as the Philadelphia Phillies held first place while the New York Mets mounted a surge and the Atlanta Braves drifted toward the periphery of contention. Philadelphia beat Atlanta in dramatic fashion Saturday at Citizens Bank Park on a twoout, basesloaded walkoff single by Trea Turner, but earlier in the week the Mets completed a sweep of the Phillies at Citi Field, leaving the division race tighter and questions about bullpen reliability and injuries looming for New York.

In Philadelphia, veteran lefty Chris Sale made a triumphant return from a 10 week injured list stint, striking out nine and allowing one run over six innings Saturday. Braves manager Brian Snitker called the outing "a great first start" for Sale, who showed a power fastball and a top rated slider after recovering from fractured ribs. Sale was outdueled by late-inning bullpen miscues, however; two relievers who have spent much of the year shuttling between Triple-A and the majors surrendered the decisive run when Turner drove in the winner against reliever Dylan Dodd. "He did exactly what we wanted and needed him to do right there," Snitker...