The Philadelphia Phillies have taken a commanding lead over the second-place New York Mets, currently leading the NL East by six games with under two months left in the season. Both teams were in position to claim the division title during July,

The Mets-Phillies rivalry has been great this season in the NL East. Much of the Mets' division title hopes will hinge on the next few weeks.

If Major League Baseball undergoes radical realignment and puts the Yankees and Mets in the same division down the road, their fans will have to “relearn who to love and who to hate” in terms of opposing teams.

Ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Seattle Mariners, manager Rob Thomson announced that Alvarado would return to the active roster on Tuesday when he is first eligible. “José Alvarado will indeed be activated tomorrow when he’s eligible to rejoin the roster, Rob Thomson said,” wrote Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez got some bad news about his thumb injury. Alvarez is headed to the injured list.

Analyst John Kruk decided to go on a tangent between pitches during the Phillies’ game Monday. And it involved some deep thoughts about clocks.

Zack Wheeler received the support of the Philadelphia Phillies faithful as news surfaced Monday morning. The three-time All-Star will be out for the foreseeable future in an announcement that goes beyond the game of baseball.

If the Phillies want to win the NL East, they must thrive in September. While the Brewers, Dodgers, and Mets will provide the toughest tests, beating the bad teams on their schedule will also be critical for the Phillies' division title hopes.

The Phillies and Mariners open their series on Monday. Both teams are in good form and determined to stay in the playoff race.

The Philadelphia Phillies announced pitcher Zack Wheeler underwent a successful surgery Monday and will return at a to-be-determined time.

The Mets took two of three from the red-hot Mariners over the weekend, including a 7-3 win on Sunday night during the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It was the first series the Mets had won since sweeping the San Francisco Giants from July 25-27.