Mets could reclaim first by Friday

The Mets are sitting only one game behind the Phillies, even though their bullpen troubles make it seem like they're 20 games back.

With the Mets playing the Nationals, and the Phillies playing the Dodgers, it's entirely possible the Mets could be back in first place by the end of the week. It mostly depends on how well John Maine can bounce back from his stint on the DL.

On Friday, both the Mets and the Phillies square off against sub-500 teams. The Mets take on Pittsburgh, a team who handed them a come from behind loss on Monday, while the Phillies take on San Diego.

Right here, right now, I'm going to call that first place in the NL East will change hands at least 3 more times before the year is over.