Just two games into their 2014 Grapefruit League schedule, the Nationals have already gotten their first look at two division foes, beating the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves. The Nationals hope to keep up their winning ways when they welcome the Marlins at Space Coast Stadium later today. So with the exception of the Philadelphia Phillies, the Nationals will have already played every team in the division by day three of exhibition games.
While these games mean absolutely nothing, they give us a taste of what the National League East will look like in 2014, and despite Saturday’s ridiculously sloppy game between the Nationals and the Braves, it should be a hard-fought battle between the two teams throughout the regular season.
The race for the division won’t officially begin until the Braves visit Washington on April 4, but we’ll have plenty of spring training action to keep us busy until then. While spring exhibition games don’t matter, it’s still important to keep tabs on news not only from the Braves camp, but also from that of the Mets, Marlins and Phillies.
Here are some National League East links from around FanSided:
- Tomahawk Take- Braves Finalizing Deal With Cuban Prospect Bello?
- Tomahawk Take- Brandon Beachy’s Outing, Should Atlanta Braves Be Worried?
- Rising Apple- Who Is Jeff Walters?
- Rising Apple- Reaction: Fangraphs Says Mets Payroll Is 7th-Lowest
- That Ball’s Outta Here- Ethan Martin’s Injury Hurts the Philadelphia Phillies’ Already Shallow Pitching Depth
- That Ball’s Outta Here- Philadelphia Phillies Success is Dependent Upon Maikel Franco
- Marlin Maniac- More Marlins Wins Projected in 2014 According to WAR
- Marlin Maniac- Jose Fernandez Makes First Start of Spring Training
