The Braves have swooned in June. As Atlanta continues to struggle, its lead in the NL East shrinks by the day, with the Phillies gathering steam behind them, trailing now by just 3 1/2 games.
The Braves had been MLB’s best team through the first two months of the season. They were formidable out of the gate, ending the month of May with a 40–20 record and a comfortable division lead. At that time, Philadelphia had only just begun to turn the corner on its woeful start to the season. The Phillies were 30–29, 9 1/2 games back in the division. Since then, the Braves have limped to a 9–13 record in June, while the Phillies have steadily improved, going 17–8 over their last 25 games.
