August has been a month filled with ups and downs for the Philadelphia Phillies. Though they are currently 9-3 at home on the month, a lackluster mid-month

In the National League East, a defining stretch of schedule is in the offing as the first-place Philadelphia Phillies and second-place New York Mets begin a three-game set at Citi Field on Monday.  Going into the series,

The Mets have fallen seven games back in the NL East race, with time fading fast to make up any ground on Philadelphia.