The Philadelphia Phillies hit another roadblock in Cincinnati as Jordan Romano’s tenure appears headed for an abrupt end, and the New York Mets’ pitching woes continue to mount. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves showed signs of life and the Miami Marlins discovered a new star. Here’s Thursday’s NL East roundup.
1. Philadelphia Phillies: 69-51
The biggest question after the Phillies’ 8-0 loss to the Reds Wednesday night: How much time does Romano have left on the roster?
Romano, signed to a one-year, $9.5 million contract in the offseason, watched his ERA balloon to 7.24 after surrendering his second grand slam of the season in a disastrous seventh inning to Miguel Andujar. The damage started when Elly De La Cruz beat out an infield grounder after first baseman Bryce Harper wandered too far off the bag.
This is Jordan Romano watching the ball go over the fence. He gave up a grand slam. The Phillies are down 8-0 in Cincinnati after they were down 6-0 last night. Rough night again for Phillies pitchers and hitters.
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 14, 2025
pic.twitter.com/F81X3h9KO7
The Phillies hoped for a bounce-back season from the two-time All-Star after he was non-tendered by the Toronto Blue Jays following an injury-riddled 2024 campaign. Instead, he’s become one of their biggest bullpen liabilities.
The offense provided no help for a second straight day, managing just three hits off returning starter Hunter Greene. After dropping two of three in Cincinnati, the Phillies begin a four-game series against the Washington Nationals in D.C. on Thursday.
2. New York Mets: 64-56 (Hold last Wild Card spot)
The Mets once had one of the best pitching staffs earlier this season, but that has changed dramatically. Their pitchers have a 5.42 ERA in the month of August as they slid five games behind the Phillies for first in the NL East.
The latest blowup happened Wednesday when starter David Peterson was given a 6-0 lead against the Braves, but couldn’t hold it. He gave up six earned runs on five hits and five walks in 3 1/3 innings in New York’s 11-6 loss to Atlanta.
“It’s frustrating,” Peterson told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo after the game. “We’re not holding up our end, and we need to do better. I think that starts with analyzing the performance and then turning the page, moving on to the next one.”
"It's frustrating. We're not holding up our end and we need to do better."
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 14, 2025
David Peterson talks about the Mets' starting pitchers struggling to go deep into games: pic.twitter.com/25zfMNboqg
The Mets failed to address their rotation issues at the deadline, instead picking up reliever Ryan Helsley and center fielder Cedric Mullins. They’re hoping for a boost from one of their top pitching prospects in Nolan McLean, who will make his MLB debut Saturday against the Seattle Mariners.
3. Miami Marlins: 58-62
Marlins rookie outfielder Jakob Marsee is off to a torrid start in his MLB career. In Wednesday’s 13-4 destruction over the Cleveland Guardians, Marsee had his first multi-homer game and tied a franchise record with seven RBI.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Marsee told MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola. “It’s been more than I could ask for, and [I] just want to keep going and keep playing with these guys and just keep winning. That’s all I really care about.”
Jakob Marsee 2-HR game!
— MLB (@MLB) August 14, 2025
He has a 1.408 OPS through his first 13 Major League games 👀 pic.twitter.com/8XAgrBJpll
As De Nicola points out, Marsee is the fifth player since 1995 to have at least a .400 average, at least a .500 on-base percentage and slug at least .800 in a 13-game span to start their career. Marsee is currently slashing .436/.542/.872 with three home runs and six doubles.
4. Atlanta Braves: 52-68
Braves center fielder Michael Harris has been on an incredible hot streak since the All-Star break. The 2022 NL Rookie of the Year went 2-5 against the Mets in Atlanta’s 11-6 win Wednesday night, including blasting a grand slam—his seventh home run in 25 games since the All-Star break. In the first 90 games of the season he had just six.
MICHAEL HARRIS II GRAND SLAM
— MLB (@MLB) August 14, 2025
9-RUN INNING FOR THE @BRAVES! pic.twitter.com/kFgSH5NoQ4
Harris attributes his turnaround to making adjustments.
“In the middle of the season, it’s tough to make that kind of adjustment,” Harris told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. “But, you can’t be scared to do it, especially when you’re not getting the results you want and it’s not really helping the team. So I took the risk, and it’s paying off.”
Harris has a 1.078 OPS since the All-Star break, compared to a lowly .551 in the first-half of the season.
5. Washington Nationals: 48-72
The Nationals pulled off some ninth-inning magic Wednesday as they scored off Kansas City Royals All-Star closer Carlos Estevez to win 8-7.
The Nats will also be getting rookie Dylan Crews back from the 60-day IL for their four-game series against the Phillies.
