Through the first two months of the 2021 MLB season, few teams are in a better position to make the playoffs than the New York Mets (26-20). The Mets have a 3.5-game lead atop the NL East, tying them with the Chicago White Sox (33-21) for the largest first-place advantage in all of baseball.

New York is six games in the loss column ahead of the second-place Atlanta Braves (25-26). The Philadelphia Phillies (25-29) and Miami Marlins (25-29) trail the Mets by five games. The Washington Nationals (21-29) are in the basement of the NL East, seven games out of first place.

The Mets have benefited from playing in a weak division. Five of MLB’s six divisions have at least three teams with a .500 record or better. Every NL East team besides New York owns a losing record.

The schedule hasn’t done the Mets any favors. New York has dealt with 11 postponements because of rain, snow and COVID-19 safety protocols. With MLB’s top rotation, led by the best pitcher in the sport, the Mets have overcome those obstacles.

Jacob deGrom pitched six scoreless innings in New York’s 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks (19-36) Monday night, extending the team’s winning streak to five games. The two-time NL Cy Young winner lowered his ERA to 0.71. DeGrom has recorded 82 strikeouts and allowed just 31 runners to reach base in 51 innings.

The Mets’ starters have a league-leading 2.72 ERA. New York ranks second overall with a 3.06 ERA, allowing the team to overcome injuries across its lineup.

The defending NL East champion Braves have the division’s best offense, ranking eighth in MLB in runs per game. Ronald Acuna Jr. is having an MVP-caliber season, but reigning NL MVP Freddie Freeman has yet to find his footing. Atlanta ranks 10th in the NL in ERA.

The Phillies have struggled in all aspects of the game, ranking 11th in NL ERA and 10th in runs scored. Philadelphia got off to a fast start and looked like it might compete at the top of the NL East, but the team has lost 11 of its last 15 games. Bryce Harper was having one of his best seasons in recent years until he landed on the injured list.

The NL East was expected to be the most competitive division in baseball. Now, the odds suggest it will only produce one playoff team.

The Braves are five games out of the NL wild-card race. The San Diego Padres (34-21) and Los Angeles Dodgers (32-22) are the league’s two NL wild-card teams with one-third of the season in the books.

The St. Louis Cardinals (30-24) and Milwaukee Brewers (29-25) are also ahead of Atlanta and Philadelphia in the wild-card standings.

Jacob deGrom New York Mets
Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets pitches in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 13, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
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