Phillies atop NL East, all-star predictions, Wimbledon underway

Currently, the Phillies have a two-game lead on the New York Mets in the National League East. After a disappointing series last week against the Houston Astros, the Phillies offense has seemingly reappeared. They have also gotten very lucky because the Mets have fallen apart. The Mets have only won three of the last 16 games to fall into second place. The Mets and Phillies have a significant lead over the rest of the NL East, so it’s definitely going to be a two-horse race to the finish line over the second half of the season.

I think the Phillies are going to have four all-stars. Three pitchers and one position player. Zach Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, and Christopher Sanchez have been great this season. Kyle Schwarber should be the backup designated hitter behind Shohei Ohtani. All this will be determined Sunday, July 6.

Wimbledon has produced mixed results for the American players. So far on the men’s side, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul have already lost. Frances fell in the first round, and unfortunately Tommy had to withdraw from his match (after he had already won the first set) because of a sprained ankle. I hope it's not too bad. On the positive side, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz have made it to the third round. Ben Shelton in particular looks like he’s playing very good tennis so far. At least on the men’s side, the three main contenders are still in the tournament – Novak Djokovic, Jannick Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. 

On the women’s side, Coco Gauff suffered a surprising first-round loss after her grand slam victory in the French Open. I hope she can get back on track over the rest of the summer. Madison Keys and Emma Navarro have made it to the third round. I expect one of them to make it at least to the quarterfinals. We will see what happens.

I hope everyone enjoys their Fourth of July celebrations and stay safe.