NL East Notebook: Stanton ditches face guard; Mets benefit from new dimensions
Every Thursday, theScore's MLB editors will bring you a roundup of everything you need to know from around the division with the NL East Notebook.
Atlanta Braves
Trading places. The Braves are hoping they struck lightening in a bottle with Cameron Maybin, the talented-yet-inconsistent outfielder acquired in the Craig Kimbrel trade. Maybin already has two homers in five days, and Jon Cooper predicts he's on his way to becoming a household name in Atlanta.
Staying loose. Jason Grilli's impressed on the mound since taking over the closer's role in Atlanta, but it's his presence off the field that's had the biggest impact on his teammates. "In the clubhouse, he keeps everybody loose," said first baseman Freddie Freeman. "We feed off of that."
Miami Marlins
No mask, no problem. Giancarlo Stanton ditched his custom face guard Tuesday for the first time since Mike Fiers' fastball hit him in the face last September, and responded by smacking a two-run double in the Marlins' 8-2 win. Stanton was coy on whether he'll wear the mask moving forward, saying "Honestly, it's whatever I feel like doing."
Morse hits milestone homer. Michael Morse's first home run as a Marlin - and first of the 2015 season - was the 100th of his career. Morse, who was born and raised in the Fort Lauderdale area, said he made sure to retrieve the milestone ball. "It took a while," said Morse, who's been slowed by injuries during his 11-year career. "I'm fortunate to be able to play this game long enough to reach that."
New York Mets
New No. 2. The hot-hitting Travis d'Arnaud impressed out of the two-hole Wednesday after receiving the bump to replace the injured David Wright in manager Terry Collins' lineup. d'Arnaud, who went 2-for-4 with a homer and two runs, is now batting .333 with an .897 OPS entering play Friday. Said Collins: "I think one thing that helped Travis in the second half, and I'm going to give him all the credit, he figured out what he has to do to have success here. One of the things is to be aggressive early. We've seen what he can do when he hits."
Park effects. Collins believes several Mets will benefit from offseason changes to Citi Field, which include shortening the right- and center-field fences by as much as 11 feet. "With Curtis Granderson, Lucas Duda, David Wright, Travis d'Arnaud - guys who really use right-center field as a power area for them, we think it will help," he said. One player Collins didn't mention was Daniel Murphy, whose home run Tuesday would not have cleared the fences in 2014.
Philadelphia Phillies
Can't stand the heat. Despite entering camp noticeably slimmer, Ryan Howard's struggles continue to persist. The Phillies first baseman is 4-for-27 and has struck out 10 times with no walks. Manager Ryne Sandberg says pitchers are attacking Howard with fastballs, and he needs to make the adjustment. "With the amount of fastballs he's getting, he should look fastball and disregard the breaking ball until he gets two strikes," Sandberg said.
Players only. Closer Jonathan Papelbon gathered his teammates for a players-only meeting prior to Wednesday's visit to Citi Field in an effort to rally the 2-6 Phillies. "It was a team meeting about baseball," Papelbon said before the game. "About playing the game. It wasn't a big deal." The Phillies went on to drop their fourth straight with a 6-1 loss to the Mets.
Washington Nationals
New setup man. Rafael Martin may have secured himself the coveted setup role in Washington after throwing two scoreless innings in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Red Sox. The 30-year-old rookie pounded the strike zone with five punchouts in his MLB debut, earning a new nickname from starter Gio Gonzalez in the process. "(Gio) just brought that up right now. I'm the Mexican Assassin," Martin said.
Playing not to lose. Manager Matt Williams insists his group is playing loose, but the Washington Post's Chelsea Janes believes the Nationals' 3-6 record is affecting the team's mindset, saying "No one can know what the Nationals are thinking, but it seems they are thinking a lot, trying to turn things around. If they are, perhaps they should stop trying to play better. Perhaps they should just play."
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