Move over Mets ... the Phillies have taken your place.

When they entered Atlanta last night, the Phils were freefalling with a nine-game losing streak and a league-worst 8-17 record (Kansas City also had the same record). Their run differential was a majors’ worst minus-51, 16 more than Kansas City.

Pretty bad, huh?

On the other hand, the Braves had the league’s best mark at 18-8 and had won eight of 10.

Yes, it’s only 25 games, but how did they get here? The issue is how, or can, it be fixed? In reality, we shouldn’t be surprised. The signs have been there since the start of the season.

It revolves around the front office, Trea Turner, Justin Crawford, Alec Bohm, the clean-up spot, starting pitching, and the bench. The Braves’ resurgence topped it off.

With one-eighth of the season done and the Phils 9.5 games out of first, here’s an evaluation of the defending NL East champs at this point.

Not A Successful Triumvirate ... The front office trifecta of owner John Middleton, president Dave Dombrowski, and manager Rob Thomson were insistent that the team was set “running it back.”

Middleton laid the franchise in the hands of the grizzled veteran Dombrowski, who had two World Series titles in pocket when he came on board in December 2020.

The Phils’ owner wanted to win with “star players,” and he orchestrated Bryce Harper’s then colossal, 13-year, $330 million deal in 2019. Two years later, Dombrowski made his big splash when he inked Trea Turner to an 11-year, $300 million deal.

Domo’s Dumbs ... If this skid continues, Thomson will be the scapegoat, and he has made his share of head-scratching moves with lineups and pitching moves. Dombrowski replaced Joe Girardi (22-29 and 12.5 games out) with Thompson on June 3, 2022.

But this comes back to Dombrowski. He brought back Taijaun Walker instead of eating his contact and signing a bonafide starter. Dombrowski surrounded closer Jhoan Duran with a cast of mediocre relievers, and failed to lock up Bo Bichette, the right-handed power bat they needed in the lineup.

Leading Off ... I always was a proponent of Turner leading off with his combination of speed, power, and batting average. He quietly won the batting title last year (.304) and stole 36 bases.

Coming into Atlanta, Turner was hitting .225 with two homers, seven RBIs, a .288 OBP and a .622 OPS with 21 strikeouts in 102 at-bats and three steals.

In his previous five games, Turner was hitting .095 with four strikeouts in 21 at-bats. In April last year, Turner hit .292 with 31 hits and 11 RBIs. Throughout the rest of the season, Turner’s lowest month was .268 in June.

The Phils can stay the course with Turner and anticipate him snapping out of his slump, or it could be time to try Crawford there and maybe hit Turner second, third, or possibly fifth. He only has one stolen base hitting low in the lineup.

Crawford was off to a fast start, batting well over .300 in the No. 9 hole. But he has fizzled in April hitting .246, and has hit .120 since April 13 when he has been benched several times. Primarily a left fielder, Crawford is still adjusting to center.

Still, it’s time the Phils try him in the leadoff spot to utilize his speed and contact rate (he was 85.3 last season with the Iron Pigs). This season, Crawford has a 21.7 percent strikeout rate and a 78.3 contact rate.

Bohm Blues ... After a promising spring, Bohm was projected to have a bounce-back season after an injury riddled one last year.

So far, it has been a disaster.

He came into Atlanta with an .151 average, one homer, 11 RBIs, and a .277 OBP and .436 OPS, the latter next to last among hitters with 180 or more at-bats.

Bohm was the constant subject of offseason trade rumors, primarily to Seattle for a frontline pitcher. The Phils also were looking at short-term rentals Eugenio Suarez or Nolan Arenado before the 2027 anticipated arrival of Aidan Miller.

But Miller has been shelved with a back injury, and Bohm will be hard to move.

The New Guys and The New Roles ... Dombrowski took a cheap flyer (one year, $10 million) on Adolis Garcia in hopes to jump start his power bat since Garcia hit 110 homers over the past four years despite hitting .250 or less.

Garcia hit cleanup during his Texas days, but he slipped down in the lineup. When he was inserted there, Garcia hit .185 with 10 strikeouts in 32 at-bats.

After Bohm and Garcia failed in the four hole, recently recalled Felix Reyes has stepped into the hole. Reyes hit .333 with six homers and 15 homers in 18 games at Lehigh Valley after being the Eastern League MVP at Reading last year.

For Starters ... A major disappointment has been the starting staff, viewed by many as one of the majors’ best in the spring.

Aaron Nola looked like he regained his form for Italy in the World Baseball Classic, and there was plenty of optimism about Jesus Luzardo. With Zack Wheeler down, Cristopher Sanchez was seen as a Cy Young candidate. Walker was the insurance policy while Andrew Painter developed.

So far, Sanchez and Luzardo lead the staff with starts of six innings (3) - Luzardo tops at 6.2 innings - or more. Nola has one and Painter went 5.1 in his impressive debut. But Painter has struggled since then. Walker was finally released Thursday after his 1-4 record and a 9.13 ERA.

Luzardo (1-3, 6.92) and Nola (1-2, 5.06) both have struggled with control, and Painter (1-1, 4.42) has been limited, but he should have been able to work out of some jams.

The starters have a 5.60 ERA, six quality starts, and have the highest batting average with balls in play (.383).

The Phillies led the league in quality starts in 2024 and 2025, and they were No. 1 in ERA in 2025 (3.53) and third in 2024 (3.81).

If there is a silver lining, it is still early. But Dombrowski will have to play with the hand he has created.

Brave And Bold ... Through their first 25 games, the Braves are for real. They have been among the leaders in runs scored, RBIs, hits and batting average. On the mound, they have been in the same spot with team ERA, saves, quality starts, walks and WHIP.

Unlike last year, the lineup is healthy and solid. This is despite Ronald Acuna Jr. off to a slow start.

Like they have in the past, the Braves thrive on young pitching. They called up JR Ritchie and Didier Fuentes, their respective top picks from 2022 and 2023.

Chris Sale is looking like his Cy Young form with his 4-1 mark, and the Braves are missing stalwarts Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrop. Strider should be back soon.

Build The Bench ... Dombrowski did little to improve his bench. His major acquisitions were utilityman Dylan Moore and outfielder Bryan De La Cruz.

Edmundo Sosa had proven to be valuable, but they lost Johan Rojas for the first 80 games due to a PED suspension. Promising prospect Pedro Leon was recently released.

Moore was brought in to supply some power and for versatility, even though he is a career .205 hitter. For whatever reason, he has had only 10 at-bats and doesn’t have a hit.

Recently, Otto Kemp was sent down, and the Phils kept Moore. Even though he was only hitting .100, Kemp should have stayed. He’s been a spark plug in the past and was bound to snap out of his slump.

Through 22 games at Lehigh Valley, De La Cruz was hitting .253 with four homers and 17 RBIs and also 26 strikeouts in 84 at-bats.

Weston Wilson was waived when J.T. Realmuto was signed. Despite having 13 plate appearances, Wilson is hitting .300 in a utility role for Baltimore.

The Phillies need an impact bench player like Greg Gross, Matt Stairs, Greg Dobbs and John Mayberry Jr.

Yankee Dandies ... Usually in the spotlight, the Yankees quietly have been among the best with a 16-9 record, six-game winning streak, and a run differential of plus-37. Rookie Cam Schlittler is 3-1 with a 1.77 ERA and 41 strikeouts and four walks.

Aaron Judge has blasted nine homers, and the Yanks may have finally found a dependable leadoff man in Ben Rice, who was hitting .311.

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will look back at a former standout from the area.

Randy Engle was a four-year player for the Blue Bombers in the early 1980s. Engle had a stellar career for the Blue Bombers, and he continued his play at California State (Pa.) and Kutztown University. He consistently batted over .300 for Kutztown as a middle infielder, and also for the Lehighton Senior Legion team.

In addition to baseball, Engle excelled at basketball and had a stint as the head boys coach at Jim Thorpe.

Your thoughts are always welcomed and may be published. Email them to tnsports@tnonline.com.