Braves Skipper Sends 4-Word Phillies Message As Concerns Mount
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 22: Manager Walt Weiss #22 of the Atlanta Braves looks on before the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on June 22, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
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The National League East division might have looked all but wrapped earlier this season.
After building a commanding lead while the Philadelphia Phillies stumbled through one of the worst stretches in franchise history, the Atlanta Braves appeared firmly in control of the division race.
But baseball seasons rarely follow a straight line. And as the Phillies have surged under new manager Don Mattingly, the once-comfortable gap atop the standings has nearly disappeared, renewing what many assumed would be a one-sided division race and driving concern about the title chase among Braves fans.
Atlanta Braves Skipper Walt Weiss Sends Philadelphia Phillies Message As Division Lead Shrinks
Despite that dramatic turnaround, though, Braves manager Walt Weiss made it clear he isn’t paying attention to Philadelphia’s resurgence or the shrinking standings margin.
As the Phillies’ surge under Mattingly brought the team to within just a few games of the division’s top spot, Weiss attempted to dismiss any concerns that the Braves might have about their rival.
“I could care less,” Weiss said, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.
Going into Monday, the Braves had seen their once-comfortable division lead dwindle to just three games, but Weiss was adamant that his focus remains on his own team even while he acknowledged that the Braves had coughed up a comfortable cushion.
“I don’t care what the lead is,” the manager added. “We had a big lead early. There were several months to go. I’m not worried about anybody else but ourselves right now.”
It’s an understandable approach, though it’s hard to ignore just how dramatically the division race has shifted over the past two months.
Philadelphia Phillies Nearly Erase Atlanta Braves’ Significant Advantage
The Phillies trailed by more than 10 games in the division in the not-so-distant past but their recent surge suggests they could overtake the Braves as the season enters the All-Star break.
“That 10 ½-game deficit for the Phillies? It has shrunk, rather significantly,” Matt Snyder wrote for CBS Sports. “The Phillies are only three games out right now. They don’t play a team with a winning record again until July 20 (Los Angeles Dodgers). The All-Star Game is in Philly in a few weeks to celebrate the semiquincentennial.”
And the suddenly competitive division rave has been one of the league’s biggest storylines after an abysmal opening month for the Phillies hit its lowest point in an early-season series against the Braves.
“On Sunday, April 26, the Phillies lost, 6-2, to the Braves,” Snyder added. “The loss was their 11th in the last 12 games, dropping them to 9-19 on the season with a -53 run differential. They were 10 ½ games behind the Braves in the NL East. That wretched start to the season cost Rob Thomson his job; the manager who guided the Phillies to the 2022 World Series was fired and replaced by baseball lifer Don Mattingly.”
Since then, the Phillies have steadily climbed back into contention while Atlanta has watched its once-dominant cushion evaporate. Whether Weiss chooses to acknowledge the standings or not, the NL East race has become one of baseball’s most compelling second-half storylines.
