While the Florida Marlins did not make the most of their opportunity against the New York Mets this week, they did do enough to keep the race in the NL East tight and alter the position of the three contenders. With a 7-5 victory last night, the Marlins got themselves within 1 1/2 games of first place, and in so doing knocked the Mets into second place at a 1/2 game back and put the Philadelphia Phillies in first place.

Twice the Marlins showed why they lead the league in come from behind victories, overcoming early Met leads on Monday and Wednesday to win both games. With the NL Wild Card almost certainly going to an NL Central team, it will be crucial for the Marlins to beat the Mets and Phillies when they face them. After a 4 game set with the Colorado Rockies, the Marlins travel next week for three games in Philadelphia and three games in New York that will determine the Marlins post-season chances. 18 of the Marlins remaining games are against the Phillies and Mets.

Josh Johnson pitched 6 2/3 effective innings last night to earn his first victory since 2006. The Marlins have won all 4 games Johnson has started for them this season and with Anibal Sanchez making his comeback Thursday against the Colorado Rockies, the Marlins will find out how well they can solve their starting pitching problems in house.

The NL East race, and the Marlins playoff chances, are likely to come down to the last weekend of the season. Just in case you were wondering, the Marlins finish the regular season with a three game set at home against the Mets.