When the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies last met on April 26, Rob Thomson was still the Phillies’ manager. The club’s record at the end of the day was 9-19. Pretty much everything was going wrong: The lineup struggled, the starting pitching was inconsistent, and there was little hope of a comeback any time the Phillies fell behind.Now, more than four months later, the Braves and Phillies are in a real race for the National League East. The Phillies, resurgent following dreadful stretches in April and immediately after the All-Star break, trail the Braves by four games with 22 left to play. Seven of those 22 games will come against each other — four in Philadelphia during a wraparound series that begins Friday, and three in Atlanta the following weekend.With so much at stake, it’s a good time to check in on both teams’ trajectory. Here is a rundown of what’s going on with these NL East rivals (with an assist from Braves writer Jesús Cano), starting with some statistics.Records: 83-57 (Braves), 79-61 (Phillies)Team OPS: .725 (Braves), .713 (Phillies)Runs per game: 4.66 (Braves), 4.51 (Phillies)Starters’ ERA: 3.72 (Braves), 3.85 (Phillies)Bullpen ERA: 3.39 (Braves), 4.21 (Phillies)Team WRC+: 99 (Braves), 93 (Phillies)How a 90-mile stretch could decide the World SeriesKen RosenthalAfter a series loss in St. Louis dropped the Phillies out of wild-card position on Aug. 12, they have won 15 of their past 18 games. The hot stretch propelled the Phillies into the National League’s top wild-card spot, which would come with home-field advantage in a best-of-three first-round playoff series.How did the Phillies turn it around so quickly?Their rotation pitched more innings than any other in the majors in August (159 2/3; Atlanta followed with 157 1/3), producing a 2.99 ERA — fifth-lowest in the majors — in the process. The Phillies have benefited from the rise of Jesús Luzardo, whose 1.31 ERA in August was best among qualified major-league starters, along with improvements from Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter at the back end of the rotation.The lineup’s approach has also looked dramatically different; nearly everyone is chasing and striking out less, and walking more. Bryce Harper has set the tone for the lineup, leading the league with 31 walks in August while slashing .333/.496/.573 (1.069 OPS); it has been one of his best stretches at the plate with the Phillies. Bryson Stott’s continued breakout and a better month from Alec Bohm have also helped the offense.Sure, there have been individual struggles; Zack Wheeler had perhaps his worst month with the Phillies in August, and Trea Turner continues to work through issues. And there are still real questions about how the bullpen will bridge to closer Jhoan Duran come October. But, for the most part, any problems affecting the club have been resolved by others stepping up.Edmundo Sosa celebrates after a home run during the Phillies’ recent sweep of the Angels. They have won 15 of their past 18 games. (Nicole Vasquez / Getty Images)This team was always going to have to fight its way into the playoff picture and the NL East race after a dreadful April. But four months later, the Phillies have done just that. Now they will look to keep their momentum going amid a tough September slate that features opponents such as the Braves, Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays.