The New York Mets will host a huge four-game series against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field in Flushing, N.Y., starting on Thursday night. The first pitch between the Mets and the Braves will be at 7:10 p.m. ET. The projected starting pitchers will be Chris Sale (13-3 record, 2.70 ERA) for Atlanta and Luis Severino (7-3 record, 3.58 ERA) for New York. The Braves need a solid outing from Sale as they’re struggling. Severino is one of the better starting pitchers on the Mets this season.
Entering this series, the Mets are just 1.5 games back of Atlanta for the first National League Wild Card spot. If the season ended today, New York and Atlanta would meet in the Wild Card round. The Mets are at 53-48 and the Braves are 54-46. Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that the Braves and Mets would be meeting near the MLB trade deadline with playoff positioning on the line? Both teams cannot afford to get swept this weekend. A split would be beneficial for both parties.
It is very strange for Atlanta manager Brad Sntiker’s teams to be struggling. The players had a players-only meeting the other day before they played the Cincinnati Reds. As for New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza’s squad, they just swept the New York Yankees in the Subway Series for the first time since 2013. The Mets appear to be riding the Grimace wave ever since June. It felt like before that happened, the Mets were going to be major sellers. Now, they appear to be buyers before the MLB trade deadline next week.
Looking at Key Atlanta Braves Statistics
Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is projected to bat fifth for Atlanta on Thursday night. He has appeared in 100 games this season. Ozuna has a .306 batting average with 28 home runs and 80 RBIs. His on-base percentage is at .382. Ozuna went 0-for-5 on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds, but he did have an RBI.
First baseman Matt Olson is projected to bat cleanup for Atlanta against the Mets. He has also appeared in 100 games this year. Olson has a .223 batting average with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs. Olson has a .301 on-base percentage. In his last seven games, Olson is only hitting .111. He needs to step up for them to get out of this funk.
Chris Sale has pitched in 18 games, starting all of them. He has 110 innings pitched, giving up 81 hits and 33 runs. Sale has also walked 24 batters and struck out 140. In his last start, Sale, against the San Diego Padres on 7/14, only pitched five innings and struck out four. In his previous two starts before that, he struck out nine batters in both matchups.
Looking at Key New York Mets Statistics
Shortstop Francisco Lindor is projected to bat leadoff for the Mets. He has been a spark plug at the top of the lineup. Lindor has appeared in 101 games and has a .259 batting average with 21 home runs and 60 RBIs. He’s been a speed merchant on the bases, snagging 20 stolen bases while getting caught just three times. Lindor has a .338 on-base percentage.
Third baseman Mark Vientos is predicted to bat fifth. He has played a huge role in their turnaround. Vientos has a .290 batting average with 13 home runs and 35 RBIs. His on-base percentage is .345. He hit a two-run homer against the Yankees on Wednesday night.
Luis Severino has pitched in 19 games for the Mets. He has worked in 115.2 innings, giving up 96 hits and 52 runs. Severino has also walked 40 batters and struck out 88 batters. In his last start against the Miami Marlins on 7/20, he went six innings and gave up two hits. Severino also struck out seven.
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