After winning three out of their four games against the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Mets (58-67) are heading to Truist Park to take on their National League East Division rival powerhouse Atlanta Braves (80-43). Since their matchup with the Mets last weekend, the Braves have taken care of business, sweeping the New York […]
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After winning three out of their four games against the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Mets (58-67) are heading to Truist Park to take on their National League East Division rival powerhouse Atlanta Braves (80-43).
Since their matchup with the Mets last weekend, the Braves have taken care of business, sweeping the New York Yankees and winning two out of three contests against the San Francisco Giants. They currently have a commanding lead in the division, as the closest team is 13 1/2 games behind them. That said, they are just about guaranteed to see postseason action as division winners.
For the Mets, things are looking a bit more bleak. Despite a recent surge in wins, they are still eight games below .500. In addition, they are seven games back of a wild card spot with seven teams ahead of them. While a miracle run is possible, it would take very little margin for error in these upcoming games. All things considered, it would be exciting to see the Mets immersed in the wild card race over the next few weeks.
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Monday, August 21, 2023: LHP David Peterson (3-7, 5.45 ERA) vs. RHP Allan Winans (1-0, 1.59 ERA)
David Peterson will pitch in the series opener for the Mets. Despite having a rough start to his season, he has been very effective since returning from Triple-A Syracuse. In fact, he has only allowed nine earned runs in his last 33 2/3 innings pitched, dating back to June 27th. His 2.48 ERA in that span has re-established his candidacy for a role in the 2024 rotation. In his last outing, he tossed 3 2/3 innings while allowing only one run. If the Mets can start to get more length out of Peterson with similar effectiveness, he can be a valuable piece going forward.
Allan Winans will make his second consecutive start against the Mets on Monday. The ex-Mets prospect dominated New York last weekend in Queens, pitching seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts. Despite having very limited MLB experience, Winans won over Braves fans with that performance and will look to replicate it in front of the home crowd.
Tuesday, August 22, 2023: RHP Tylor Megill (7-6, 5.53 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Elder (9-4, 3.46 ERA)
Tylor Megill is set to pitch on Tuesday for the Mets. His season has been rocky up to this point, as he has divided time between Triple-A Syracuse and New York. In his last outing, he allowed two runs over five innings against the Pirates. However, he did struggle in his outing against the Braves last weekend, in which he allowed five earned runs over 5 1/3 innings. This poor outing is part of a larger trend where Megill has a 4.66 ERA in his career against the Braves.
Bryce Elder will pitch on Tuesday, and he is having a very good season. In his last start, he tossed seven shutout innings against the Yankees with only one hit allowed. He has pitched twice against the Mets and has not exactly been effective. In 8 1/3 innings pitched between those two games, he has allowed seven earned runs including two long balls.
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Wednesday, August 23, 2023: LHP José Quintana (1-4, 3.03 ERA) vs. RHP Charlie Morton (12-10, 3.54 ERA)
José Quintana will pitch in the series finale for New York. Since returning from his rib injury, Quintana has been a spark plug for the Mets’ rotation, eating innings while pitching very effectively. In fact, he has tossed at least six innings while allowing no more than three runs in his previous five outings. This includes his stellar display against the Braves last weekend when he pitched six innings while allowing only one run with four strikeouts.
On the other side, Charlie Morton will pitch for the Braves. He is in the midst of another solid season as a reliable rotation option for the juggernaut Braves. As of late, he has been on a hot streak, as he has not allowed a run in his last two starts. One of those outings came against the Mets last weekend when he pitched five shutout innings with four strikeouts. However, he did walk seven batters, which could be problematic for him if the Mets can convert in clutch situations with runners on base.
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