The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves will start a three-game series on Monday in Atlanta. The New York Mets lost on Sunday but overall won three out of four on the road in St. Louis.
The Mets are 58-67 on the season. New York will not reach the postseason, as they are fourth in the divisional race.
For the Atlanta Braves, they had their five-game winning streak snapped on Sunday by the Giants. Atlanta, though, has moved to 80-43 on the season and running away with the National League East. The Braves are four games ahead of the Dodgers for the top record in the National League.
These two teams just played earlier this month, with the Braves winning all three games. Atlanta outscored the Mets 34-3 in the three-game series.
They also played in early June, and Atlanta won all three of those as well. That series went 26-19 in favor of Atlanta. The first series between these two teams was in late April, where the Braves won two out of three, outscoring them 16-13.
Atlanta is listed at -205 over the Mets. The total is 10.
Monday’s Pitching Matchup
The Mets will send Tylor Megill in this one. Megill is 7-6 on the season with a 5.53 earned run average. The 28-year-old from Long Beach, California, last threw on August 16th, where he made his 17th start of the season. In that game, he went five innings and allowed five hits and two runs against the Pirates.
Atlanta will march out youngster Bryce Elder. The 24-year-old is 9-4 on the season with a 3.46 earned run average. The Texas native has 100 strikeouts on the season in 138 innings pitched.
This will be the 25th start of the season for Elder. His last start was on August 15th, when he won against the Yankees going seven innings, allowing just a single hit.
Atlanta’s Offense Mashes
The Atlanta Braves offense absolutely mashes. The Braves lead all of Major League Baseball in home runs and have nine guys with 11+ home runs on the season.
Matt Olson leads the team with 43 and also leads the National League. Austin Riley is one away from 30 on the season, while Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies need just two for 30 on the season.
Acuna Jr is likely going to finish as the Most Valuable Player in the National League this season. His .333 batting average is second in the National League, and of course, home runs and 74 runs batted in, putting him near the top as well.
Atlanta saw Eddie Rosario pick up four hits in the win on Saturday, which included a big two-run home run.
Mets Looking to Finish Strong
The New York Mets are just looking to finish the season strong and make things in the off-season interesting. Keep in mind; this is a Mets team that was one of the favorites to win the World Series out of the National League.
At the trade deadline, the Mets were so far out of it that they traded both aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.
The Mets scored 13 runs on Saturday with a big day from Francisco Lindor and a grand slam from Daniel Volgelbach. Pete Alonso hit home runs on Saturday and on Sunday. He leads the team with 39 on the season and is now six runs batted in away from 100.
Braves Top Mets on Monday
The Atlanta Braves are the best team in Major League Baseball. Atlanta can mash the baseball and will have a young star on the mound.
This looks to be a game that the Atlanta Braves win and win easily. Take the Atlanta Braves -1.5 (-105) on Monday!
