The Braves lead in the NL East is now just 2.5 games as they host the struggling Mets at Turner Field.
New York Mets at Atlanta Braves
New York has dropped 15 of its last 21 games, including a 14-1 blowout loss to the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. “It definitely hurts your pride a little bit when you perform in that manner,” manager Jerry Manuel said. “We didn’t pitch, we didn’t hit, we didn’t play defense.” The Mets now head to a field where they’ve dropped 15 of their last 20 meetings. The team has taken five of the first eight meetings between the two clubs, but they’ve yet to win a season series over the Braves since the 2006 season. Offensively, the club is hitting just .210 with 54 runs scored and 15 home runs in 17 games since the All-Star break. New York is 19-20 against divisional opponents this season (-350) and the total is 16-22 O/U in those contests. The Mets will try to avoid dropping to the .500 mark for the first time since June 2, when the team stood at 27-27.
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Atlanta continues to lead the NL East division, but its lead has been cut due to losing five of eight games on its current road trip. The Braves did make a couple moves at the trade deadline, picking up outfielder Rick Ankiel and relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth from Kansas City. “Ankiel’s a tremendous outfielder, a great athlete,” Chipper Jones said. “Hopefully he helps solidify things out there.” The club is still a tremendous 18-9 against the NL Central, which is their best winning percentage against any division this season. Atlanta is also 20-15 in day games this season (+380) and the total is 19-16 O/U in those contests. The team is averaging 4.0 runs per game under the sun and hitting for a combined .256 average, while opponents are scoring 3.8 and batting .236. Atlanta has gone 26-31 in August the last three years (-820).
Atlanta enters this series with the second-biggest division lead in the majors, leading the Phillies by 4.5 games, while having a 15.5 game advantage on tonight’s opponent. The Braves have alternated wins and losses over the past six games and managed to lose just its second series since May 10th in dropping two of three games against the Florida Marlins over the past weekend. The club left 11 runners on base in a 5-4 defeat on Sunday. “You led the other team off the hook that many times, eventually they’re going to cash in and beat you,” said third baseman Chipper Jones. From an offensive standpoint, catcher Brian McCann has been doing his part since being named the All-Star Game MVP, hitting three home runs and driving in 14 runs in his last 10 games. Atlanta is 7-4 when playing with a day off this year (+280) and the total is an even 4-4 O/U in those contests.
Atlanta used an eight-run eighth inning to capture a 10-5 win over Florida at Sun Life Stadium on Friday night. “I can’t explain this ballgame,” manager Bobby Cox said. “It’s hard enough to explain Friday night. It’s baseball.” The Braves are now 5-3 against the Marlins this season and moved their record to 18-16 against divisional opponents (-100). The total is 11-20 O/U in their games against the NL East in 2010 and 76-93 O/U the last three years. With today’s game being a rubber match, it’s important to note that the club is 16-1-4 in its last 21 series dating back to May 10. Rookie outfielder Jason Heyward continues to lead the chase for NL Rookie of the Year, hitting .387 since being made active from the disabled list on July 15. He went 3-for-3 with two walks and two runs last night. Atlanta has averaged 5.7 runs per game and hit for a .277 combined average in compiling an impressive 20-12 daytime record (+760).
The first place Braves may stumble in their first game back from the All-Star break.
With news about George Steinbrenner passing away rocking the baseball world only two days after former Yankees’ public address announcer Bob Sheppard died, it seems almost wrong to look at the business side of the sport.
Atlanta has pushed its lead in the NL East standings to six games with its current five-game winning streak after shutting out the New York Mets 3-0 at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon. “It’s good to be in first place going into the break,” said manager Bobby Cox. The Braves are now a season-high 17 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2005 season. The latest win pushed its daytime record to 18-11 this season (+660) and the total moving to 16-13 O/U with just four runs posted on the scoreboard. Atlanta is averaging 5.6 runs per game offensively while holding teams to 4.2 runs with a combined .238 average. The club is 17-14 versus the division this season (+10), but a dominating 13-3 in their past 16 meetings.
