The New York Mets (98-58) and Atlanta Braves (97-59) will be playing for the NL East title when they play their three-game weekend series, starting with Game 1 on Friday night.
Jacob deGrom, 5-3, 2.93 ERA, will get the start for the Mets. The Braves will counter with Max Fried, 13-7, 2.50 ERA.
New York is 6-4 in its last 10 games against Atlanta.
The Mets played well over the past week, winning four of their last seven games. They currently hold a one-game lead over the Braves in the NL East and will try to increase their lead with a win on Friday, which will give them their fifth win in their last eight games.
New York is averaging 4.77 runs per game. Their .258 batting average is third in the league. Their .332 on base percentage is second, while their .410 slugging percentage is 10th.
Jeff McNeil leads New York with a .320 batting average, while Pete Alonso leads the team with 40 home runs and 131 RBI.
New York’s pitching has been good, with the team giving up 3.77 runs per game. Opponents have a .235 batting average against the Mets, which is 10th in the league. Their 3.58 ERA is eighth, while their 1.19 WHIP is seventh.
In his last start, d eGrom gave up six hits and five runs in four innings, leading to a 10-4 loss to Oakland. They will need a significantly better effort from him if they want to win this game.