The New York Mets play host to the Atlanta Braves in the second game of the weekend series from Citi Field. This four-game set is a crucial series between the two sides, especially considering how little space there is between them in the standings. The Mets have clung onto the divisional lead for much of the season but the Braves are right on their tracks, looking to make it an interesting last few months of the season. Heading into Thursday night's opener, the two teams had squared off seven times this season, with the Mets winning four of those. This should be an interesting matchup and certainly won't be one that fans will want to miss.
There haven't been many teams playing better than the Braves over the last few months but even despite that uptick in play, they have been unable to catch the Mets atop the NL East. The last few seasons have seen the Braves dominate the division, so they know how important this weekend is towards not only staying as a leader in the Wild Card race but also closing the gap towards a divisional title. Over their last ten games, the Braves have gone 6-4 but with the Mets also playing well, something will have to give on Friday night. An impressive road record could help this team bounce back nicely in game two and find a way to make things interesting heading into the weekend.
Navigating injuries have been difficult for Atlanta all season long and now that they have a massive game on Friday, those woes continue. Positionally, being without Ozzie Albies (foot) and Adam Duvall (wrist) is far from ideal, while Michael H arris II's (foot) designation remains up in the air. Adding in three relievers also being out could make things challenging.
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— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 5, 2022
According to MLB.com, the Braves will lean on Ian Anderson to set the tone on Friday night and lead the way. The righty's record isn't half bad, coming in with a 9-6 record, while his 4.99 ERA is growing incredibly more concerning by the start. The last time out saw him bounce back nicely, throwing six shutout innings, while in four of his last five starts he's allowed two runs or fewer.
Having one of baseball's best offenses has helped quite a bit of late as well and will continue to give them a chance on a nightly basis. They rank fourth in baseball in both runs scored per nine innings and OPS, while second in home runs. One of MLB's worst strikeout rates doesn't help matters but so far, it hasn't seemed to haunt them. Over the last week, Austin Riley and Dansby Swanson are both hitting .400 but until they get consistent help from the rest of the lineup, even they could have trouble keeping pace with New Y ork on the road.