New York will try to pick up a series split with National League East rival Atlanta on Thursday night. The Mets got off to a slow start with a pair of blowout losses in the first two games of the four-game set, but they bounced back with a 9-7 win on Wednesday night. Atlanta is 4.5 games back of New York in the division standings.
New York had not suffered consecutive losses since July 23 before losing two straight games to open this series. The Mets had gone 17-3 in that 20-game stretch, but they were still unable to put Atlanta away completely. They saw their divisional lead shrink to 3.5 games after losing in a 13-1 final on Monday and a 5-0 shutout on Tuesday. New York was able to increase the lead back to 4.5 games with Wednesday’s victory, although the Mets needed to do some work down the stretch to seal that game. They are wrapping up the fourth game of a 10-game road trip on Thursday.
?? #MetsWin #LGM pic.twitter.com/QTkz1KdnGu
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 18, 2022
New York’s offense has been incredible this season, ranked fifth in the MLB in batting average (.258). Shortstop Francisco Lindor leads the team with 120 hits, while first baseman Pete Alonso has hit a team-high 29 home runs. They will be facing an Atlanta pitching staff that ranks sixth in the majors with an ERA of 3.62. Right-handed pitcher Jacob deGrom will be on the mound for New York on Thursday. He allowed two hits and no walks across six shutout innings against Philadelphia in his last start. deGrom has now made three starts during his injury-shortened season, posting a 1.62 ERA in 16.2 innings.