Braves Eye Third Straight Series Win Over Mets

The Atlanta Braves defeated the New York Mets 15-2 on Friday night to improve to 6-1 in their last seven games against the Mets. After winning their first series against the Mets 2-1 back in July and their second series against the Mets 3-1 in August, the Braves are one win away from locking up another series win over New York on Saturday night.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Atlanta has settled in as a -145 road favorite while the Mets are going off as +125 underdogs. The total has remained steady in this matchup at nine runs. New York has been a betting underdog 17 times in 2020 and is 4-13 in those 17 games.

Starting Pitchers Analysis

Ian Anderson was brilliant in his last start allowing only one hit and no runs while striking out nine batters in seven innings in Atlanta’s 2-1 win against Washington. The 22-year-old rookie has made four starts since being called up at the end of August and has recorded an impressive 1.64 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP with a 3-0 record in those four starts.

David Peterson led the Mets to a 5-1 record through his first six starts, compiling a 3.03 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP over that stretch. But over his last two starts, the rookie has allowed seven runs in seven innings in back-to-back losses to Philadelphia and Toronto. Peterson will be looking to get back on track in this one.

Atlanta News & Notes

Freddie Freeman continued to swing a hot bat in Atlanta’s 15-2 win over the Mets on Friday, going 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI. Freeman is batting .439 in September with 17 runs, six home runs, and 27 RBI over his last 17 games. The Braves are 6-3 over their last nine games and have opened up a 3.5-game lead over the Miami Marlins for the top spot in the National League East with a 30-21 record.

Atlanta leads the majors in runs scored per game with 5.90 and ranks second in home runs (90) and team batting average (.271). This formidable lineup figures to make the Braves a tough out this postseason.

New  York News & Notes

New York had won two straight games against Philadelphia and was 7-5 in its last 12 games overall before Friday night’s blowout loss. The Mets have scored five runs or more in each of their last eight wins, and that seems to be how many runs they need to score to win. The team is 8-3 in its last 11 games with at least five runs scored and 0-16 in its last 16 games with four runs or fewer.

Unless the Mets win seven of their last nine games, they will finish the season with a losing record for the third time in four years and will likely miss the postseason for the fourth straight season. The front office has work to do this offseason.