In what may be a battle for second place in the NL East, the New York Mets will head south to take on the Atlanta Braves in what is now a four-game series due to a postponed game. Neither of these teams appear to be going anywhere this year as the Nationals runaway with the division. Instead, this is a battle for pride between two divisional foes.
This series will be contested from Friday, June 9, 2017 through Sunday, June 12, 2017 at SunTrust Park in Atlanta. The first game of Saturday’s day-night doubleheader will be broadcast live on MLB Network for those outside the local markets.
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Pitching Matchups
There’s not a lot to get excited about if you are a Mets’ fan, but the return of Steven Matz could is certainly a bright spot in an otherwise dreary picture.
The young southpaw will be making his season debut in the second game of a double-header on Saturday. To make things even brighter, Seth Lugo will take the ball in the game on Sunday for his first start of the year as well.
New York’s rotation has been dreadful so far this season after such high hopes for the unit just a few months ago. Injuries have more than taken their toll. Ineffectiveness from several arms has been an even bigger blow. While Matz and Lugo bring anticipation for the series’ final two games, Matt Harvey and Robert Gsellman get the ball in the first two games, neither have thrown the ball well this year.
Harvey is 4-3 this year with a 5.43 ERA and 1.484 WHIP. His FIP is even worse than his ERA. Right now, he cannot control the ball at all. He’s walking everyone with at least four walks in seven straight games and a 7.25 ERA in that time.
As for Gsellman, the double-header keeps him in the rotation for one more start. He is pitching a bit better in his last few starts. He’s not recorded a loss in three straight starts with a 2.95 ERA in that time. His season ERA is 5.53.
The Braves’ rotation isn’t established for the series. Jaime Garcia is ticketed for the second game of Saturday’s double-header. Of all the veteran pitcher acquisitions this off season, Garcia has been the best.
He’s just 2-4, but some of that is a result of a terrible team. His ERA is 3.21. He leads the team in innings with 70 and can be counted on to go reasonably deep in the game. He’s not a strikeout arm and has a 1.63 strikeout to walk ratio.
Julio Teheran is supposed to be the ace, but aside from Bartolo Colon, he’s got the highest ERA of any Braves hurler. He has gotten five wins, but with a 5.40 ERA and 1.515 WHIP he’s been anything but reliable.
Sean Newcomb gets the start for the Braves on Sunday as the transition to the young arms has begun.
The rookie southpaw will be making his major-league debut. He’s put together a good year at Triple-A with a 2.97 ERA and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s walked a ton of guys in the minors and that should only get worse at the big-league level. If he can get that in check, he’s ready, but if not, he could have a short outing.
Who's Hot?
With a dysfunctional lineup, it’s more of a criticism on the rest of this Mets team than a compliment to the offense to say that bats are the strength of the squad. And that’s with an offense that’s been a little slower in June.
Almost traded in the offseason a couple of times for next-to-nothing, Jay Bruce has a .836 OPS and has been heating up again. He’s 7-for-23 in the last week with three home runs,
Michael Conforto continues to be the Mets’ best player as Yoenis Cespedes sits on the disabled list. Just when it looks as though he may have cooled, he’s showing excellent plate discipline and has reached base at a .478 clip in his last week.
Lucas Duda is another hot bat. He’s slammed a pair of homers over his last five games and is batting .350 in that time. Duda is one of the streakier players in the game and can generate a lot of power when he’s hot. Since returning from the DL, he’s hit six homers in 23 games and is even swinging the bat well against lefties.
For the Braves, Matt Adams has hit well since coming over from St. Louis to replace the injured Freddie Freeman.
There’s no question there’s a significant drop-off between the two, but Adams has been reinvigorated by the chance to get more consistent playing time. Since joining Atlanta, Adams is hitting .269 with six home runs and 15 RBIs in 16 games. He’s slugging .627 as he’s also delivered four doubles and a triple.
Beyond Adams, Dansby Swanson is swinging the bat better. He hit two homers over the last week and has bumped up his average some. He’s 8-for-24 in his last seven games.
Who's Not?
The entire Mets’ pitching staff has been a disaster all year. They’re continuing the struggle into June. Over the last week, the bullpen has allowed 16 runs in 17.2 innings. Addison Reed is the only reliever throwing well.
The rotation cannot provide quality innings, putting pressure on an already overworked and understaffed pen.
Offensively, the Mets don’t have nearly as many issues, though Asdrubal Cabrera is just 3-for-21 over the last week and Curtis Granderson remains a liability, unable to pick things up after an ice-cold start.
Without Freeman, the Braves need Matt Kemp to hit. He’s the biggest remaining name and he’s had a rough week, going 7-for-32 with seven strikeouts.
The rest of the offense is swinging the bat pretty well and the bullpen has been respectable of late, too.
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