The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets every want one victory to qualify for the postseason after they meet in a make-up doubleheader on Monday in Atlanta.
Each groups are 88-72 and are in a digital tie with Arizona (89-73) for the Nationwide League’s two last wild-card spots. If Atlanta and New York break up the dual invoice, each will advance to the playoffs since every workforce holds the tiebreaker over Arizona.
But when both workforce sweeps the doubleheader, the profitable workforce would qualify for the postseason and the loser can be eradicated, sending the Diamondbacks to the wild-card spherical. Atlanta leads the season collection in opposition to the Mets 6-5.
“The way in which we began this 12 months (twice 11 video games beneath .500), no person anticipated us to be on this place,” New York supervisor Carlos Mendoza stated. “And right here we’re with an opportunity to do one thing particular. We’ll return to Atlanta and get that final one and go from there.”
Atlanta supervisor Brian Snitker, whose workforce is making an attempt to qualify for the playoffs for the seventh straight season, stated, “The ball is in our court docket. If we won’t pull a kind of off, then you realize it is simply a kind of issues. We have finished a great job popping out day by day and making an attempt to go 1-0. We’ll begin recent with two of our higher guys going.”
The Braves will go together with rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (8-7, 3.47 ERA) within the opener and Chris Sale (18-3, 2.38) within the second sport. If the Braves win the primary sport, they are going to readjust their plans for the nightcap and reserve Sale for the opener of the wild-card collection.
Schwellenbach beat the Mets on Tuesday, the right-hander permitting one run in seven innings. He has given up only one run in 14 innings in two begins in opposition to New York.
Sale has already clinched the Nationwide League triple crown for pitchers. He leads the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts (225 in 177 2/3 innings). The final pitcher to guide the NL in all three classes was Clayton Kershaw in 2011.
In his 4 begins in September, Sale is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA. His final loss got here in opposition to the Chicago White Sox on June 27 when he allowed one run over seven innings in a 1-0 loss. Sale’s most up-to-date begin got here in opposition to the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 19 when he pitched 5 innings and allowed two runs to get the win.
Sale has confronted the Mets as soon as this 12 months and obtained a no-decision on July 25 after permitting two runs in 7 1/3 innings. He’s 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 4 profession begins in opposition to the Mets.
The Mets haven’t but finalized their pitching plans for the doubleheader.
“Every thing is on the desk,” Mendoza stated. “We now have an opportunity. We’re proper there and we get to play and we want yet another, so we really feel good.”
Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91) will begin one of many video games. The veteran confronted the Braves on Tuesday, taking the loss after permitting 4 runs in 4 innings. In 5 profession begins in opposition to the Braves, Severino is 1-2 with a 4.13 ERA.
If the groups break up, the Braves would open the playoffs at San Diego and the Mets can be at Milwaukee. If both workforce sweeps, it could open at San Diego, which might enable Arizona to make the playoffs and ship the Diamondbacks to Milwaukee.
–Area Degree Media