Braves Lose Chipper For 3-4 Weeks: Mets Big Bang Theory?

Chipper Jones, who has played for nearly two months with a torn meniscus in his right knee, has been placed on the disabled list and will undergo arthroscopic surgery layer today.

Jones said he hopes to miss only two to three weeks recovering from surgery, but some are saying that he could be out as long as a month because of age and uncertainty.

“I just didn’t want to play through it all summer and have something go wrong in September and have to miss the playoffs,” Jones said. “It’s killing me to hit right-handed, so we decided to get it done today.”

Jones had been treated with cortisone shots, but the pain kept getting gradually worse. “The shots didn’t help me at all,” Chipper said.

Bad news for the Braves, but good news for the Mets?

As the Mets look to make up ground in the Wild Card race, their chief nemesis for the top spot is clearly the Braves. Now is the time for the Mets to turn on the after-burners and chop away at the 6.5 games separating them from the Braves who currently hold the Wild Card lead.

Only four team now stand between the Mets and a Wild Card spot. A month ago there were ten teams separating the Mets from the top spot.

They have made up an enormous amount of ground, and no matter how good the opponent, they manage to eke out wins despite their best players out with injuries.

This could be the biggest break Mets have gotten all season. I’m calling it their Big Bang Theory. 

Standings graphic by MetsBlog