LHP Jose Quintana (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 4.50 ERA)

Friday, October 17, 2025 – Dodger Stadium – 8:38 PM PDT (5:38 PM EDT)

TV – TBS, HBO MAX RADIO – ESPN Radio

The reigning World Series champion Dodgers are on the verge of a second-consecutive trip to the Fall Classic after taking a 3-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS on Thursday night with a 3-1 victory. Tyler Glasnow turned in 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball while striking out eight hitters, and the club’s bullpen shut down Milwaukee’s lineup from there. The Dodgers’ offense wasn’t potent either, as Jacob Misiorowski silenced their bats with nine strikeouts over five innings while allowing a single run in relief of Aaron Ashby, but it was enough to get one step closer to a sweep.

The Brewers will rely on Jose Quintana tonight, who has thrown three scoreless innings in relief so far this postseason, while Shohei Ohtani is set to start for the Dodgers. He has logged a 4.50 ERA with nine strikeouts this postseason, with his only outing coming in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Brewers Lineup

1. Brice Turang – 2B
2. Jackson Chourio – LF
3. Christian Yelich – DH
4. William Contreras – C
5. Jake Bauers – 1B
6. Sal Frelick – RF
7. Caleb Durbin – 3B
8. Blake Perkins – CF
9. Joey Ortiz – SS

Dodgers Lineup

1. Shohei Ohtani – P
2. Mookie Betts – SS
3. Will Smith – C
4. Freddie Freeman – 1B
5. Tommy Edman – 2B
6. Teoscar Hernández – RF
7. Max Muncy – 3B
8. Enrique Hernández – LF
9. Andy Pages – CF

Game Notes

• Since 2010, the NLCS has finished in a sweep just twice: the Mets accomplished that feat over the Chicago Cubs in 2015, and the Washington Nationals did so against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019. The Dodgers would join that club with a victory at home tonight.
• Hall of Famer Joe Torre, who oversaw the New York Yankees’ 3-0 collapse in the 2004 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox as the club’s manager, called Brewers skipper Pat Murphy to provide some advice as the team looks to stave off elimination.

The post NLCS Game Chat: Brewers vs. Dodgers, 8:38 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

RHP Kevin Gausman (1-1, 2.38 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Miller (1-0, 2.61 ERA)

Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 – T-Mobile Park – 3:08 PM PDT (6:08 PM EDT)

TV – FS1, FOX Deportes RADIO – ESPN Radio

The Blue Jays’ offense strafed Seattle’s pitching staff once again in Game 4, scoring a total of eight runs and knocking Luis Castillo out of the game in the third inning en route to a 8-2 victory that tied the ALCS at 2-2. Andrés Giménez had yet another big day with two hits, including a two-run home run, and four RBIs while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also went deep with a solo shot. Max Scherzer was effective in his playoff debut for Toronto, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up just two earned runs on four walks and three hits while striking out five batters.

Kevin Gausman will toe the rubber for the Blue Jays after allowing two earned runs across 5 2/3 frames in a Game 1 loss to the Mariners at Rogers Centre. Bryce Miller, on the other hand, defeated Gausman in that contest with six innings of one-run ball and will look to do so again as Seattle aims to leave T-Mobile Park with at least one win after falling in each of the last two.

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

BLUE JAYS LINEUP

1. George Springer – DH
2. Nathan Lukes – LF
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
4. Alejandro Kirk – C
5. Daulton Varsho – CF
6. Ernie Clement – 3B
7. Addison Barger – RF
8. Isiah Kiner-Falefa – 2B
9. Andrés Giménez – SS

MARINERS LINEUP

1. Julio Rodríguez – CF
2. Cal Raleigh – C
3. Jorge Polanco – DH
4. Josh Naylor – 1B
5. Randy Arozarena – LF
6. Eugenio Suárez – 3B
7. J.P. Crawford – SS
8. Dominic Canzone – RF
9. Leo Rivas – 2B

GAME NOTES

• Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters that Trey Yesavage will start Game 6 in Toronto. The rookie right-hander allowed five earned runs over four innings in the club’s Game 2 loss to the Mariners.
• Julio Rodríguez is batting leadoff for the first time this postseason as Seattle looks to kickstart its offense after scoring a combined six runs over the last two games.

The post ALCS Game Chat: Blue Jays vs. Mariners, 6:08 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

So, who do we think is going to take it all? Here are our (heartbroken) predictions.

Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

David Melendi

ALDS
Yankees over Blue Jays
Mariners over Tigers

NLDS
Cubs over Brewers
Dodgers over Phillies

ALCS
Mariners over Yankees

NLCS
Dodgers over Cubs

World Series
Mariners over Dodgers

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki

ALDS
Blue Jays over Yankees
Mariners over Tigers

NLDS
Cubs over Brewers
Dodgers over Phillies

ALCS
Mariners over Blue Jays

NLCS
Dodgers over Cubs

World Series
Mariners over Dodgers

Mojo Hill

ALDS
Yankees over Blue Jays
Tigers over Mariners

NLDS
Dodgers over Phillies
Brewers over Cubs

ALCS
Yankees over Tigers

NLCS
Dodgers over Brewers

World Series
Dodgers over Yankees

Matthew Tutrone

ALDS
Blue Jays over Yankees
Mariners over Tigers

NLDS
Phillies over Dodgers
Brewers over Cubs

ALCS
Mariners over Blue Jays

NLCS
Brewers over Phillies

World Series
Mariners over Brewers

Jack Markowski

ALDS
Yankees Over Blue Jays
Mariners Over Tigers

NLDS
Brewers Over Cubs
Dodgers Over Phillies

ALCS
Mariners Over Yankees

NLCS
Dodgers Over Brewers

World Series
Mariners Over Dodgers

Chris Bello 

ALDS
Yankees over Blue Jays
Mariners over Tigers

NLDS
Brewers over Cubs
Phillies over Dodgers

ALCS
Yankees over Mariners

NLCS
Phillies over Brewers

World Series
Phillies over Yankees

Christian De Block

ALDS
Blue Jays over Yankees
Mariners over Tigers

NLDS
Cubs over Brewers
Phillies over Dodgers

ALCS
Mariners over Blue Jays

NLCS
Phillies over Cubs

World Series
Mariners over Phillies

Kai Chang

ALDS
Yankees over Blue Jays
Mariners over Tigers

NLDS
Cubs over Brewers
Dodgers over Phillies

ALCS
Mariners over Yankees

NLCS
Dodgers over Cubs

World Series
Dodgers over Mariners

Patrick Glynn

ALDS
Blue Jays over Yankees
Mariners over Tigers

NLDS
Dodgers over Phillies
Cubs over Brewers

ALCS
Mariners over Blue Jays

NLCS
Dodgers over Cubs

World Series
Mariners over Dodgers

Allison Waxman

The post MMO Roundtable: 2025 Postseason Predictions appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jonah Tong, looking every bit like the rookie who only made two starts in Triple-A, lasted for just two innings and gave up five earned runs. His ERA over the first five starts of his career sits at 7.71. It was the second-straight short outing by a Mets starter, forcing manager Carlos Mendoza to start throwing spaghetti at the wall. He ran out expected Saturday tandem Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea for the sixth and seventh innings, respectively. The defensive struggles continued and the offense fell flat, drumming up only four hits. The silver lining was that one of those hits was a Francisco Alvarez two-run shot in the fifth inning. 

That set up Thursday’s rubber game as a must-win. The Reds had already claimed their own series earlier in the day, raising the stakes for New York. When asked about his expected leash on rookie phenom Nolan McLean that evening, Mendoza said, “I’m treating every game like it’s Game 7 of the World Series.” 

The Mets’ offense agreed, and jumped out to an early six-run lead. After scoring two runs in the first, Francisco Lindor hit a solo shot in the third, followed by a Bret Baty three-run blast in the fourth. The Cubs’ comeback ultimately fell short courtesy of a timely Tyrone Taylor two-run double. McLean also flashed brilliance with a career-high eleven strikeouts despite giving up three home runs to keep things close. 

In a curious move, Mendoza decided to sit both red-hot Alvarez and Jeff McNeil against the lefty starter Shota Imanaga. When asked about Alvarez’s omission from the lineup before the game, Mendoza revealed he started cramping the night before and was planning to sit him either that night or the following night. One thing is for sure: the Mets will need Alvarez’s bat in the lineup every day this weekend if they hope to gain admittance into October baseball.

Luckily, the NL Wild Card field of contenders for the final spot has dwindled over the last few days with the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins all eliminated from contention. That leaves three teams still fighting in the Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks. 

The Mets currently have sole possession of the last spot while sitting a game up on the Reds and two up on the Diamondbacks. New York doesn’t own the tiebreaker over either club, however, making it paramount that it shows up and takes advantage of an opportunity against a Marlins team that’s hungry to play spoiler.

David Banks-Imagn Images

New York Mets (82-77)

Remaining schedule and probable starters:

Mets at Marlins – Brandon Sproat vs. Sandy Alcantara

Mets at Marlins – TBA vs. Eury Pérez

Mets at Marlins – TBA vs. Edward Cabrera

Cincinnati Reds (81-78), 1.0 GB

Cincinnati salvaged its series against the Pittsburgh Pirates by taking the finale on Thursday and avoiding a sweep. The club will now head to Milwaukee to take on the NL Central champions in the Brewers, who hope to secure the top seed in the NL. 

Remaining schedule and probable starters:

Reds at Brewers – Zack Littell vs. Quinn Priester

Reds at Brewers – Andrew Abbott vs. TBA

Reds at Brewers – Brady Singer vs. TBA

Arizona Diamondbacks (80-79), 2.0 GB

The Diamondbacks lost some ground Thursday, as they fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-0. They are now two games back of the final spot as they travel to San Diego to close out the season. 

Remaining schedule and probable starters:

Diamondbacks at Padres – Zac Gallen vs. Yu Darvish

Diamondbacks at Padres – Eduardo Rodríguez vs. Michael King

Diamondbacks at Padres – Brandon Pfaadt vs. TBA

The post NL Wild Card Update: Mets Remain in Control of Their Own Destiny appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Heading into their series against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park last weekend, New York was five games ahead of them and four in front of the San Francisco Giants, whom they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over, for that last Wild Card spot. After winning a thriller in the series opener last Friday night, a contest in which Edwin Díaz worked his way out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the ninth, the Mets moved to six games ahead of Cincinnati while also entering a tie with the San Diego Padres for the second Wild Card spot and No. 5 seed.

The Mets failed to put further distance between themselves and the Reds by losing the final two games between the teams, however, thus giving Cincinnati the tiebreaker while also allowing it to creep back within four games of them. New York caught a break in regards to the Giants, though, as they dropped the final two contests of their series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals and failed to capitalize on the Mets’ own shortcomings.

Photo Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Next up on the docket for New York was a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets knew the division would be out of reach barring a sweep, but coming away with at least a game or two was crucial as they looked to fend off Cincinnati and San Francisco.

Instead, they fell flat on their faces. After nearly pulling off a ninth-inning comeback against Jhoan Duran on Monday night, New York proceeded to lose the following three contests by a combined score of 26-10 while the Phillies completed a sweep and cemented their status as division champs for the second season in a row.

Elsewhere, the Reds and Giants won their three-game series against the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, respectively. As the Mets get set to welcome Jacob deGrom and the red-hot Texas Rangers to Citi Field this weekend, they’re now only 1 1/2 games up on both Cincinnati and San Francisco while even the D-backs sit just three games behind them.

There wasn’t much of a race as recently as August 28 when New York was five and six games ahead of the Reds and Giants, respectively, but the tide has obviously turned amidst the Mets’ six-game losing streak. They have no one to blame but themselves for losing their tight grip on a playoff spot, and their three-month-long swoon has turned into an utter collapse of embarrassing proportions.

The post Mets’ Playoff Hopes In Danger Amidst Six-Game Losing Streak appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Luis Severino. Photo by Jovanny Hernandez

Luis Severino

After pitching Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Luis Severino gets the nod in Game 2 of the NLDS. It was by no means an easy outing against the Brewers for Severino, who, after allowing two first-inning runs and two fourth-innings run, settled in and ended up throwing 105 pitches across six frames.

Severino has established himself as interchangeable with Sean Manaea as the Mets’ No. 1 starter this year. After a horrid 2023, Severino responded in 2024 with one of the better seasons of his career. He started 31 games, tossing 182 innings; the most he has thrown since 2018. Severino posted a 3.91 ERA to go along with a 3.88 xERA. He was everything that the Mets could have asked for when signing him to a one-year, $13 million “prove-it” deal.

In 2024, Severino has thrived on inducing soft contact (88th percentile average exit velocity and 75th percentile hard-hit rate) on the ground (72nd percentile ground-ball rate). He also did a good job not walking batters, posting a 7.9% walk rate (8.4% is league average).

For context, the Phillies rank around 10th in the majors in both average exit velocity and hard-hit rate. Additionally, they hit the sixth-most ground balls in the league this year. The Phillies have also done a good job taking their walks, as they drew the seventh-most walks in the league this year.

As far as platoon splits go, Severino does fair better against the right-handed hitters (.615 OPS). Over his career, this holds true as well, mirroring the .615 OPS he has allowed this season. Interestingly enough, the Phillies, despite having stronger left-handed bats, are in the middle-of-the-pack when it comes to hitting right-handed pitchers in 2024. Specifically, they have a 104 wRC+ which ranks 13th in the big leagues. If you go even further, and look since the All-Star break, the Phillies rank 19th in the majors with a slightly-below average 98 wRC+.

Severino did make two starts against Philadelphia this year. Across those two starts, he allowed six runs in 12 innings (4.50 ERA). In each of his starts against Philadelphia (both in September; one at home and one on the road) Severino went six innings and allowed three runs in each start.

Cristopher Sánchez. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Cristopher Sánchez

Meanwhile, for the Phillies, they’ll turn to a starter who had a breakout season in 2024. Cristopher Sánchez threw 181 2/3 innings, posting a 3.32 ERA and 3.51 xERA. The 27-year-old set career highs in basically every statistical category and was selected to his first career All-Star game. He was certainly a revelation for the National League East winning Phillies.

In 2024, Sánchez pitched to contact (low strikeout rate) and did not walk many (84th percentile walk rate). Like Severino, the left-handed Sánchez gets a ton of ground balls (95th percentile) and does not allow hard contact (84th percentile average exit velocity and 82nd percentile hard-hit rate). Despite all this, Sánchez’s expected batting average ranked all the way down in the league’s 24th percentile.

By far the biggest weapon for the 2024 All-Star is his changeup. Sánchez’s changeup, which he throws nearly 36% of the time, has a batting average (BA) against of .177 and an expected BA (xBA) of .178. Among 2,533 qualified pitch types thrown by pitchers in 2024, Sánchez’s changeup owns the 12th-best run value in the big leagues.

For context, there are three Mets hitters who have a negative run value against the changeup this season; Harrison Bader (negative-four), Tyrone Taylor (negative-two), and Francisco Álvarez (negative-one). Everyone else has a positive run value against the pitch type with Mark Vientos leading the way at a plus-five run value and a staggering .325 batting average against the pitch type. Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, and J.D. Martinez all possess a plus-four run value against the changeup. Bottom-line, the Mets hit the changeup well overall.

As for the platoon splits, Sánchez is particularly good against both left-handed and right-handed hitters, but his OPS is certainly better against lefties than righties; .612 versus .672. Additionally, right-handed hitters are batting .261 against Sánchez this season. Good news for the Met is not only are they a predominately right-handed hitting lineup, but they have killed left-handed pitching overall this year. The Mets’ 118 wRC+ against left-handed pitching ranks third in the big leagues.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Sánchez’s season is how contrasting his home versus road splits are. They are so severe, Phillies manager Rob Thomson made the decision to pitch him in Game 2 at Citizens Bank Park rather than on the road in Game 3. At home this year, Sánchez is allowing a minuscule .222 batting average and .544 OPS. Meanwhile, on the road, that OPS against jumps up to .813. In all, the left-handed starter owns a 7-3 record with a 2.21 ERA at Citizens Bank Park this season.

Lastly, of any team in the big leagues, Sánchez has thrown the second-most innings of his career against New York. Across 37 1/3 innings, he owns a 2-2 record and a 3.62 ERA. The Mets have a team batting average of .215 and OPS of .679 against Sánchez overall. In 2024, specifically, Sánchez has tossed 17 2/3 innings against the Mets, allowing 16 hits and nine walks to go along with a 3.06 ERA and 19 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts

On the surface, the pitching matchup does not seem as titled toward Philadelphia as the traditional numbers may indicate. The area that Severino excels in; ground ball rate, limiting hard contact, and not walk batters, goes against what the Phillies’ offense has done this season. Not to mention, Philadelphia has faltered against right-handed pitching down the stretch. Granted, Severino did make two starts against the Phillies this year, and posted a not-so-great 4.50 ERA less than a month ago.

On the Phillies’ side of things, Sánchez is one of the best home pitchers in the big leagues this season and has historically had above-average results against the Mets. However, New York has hit left-handed pitching very well this season and profile well against the young Phillies All-Star’s best pitch quite well.

Regardless of all the above, a Game 2 victory for New York would be huge. They would head back to Citi Field, for the first time since taking a regular season series against the Phillies on September 22.

The post Luis Severino, Cristopher Sánchez; Breaking Down The Game 2 Pitching Matchup appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers got the leadoff man on in the first inning, but Quintana retired the next three hitters to keep the game scoreless. They got the leadoff man on in the second as well and couldn’t push a run across. It was more of the same in the fourth inning, as Quintana once again worked around trouble and kept the Brewers off the board. I hope you are sensing a theme here. Milwaukee had a few really good at-bats against the veteran left-hander, but his “bend but don’t break” mentality showed as he executed in every critical spot.

Through five innings, Quintana sat at 77 pitches. At that point, it seemed as though it was the right time for Carlos Mendoza to turn to the bullpen. After all, the Brewers did that with their own starting pitcher in Tobias Myers. Mendoza, however, opted to instead give Quintana a chance to go back out there for the sixth. That decision paid off, as he retired William Contreras, Willy Adames and Gary Sánchez in order, with the last two resulting in strikeouts. Quintana’s final line was six innings, no runs, four hits, one walk and five strikeouts on 94 pitches.

“I’ve been in this position sometimes, but never like this,” Quintana said after the game. “Hopefully we get more chances like that.”

This wasn’t the first time he found success in October, either. Over six career appearances (five starts) in the postseason, Quintana has a 2.92 ERA. He has thrown 11 1/3 scoreless innings in a row during the playoffs as well, dating back to his time with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022.

The Mets have four veterans in the rotation they can lean on in Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, David Peterson and Quintana, all of whom are pitching well. It will be interesting to see how Mendoza lines his starters up for the club’s upcoming series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Tylor Megill is the favorite to start Game One on Saturday. After that, though, I expect anything and everything to be a possibility. Quintana could pitch on normal rest Tuesday in Game Three or take an extra day and go on Wednesday in Game Four if the series goes that long.

The post Quintana Helps Mets Advance With Stellar Outing appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Monday was an absolute roller coaster for the Mets and Braves, with the first game of the doubleheader turning into an instant classic. After getting shut down by Spencer Schwellenbach for seven innings, the Mets busted through for six runs against the Braves’ bullpen in the eighth inning, capped by a Brandon Nimmo two-run homer. Atlanta responded, however, scoring four two-out runs against Edwin Díaz in the bottom half of the inning, punctuated by a bases-clearing double from Ozzie Albies. In the top of the ninth though, Francisco Lindor clubbed a two-run homer off Pierce Johnson to put the Mets back in front. Díaz went back out for the bottom of the inning, throwing 40 pitches in his outing and slamming the door to clinch the Mets a postseason berth.

According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, the Mets are the second team to clinch a postseason berth in a game where they trailed entering the eighth inning, surrendered the lead, then retook the lead in the ninth inning, joining the 1903 Pirates, who did so against Boston Beaneaters. The Braves went on to win the second game of the twin bill, 3-0, to also secure a Wild Card spot. The Mets will head back to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers, while Atlanta will head to San Diego to take on the Padres.

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91 ERA) will take the hill for the Mets in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against right-hander Freddy Peralta (11-9, 3.68 ERA). Severino was originally slated to start the second game on Monday’s doubleheader before the Mets clinched in the first game. Peralta held the Mets to just one run on one hit over six innings at Citi Field on Opening Day. First pitch is scheduled for 5:32 PM and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

The Mets have hired James Kang to be their new Director of International Scouting. Kang previously worked for the Padres, Red Sox, Dodgers, and most recently the Guardians, where he was the Senior Player Acquisitions Scount.

Francisco Lindor ranked fifth in MLB in jersey sales this season, while Pete Alonso ranked 18th according to data released on Monday. Only Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, and Mookie Betts ranked ahead of Lindor.

Latest MLB News

NL Cy Young front-runner Chris Sale was scratched from his start on Monday evening due to back spasms. The Braves had held Sale back to save him for an elimination game, but now he isn’t expected to be available for the Wild Card Series.

The Giants have parted ways with President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi and replaced him with Buster Posey. Zaidi had been with San Francisco since 2018, but the team missed the postseason in five of the six years of his tenure. Posey grabbed headlines this offseason for being the primary negotiator when the team extended Matt Chapman‘s contract.

Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt announced Monday that Chaim Bloom has signed a five-year deal to become the team’s new President of Baseball Operations, replacing John Mozeliak. Bloom was the Chief Baseball Officer for the Red Sox from 2020-23 and became an advisor to Mozeliak after the 2023 season.

The Cubs announced a few changes to their coaching staff, letting go of first base coach Mike Napoli, hitting coach Jim Adduci, bullpen Darren Holmes, and a couple of their strength coaches. The Cubs entered the season with lofty expectations under new skipper Craig Counsell, but the team failed to make the postseason for the fourth straight season.

Major League Baseball announced that it will go back to allowing players to wear their own team’s jerseys during the All-Star Game, the way it was through the 2019 season. Additionally, the league will return to using the uniforms that were worn through the 2023 season.

MLB’s all-time hit king Pete Rose passed away Monday at the age of 83. Rose was a 17-time All-Star, a three-time World Series Champion, the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year, and the 1973 NL MVP before he was infamously banned from baseball for gambling in 1989.

Latest on MMO

David Melendi recaps the Mets’ wild win in Monday’s clincher against the Braves.

Tyler Antonelle breaks down Joey Lucchesi‘s solid outing in the second game of Monday’s doubleheader.

To celebrate the Mets clinching a playoff spot, MMO is giving away an MMO T-shirt and hat on Twitter. To enter the giveaway, just follow @Metsmerized on Twitter and retweet the tweet below.

To celebrate the Mets clinching a playoff spot, we’re giving away this MMO shirt and hat.

Retweet and follow to enter. pic.twitter.com/GYtyfBiANc

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) October 1, 2024

On This Date in Mets History

1973: In the first game of a doubleheader at Wrigley Field, Rusty Staub collects four hits, Cleon Jones goes deep, and Jerry Grote drives in a pair of runs as the Mets complete their improbable run to the postseason by clinching the NL East title with a 6-4 win over the Cubs. Tom Seaver battles through six innings, allowing four runs and 11 hits to earn his 19th victory of the season, and Tug McGraw records the final nine outs for his 25th save of the year. The Mets, who ended play on August 5 12 games under .500 and 11.5 games out of first place, went 34-19 to soar past the rest of the division. Their 82 wins are the fewest ever for a division winner.

Born On This Date: Chuck Hiller (1934), Buzz Capra (1947), Bob Myrick (1952), Pete Falcone (1953), Jeff Reardon (1955), John Thomson (1973), Brandon Knight (1975).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Are Postseason-Bound appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to multiple reports, the Mets and Braves games on Wednesday and Thursday have been postponed due to inclement weather. It’s supposed to rain in the Atlanta area from Wednesday afternoon to Friday morning.

The two teams will reportedly have to play a doubleheader on Monday—a day before the NL Wild Card is set to begin. At that point, the Mets and Braves may be playing for the 5th and 6th seeds in the playoffs, or they may be battling to get into the playoffs at all.

It will be a straight doubleheader starting at 1:10 p.m.

Original Post:

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Braves decided not to alter the start times of any of the remaining games between the Mets and Braves this week, and the Commissioner’s office did not override the team.

In his report, Sherman states that “For reasons of business, logistics and perhaps gamesmanship, the Braves did not want to shift start times, days or locations for their series against the Mets despite forecasts that make it iffy to play Wednesday night and even less likely to play a three-game series finale Thursday night.”

Sherman continues in his reporting that “MLB was hoping that a game could be played Wednesday – even with starts and stops – and that, at worst, a single game would be perhaps needed Monday.” The forecast in Atlanta calls for intense rain and storms virtually all night, and into Friday morning as Helene moves into the area.

Hurricane Helene is on a path toward Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and several other southeastern states. As the storm intensifies, it draws closer and closer to Truist Park. Forecasts are grim for any game to be played tonight, let alone on Thursday. This would create an event where the Mets would need to return to Atlanta to play a doubleheader on the final day of the season, which would be Monday. However, there are scenarios where both the Mets and Braves have secured playoff spots by then.

In an increasingly likely event that both games are postponed, the Mets would head to Milwaukee to open a series on Friday with a Brewers squad that has already clinched the National League Central and are setting up their starting pitching for the playoffs.

The Braves would welcome the Kansas City Royals, who despite free-falling in the American League standings lately, are still alive in the playoff picture. Atlanta would then have to choose between firing their ace Chris Sale at the Royals or holding him off for a potential double-header with the Mets.

Of note to both the Mets and the Braves, any postponement would put eyes on tonight’s Arizona Diamondbacks game. An Arizona loss puts the Braves into the sixth seed and drops the Mets’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot to three. Any combination of three Mets wins and Arizona losses to San Diego over the final weekend would put the Mets into October. Beyond the obvious impact on both teams, this also could drastically change the significance of any Monday doubleheader from fighting for a playoff spot to sorting out seeding.

The post Mets, Braves Postponed Wednesday & Thursday appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The National League Wild Card race is gearing up for an exciting finish that is going to see a deserving team miss out on their chance to play in October. The Mets, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres have all made it to this point after going through their fair share of trials and tribulations, and it’ll all come to a head in the coming weeks.

With that, let’s take a look at how each team within that group shapes out.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

New York Mets (76-64, –)

The Mets have been on some sort of rollercoaster ride this season. After finding themselves 11 games below .500 on June 2, they went 16-6 to close out the month and climbed right back into postseason contention. A 17-10 July kept the good times rolling and put them in position to be buyers at the trade deadline, though August was a bit more volatile for New York.

The Mets went 2-7 against a trio of AL West foes in the Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics over the first half of the month, which moved them two games back of the final Wild Card spot with a 62-59 record on Aug. 15. They recovered with back-to-back series wins over the Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles at home before embarking on a momentous 10-game road trip that included stops in San Diego and Arizona.

There, New York would split a four-game series with the Padres and take two out of three from the Diamondbacks, though it fell four games behind the Braves amidst their hot streak. The Mets made up lost ground in an instant, however, as they broke off a seven-game win streak against the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox that is still ongoing. They now find themselves in a tie with Atlanta for the final spot while carrying substantial momentum into their series with the Cincinnati Reds this weekend.

Baseball Reference currently gives the Mets a 48.1% chance of reaching the postseason while FanGraphs’ odds are at 45.9%. Their biggest advantage at this stage is that they own tiebreakers over both San Diego (3 GB) and Arizona (2 1/2 GB) while remaining tied 5-5 in the season series against the Braves with one meeting left between the two sides at the end of September.

After its three-game set against Cincinnati, New York will face the Blue Jays in Toronto for the first time since 2018 before battling the Philadelphia Phillies for three games on the road next week.

Atlanta Braves (76-64, –)

After winning eight of 10 against the Angels, Phillies, Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins towards the end of August, the Braves have stumbled just a bit over their past two series. They dropped three of four on the road to the Phillies last weekend and couldn’t close out a three-game sweep against the Colorado Rockies at home on Thursday, moving them into a tie with the Mets for the final Wild Card spot after holding a four-game lead over them as recently as last Wednesday.

Atlanta has battled through poor injury luck this year, losing Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. for the season during the opening months while the likes of Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and A.J. Minter have, or will, endure long-term absences as well.

The Braves’ starting rotation, led by Cy Young favorite Chris Sale, has largely kept the team afloat and is the primary reason why the club remains in a strong position to reach the postseason for the seventh-consecutive season. Baseball Reference currently gives Atlanta a 54.9% chance to make it to October while FanGraphs is more bullish at 67.9%.

They will take on the Blue Jays in a three-game set at home this weekend before playing a makeup game against the Reds on Monday and jetting off for Washington to face the Nationals on Tuesday and Wednesday. Atlanta will close next week out at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Arizona Diamondbacks (79-62, +2.5)

The Diamondbacks lit the baseball world on fire in August. They finished the month with an 18-9 record and extended their lead over the Mets to seven games on Aug. 28 after Corbin Carroll’s eight-inning grand slam off of Edwin Díaz in a comeback victory.

Since then, however, it hasn’t been quite as smooth-sailing. Arizona dropped the final game of its three-game series against New York before losing three of four at home to the Dodgers, effectively ending their hopes of winning the NL West for the first time in over a decade (2011). The D-backs bounced back with a series victory over the San Francisco Giants this week, though the pressure is squarely on them now that both the Braves and Mets are within striking distance. Their playoffs odds come in at 91.3% on Baseball Reference and 87.7% on FanGraphs.

Arizona travels to Houston this weekend for a three-game series with the Astros before returning home and matching up with the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers next week.

San Diego Padres (80-62, +3.0)

There are plenty of parallels to be drawn between the D-backs and the Padres. Much like its divisional counterparts, San Diego burst onto the scene in August with an 18-10 record that left it four games up on the Mets and tied for the top Wild Card spot with Arizona entering September.

The Padres have gone 6-4 against the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers since splitting a four-game set with New York. They now sit a half-game up on the D-backs and are three above both the Braves and Mets. As expected because of its place in the standings, San Diego owns the most favorable postseason odds of the bunch with 95.8% on Baseball Reference and 95.1% on FanGraphs.

After suffering a sweep-spoiling loss of the heartbreaking variety to Detroit on Thursday night, the Padres will stay home and face San Francisco this weekend before hitting the road next week to play the Mariners and the Giants once again.

Honorable Mention

I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the Chicago Cubs within this equation, who have a 72-68 record and are four games back of the Mets and Braves. They had a six-game win streak snapped by the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this week and have clawed their way back from being nine games under .500 in July to at least give themselves a puncher’s chance in this race. The Cubs now have to face the New York Yankees and Dodgers in consecutive series, and they’ll likely need to go 5-1 or 4-2 at the very least to keep themselves alive.

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