Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
The calendar flipped over to October on Saturday and saw the Mets and Braves playing meaningful baseball. Before the start of the game, both teams had identical records and were fighting for the National League East title. The only division in baseball without a champion. While Saturday’s affair was another regular season matchup between the Mets and Braves, the game had playoff implications.
With a singular win securing a positive record against the Braves, the Mets handed Max Scherzer the ball. While technically second in the rotation, Scherzer has been nothing short of the Mets’ ace this season. Before Saturday’s start, the future hall of fame pitcher had posted a 2.13 ERA and struck out 169 batters in 139 2/3 innings.
Scherzer replicated his great numbers in the first three innings of Saturday’s game against Atlanta. While he only struck out two batters, he held Atlanta scoreless and maintained the Mets’ 1-0 lead. However, Scherzer faltered in the middle innings of the game and relinquished multiple leads. Austin Riley and Matt Olson manufactured a run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 1-1. Then, after the Mets had taken a 2-1 lead in the top half of the fifth, Dansby Swanson put the Braves up for good with a two-run home run in the bottom half.
The nail in the coffin for Scherzer came in the sixth inning when Olson opened up the inning with a solo home run. The right-handed pitcher would record two more outs and then be pulled for Seth Lugo. Scherzer only struck out four Braves and allowed four earned runs across 5 2/3 innings. It was the second-lowest strikeout mark that Scherzer recorded this season and second start of the season where Scherzer has allowed multiple home runs.
The Braves held on to the lead they built against Scherzer to take the series against the Mets. With their two wins over New York, the Braves have claimed first place in the National League East for the first time all season. The Mets, on the other hand, had their two aces beaten around. In the 11 2/3 innings pitched between Jacob deGrom and Scherzer, the Braves scored seven runs behind five home runs.
After the game, Brandon Nimmo acknowledged how frustrating it was to see Atlanta knock around their best:
“Feels terrible. Those are our guys. Those are our best shots, and they stuffed them in our face. It doesn’t feel good.”
That being said, the division will unfairly fall into the hands of Chris Bassitt on Sunday night. If the Mets are swept in Atlanta, they will hold a 9-10 record against the Braves and have a two game deficit in the NL East. All but eliminating their hopes to bring home the division crown.
