Series Preview: Mets Conclude 2021 Season in Atlanta

6 months later. 64 players later. 76 wins and 83 losses later, the New York Mets will wrap up a rather disappointing 2021 season with a three game series in Atlanta. While both teams don’t necessarily have anything to play for here other than finishing out the schedule, the Braves will be playing past their weekend.

On Wednesday, Atlanta clinched the NL East Division crown for the fourth consecutive season by sweeping the Phillies. Not only were the Braves wins important for themselves, but by handing the Phillies three losses, they eliminated Philadelphia in the process. The NLDS matchup of Braves versus Brewers is now set, with Game 1 of the series taking place on Friday, October 8.

As they enter the postseason, the Braves are seeking their first World Series appearance since 1999, when they were swept by the Yankees. The Braves have not won the Fall Classic since the strike-shortened 1995 season, when they defeated the Cleveland Indians in six games. In 2020, the Braves held a commanding 3-1 lead over the Dodgers in the NLCS, but ultimately could not finish the deal against the eventual World Series champions.

All the Mets have left to play for is pride, and perhaps a better draft pick if they rack up a few more losses. But outside of the standings, this could be the final games in a Mets uniform for several key players, including Michael Conforto and Noah Syndergaard. One of the Mets toughest decisions this offseason will be whether or not to offer both of these star players a qualifying offer.

Syndergaard will make his second, and final appearance of the season when he gets the “opener” nod on Sunday afternoon. This comes after Thor threw one brilliant shutout inning last week, in his first major league appearance since September 2019.

Friday, October 1, 2021: RHP Tylor Megill (3-6, 4.78 ERA) vs. RHP Huascar Ynoa (4-5, 3.98 ERA)

Tylor Megill makes his last start of a rookie season that really has been a tale of two distinct halves. In June and July,  Megill posted a 2.04 ERA and looked like one of the most underrated young pitchers in the league. But the big leagues hit him hard, and his 6.75 ERA between August and September has been a far cry from the dominant pitcher he was in the month following his June 23 debut. Megill’s definite best start of September was on September 10 in the Subway Series opener, when he threw seven innings, allowing four hits, two runs, and one walk, while striking out a career-high 10 batters.

Ynoa, the young Braves RHP, entered September with a sub-3.00 ERA. After missing all of June and July, he pitched to a 2.60 ERA in three August starts. But September was a rough month for him on the mound, as he posted a 6.75 ERA over five starts. His month ended by allowing seven runs, including three home runs, in 4 2/3 innings last week versus the Padres. Just like Megill, Ynoa also has a season-high of 10 strikeouts in a game, which he accomplished back on April 12 against the Marlins.

Saturday, October 2, 2021: RHP Trevor Williams (4-2, 4.29 ERA) vs. TBD

Since joining the Mets at the trade deadline, Trevor Williams has quietly been one of the Mets best pitchers. In nine games (three starts) with New York, Williams has posted a 2.63 ERA in 27 1/3 innings. And before one outlier appearance in which Williams allowed four runs in four innings at Fenway, his ERA as a Met had been 1.40. Williams has not started a game since September 6, when he amazingly allowed just two runs in five innings, despite the Nationals collecting 10 hits off him. Resigning Williams as a long reliever for 2022 could be a smart move for the Mets, but Williams be may looking for a starting rotation role elsewhere.

The Braves have yet to announce a starting pitcher for Saturday’s game.

Sunday, October 3, 2021: RHP Noah Syndergaard (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBD

Pitching for the first time in almost two full years, Noah Syndergaard made the most of his return to the major leagues. In the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Marlins, Syndergaard served in the “opener” role, pitching a scoreless first inning with two strikeouts. Topping out at 96.2 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball, Syndergaard reminded us of the dominant pitcher he has been since 2015 for the Mets. This start in Game #162 will again be a one-inning appearance, but its a fitting way to close the season as the Mets hope to have Syndergaard as a stable pitcher in their rotation again by Opening Day 2022.

The Braves have yet to announce a starting pitcher for Sunday’s game.

Prediction 

This series is really a toss-up since it’s essentially a meaningless three games with no playoff or elimination scenarios at stake. But since I’d bet that the Braves will rest some of their key players in this series, I think the Mets finish the season strong, winning two of three games, including a victory in Sunday’s season finale. Although the Mets will end up under .500 in 2021, their sights are already set on a World Series championship for 2022.

Author’s Note: Thank you all for following my coverage for Metsmerized since June. In just a few months here, I’ve been fortunate enough to publish over 50 articles during this up-and-down Mets season. I greatly appreciate all the support, from readers and commenters, and look forward to my first offseason reporting on the team. As this is my final series preview of this year, I’ll leave it at this: ‘Till next year, #LGM.