Media by Associated Press – New York Mets’ Pete Alonso (20) celebrates in the dugout after Tyler Naquin scored off of a sacrifice bunt by Tomas Nido during the eighth inning of the second game of a baseball doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
The New York Mets (69-39) lead in the NL East was down to a half-game on July 23, but now they lead the Atlanta Braves (64-45) by 5.5 games.
Winners of ten of their last 12, the Mets swept a doubleheader from the Braves on Saturday. The series finale is at 4:10 p.m. ET from Citi Field in New York, streaming on ESPN+ and airing locally in both markets.
The Mets will start RHP Jacob deGrom (0-0, 1.80) against Braves RHP Spencer Strider (6-3, 2.79). The Mets lead the season series 7-4 with a 5-3 record at home. The Braves won the season series in both 2020 and 2021, and the teams still have seven games in Atlanta remaining this season.
Braves Need to Stop Slide
The Braves are 1-4 in their last five games after a four-game win streak. They are 27-23 on the road this season and 13-12 as the underdogs. The Braves are 25-20 against the NL East.
In Saturday’s doubleheader, Ronald Acuna, William Contreras, Austin Riley, and Matt Olson all had two hits in the opener, and Olson drove in two. Travis d’Arnaud had two hits in the nightcap loss as Contreras homered and Acuna drove in a run.
In the Braves’ win over the Mets on Friday, Acuna was 4-for-5 while Swanson, Olson, Michael Harris, and Eddie Rosario all had two hits. Rosario drove in four as he, Contreras, and Harris all homered.
Strider beat the Phillies in each of his last two starts, and he struck out 13 batters over 6⅔ innings on Tuesday. He has three games with at least ten strikeouts in his last six starts and has 133 strikeouts on the season in 87 innings. Strider is 2-1 in his last three road starts, with one run allowed in both of the wins.
Strider took a no-decision against the Mets on July 12 with one run allowed on five hits over 4⅔ innings. Brandon Nimmo homered off Strider while Francisco Lindor was 2-for-5 and Mark Canha was 1-for-3. Pete Alonso was 0-for-2 against Strider in that contest.
Alonso Crushing Atlanta
New York is 10-2 in their last 12 games, including a 5-1 mark at home in that stretch. They are 34-18 at home this season and 44-37 as the favorites. They are an impressive 36-14 against fellow NL East opponents.
The Saturday doubleheader included Lindor having three hits in the opener while Alonso had three hits in the nightcap. Lindor drove in three runs on the day, while Alonso drove in two. The Mets won Thursday’s series opener with four home runs, including two from Tyler Naquin.
Alonso has 29 homers and 93 RBI on the season, and he is 7-for-16 in the series with five RBI. Alonso has two home runs and nine RBI against the Braves this season while collecting 13 hits in 10 games.
DeGrom returned from the injured list to make his second debut on Tuesday against Washington. He took a no-decision but allowed just one run on three hits over five innings while striking out six. Prior to Tuesday’s outing, he had gone 13 months without pitching in a MLB game.
Last year, deGrom faced the Braves twice, going 1-0 with three runs allowed over 12 innings as he struck out 20. Acuna is 8-for-27 (.296) against deGrom, while Riley has two homers in 12 at-bats, and Travis d’Arnaud is 1-for-3 with a homer. Marcell Ozuna is 10-for-41 (.244), and Dansby Swanson is 4-for-25 (.160).
Betting Analysis
Atlanta Braves +1.5 (-190) Moneyline +115
New York Mets -1.5 (+160) Moneyline -135
Total Runs 7 Over +100. Under -115
The pitching matchup in this one could be electric with a couple of powerhouse strikeout pitchers. DeGrom is still getting back into it, but he looked sharp on Tuesday and should be able to work deeper on Sunday. He s 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA against the Braves since 2019, so look for runs to be at a premium on Sunday.
Betting Pick: Under 7.0 runs (-115)
Keep up with your latest MLB news coverage and betting pick previews at NJ Sportsbook.