The Mets face their old nemesis, the Braves, with a wildcard spot in the balance
It has become somewhat of a rite of passage that the Mets face their longtime National League East rival, the Atlanta Braves, late in the Major League Baseball season with the division title or playoff spot on the line.
On Tuesday, the teams, both in an intense and consequential battle for a wild card spot, began a three-game series in Atlanta. The Braves took the opener 5-1 and were breathing down the Mets’ necks with the Arizona Diamondbacks elbowing their way toward one of the two bids still up for grabs. The trio was each separated by only one-half game, with the Mets up on the Braves by a full game before Wednesday night’s MLB schedule.
The Mets held the second wild-card position at 87-70. The Diamondbacks, who played the San Francisco Giants, were right behind them at 87-71, and the Braves were practically even at 86-71. The San Diego Padres, 91-66 when they took on the Los Angeles Dodgers last night, have already clinched the No. 1 wild-card spot.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, Atlanta’s 26-year-old, 2023 NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr., who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee in May, and his younger brother, Mets’ 24-year-old rookie shortstop Luisangel Acuna, swapped jerseys in their first encounter as MLB players. The younger Acuna has been filling in at shortstop admirably for Mets star Francisco Lindor, who has been experiencing back issues and has only played one inning since Sept. 13.
“If I play this year, I don’t think it’s going to be pain-free,” said Lindor following the Mets’ 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on Sunday. “And I’m OK with that. I just don’t want it to be constant pain where I can’t bend over. Then I put my teammates in a position where I’m not helping them as much as I can. That’s not fair to anybody.”
Lindor, who has 31 home runs and 86 RBI, leads the Mets in hits (163) and batting average (.271).
After the series finale tonight against the Braves, the Mets will close their regular season schedule with three games against the Milwaukee Brewers tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday. The Brewers have clinched the NL Central title.
The Yankees have also cemented a place in the postseason and will finish a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles tonight in the Bronx. They fell short of clinching the AL East title on Tuesday, losing 5-3 to the Orioles, but hoped to celebrate last night with a victory. Baltimore’s victory on Tuesday earned them a wild-card invitation after they won the division last season.
The Yankees will play the Pittsburgh Pirates three games this weekend — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — before beginning the start of the postseason next week.
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