The MLB weekend comes to a close on Sunday night when the Atlanta Braves face the New York Mets. Following a rainout on Friday, the Mets dominated the Braves 13-2 on Saturday night. They are favored to win again on Sunday, with New York’s moneyline set at -130 while the Braves have a moneyline of +110.
The Braves continue to take two steps backward every time they take two steps forward. Atlanta got back to .500 earlier this week, only to lose back-to-back games, including Saturday’s blowout loss. They are back to being two games under .500 and 3.5 games out of first place in the NL East.
Meanwhile, the Mets are the team that sits atop the NL East standings. In fact, New York is the only team in the division that has a winning record. With Saturday’s lopsided win, the Mets have won their last four games and have put themselves five games over .500 on the season.
Walking Wounded
Making New York’s winning streak even more impressive is the fact that the Mets are still decimated with injuries. More than half of their opening day lineup is currently on the IL, including Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, and Jeff McNeil. However, the Mets have found ways to win low-scoring games while Jonathan Villar and James McCann have started to step up, hitting two of the team’s five home runs on Saturday.
The Mets will also get a boost on Sunday, with Jacob deGrom set to get the start. Over his first seven starts of the season, deGrom is 3-2 with a 0.80 ERA. Despite dealing with side pain that has limited him to just two starts during the month of May, deGrom has allowed two runs on just four hits in 10 innings of work over those two starts.
Time to be Fried
The Braves will try to counter deGrom with Max Fried, who is set to start for Atlanta on Sunday night. The lefty has also dealt with an injury this season but has made seven starts, going 2-2 with a 4.63 ERA. However, Fried has posted a 1.50 ERA over his last four starts since returning from the IL, limiting teams to just one run in each start.
Of course, the Atlanta offense has been hot and cold all season, going cold against the Mets on Saturday. Young sluggers Ronald Acuna and Austin Riley have been the team’s only consistent hitters all season. Riley has continued mashing in recent days, although Acuna, Freddie Freeman, and others have had plenty of hitless games over the past week.
Can the Mets Ride the Wave?
Momentum appears to be on New York’s side after Saturday’s 13-2 win over the Braves. That momentum will get a boost with deGrom getting the start on Sunday. On the other hand, the Mets don’t have as good of a record with deGrom on the mound as one would think.
Plus, the Mets may not be reliable offensively, given all of their injuries. With Fried pitching just as well as deGrom over the past month, this is bound to be a low-scoring game. With the Braves having the more lucrative moneyline, take a chance on Atlanta winning Sunday night.
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