Morning Chop: Atlanta Braves News 8/21
By Jeff Schafer
Wheeler, Mets down Braves
Editor Note…This is Fox Sports Headline, here at TT we will spell it correctly
Wheelr, Mets down Braves
"Zack Wheeler once again zeroed in on the Atlanta Braves."
Mandatory Credit: One of the unlucky New York Mets fans, Gooch
"The Mets rookie beat the NL East leaders for the third time, pitching shutout ball into the seventh inning and sending New York past Atlanta 5-3 Tuesday night.“I feel pretty comfortable against them,” he said. “Not to bash them, but it was a pretty easy game plan.”Wheeler improved to 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA against the team with the best record in the majors. He is the only pitcher with three wins over the Braves this year — there are just four teams that have beaten Atlanta more often this season.Wheeler (6-2), raised in the Atlanta suburbs, defeated the Braves at Turner Field with six shutout innings in his big league debut in June, then topped them at Citi Field in July."
MLB Power Rankings
"10. Cincinnati Reds (10)9. Oakland A’s (9)8. Tampa Bay Rays (6)7. St. Louis Cardinals (8)6. Texas Rangers (7)5. Pittsburgh Pirates (4)4. Boston Red Sox (3)3. Detroit Tigers (2)2. Los Angeles Dodgers (5)1. Atlanta Braves (1)"
Series Preview: Mets 2 gamer
"Game 2 – Wood (2-2) v. Niese (5-6)Game 2 is a day game in NY, meaning the stadium will probably be empty of fans, other than the Braves fans on vacation or taking the day off. Alex Wood is pitching and hates facing the Mets. He made a long relief spot against the Mets in June, and got a loss. He had the aforementioned 7-4 loss in July. The Mets lineup hit him for over .350 on average in a limited sample. It’s not pretty. It’s got all the trimmings of a give-up-lineup game where we roll out the B-team and pitch a guy who we know isn’t a good matchup. The thing that might keep us in the game is that Niese stinks against the Braves too, and he’s been doing it a lot longer than Wood. He beat Atlanta in June after giving up 3, but also lost big to the Braves in May after surrendering 7 runs in 4 innings. He isn’t likely to have a clean sheet in the day game, so if Wood can turn the tide he can get some much needed support."