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Series Preview: Atlanta Braves have a chance to bury the New York Mets

By Matthew Browning

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 15: Wilson Ramos #40 of the New York Mets hits a RBI double to left field in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on June 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 15: Wilson Ramos #40 of the New York Mets hits a RBI double to left field in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on June 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 15: Noah  Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets walks off the field with head trainer Brian Chicklo in the seventh inning during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on June 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 15: Noah  Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets walks off the field with head trainer Brian Chicklo in the seventh inning during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on June 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

The Atlanta Braves look to extend their hot play by taking on the once again underachieving New York Mets for a three-game series.

This past offseason the New York Mets made a lot of moves to try and dethrone the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

They traded for All-Star closer Edwin Diaz.

They signed All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos.

The pitching staff was supposed to stay healthy.

But these are the New York Mets we are talking about.

A year after posting a 1.96 ERA and saving 57 games for the Mariners, Diaz has a 3.77 ERA, 15 saves, and three blown saves for the Mets.

Ramos hit .306 last season, but is currently hitting .271 this season.

Noah Syndergaard was sent to the Injured List over the weekend.

All of this, plus more, adds up to a Mets team who is 34-37 with a run differential of -19. They are 7.5 games out of first place in the NL East and five games out of the second wild card spot.

In their last 10 games, the Mets are 5-5 and lost three of four to the Cardinals over the weekend.

The two teams split a four-game series at Sun Trust Park in early April and over the previous three seasons, the Braves are 30-27 against the fellas from Queens.

Everything about the Mets’ numbers correlates with their mediocre record, as they are 18th in runs scored, 17th in OPS, and 16th in home runs.

Like many other teams, the Mets bullpen has plagued them. They are 23rd in bullpen ERA.

On the road, the starting rotation has struggled, too, as they have the 23rd best ERA away from Citi Field.

Along with Mike Soroka and Austin Riley, Pete Alonso will likely garner NL Rookie of the Year votes as he has easily been the Mets best player.

As the starting first basemen, Alonso has already hit 23 home runs and driven in 53 runs. He has an OPS of .951 and an OPS+ of 151.

Michael Conforto has also had a solid year (13 HR, 33 RBI), but other than that, the Mets lineup has left a lot to be desired.

While the pitching matchups are tough, you have to like the Braves’ chances to win the series.

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