The Atlanta Braves entered the eighth inning of Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals leading 3-2.
It was a golden opportunity to come closer to the New York Mets in the standings.
They didn’t take advantage, however, as they saw their bullpen blow their lead in the eighth to ultimately lose 6-3.
Tyler O’Neill hit a three-run home run to break a tie, after Tommy Edman‘s solo shot had put the game 3-3.
A.J. Minter, who has a 2.32 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP for the season, surprisingly gave up both long balls.
On Saturday, the reigning World Champions had also blown a late lead against the Cards, and it’s painful for their fans to think about the obvious “what if.”
The Braves Blew A Golden Chance
Had they won on Sunday, they would be just two games behind the Mets for the NL East lead.
Since they lost, however, they remain at three games back.
“That’s a frustrating series loss for the #Braves. About as frustrating as it gets honestly. Back-to-back nights to see the lead slip away late. Atlanta squanders a chance to make up ground in the division race and still trails the Mets by 3.0 games in the NL East,” Braves insider Grant McAuley tweeted.
That's a frustrating series loss for the #Braves. About as frustrating as it gets honestly. Back-to-back nights to see the lead slip away late. Atlanta squanders a chance to make up ground in the division race and still trails the Mets by 3.0 games in the NL East.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) August 29, 2022
The Mets offense is not having its best time of the season, and the time to make up some games was probably over the weekend.
Three games with more than a month left to play is virtually meaningless, however, and Atlanta will have several more chances to leapfrog the Mets and get possession of a first-round bye for the playoffs.
It will be a fascinating race from here on out, but it’s hard to deny that the lost games on Saturday and Sunday hurt.
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