Having Jacob deGrom on the mound wasn’t enough for the New York Mets to hold off the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night.
The reigning world champions, led by a strong effort by left-hander Max Fried, won 3-2 and took three of the four games played this week against New York.
For the Mets, it represents the end of an impressive streak.
“Mets snap their streak of 16 series wins or ties against division teams with a 3-2 loss in Atlanta. The Braves won three of four games in the series and trail by 3.5 games in the NL East,” the New York Post’s Mike Puma tweeted.
Mets snap their streak of 16 series wins or ties against division teams with a 3-2 loss in Atlanta. The Braves won three of four games in the series and trail by 3.5 games in the NL East.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) August 19, 2022
Let that sink in: for 16 straight series against division rivals, the Mets either won or tied.
That’s unbelievable, but it was bound to end at some point.
It’s logical that it did against the strongest team in the division, other than themselves of course.
The Division Is Still Wide Open
A few days ago, the Mets were up seven games.
The landscape is very different now, however.
Winning the NL East division is extremely important for these two teams, because the one who takes it will likely have a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are all but assured of finishing with one of the two best records in the National League, and everything indicates that the Mets and Braves will fight for the other bye.
In the American League, the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees will rest in the first round as things stand today.
The Mets and Braves are both top-notch teams with excellent offense, pitching, coaching, and front offices.
There is very little separating them, and we will see at the end of the season who comes out on top.
NEXT: Jacob deGrom Continues To Own An NL East Rival