After sweeping their weekend series against the New York Mets, the Atlanta Braves’ magic number to secure the NL East title (and the first-round playoff bye) is one.
That means any win of their own or any Mets loss will give them the right to rest in the National League Wild Card round.
The weekend sweep gave the Braves a two-game cushion in the East with three to play.
This week, however, started off badly for the Braves as they lost to the Miami Marlins in the series opener on Monday.
The Mets had their game against the Washington Nationals postponed and will play two today.
“The Marlins beat the Braves, keeping alive the Mets’ last-gasp bid to backdoor their way into the NL East title. New York’s elimination number remains 1. Any Mets loss or Braves win will lock them in as the NL’s No. 4 seed,” Mets insider Anthony DiComo wrote on Twitter.
The Marlins beat the Braves, keeping alive the Mets' last-gasp bid to backdoor their way into the NL East title.
New York's elimination number remains 1. Any Mets loss or Braves win will lock them in as the NL's No. 4 seed.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 4, 2022
Things Can Still Get Interesting In The NL East
If the Mets sweep today’s doubleheader against the Nationals, things could get really interesting, provided the Braves lose again today.
The only way the Mets can recapture the NL East crown is winning every game they have left and the Braves losing out, too.
If Atlanta loses today and the Mets sweep the doubleheader against the last-place Nats, they may be forced to use star pitcher Max Fried, who they would probably prefer to rest for the Division Series, tomorrow against the Marlins.
As a wise baseball man once said, it ain’t over ’til it’s over.
As long as the Mets keep winning, they will have a chance.
Unfortunately, they don’t control their fate: the Braves do.
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