New York Mets at Atlanta Braves Pick & Prediction – 9/25/2024

On Wednesday night, the New York Mets will face the Atlanta Braves in another massive matchup with National League Wild Card implications. These two teams are in a group of three teams fighting for the final two playoff spots in the National League, making this the biggest game of the night in the majors. Here, we will break down Mets vs Braves from Atlanta, which will have huge ramifications for both sides.

Mets Look to Avenge Tuesday’s Loss to Atlanta

The New York Mets come into Wednesday’s action with a record of 87-70, which is good for the second Wild Card position in the National League entering the day’s play. But the Mets are only a half-game ahead of the Braves, who are just outside of the Wild Card spots entirely. That means a loss for the Mets could see them end the day outside of the three Wild Card places in the NL, a fate they will look to avoid by grabbing a win on the road after losing to Atlanta on Tuesday.

On the mound for the Mets in this huge contest is David Peterson. The left-hander is 9-3 with a 3.08 ERA on the season. But he has gone three straight starts without picking up a win, as the Mets have lost all three of the most recent games in which he has taken the mound. Peterson is 0-1 against the Braves this season, having given up four earned runs in five innings of work against them back in late July.

Offensively, the Mets have struggled over the last couple of games. They have scored a combined three runs in their last two contests, a 2-1 win over the Phillies on Sunday and a 5-1 loss to the Braves yesterday. It will be interesting to see in this game how much of their offensive woes have been the product of typical baseball variance and how much can be attributed to the nerves associated with being in such a tense Wild Card race.

Braves On the Outside Looking In

The Atlanta Braves find themselves in fourth place in the NL Wild Card race entering Wednesday. They are a half-game behind both the Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks, needing to overtake just one of those teams to get into the playoffs. After winning their series opener against the Mets on Tuesday, the Braves can leapfrog the Mets in the standings with another victory here.

Atlanta has its improbable ace on the mound for this contest in the form of Chris Sale. Sale is 18-3 this season for the Braves with an ERA of 2.38. He leads the majors in wins, ERA, and strikeouts generated this season. Atlanta truly could not ask for a better pitcher to have on the hill in a spot like this, with the question now being whether Sale can deliver in such an important spot for his team.

Something that has been delivering for the Braves of late has been their offense. Atlanta has scored five or more runs in six of their last seven games, winning five of those seven contests. Michael Harris II has been a key contributor, as he comes into this game off of a 3-4 performance with a home run against the Mets on Tuesday night.

Mets vs Braves Prediction

There is so much riding on this game, which is incredible given how many games are in a MLB season. But with Sale on the mound for the Braves and their bats performing better than the Mets right now, we believe the home team will get the job done in this high-leverage spot. Look for the Braves to win and cover the runline as home favorites to put some major pressure on the Mets during the stretch run.