As the season nears its end, the likelihood of the New York Mets making the playoffs continues to decrease. The best they can hope for is to settle into a role as a playoff spoiler for other contending teams. One such team with playoff aspirations that the Mets can attempt to derail is the Atlanta Braves. The two division rivals will square off in the second of a four-game series Tuesday night in Atlanta.
The Braves are listed at -160 on the baseball betting line while the total is 7.5.
The New York Mets (65-66, 26-41) started the second half of the season with a 48-40 record. They have been inconsistent since then, however, and have been hovering around .500 since the end of July. After Monday’s 9-3 loss to the Braves, New York trails Atlanta by 11 games for first place in the NL East.
Jonathon Niese (8-6, 3.63 ERA) will be New York’s starting pitcher. The left-hander has never pitched at Turner Field. He has been brilliant on the road as of late, going 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in six road starts since July 1.
The Atlanta Braves (76-55, 47-18 home) will be looking to win their fourth consecutive game after dropping four straight August 23-27. Jason Heyward, Atlanta’s rookie All-Star outfielder, continues to make a strong case for NL Rookie of the Year. He went 4 for 5 with a three-run homer to raise his average to .528 over the last nine games.
In addition to Heyward, Atlanta has another standout rookie to boast in Mike Minor, who will be Tuesday’s starting pitcher. Minor (2-0, 4.00 ERA) made his major league debut on August 9, just 14 months after the Braves selected him seventh overall in the 2009 draft. He proved he was worthy of the speedy call-up in his third start when he struck out 12 in a 16-5 win over Chicago.
