All Knotted Up

09/07/2022 All Knotted Up

By: Matthew Cahill

Atlanta Finally Tie the Mets Atop the NL East 

For the second year in a row, the Braves are looking as dangerous as ever toward the end of the season. After coming out of the gate with a bit of a championship hangover, starting just 23-27 and trailing by as many as 9.5 games, Atlanta has finally closed the gap and is now tied with the Mets for the division lead with just 26 games remaining.

 

New York Fumbling a Major Opportunity

Last week, the Mets took two out of three against the Dodgers and looked to follow that up by dominating an easy portion of their schedule where they play 16 straight games against teams with losing records. Unfortunately, it has been anything but easy for them since. Last night marked the Mets’ third straight loss to a team under .500, as they fell to the Pirates 8-2. They are starting to look like their neighbors on the other side of the city with their recent string of lifeless performances, as they amassed just two hits against a 50-84 Pittsburgh team. Although they still have time to right the ship against plenty of more subpar teams, New York is officially out of wiggle room, and every game will be crucial from this point forward.

 

Braves Win a Wild Game in Oakland (10-9)

Similar to the Mets, the Braves unexpectedly got lit up by an inferior opponent in the A’s. Kyle Wright, who leads the MLB in wins, had the worst outing of his career, giving up eight of the nine Oakland runs. Where the Braves and Mets differed though is their bats. Atlanta went for ten runs themselves to somehow emerge victorious. The most notable of Atlanta’s scoring came from Matt Olson, who hit a three-run homer in his first game back in Oakland against his former team. The win finally brings the Braves to the top of the NL East and has set the stage for what should be a thrilling division race down the stretch.

 

Additional Storylines

USA Today: Olson HR vs former team, surging Braves top A’s, catch Mets

Yahoo!: Starling Marte After Being Hit by Pitch on Hand: ‘I’m hoping there’s not a fracture’

 

Photo: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images