NL Postseason Race Heats Up: Mets, Braves Prepare for Series

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00:00But of course, we have a monumental series about to start today in Atlanta between the

00:10New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.

00:13So let's go to the top.

00:14The Dodgers, three-game lead in the National League West.

00:17The reason that is interesting is because the Dodgers begin a series today against the

00:21Padres who have won four straight.

00:23San Diego sweeping the White Sox over the weekend.

00:26Good for the Padres.

00:27The Phillies clinched the National League East last night, their first divisional crown

00:32since 2011, trailing the Dodgers by a half-game for the number one overall seed.

00:37The Brewers clinched the National League Central, the first team to clinch a division last week.

00:42They're going to host the wildcard round outside of that, probably going to be on the road.

00:48The Padres in advantage, as you see there.

00:51Three games up over the Mets for the top wildcard spot.

00:55The Mets and the Braves will get to.

00:57The D-backs lost yesterday, Joe, or actually at home against the Giants.

01:03They were booked as the home favorite.

01:05Matt Chapman had a good day at the dish for San Francisco.

01:09So the D-backs and the Mets were tied following the weekend.

01:12Arizona falls back by a half-game, now just a game and a half in front of Atlanta.

01:19So let's talk about the series that everybody will have an eye on this week.

01:24I mean, of course, we're going to be tapped into everything here that has some sort of

01:28significance and importance for the MLB playoff race.

01:33But when you have two teams squaring off for the same spot, that's where you focus, especially

01:38if it's a divisional rivalry.

01:41We start today in Atlanta.

01:43The Braves and the Mets.

01:44Spencer Schwellenbach, the rookie, on the bump for the Braves.

01:48A disastrous start to the year, has been really good since June.

01:53Luis Severino on the other side for New York.

01:56The Braves are a home favorite today against the Mets.

02:00Can they claw their way back, Joe?

02:02Can Atlanta make their way to a National League playoff appearance once again?

02:07I just don't think so, Ben.

02:10I mean, Schwellenbach, I think, gives them the best shot because he's been the most reliable

02:14and has literally carried this team for most of this season, quite honestly.

02:21Coming in as a rookie, he's been the one guy they've been able to at least depend upon.

02:26But I just don't see the Braves with the hot and cold lineup here.

02:32They've yet to put any sort of streak together, Ben, that would impress me enough to think

02:37that the bats are going to get hot at the right time.

02:39I just don't see it happening.

02:41To me, they're going to score another one of these one-two runs and lose, and they're

02:44going to figure out what went wrong.

02:46The lineup went wrong this year for Atlanta.

02:49It's been so tough, right?

02:51The Braves even having an opportunity is kind of a testament, actually, to what their roster

02:56has been able to do.

02:58You look at the starting staff.

03:00They lost Spencer Strider before the year really got underway.

03:03They lose the reigning National League MVP, Ronald Acuna Jr.

03:06You could have a long injury list for everything Atlanta has had to deal with to even have

03:11an opportunity to be just a game and a half out starting their final week of this MLB

03:16regular season to have the chance to sniff the postseason.

03:20It's minus 146 to the no.

03:23That means the Braves are favored to miss the postseason entering this final week.

03:27Arizona is minus 385.

03:30The New York Mets, minus 560.

03:34That's really it when it comes to consideration in the National League wildcard chase.

03:39The Mets don't need to sweep the Braves.

03:41Heck, they don't even really need to win the series.

03:44They just need one win in Atlanta.

03:46If they can take two of three in the ATL, the Mets will be a playoff team.

03:51They end the year against the Brewers, which on paper is a good team.

03:56But Milwaukee, by that point, they're not going to catch either the Dodgers or the Phillies

04:02for those top two spots in the opening round by in the National League.

04:05They've already claimed the division.

04:08Yeah, and I mean motivation.

04:10There really is none for them at that particular point.

04:13They're going to be looking ahead to pitching matchups and lining up their rotation,

04:17and they're not going to have any interest in that series whatsoever.

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