Downtrodden Mets try to dispatch Braves
If the Mets were getting throttled by a true titan of the National League, it might be slightly easier to swallow. The fact that they’re being bombed by the senior circuit’s worse team, however, raises a multitude of red flags.
New York attempts to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of Atlanta today, with a 1:10 p.m. ET first pitch in Georgia. Online sports book Bovada.lv still likes Terry Collins’ troops, giving them odds of -179 to salvage the finale. The Braves, conversely, are +164 underdogs.
Any club would be hard-pressed to survive the recent flood of injuries suffered by the Mets. The defending NL champs have dropped five of seven, with their ranks thinning every step of the way. Three starting position players – third baseman David Wright, first baseman Lucas Duda and catcher Travis d’Arnaud – are currently shelved with a variety of ailments.
Jacob deGrom’s (3-3, 2.82 ERA) health is intact, but New York’s hurler remains in search of last year’s All-Star form. The righty is 0-3 in his last eight starts with a 3.47 ERA. He’ll also go up against a tough counterpart this afternoon in Julio Teheran (2-7, 2.93). Brian Snitker’s ace has permitted three earned runs or fewer in each of his past 11 outings.
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We respect the fact that the Braves have climbed from near-unspeakable levels of despair to win four in a row. Still, New York is smarting from last night’s 4-3 loss, in which the bullpen wasted Steven Matz’s exceptional start. DeGrom won’t suffer the same fate here.
SUNDAY MLB FREE PICK: BRAVES/METS UNDER 6.5 RUNS
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