Game Preview: Mets @ Braves

The Mets and Braves meet up for one of the most important series of the season. The Braves have been incredibly hot over the last month and are now only 1.5 games behind the Mets. This makes tonight’s game the most important. The Mets can rob the Braves of their momentum and their ability to be in first place by the end of the series with a victory today.

This also has become a series of reunions too. A couple of weeks ago the Mets signed former Mets-killer Ender Inciarte to a minor league deal and he’s currently on the major league roster. The Braves just traded for Robinson Canó yesterday and he is expected to get called up from the minor league roster to the major league roster in time for this series.

Max Scherzer gets the start tonight. Over nine starts and 55 2/3 innings this season he has a 2.26 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 0.880 WHIP and a 177 ERA+. Last week he returned from the injured list and held the Reds to just two hits over six innings while striking out a season high of 11 batters. In two starts against the Braves last season he allowed four runs from eight hits and no walks over 12 innings while striking out 18 batters. The Braves have the following career numbers against him:

Marcell Ozuna 11-41, 5 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 12 K
Dansby Swanson 7-38, 3 2B, HR, 2 BB, 15 K
Ozzie Albies 4-25, HR, 3 BB, 10 K
Travis d’Arnaud 5-26, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 10 K
Ronald Acuna Jr. 7-20, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, BB, 6 K
Adam Duvall 1-9, 6 K
Austin Riley 1-7, 3 K

It’s the battle of the Max’s tonight as Scherzer will face off against Max Fried. Fried has made 17 starts and pitched 107 1/3 innings this year with a 2.52 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 1.025 WHIP and a 172 ERA+. In his last four starts he has allowed only four runs from 21 hits and four walks (1.35 ERA, 1.68 FIP) over 26 2/3 innings. Against the Mets earlier this season he allowed two runs from four hits and no walks over six innings with six strikeouts. The Mets have the following numbers against him: