September 29, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (9), New York Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor (15) and the New York Mets who did not appear Team outfielder Harrison Bader (44) celebrates the 5-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets play two make-up games in Atlanta on Monday, with both teams needing a win to qualify for the postseason.
Both teams have 88-72 records and are competing with Arizona (89-73) for the National League's final two wild-card spots. If Atlanta and New York split the doubleheader, both teams would advance to the playoffs, as both teams have tiebreakers against Arizona State.
But if either team sweeps the doubleheader, the winning team will qualify for the playoffs and the losing team will be eliminated, sending the Diamondbacks to the wild-card round. Atlanta leads the Mets 6-5 in the season series.
“The way we started the year (two below .500 in 11 games), no one expected us to be in this position,” New York coach Carlos Mendoza said. “We have a chance to do something special. We're going to go back to Atlanta, get that last piece and go from there.”
Atlanta head coach Brian Snitker, whose team is trying to make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, said: “The ball is in our court. If we can't get one of those things done, then You just know it's just one of those things where we do a good job every day and try to get to 1-0 and we'll start over with two better players.
The Braves will start rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (8-7, 3.47 ERA) in the opener and Chris Sale (18-3, 2.38) in the second. . If the Warriors win Game 1, they will restructure their nightcap plans and retain Sale for the opener of the wild-card series.
Schwellenbach defeated the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run in seven innings for the right-hander. In two starts against New York, he allowed just one run in 14 innings.
Sale has won the National League pitching Triple Crown. He led the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts (225 in 177 2/3 innings). The last pitcher to lead the NL in all three categories was Clayton Kershaw in 2011.
In four starts in September, Sale was 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA. His last loss came against the Chicago White Sox on June 27, when he allowed one run in seven innings in a 1-0 loss. Sale's most recent start came against the Cincinnati Reds on September 19, when he pitched five innings, allowing two runs and a victory.
Sale has faced the Mets once this year, receiving a no-decision on July 25 after allowing two runs in 7 1/3 innings. He has made four career starts against the Mets and is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA.
The Mets have not yet finalized pitching plans for the doubleheader.
“Everything is on the table,” Mendoza said. “We had a chance. We were there, we could play, we needed one more chance, so we felt good.”
Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91) will start one of the games. The veteran faced the Braves on Tuesday and lost the game after allowing four runs in four innings. Severino has made five career starts against the Braves, with a 1-2 record and a 4.13 ERA.
If the two teams split, the Braves would open the playoffs in San Diego, while the Mets would be in Milwaukee. A sweep by either team would open the tournament in San Diego, which would send Arizona to the playoffs and send the Diamondbacks to Milwaukee.
–Scene-level media