Relief pitcher Ryne Stanek, the newest member of the New York Mets, will join the hottest team in baseball on Saturday afternoon.
Across the diamond, the Atlanta Braves are no closer to finding the answers that have eluded them during a two-month skid.
The Mets will look to clinch another series win and lengthen their lead over the Braves in the race for the National League’s top wild card when New York hosts Atlanta in the third game of a four-game set.
Tylor Megill (2-4, 5.08 ERA) is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to start for the Mets against fellow right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (3-5, 4.62).
The Mets moved ahead of the Braves in the wild-card race Friday night, when J.D. Martinez, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez all homered during a seven-run third inning that lifted New York to an 8-4 win.
New York announced the acquisition of Stanek from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor league outfielder Rhylan Thomas shortly before Martinez’s go-ahead grand slam sparked the Mets to their fifth straight win. The victory further fueled a resurgence that seemed unimaginable almost two months ago.
The Mets, who opened the season 22-33, lead the majors with a 33-15 record and 277 runs scored since May 30, a span in which they’ve made up 10 1/2 games on the Braves.
But New York knows its position in the wild-card race is precarious. The Mets lead the Braves and San Diego Padres by a half-game apiece, and two other teams are within 1 1/2 games of a playoff position.
“Proud of the players, proud of the group, proud of the coaches (and) all the people that somehow got a hand on the day-to-day operations here for us,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’re not looking at the standings. We know where we’re at. Obviously we’ve put ourselves in a better position compared to where we were. But (they) understand we’ve got a ways to go.”
The Braves, the six-time defending NL East champions, slipped further into an unfamiliar position Friday with their sixth straight loss — the longest losing streak for Atlanta in a single season since it dropped six in a row in September 2017.
Atlanta has been outscored 39-18 during the skid. The Braves have allowed at least eight runs three times in that span, after doing so just twice in 27 games from June 17 through the opener of a July 20 doubleheader.
In their first 51 games, through May 27, the Braves averaged 4.63 runs. In their subsequent 51 games, they have averaged 3.76 runs.
“We expect to win, and (when) things don’t go our way — I guess it’s new, something we haven’t experienced here in a while,” Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “Just got to keep pushing through and hopefully (Saturday), we come out and win, and (win) the next day to be able to split the series.”
Megill last pitched for the Mets on June 29, when he didn’t factor into the decision after allowing four runs over 5 1/3 innings in New York’s 9-6 loss to the visiting Houston Astros. He was optioned to Syracuse following the game, and he went 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA in three subsequent Triple-A starts.
Schwellenbach took a loss on Sunday after giving up four runs over six innings in a 6-2 defeat against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
Megill is 1-3 with a 4.79 ERA in nine career appearances (eight starts) against the Braves. Schwellenbach has never opposed the Mets.
–Field Level Media
