Mets have redemption in mind ahead of their showdown series with Braves
It all comes down to this for the Mets who know what they need to do in Atlanta. Plus, this team could really benefit from seeing the October version of J.D. Martinez this week...
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets were off on Monday and will open what has become their biggest series of the season - a three-game set against the Braves in Atlanta tonight
The series against the Phillies was the highest attendance for a four-game series in Citi Field history with two sellouts and nearly 165,000 total people in attendance
It was quite the first week in the major leagues for SS Luisangel Acuña. He reflected on a whirlwind introduction to The Show (MLB.com)
The Mets have exceeded all expectations in 2024 and, with more payroll flexibility in 2025, plus an improving farm system, are set up for long-term dominance (ESPN)
The start time of the series finale in Atlanta on Thursday may be moved up due to a potential hurricane that could hit the area later in the week (NY Post)
Playoff Race 🏁
The Arizona Diamondbacks were the only team of note in action on Monday, with the Mets, Braves and Padres all off.
With the D-backs losing to the Giants last night, the Mets now own the second Wild Card spot outright and sit a half game ahead of Arizona. They remained two games ahead of the Braves, and three games behind the Padres for the top Wild Card spot.
There are just six games remaining.
Per FanGraphs, the Mets have a 80.2% chance of making the postseason.
If the Mets win two games against the Braves this week, their magic number against them would be reduced to 1, or a tie for a wild card with Atlanta. However, winning two would also net the Mets the tiebreaker against Atlanta, which in turn would clinch at least the third wild card.
Also, if the Mets go 4-2 over their final six games, they will be in.
The earliest the Mets can clinch a playoff berth is with a win on Wednesday, September 25. They would have to also win Tuesday in Atlanta.
Tiebreakers:
vs. ATL: 5-5
vs. ARI: 4-3 (finished)
vs. SD: 5-2 (finished)
Down on the Farm 🌾
The 2024 minor league season is now over for the New York Mets.
RHP Brandon Sproat - the Mets’ No. 1 prospect - was named the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America
RHP Jonah Tong - the Mets’ No. 10 prospect - was named to Baseball America’s 2024 All-Stars Second Team
Mets top 30 prospects
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (87-69) at Braves (85-71)
Where: Truist Park - Atlanta, GA
Starters: RHP Luis Severino (11-6, 3.79 ERA) vs. RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (7-7, 3.61 ERA)
When: 7:20 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Ahead of their must-win series, the Mets have redemption at their fingertips… ✍️
The Mets have had to endure a boatload of suffering at the hands of the Atlanta Braves for what feels like eternity.
The pain and the misery stretches back decades and decades.
I won’t inflict a dose of early morning torture on you by dragging up every instance of heartbreak the Mets have suffered because of their nemesis in Atlanta.
But, ahead of the most critical week in the entire season, you can’t help but draw parallels with what went down in Georgia back in 2022.
In what was the penultimate series of the season, the Mets arrived in Atlanta with a one-game lead over the Braves for the National League East division.
The math was simple. The mission was even simpler.
Take care of business against your rivals and earn a bye to the Division Series.
It sounded so simple in theory.
Well, life isn’t simple. Or easy. And, instead, the Mets imploded in Atlanta and were swept by the Braves, effectively handing the division crown to their rivals. Gift wrapped and all.
That paved the way for bigger disappointments to come, with the Mets losing to the Padres in the Wild Card Series. It was a crushing end to what was a special year, with Buck Showalter leading his team to a 101-win season. But, thanks largely to the Braves, the Mets had nothing to show for their regular season heroics.
So, ahead of another must-win series between these two fierce and intense rivals, you could say that New York has revenge on the mind…
Of course, there are significant differences between 2022 and now. Firstly, the Mets were falling off a cliff for much of September and the sweep by the Braves just confirmed their eventual demise. And they were also assured of a postseason spot, no matter what happened. This time around, the Mets head to Truist Park looking like an unstoppable team of destiny that looks perfectly equipped to go and do something truly special in October. But they also know they can’t afford to lose all three games in Atlanta this year.
That just can’t happen.
You also can’t discount the Braves, either.
Despite being ravaged by a slew of back-breaking injuries, and despite having to play large chunks of the year without a plethora of their established stars, the Braves have hung in there and can still secure an unlikely postseason berth thanks to Cy Young favorite Chris Sale and an array of strong starting pitchers. Plus, as we are all too painfully aware of, Atlanta knows a think or two about snatching dreams away from Mets fans and breaking hearts throughout Queens.
The Braves have the Mets’ number and they will be hoping history is on their side when the latest compelling chapter between these two teams begins on Tuesday.
However, you can’t deny that something just feels different about the 2024 New York Mets.
Every time we’ve been ready to declare the team dead, they’ve risen straight back up and delivered another dose of incredibly fun and mesmerizing baseball. This team has amazed us all year long and there does seem to be an aura of pure magic hovering over this organization right now.
They’ve made the unthinkable happen at every single turn. They’ve turned crushing losses into exhilarating wins. They transformed what looked to be a lost year into one full of hope and excitement. They’ve made Citi Field the place to be again.
More importantly, these Mets have allowed us all to dream once more.
So, on the day of arguably the most important series opener of the last couple of years, why not the Mets? Why can’t this team be the one to finally slay the dragon in Atlanta and help ease all the previous pain and suffering at the hands of the Braves?
All the Mets need to do is win two games in Atlanta and then they will have their redemption. And how sweet that will taste.
This is the vengeance all Mets fans deserve.
The 2024 Mets have been a special story all year. And now they can truly write themselves in franchise lore forever by taking care of business against the Braves and banishing the ghosts from two years ago, along with their rival’s season.
That would be very sweet indeed.
This time of year is what J.D. Martinez was signed for… ✍️
J.D. Martinez knows what it takes to get the job done this time of year.
He’s made various trips to the postseason throughout his long and distinguished career, including winning the World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018.
Team success aside, Martinez boasts a pretty impressive personal resume when it comes to the postseason. In 33 playoff games, the slugger has hit .294/.386/.588/974 with 10 home runs, five doubles, 15 runs scored, 18 walks and 31 RBIs in 140 plate appearances.
He scored six runs and collected 14 RBIs to help lead Boston to the World Series in 2018. He put the 2021 Red Sox on his back with 10 RBIs, three homers, two doubles, 11 hits, five walks and four runs scored in nine games. Go as far back as 2014 and you’ll see that Martinez was a force in the postseason even early in his career - launching a pair of home runs with five RBIs in just 12 plate appearances.
Put simply; when the stage is at its biggest, when the lights are at their very brightest, that’s when the most dangerous, effective, baseball-destroying version of J.D. Martinez comes out to play.
So, with this entire week essentially acting as an extension of the playoffs, the Mets are going to need Martinez to step up and deliver some more playoff heroics.
It might not be as easy as it sounds, however.
After all, Martinez is currently mired in an all-time slump. Heading into the opening game of the highly-anticipated do-or-die series against the Braves on Tuesday, Martinez is ice cold at the plate.
He may as well be an actual frozen relic from the ice age given how silent his bat has been.
Martinez is currently 0-for-34 at the plate, which is both a career-high and the longest hitless streak by a Met this season.
As the former Yankees and Phillies manager Joe Girardi used to like to say, it’s not what you want.
Martinez has just looked lost offensively and he hasn’t hit a home run since Aug. 30. Furthermore, the six-time All-Star has just one-extra base hit and four RBIs in his last 13 games.
Granted, while his cold streak hasn’t hurt the team or the race to get to October, Martinez is effectively a moot point in the lineup and on the roster when his bat is dead. As of right now, the veteran is a non-factor and he’s dropped lower in the lineup as a direct result.
But, given how important hitting the long ball in the postseason has become - the Rangers slugged their way to glory in 2023, while the team with more home runs in a game went 21-4 in the playoffs prior to the World Series last year - the Mets are going to need their best power hitters to be at their slugging best both this week and once October swings around.
That obviously includes Pete Alonso. And that includes Martinez too.
If this team wants to not only punch their postseason ticket, but embark on a deep and magical run also, then Martinez is going to need to figure things out. And quickly.
After all, he was signed to add a big bat from the DH spot, in addition to providing some much-needed lineup protection for Alonso. Both of those things will become critical ingredients once again in October.
Martinez is a proven performer in the playoffs, and he has the innate ability to elevate his game when the stakes are at their very highest.
With crunch time now here for the Mets, it is well past time for the October version of J.D. Martinez to make an appearance or two.
It could prove to be the difference between a long, boring winter or a magical one that will live on in baseball lore forever.
Around the League 🚩
The Phillies beat the Cubs 6-2 on Monday to clinch their first National League East crown since 2011
Matt Chapman went 2-for-4 with a triple and an inside-the-park home run to help the Giants beat the faltering D-backs, who continue to lose ground in the Wild Card race
Bryce Miller tossed a scoreless seven inning gem to help the Mariners beat the Astros and stay alive in both the AL West and the Wild Card race
Rockies outfielder and four-time All-Star Charlie Blackmon announced that he will be retiring from baseball at the end of the season
Hopefully JD can kick it into gear, his leadership and example has been essential all year. Mendoza's
contributions should not be overlooked as he has done a great job this season, and expect he will be in the mix for Manager of the year. Let's get 2 of 3 down there!
I think JD is cooked, big stage or not.
The Mets would be better off bringing up a MiLBer.