Braves: Primetime pressure ramped up with Mets squandering Scherzer start
The Atlanta Braves had an awful walk-off loss to the Cardinals on Saturday but the pressure is now ramped up on Sunday thanks to the Mets.
It’s far from breaking news that the Atlanta Braves are in an NL East dogfight as they try to chase down the New York Mets to claim the division crown this season.
Entering Sunday’s action, the Mets owned a three-game lead over the defending World Series champions and, after dominating the Colorado Rockies for the first three games of the series and with Max Scherzer on the mound, it seemed like they weren’t going to give up ground. But even though Scherzer did his part with one earned run allowed over seven innings, the New York bats went cold, leading to a 1-0 loss.
Meanwhile, Atlanta was at the hotel (or clubhouse, or wherever) in St. Louis looking on as they awaited their primetime series finale against a tough opponent in the Cardinals, a team that got the best of them — thanks to Kenley Jansen’s infuriatingly unclutch performance — on Saturday night.
And now the pressure is on.
Braves under pressure to beat Cardinals in primetime after Mets loss in Scherzer start
With the NL East race as tight as it’s been all season long, the one thing that neither the Braves nor the Mets can afford to do is squander opportunities to make a move when it’s presented to them, particularly for Atlanta as they try to make up ground.
And in fact, since the All-Star break, neither team has let those opportunities pass by. Tim Britton of The Athletic noted on Saturday that Atlanta and New York have not lost on the same day as the other rival lost.
The Mets and Atlanta haven't lost on the same day since the All-Star break. The Mets are 10-0 on days when Atlanta loses (including one off-day), and Atlanta is 11-0 on days the Mets lose.
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) August 28, 2022
After giving up a game in the division race that, frankly, they shouldn’t have on Saturday, the Braves have the chance to get it back. That will take a big effort though as they not only face a wily vet in Adam Wainwright but as they also put Jake Odorizzi on the mound against a St. Louis lineup that has crushed left-handed pitching this season.
Suffice it to say, the pressure is on the Braves to make a move and get the deficit back to two games.
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