MLB Rumors: Yankees banish sleeper cell, Braves big break, White Sox apology

MLB Rumors: Braves catch a huge break in crucial Mets series

All eyes were on the Big Apple this week — literally and figuratively — with the Atlanta Braves making the trip to Citi Field for the first 2023 series against the rival New York Mets and an early battle for NL East supremacy.

The Bravos got the emphatic win in the first game of the set as Max Fried pitched a gem over five innings and Matt Olson cranked a mammoth blast out in a contest called after five innings due to weather. And unfortunately, weather is a theme that carried into Saturday as, hours before the first pitch, the second game of the series was postponed due to inclement weather.

With the game being made up in August as part of a double-header now, though, the postponement is actually a lucky break for the Braves. Now that there is only the Sunday finale remaining in the series, Atlanta won’t have to face the ace of the New York pitching staff, Max Scherzer, in this series.

Scherzer, of course, was suspended after being ejected from his last outing after a sticky substance check. The matchup against the Braves was slated to be his return. Now he’ll make it against the Tigers, which is great news for Atlanta.

The Mets ace was 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA against the Braves in four starts last year and has been a dominant force, obviously, for years running. Instead of facing that uphill climb against him, though, Atlanta is now slated to face Tylor Megill while they roll Spencer Strider out on the bump, a matchup that favors the Braves and could push their NL East lead over the Mets to four games by the end of the weekend.