Mets and Braves split Monday’s doubleheader, but New York really came out on top

While the New York Mets are one win away from advancing, the Atlanta Braves stare elimination right in the face. After splitting Monday's doubleheader at Truist Park, the Game 1 winner was always going to be in the more advantageous spot. New York clawed its way to an 8-7 victory in Game 1, while Atlanta won Game 2 in shutout fashion 3-0, shortly after the Mets packed it in for the postseason.

The Braves bullpen collapsing on Monday afternoon, followed up by NL Cy Young favorite and Triple Crown winner Chris Sale being unable to go in Game 2 because of back spasms really put Atlanta up against it. While the Braves were going to face the No. 4-seeded San Diego Padres no matter what as the No. 5 seed, New York just played the No. 3-seeded Milwaukee Brewers, a team that no one fears.

As New York flew North, Atlanta flew across three time zones west. The Mets may have had an earlier start to their NLWCS, but the good vibes and momentum carried them past Milwaukee easily, 8-4. As for Atlanta, Brian Snitker absolutely moronically put Baby Huey AJ Smith-Shawver out there to start in Game 1 for the Braves. I don't even think his own family believed in him. He lasted 1.1 innings Tuesday.

Atlanta lost 4-0 to the Padres. The Braves need Max Fried and Reynaldo Lopez to shove to advance...

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Atlanta Braves and New York Mets enter Tuesday slate much differently

Even though the Braves got the No. 5 seed and the Mets got the No. 6, these two bitter rivals were fairly evenly matched all year long. They each have their strengths and their weaknesses. I am not going to speak too much on the Mets' weaknesses, in part that I don't know them as well as the Braves', nor do I want to get them wrong. I feel that New York is a team of momentum and streakiness.

When it is going great for the Mets, they are one of the very best teams in baseball. They play a perfect brand of complementary baseball. When one facet of their team's construction is struggling another part of the team goes out there and picks them up. However, when things are going bad, the Mets tend to allow things to snowball. To be fair, most teams do that, as the Mets aren't any different.

As for the Braves, this team is one that never quite dies, no matter how bleak things get. The Replacement Braves have been a story of fortitude and perseverance, no matter how quickly the ceiling is caving in on them. It has been all about starting pitching this year, while the bats have been as inconsistent as the nightly performances we've seen out of this team. So frustrating, yet so real.

Overall, you have a team that got off to a horrid start eventually finding itself, coinciding with a juggernaut that had its Achilles tendons slashed like your car tires in a parking lot on a bad side of town. They intersected at a very strange time around a not-so-perfect storm. Atlanta needs a miracle to advance to the NLDS, while the Mets need an utter collapse to avoid facing Philadelphia up next.

Had Atlanta won Game 1, would things have gone any differently? I can't say that it would be the case.