The race for the National League Wild Card spot is looking tough. The Braves, who have lost just one of their past 12 series, are down two of their remaining six games.
The Mets will try to defend their postseason berth against a division rival in a series opener on Tuesday night. The teams are tied 5-5 this season in the series.
Luis Severino pitched five innings in a 3-2 Mets win at Citi Field on July 25 without a decision, but two days later, his opponent, Spencer Schwellenbach, sliced through New York's lineup and struck out 11 in a 4-0 shutout victory.
The winning-streak manager will be tasked with containing an Atlanta team that finished in the top 10 with a .254/.326/.426 batting average in September and is on pace to be nine games above .500 in 2024 at Truist Park.
Mets vs Braves predictions
Schwellenbach emerged as a reliable backup in the Braves starting rotation during a promising rookie season, allowing three or more runs four times in 19 starts.
He walks batters extremely rarely, with his Statcast profile recording an astounding walk rate of 4.9 percent.
While the Mets chase pitches at a league-average rate, Schwellenbach's powerful weapons, especially his secondary pitches like his split-finger fastball and curveball, have elicited swings on 32.5 pitches outside the zone, putting him in the top 3% of pitchers.
Everything you need to know about MLB betting
Given the circumstances, I would use the rookie to further prove his worth to a desperate and talented Braves team.
theater: Braves money line (-138, FanDuel)
