The regular MLB season will conclude with an important doubleheader on Monday as the New York Mets face the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta, following a weekend of results that did not resolve the National League wild-card race. The games are critical for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are hoping for a sweep by either team to secure their own playoff spot.
These games were arranged to make up for rainouts related to Hurricane Helene from the Mets-Braves series last week. Currently, the standings show the Braves, Mets, and Diamondbacks in a close tie for the final two wild-card spots:
– Diamondbacks: 89-73
– Mets: 88-72
– Braves: 88-72
The Mets and Braves both have the advantage over the Diamondbacks in their season series, meaning the Diamondbacks need one of these teams to win both games to advance, while a split would eliminate them from playoff contention.
Here are the potential playoff scenarios for each team:
1. If the Mets win the first game and the Braves win the second, the Braves will secure the No. 5 seed and head to San Diego for a wild-card series, while the Mets take the No. 6 seed against the Milwaukee Brewers.
2. If the Braves win the first game and the Mets take the second, the same seeding will apply, with Braves at No. 5 and Mets at No. 6.
3. Should the Mets win both games, they will take the No. 5 seed to play the Padres, while the Diamondbacks would secure the No. 6 seed against the Brewers.
4. If the Braves sweep both games, they will be the No. 5 seed, with the Diamondbacks as the No. 6 seed.
The winner of the first game automatically clinches a playoff berth, which might reduce their incentive to fully exhaust their top relievers in the second game.
The Mets will start Tylor Megill in the first game, with Luis Severino slated for the second. Megill has performed well recently, allowing only two runs over his last three starts, while Severino has a 3.17 ERA over his last eight games. The Braves are set to send rookie Spencer Schwellenbach to the mound in the first game after he had a strong outing last week against the Mets, with Chris Sale expected to pitch in the second unless a change arises.
Sale, a key pitcher for the Braves, has not pitched since September 19, and the team has stated they may hold him for emergencies, depending on the outcome of the first game.
In terms of bullpen readiness, the Mets used Edwin Diaz in a safe situation on Sunday, which could impact their pitching depth for the upcoming games. In contrast, the Braves will have their top relievers rested after not pitching in Sunday’s loss.