Atlanta Braves come back home hoping to cool off the New York Mets

Steven Matz (7-7, 4.49) vs. Dallas Keuchel (3-5, 4.83)

Sometimes the starting pitcher that gets overlooked, Steven Matz has also been really good recently, going 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA over his past five starts.

Last time out against the Marlins, Matz went 6.2 innings, allowing two earned runs with seven strikeouts in his seventh win of the season.

Matz is 1-0 with four earned runs allowed in two starts against the Braves this season. He has struck out 11, while walking just one.

Those numbers coincide with Matz’s dominance over the Braves throughout his career. In ten starts, Matz is 5-1 with a 3.61 ERA against the Braves and at SunTrust Park, he is 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA.

Freeman is 7-for-22 with a home run and four RBI off Matz, while Ozzie Albies is 3-for-9 with three RBI and Acuna is 3-for-6 with a triple.

To put it mildly, Dallas Keuchel is going through one of the roughest stretches over his past three seasons.

Only once since 2017 has Keuchel given up more earned runs over a five-game stretch than the 21 earned runs he has allowed over his past five starts and that was the middle of last season where he allowed 22 earned runs over his final three starts in May and first two in June.

Last time out against the lowly Marlins, Keuchel allowed eight earned runs on 10 hits, including three home runs, which bumped his ERA to almost 5.00 on the season.

Keuchel is a pitcher who needs to locate his cutter and sinker due to his lack of velocity and he just isn’t doing that right now.

The difference between an effective and ineffective Keuchel significantly alters the Braves postseason chances, so let’s hope he gets it figured out soon.

Keuchel has never faced the Mets in his career, but has faced two of their batters in Ramos and Frazier, both of whom are a combined 0-for-6 in their career.

With Matz’s success against the Braves and Keuchel’s struggles, I think the Mets take this one.