After the loss in yesterday's matinee game against the Pirates, the Braves are now 5-4 in the month of August and 72-41. They leave Pittsburgh and head to Queens, New York for a long weekend series with the New York Mets.
This will be a 4-game set including a day/night double header on Saturday. The Mets lineup card will look much different than it did when the Braves faced them back in early June.
Pitching Matchup
The Braves will hand the ball over to Charlie Morton (10-10, 3.86 ERA). Atlanta has lost the last four games that Morton has started. He will look to turn the page on his recent struggles and get back to his winning ways.
For the Mets, Tylor Megill (6-5, 5.45 ERA) will toe the rubber. The last two games he has started for the Mets, they have lost. Something will have to give with these two struggling starters on Friday night.
What To Watch For
1. Flip the Script
Even though the Braves still hold the best record in baseball, they are just 5-5 in their last 10 games. A lot of the lossess they have suffered have been games they were in position to win. Yesterday is a prime example.
Friday night will be the perfect opportunity to turn things around. Charlie Morton has had some rough outings lately that has been highlighted by poorly timed walks leading to big innings for the opposition. With the now rebuilding Mets on the other side, the Braves will look to start cashing in on opportunities like holding on to run support and hitting with runners in scoring position.
2. Matt Olson
Matt Olson cranked his 40th homerun of the season on Wednesday, tying him with Angels' superstar Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead.
His insane power surger is certainly being appreciated around Major League Baseball but people may not realize just how historic the 2023 season has been for Olson. This is just the 24th time in franchise history that a player has hit 40 homeruns in a season. There are still 49 games left.
If Olson can hit 12 homeruns in the next 49 games, he will break the franchise record held by Andruw Jones (51). With the way Olson is swinging the bat, this seems very realistic.
3. Rebuilding Mets
Coming into the season, many thought the Mets would compete for a divison title in the NL East. Adding two aces in Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer in the offseason had 2023 looking bright.
Now both of those starters have been traded and the Mets sit 20.5 games back in the dvision at 52-62. After Max Scherzer was dealt to the Texas Rangers, he unveiled his conversation with the Mets front office. It appears they do not believe to be in contention until at least 2025.
With all the moves the Mets made at the trade deadline, this will not be the strongest Mets team the Braves have faced. However, the Braves aren't playing their best baseball right now. These are still Major League Baseball players and no games are guarnteed wins but Atlanta has a chance to capitalize on a favorable opportunity.
Probables:
ATL: Charlie Morton (10-10, 3.86 ERA) vs. NYM: Tylor Megill (6-5, 5.45 ERA)
Game Info
Date: August 11th, 2023
Time: 7:10
Location: Citi Field (Queens, New York)
TV/Radio: BSSO/680 a.m. The Fan