The Braves entered Sunday’s play needing a win or a Diamondbacks loss to clinch a postseason berth. Unfortunately, neither of those things happened, meaning there will be a doubleheader played this afternoon at Truist Park against the Mets, with both teams needing just one win to clinch a playoff berth. If either team is swept, the losing team will be eliminated, and the Diamondbacks will play baseball in October.
In Game 1, the Braves will turn back to Spencer Schwellenbach, hoping the rookie can continue his dominance against the Mets. Just last week, Schwellenbach tossed seven innings of one-run ball against New York, helping the Braves to a victory in what was virtually a must-win game at the time. Over his last 14 starts, he’s 7-3 with a 2.65 ERA, including a 2-0 mark against the Mets, allowing just one run over 14 innings.
Schwellenbach has proven very early into his career that there isn’t a moment too big for him. He seems to thrive against the best teams, especially when there’s a little added pressure, but this one might feel a little different. The Braves really don’t want to be playing with their season on the line in Game 2. Not only would they be facing elimination, but it would also force them to burn all of their big guns ahead of a potential Wild Card Series that is set to start tomorrow.
Those big guns include NL Cy Young award frontrunner Chris Sale. He’s penciled in as the Game 2 starter for now, but the hope is the Braves won’t have to use him and can save him for Game 1 tomorrow in San Diego.
For the Mets, they’ll by sending Tyler Megill to the mound for Game 1.
The Mets will start Tylor Megill in game one tomorrow , sources say
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) September 29, 2024
Megill is 4-5 with a 3.98 ERA over 15 appearances (14 starts) this season. He also hasn’t had a lot of success against the Braves in his career, boasting a 4.94 ERA over 47.1 innings, including a 6.00 ERA this season after allowing four earned runs over six innings in a start earlier in the year.
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Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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