Braves pitching plan to save their best for the Mets exercises their hubris

The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves had a choice to make. Do they simply roll with the next in line to start for them after two unexpected days off? Or do they reset things a little and look at things more strategically?

At least to start, the Mets are throwing their absolute best on the Monday on Friday with Sean Manaea getting the nod versus the Milwaukee Brewers. This will allow him to be rested enough for a potential Game 2 in the Wild Card round.

The Braves aren’t thinking so far ahead yet they are saving their best for last. Chris Sale will get a lengthy break from pitching. They’re saving him to face the Mets in one of the scheduled doubleheaders on Monday.

The Mets are being practical and trying to win now while the Braves are taking a route that can quickly backfire

A lot more can go wrong with the Braves’ approach than what the Mets will seemingly do. Pitching Sale on Monday means he won’t pitch at all in the Wild Card series—if Atlanta is alive to be there at all.

Arrogant? Overconfident? The definition of hubris? Let’s go with the last one. It sounds least aggressive.

Heading into their series against the Braves, the Sale game on Wednesday was the one many believed the Mets were most likely to lose. It’s definitely scary to know the Mets might have to deal with him on Monday. However, by saving this missile the Braves have set themselves up for a worse scenario. What if Atlanta falls into a spot where they can be eliminated with a single loss against the Mets? Maybe equally as painful, what if they’re quickly shown the door in the playoffs because they didn’t have their best available?

Pitching has been the key to success for Atlanta all year. Their bold trade with the Boston Red Sox in the offseason to pick up Sale couldn’t have worked out any better. He surprised us all by staying healthy and putting together a year that matched his best from the past.

Using Manaea against Milwaukee and turning to their other best available options before returning to Atlanta is a sound strategy by the Mets and one that has a little more foresight into the next phase. What the Braves are doing feels like they’re assuming the Arizona Diamondbacks will fail this weekend and defeating the Mets becomes more important.

Someone with a stronger conscience might not wish for the worst possible outcome for the Braves to happen and this to blow up in their face. I’m not that person with the moral high ground to hope for anything but a scene of the Braves wishing they approached this more pragmatically.

If the Mets truly are a team of destiny, this is going to be what ends the Braves.