3 concerns the Mets have ahead of the Braves series

3) The Braves are also sending their three best available starters to the mound this weekend. 

The Mets are sending Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Chris Bassitt to the hill over the next three nights. As the Mets send their best, Brian Snitker is sending his best out too for Atlanta. 

Spencer Strider’s injury feels like a big deal for the Braves in this series in the way he kept the Mets in check in his two starts at Truist Park this season. But the Braves are pitching Max Fried tonight, Kyle Wright tomorrow night, and Charlie Morton on Sunday night. 

Fried is pitching the opener on Friday, and the Mets have struggled much more against lefties than righties this season, and Fried has a 3.00 ERA in 24 innings pitched against New York in four starts this season, and his ERA is 1.96 in 55 innings in nine starts dating back to July 31. His fifth and most important one is tonight. 

The Mets have already beaten Kyle Wright twice, but keep in mind that Wright is already a 20-game winner this season and will be going for his 21st victory tomorrow, and the Braves have won in 18 of his last 20 starts dating back to the beginning of June (which coincided with the Braves’ dramatic turnaround). 

Morton has had the knack of delivering big-time performances in big games. We saw that in 2017 with the Astros and in 2019 and 2020 with the Rays. Morton is the perfect No. 3 starter for the Braves for that very circumstance. 

The Mets will need to bring their “A” game to the plate and take lengthy at-bats for one more series in order for them to win this series.