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The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves square off on Wednesday with first pitch set for 12:20 p.m. EST. The game takes place at Truist Park in Cobb County, Georiga and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. The home team will see Charlie Morton take the hill and the Mets will have Chris Bassitt on the bump.
The Braves have been extremely hot over the last month or so, winning 21 of their last 30 games. That streak of success has let them creep back in on the Mets' lead in the NL East, which once felt insurmountable. Atlanta currently sits just 1.5 games back of New York in the standings and the teams split the first two games of this series. This rubber match could prove big since the teams don’t meet again until August. Morton struggled against New York in his lone start against them this season, allowing four earned runs in just 5.2 innings back in May. He’s allowed just 14 earned runs in his last 44.2 innings pitched, though.
The Mets got out to a super fast start this season, but have come back down to Earth recently, winning just 16 of their last 30 games, which allowed the Braves to catch up to them. Bassitt took a loss in his lone start against Atlanta this season, giving up three earned runs in seven innings. He’s allowed more than three earned runs just once in his last seven appearances though and has racked up 45 strikeouts in his last 43 frames.
Mets vs. Braves
Pitchers: Chris Bassitt vs. Charlie Morton
First pitch: 12:20 p.m.
Mets local broadcast: SNY
Braves local broadcast: Bally Sports South
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Run Line: Braves -1.5
Run total: 7.5
Moneyline odds: Braves -155, Mets +135
Moneyline pick: Braves -155
This isn’t an easy pick to figure out. The teams are split on the season series 3-3 and have each taken a game in this three-game set so far. During this series, both teams have combined for 5 runs each over the first two contests, with both games being decided by a score of 4-1. Still, the Braves are clearly the hotter team of the two over the last few weeks so we’re rolling with them.
Player prop pick: Charlie Morton over 6.5 strikeouts (+110)
The Braves hurler has eclipsed the seven strikeout mark in six of his last seven starts, racking up 62 Ks over his last 44.2 innings tossed. The Mets aren’t a team that strikes out a lot, averaging just 7.57 strikeouts per game, which ranks fourth least in baseball. However, they have struggled a bit more recently, striking out 13 times last night and an average of nine times over their last three games.
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