*Photo from The Atlanta Voice*
In races that come down to the wire, any win is a necessary one. Matt Olson drove in two runs, Dansby Swanson homered, and the Atlanta Braves defeated the New York Mets with a 4-2 victory on Saturday night in Atlanta.
The win for the Braves puts their record at 99-59 as the regular season nears it's conclusion. They've won two straight and 6 out of their last 10. They sit now one game ahead of the Mets for the NL East lead, and whoever wins on Sunday gets the tiebreaker, and the division champion gets to skip the wild card round and move straight to the NLDS.
Braves manager Brian Snitker said after the game that "Our players have played a lot of big games these past few years, and I think they were looking forward to this series. We’re not done. We’ve still got work to do. They like this atmosphere and this feel for games this time of year."
It was the Mets who got ahead first however. With the bases loaded in the top of the first inning, Eduardo Escobar grounded out, but it was enough to bring in Brandon Nimmo and make it 1-0 Mets. In the 4th, Olson tied the game for the Braves, making it 1-1 with a single to center field that scored Austin Riley.
The Mets retook the lead quickly. In the top half of the 5th, Jeff McNeil made it a 2-1 game when Pete Alonso scored on his single. In the bottom of the 5th, Swanson didn't feel like tying the game, hitting a two run home run to put the Braves ahead 3-2. In the 6th, a solo homer from Olson made it a 4-2 game and gave the Braves the win.
Olson weighed in on the division race after the game, saying "We’ve just got to take the same approach. We know those guys are good that they started the last two days and we know Bassitt is a competitor as well."
Youngster Kyle Wright got the start for the Braves, allowing two runs on 7 hits over 5 innings, picking up his 21st win of the season. A bullpen combo of Dylan Lee, Jesse Chavez, Raisel Iglesias, and Kenley Jansen quieted the Mets from there, with Jansen picking up the save.
Starting opposite Wright was Max Scherzer, who was tagged for 4 runs on 9 hits in 5 2/3 innings, getting the loss. Seth Lugo finished the 6th before Adam Ottavino pitched a shutout 7th inning. David Peterson and Drew Smith combined to work the 8th inning.
Mets manager Buck Showalter said of the division race that "Everybody knows what's ahead of them and what the situation was when we got here. And so does Atlanta. That's why you've got two really good teams competing here in October. It means a lot to both of the teams, so you have to turn the page emotionally and mentally and get ready for the next challenge."
Up next, the NL East series concludes on Sunday night. The Braves will go for the sweep and the tiebreaker with Charlie Morton starting, while Chris Bassitt goes for the Mets as they look to avoid the sweep and get the tiebreaker themselves.
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