Atlanta Braves' Magic Number Down to 1 in NL East After Sweeping Mets
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The Atlanta Braves are now just one win — or one New York Mets' loss — away from clinching a National League East division title for the fifth straight year.
The Braves climbed a steep mountain to put themselves in pole position to claim another division title.
On June 1, the Mets (34-17) held a 10.5-game lead over the NL East's next-closest team, the Braves (23-27). Since then, the Braves have gone 77-32.
The Mets have played exceptionally well during that stretch too, going 63-44. They just haven't quite played well enough.
The Mets entered this weekend's series with the NL East to lose. With a one-game lead, all the Mets needed to do was win one of three games in Atlanta, in order to secure the division tiebreaker. If the Mets won one of three, they would be tied with the Braves for the division lead, owning the tiebreaker, with a virtual one-game lead, with three to play.
The Braves ran through the Mets in Atlanta, outscoring their division rivals 14-7 over three games.
The Braves hung three runs on each of the Mets' co-aces, Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer Friday and Saturday, before forcing Sunday's starter Chris Bassitt to exit Sunday's game in the third inning, after he allowed four runs on three walks, three hits and one home run.
After leading the division for almost all of the season, the Mets now will likely play in the National League Wild Card Series, while the Braves will enjoy a bye from the action next weekend.
The Braves will now enter the final week of the regular season, with their fate in their own hands.
The Braves will open a three-game series in Miami against the Marlins, while the Mets will host the Washington Nationals for three games Monday through Wednesday.
