Breaking down the Braves’ rivalry with the Mets

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA — If you would have known six members (starting pitcher included) of the Opening Day lineup would miss at least two months this year, would you have thought the Braves would enter the regular season’s final week with a chance to reach the postseason?

What if you knew Spencer Strider would make just one start and Ronald Acuña Jr. would play just two months before suffering season-ending injuries? Let’s not forget, you had no idea that Chris Sale and Reynaldo López were going to go from projects to elite starters.

Some of you had never heard of Spencer Schwellenbach — and those of you who had, you had no clue he was going to even reach the Majors this year.

So, yeah, it is remarkable that Atlanta still has a chance to reach the playoffs as it prepares for a six-game homestand to close out the regular season. The first three games will come against the Mets (87-69) — who, like the D-backs (87-69), sit two games ahead of the Braves (85-71) in the battle for the National League’s final Wild Card spot.

This week’s showdown against the Mets is similar to the one we witnessed in 2022, when the Braves erased a one-game deficit with a three-game sweep of their division foes from New York. But there’s a big difference. Regardless of who ended up winning the NL East that year, both teams were heading to the postseason.

There’s a chance Atlanta and New York could both reach the playoffs this year, but only if Arizona falters during this final week.

The Braves-Mets rivalry is one that has been one-sided when it comes to significant series, especially those played over the past 25 years. Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan helped the Mets sweep the Braves in the 1969 NL Championship Series.

But there’s a reason Mets fans don’t like to hear names like Chipper Jones, Eddie Perez, Dansby Swanson or Matt Olson this time of year.

Before just assuming the Mets are going to Mets again, remember that they own MLB’s best record (63-36) since June 1. New York also ranks second in the Majors with a 2.28 starting pitching ERA in September.

As for the injury-depleted Braves, one of their current health concerns could be Sale. Well, Sale made it clear nothing was bothering him when his four-seam fastball velocity dropped below 90 mph during Thursday’s game in Cincinnati.

But the Braves have still opted to give him an extra day of rest, by lining him up to start Wednesday’s game against the Mets. If Sale started Tuesday, he would have still been available to pitch the regular-season finale, if necessary, on regular rest.

Now, it might be Schwellenbach who takes the ball on the regular season’s final day with a chance to push the Braves into the postseason.

But with Schwellenbach, Sale and Max Fried set to start against the Mets this week, the Braves would like to get the sweep that might create the chance to enter the regular-season finale having already clinched a spot.

The winner of this week’s three-game set will win the season series and own the tiebreaker if they were to conclude the 162-game season with identical records.