When the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves met up the first time this season, the Mets took two of three from their National League East rivals. It remains the lone series that the Braves dropped. Since then they have swept the Washington Nationals and took two of three from the Philadelphia Phillies while Game 4 was suspended. Now the team will try and bounce back as they head to Citi Field.
The Mets are on a win streak of their own, winning their last four games while sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks in the process. Eric Young and Daniel Murphy got the offense moving as the team aims to keep momentum swinging in their favor. The Mets were successful against the Braves the first time thanks to Young's aggressiveness as the plate. He was 5 for 12 with five runs and five stolen bases. He currently leads the National League with 12 runs and nine steals total.
Atlanta will rely on Aaron Harang on the mound. He allowed one run while striking out nine over six innings in his debut for the Braves. He is 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA in four starts against the Mets after the purchased his contract last year. He played well in his first start for the Braves and looks to continue the trend against his former team.
Freddie Freeman is leading the Atlanta offense. He is batting .389 with four home runs and 10 RBI. He is batting .432 with three home runs in a nine-game hit streak against New York. Atlanta's offense went quiet against the Phillies as the team totaled just one run over two games. It snapped their five-game win streak. Evan Gattis has been the bright spot as he is 9 for 13 with three home runs in his last three games.
The Mets will send up Jonathon Niese who has a 3.46 ERA this season. He went 6-4 with a 3.62 ERA against the Braves in15 starts. Niese has history with the Braves. Last season he was responsible for the broken jaw Jason Heyward suffered that landed him on the DL for two months.
