The Atlanta Braves (17-9) take one of the top lineups in the National League on the road to face the New York Mets (15-11) at Citi Field on Friday for the opener of a four-game series. The Braves are kicking off a seven-game road trip after closing out a seven-game homestand (3-4).
They won three out of four in their last series against the Marlins, dropping the finale 5-4 on Thursday at Truist Park. Kevin Pillar was 1 for 2 with one run and one RBI.
The Mets are in the midst of a seven-game homestand. They lost two of three against the Nationals in their last series, taking the finale 9-8 on Thursday at Citi Field. Brett Baty went 3 for 3 with a solo home run.
The teams are meeting for the first time this season. The Braves won the 2022 season series between the NL East rivals (10-9), including a sweep in their most recent three-game set at Truist Park at the end of September.
ON THE MOUND
Max Fried (1-0, 0.60 ERA) is in line to start for Atlanta. The lefty threw 6.2 scoreless innings in his last start, a 5-2 road defeat against the Astros on Sunday.
He gave up three hits while striking out five and walking three in the no-decision.Over five starts against the Mets in 2022, Fried was 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA over 29 innings.
He had 25 strikeouts and six walks. Lefty David Peterson (1-3, 7.36 ERA) is on the mound for New York. Peterson made four appearances against the Braves in 2022, including three starts, striking out 22 and walking nine over 16.1 innings (2-1, 2.76).
In his last start on Saturday, Peterson took the loss on the road against the Giants. He threw five innings and gave up seven runs on seven hits, striking out eight and walking one in the 7-4 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The Atlanta offense is averaging 5.2 runs per game for the season, second best in the NL, with a slash line of .255/.336/.448. Five Braves hitters have an OPS of .800 or better, led by Sean Murphy (.996). The first baseman is slashing .263/.404/.592 with six home runs, 16 RBIs, and 16 runs over 22 games.
Against lefties like Peterson this season, the Braves have an .852 OPS, third highest in MLB. Murphy also is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with a 1.200 OPS in 29 at-bats. New York is slashing .242/.334/.388 for the season and averaging 4.7 runs per game.
Brandon Nimmo leads the team with a .919 OPS. The center fielder has two home runs, 13 RBIs, and 16 runs scored with a slash line of .341/.446/.473.
New York is averaging only 3.6 runs per game in the last five with their slugging percentage falling to .363. The Mets have a .714 OPS against left-handers in 2023. With a 1.183 OPS over 33 at-bats, Pete Alonso has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Atlanta is 10-2 in away games in 2023, scoring 5.5 runs per game while allowing 2.2 runs. New York has gone 5-4 at their home ballpark this season, averaging 4.2 runs per game while surrendering 3.9. In the last 10 games between the teams at Citi Field, New York is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 4.6-4.6.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Braves lead the NL East by two games over the Mets.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Atlanta Braves (-140)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
