Mets at Braves
The Atlanta Braves begin a 14-game stretch against losing teams when they host the New York Mets on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series. Atlanta is coming off a 2-4 road trip to San Diego and Los Angeles but remains in a virtual tie for first place in the National League East with the Washington Nationals as it tries to improve on its 7-3 record versus New York this season.
"We had a little stretch here for a week, where it could have been worse and it could have been better," Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters after a 7-2 loss to the Dodgers on Sunday. "A win would have been nice. But it was just one of those games. We'll go back home and hopefully start something." The Mets begin a 10-game road trip with smiles on their faces after snapping an eight-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday. "We've been waiting for this, and any way to get a win today was huge," Mets third baseman Todd Frazier told reporters after hitting a two-run homer Sunday - his second blast in as many games. "So for us, we'll take it. Hopefully that kick-starts us to where we need to be." Atlanta's Mike Foltynewicz is 3-2 with a 0.97 ERA and .167 batting average against in his last six starts and opposes Jason Vargas, who has an 18.00 ERA in the first inning.
TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, ESPN; SNY (New York), FS Southeast (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Jason Vargas (2-4, 7.71 ERA) vs. Braves RH Mike Foltynewicz (5-4, 2.31)
Vargas is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA in his last two starts after allowing two runs, five hits and a walk with four strikeouts in five innings of a 2-1 loss to Baltimore on June 5. The 35-year-old Californian, who hasn't pitched more than five innings in any of his seven starts this season, has a 1.75 WHIP and .320 batting average against. Nick Markakis is 8-for-30 with two home runs versus Vargas, who is 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA in two starts versus Atlanta this season.
Foltynewicz allowed two runs, five hits and three walks while striking out eight in five innings of a 3-1 loss at San Diego on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Illinois native, whose career-low ERA of 4.31 came in 2016 when he went 9-5 with the Braves, struck out 11 in a two-hit shutout of Washington on June 1. Foltynewicz is 0-1 with a 10.45 ERA in three games (two starts) versus the Mets, but hasn't faced them since 2016.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York 2B Asdrubal Cabrera (.283, 11 home runs, 36 RBIs - all team highs) left Sunday's game with a tight left hamstring, but manager Mickey Callaway told reporters: "It's not a DL move. He felt like he could have kept on going, but he didn't want it to get worse. So we're going to check on him (Monday) and then make that determination."
2. Braves 1B Freddie Freeman (12 home runs, club-best .340 batting average and team-high 45 RBIs) is 10-for-21 with three home runs, five RBIs and six runs scored in his last five games.
3. Atlanta 2B Ozzie Albies (.256, team-most 15 home runs, 36 RBIs) went 2-for-4 with a home run Sunday after going 3-for-36 in his previous eight games.