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N.Y. Mets vs. Atlanta Braves Gambling Preview & Free MLB Picks

MLB Lines – Mets vs Braves

The New York Metropolitans have been sliding in the wrong direction of late. In order to right the ship, they’ll have to find some offense against the challenging pitching staff of the Atlanta Braves.

Date/Time: Monday, June 30 2014, 7:05 EST
Venue: Turner Field, Atlanta GA
New York, Atlanta (no odds yet listed)
Pitching Match-up: Zack Wheeler (3-8, 4.45 ERA) vs. Alex Wood (6-6, 3.07 ERA)
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Baseball fans knew that Atlanta (43-38) had a stacked rotation of starting pitchers even before injuries tore through. Brandon Beachy, Kris Medlen and Mike Minor have all missed significant time on the disabled list.

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Yet the remarkable thing is, the Braves cobble together a rotation and it just keeps on rolling. Eleventh-hour acquisition Ervin Santana has come back to Earth after a hot start, but Gavin Floyd (also currently on the 15-day DL), Julio Teheran, veteran Aaron Harang and Monday night’s starter Alex Wood have all done a remarkable job.

It may not be the historical Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz triumvirate that lives in the Braves’ record book, but pitching is what has kept Atlanta on top in the NL East division.

The Mets (37-44) can also pitch, but their absolute offensive futility has them near the divisional basement. Third baseman and franchise cornerstone David Wright has suffered through a season-long slump. A few Mets hitters are useful for getting on base via the walk, but no one is driving them in.

It’s gotten so desperate in Queens, in fact, that the Mets had to ink 40-year old retiree OF Bobby Abreu to try and kick-start the offense. Big-money acquisition Curtis Granderson has cracked double-digit homers (10 exactly), but is also only batting .226.

With the trade of Ike Davis to Pittsburgh, the Mets were relying on 1B Lucas Duda to be a bell-cow hitter. Duda has responded with 12 HRs and 41 RBI, but you’d like to see a little more than his .255 average. Granderson, Wright and Duda all strike out a ton.
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New York has dealt with its own share of devastating injuries (young ace SP Matt Harvey is gone for the year) but there hasn’t been enough balance on the Mets team for them to remain competitive. The Mets have lost four of their last five and desperately need a strong series against the first-place Braves to get some good vibes going before the All-Star Break.

One of the best stories offensively for Atlanta this season has been catcher Evan Gattis, whom has made Braves fans completely forget about Brian McCann en route to smashing 16 HR and 39 RBI, with a tidy .900 OPS to go with it. He is also recently day-to-day with injury, which will concern Atlanta coaches because the Braves also have an often cold batting order.

Even when Atlanta bats aren’t at their best, however, the consistent pitching rides this team through most of the turbulence.

For the most part, Justin Upton, Chris Johnson and Freddie Freeman join with Gattis to make a functional batting lineup.

The Braves are not without flaw, but if all these pitchers can continue to do their jobs so well as others return from injury, Atlanta will be in good position and have desirable pitching depth – always a coveted thing come playoff time.

Until New York can show sustained performance at the plate, it will be closer to sucking the hind teat of the NL East than contending for the division crown.

Unfortunately, a series in the Peachtree State might emphasize that reality.

Atlanta 5, NY Mets 1

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By James Hayes

James has been naming every player on the EA Sports video game rosters for half a decade now, he’s finally putting his knowledge to better use writing for us here at CappersPicks.com. Your comments are welcome below…Give Us Your Take!