Mets vs. Braves preview: Atlanta begins weekend slate against New York

The Atlanta Braves were riding high on the strength of six consecutive victories before touching down in the nation’s capital at the beginning of the week. Just three days later, Brian Snitker’s team was struggling again as victims of a sweep against the Nationals, and Atlanta will return home on Friday night in an effort to bounce back.

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In the first of three contests against the New York Mets, the Braves will send Julio Teheran to the mound, and that is always a good thing. Teheran remains the best and most consistent option in Atlanta’s rotation and he sports a 3.01 ERA for the season with more than a 4-to-1 ratio when comparing strikeouts to walks. The right-hander was lights out in throwing six shutout innings in his last start against Philadelphia and Teheran will look to continue that positive work on Friday.

In opposition, New York will counter with 23-year-old right-hander Robert Gsellman, who wasn’t exactly a favorite to join this once-vaunted rotation in 2016. Injuries have decimated the Mets in this area, but Gsellman does sport a 2.87 ERA (despite a 4.68 xFIP) in 15.2 major league innings this season and he is a reasonable talent.

Julio Teheran’s sheer presence in this game should bring optimism to the table, as the Braves have the distinct pitching advantage on paper. The group of fans rooting against Atlanta in favor of pursuing the number one pick won’t like that, but on the bright side, wins are more fun to watch.

Stay tuned throughout the day and let’s do this together.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Friday, September 9, 2016, 7:35 pm ET

Location: Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: Fox Sports South, MLB.tv (streaming)

Radio: 680 AM, 93.7 FM (Flagship in Atlanta), WYAY 106.7, Braves Radio Network