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Braves set to face tough task against Max Scherzer and Mets

If the Braves are going to win this series, they’re really going to have to earn it.

New York Mets v Atlanta Braves Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images

Following two comfortable wins against the Mets in two straight games, the Braves will likely be facing a much tougher challenge tonight as Atlanta will have to topple Max Scherzer if they want to clinch the series victory this evening.

There’s no way around it: The Braves are probably going to be in for a battle in this game. Max Scherzer this season has looked every bit like the future Hall-of-Famer that he is. Scherzer hasn’t given up more than two runs in a start since May 8 and he’s at least made it into the sixth inning in all but one of the starts that he’s made this year.

This has included two starts against Atlanta so far this season and let’s just say that it hasn’t gone well for the Braves. Scherzer’s first start against the Braves came here in Cobb County on July 11 and he went seven innings, struck out nine and gave up three hits and one run. The next start happened during that disastrous series in New York a couple of weeks ago, and the 38-year-old went another seven innings, struck out 11 batters, gave up four hits and surrendered no runs. So to recap, that’s 14 innings for Scherzer against the Braves so far and he’s only given up one run while averaging 10 strikeouts and walking absolutely nobody.

Needless to say, the Braves are likely going to have their work cut out for them at the plate in tonight’s game. That’s why it’s very important that Jake Odorizzi can somehow find a way to keep the Braves in this game while he’s out there on the mound. Odorizzi made a start against the Mets in the aforementioned series from a couple of weeks ago and while Odorizzi did keep the Braves in the game (he left with the game being 2-0, Mets), it was a short stint where Odorizzi was unable to get past the fifth inning. The Braves are going to need him to go a bit deeper into this game while pitching well, otherwise this is probably going to be a rough night overall for the home team.

Getting the first two wins of this series was paramount for Atlanta since we all knew who the Mets were sending to the mound for the final two games of the season. If the Braves get one of these next two games, they’ll be doing fantastic. The obvious hope is that Atlanta can keep the good times going at the plate and catch Max Scherzer on an extremely rare off night. If that happens and Jake Odorizzi can eat some quality innings then this could be a good night for the Braves. We’ll see what happens, though!

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, August 17, 7:20 p.m. ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: Bally Sports South

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

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