After an 11-2 win over the San Diego Padres in the regular season finale on Sunday, the Arizona Diamondbacks will now wait eagerly for their postseason fate to be decided when the Mets play a twinbill versus the Braves on Monday.
Rain from Hurricane Helene made things a little complicated, pushing the final two games of a Mets-Braves three-game series last week to Monday, leaving the NL Wild Card race in flux as the regular season drew to a close.
“It sucks, but there’s nothing we can do about it,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said of relying on other teams to decide the Diamondbacks’ fate. “We made this bed, we got to sleep in it, but we’re going to hope for the best. I know they’re two great franchises.
“They have two great managers, and I don’t think either have the gene of laying down in either one of those games. That’s my gut feel of knowing the players on the teams, knowing the managers and knowing those franchises.”
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Will the Diamondbacks reach the postseason in consecutive seasons for the second time in franchise history (2001-02)? Or will they miss the playoffs despite an 89-73 record, their best record since 2017 (93-69)?
What do the D-backs need for a playoff berth?
The New York Mets won, and the Atlanta Braves lost on Sunday, meaning the Diamondbacks need either a Braves or Mets doubleheader sweep in order to crack the postseason.
To break it down, it looks like this:
- Atlanta gets in with a win. The Braves will then be the No. 5 seed.
- New York gets in with a win. If the Mets win one Monday, they are the No. 6 seed. If they win both, they are the No. 5 seed.
- Arizona gets in if either Atlanta or New York sweeps the doubleheader. The D-backs can only be the No. 6 seed.
The Diamondbacks will be working out at Chase Field on Monday and keeping tabs on the outcome of the doubleheader. If they make the postseason, they’ll head straight to Milwaukee for a rematch of their 2023 NL Wild Card matchup (after a brief celebration of course).
Mets-Braves Pitching probables
Game 1: Atlanta RHP Spencer Schwellenbach vs. New York RHP Tylor Megill
Game 2: Atlanta LHP Chris Sale (if Braves lose Game 1) vs. New York TBD (if Mets win Game 1) or Atlanta TBD (if Braves win Game 1) vs. New York RHP Luis Severino (if Mets lose Game 1)
New York’s Tylor Megill (4-5, 3.98) will be on the bump against Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach (8-7, 3.47). If the Braves need to win Game 2, NL Cy Young favorite Chris Sale (18-3, 2.38) will start. If the Mets need to win Game 2, right-hander Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91) is likely to take the mound.
Whoever wins Game 1 of the doubleheader will save their ace for Game 1 of the NL Wild Card series, which begins Tuesday.
How to watch Mets-Braves on Monday
Both games will be on ESPN2. Game 1 of the doubleheader will begin at 10:10 a.m. and Game 2 will start shortly after.