Braves enter Mets series 4.5 games back

Braves players Freddie Freeman (from left), Guillermo Heredia, Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna celebrate a 7-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Sunday, May 23, 2021, at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@ajc.com)

Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@

Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@

Braves players Freddie Freeman (from left), Guillermo Heredia, Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna celebrate a 7-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Sunday, May 23, 2021, at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@ajc.com)

The Braves (37-40) will enter their series against the Mets only 4-1/2 games out of first place in the National League East. It’s the closest the Braves have been to the Mets since they trailed New York by four games on June 22.

New York lost to Washington on Monday, continuing a busy stretch of make-up games for the Mets. The Nationals, who’ve surged into second place, are three games back at 38-38. The Phillies (36-40) lost to the Reds Monday and slipped a half game behind the Braves into fourth place.

The Braves are 3-5 against the Mets this season after splitting four games in New York last week. The upcoming three-game series, which begins Tuesday, will be their final meeting with the Mets in the first half.

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