After the Braves got 10 hits (albeit just one run) against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw on Thursday, a pitching gauntlet continues for Atlanta hitters in a three-game series against the Mets beginning with Friday’s matchup of Bud Norris against the Mets’ Matt Harvey (0-3, 5.71 ERA).
The gauntlet isn’t as extreme as it once appeared because, frankly, the Braves have already faced several pitchers who are performing far better than the current version of Harvey, who’s struggled to keep it together for an entire start and has almost as many walks (seven) as strikeouts (nine) in 17 1/3 innings over three starts.
He’s limited hitters to .189 (7-for-37) with bases empty, but Harvey has been torched at a .464 clip (13-for-28) with runners on, including .538 (7-for-13) with runners in scoring position
Still, would anyone be surprised if he gets things figured out soon and reels off some dominant performances?
On Saturday, the Braves will have Jhoulys Chacin facing Mets left-hander Steve Matz, a top prospect who posted a 2.27 ERA in his first six starts as a rookie in 2015.
Matz has a 7.27 ERA in two starts this season, but all seven runs came in 1 2/3 innings of his first start against the Marlins. He came back to hold the Indians to just three hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings on Sunday.
Then in Sunday’s series finale, the Braves are expected to start prospect Aaron Blair (it would be his debut) or Mike Foltynewicz against nasty Jacob deGrom, who has 211 strikeouts and 38 walks in 197 inings since the beginning of the 2015 season.
Mets pitching has been fairly solid – and will probably get a lot better when healthy — but their offense is what’s made the difference lately. The Mets are 5-2 with .285 batting average, 39 runs and 19 homers in their past seven games, after going 2-5 with .187 BA, 18 runs and two homers in their first seven games.
They had a 2.97 ERA during the 5-2 stretch, compared with a 3.19 ERA in the 2-5 period before it.
After starting the season in a power drought similar to what the Braves are experiencing, the Mets have enjoyed an absolute homer barrage on their current trip, with a staggering 19 home runs in the first six games of the three-city jaunt.
They hit 12 homers in a three-game series at Philadelphia that ended Wednesday, after hitting seven homers in the first two games of the trip April 15-16 at Cleveland.
That’s 19 homers for the Mets in their past six games, after they hit two homers in their first eight games.
The Braves, with three homers all season and one since Opening Day, would like to have even a fraction of a power resurgence like that.
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