A quick look at the New York Mets, the next Braves’ opponent beginning Tuesday night in a three-game series at Citi Field in New York:
Keep an eye on: The standings. The Mets enter the series 10-3 and atop the NL East, matching their best record through 13 games in franchise history. (They were 10-3 in 1986 when they won the World Series and in 2006, their last trip to the playoffs when they made the NLCS. The Mets' eight-game winning streak is their longest since a 10-game win streak July 5-17, 2008.
Who's hot: Michael Cuddyer is on a seven-game hitting streak, during which he's 11-for-25 (.440) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and six RBIs.
Who's not: Curtis Granderson is hitting just .132 (5-for-38) on the season.
Braves connection: Sean Gilmartin made his major league debut on April 10 against the Braves, who drafted him in the first round in 2011. Gilmartin coaxed a groundball from Nick Markakis and struck out Freddie Freeman that night. Gilmartin retired all seven Braves he faced over two games in that series. The Braves traded Gilmartin to the Twins for Ryan Doumit in December of 2013 and a year later, he was picked up by the Mets in the Rule 5 draft.
In the news: Since the Braves last saw the Mets, David Wright pulled his hamstring and landed on the DL. On Sunday, the Mets lost two more players to injury: reliever Jerry Blevins, who fractured his left forearm after getting hit by a Dee Gordon line drive, and catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who broke his right hand when he got hit by a pitch. D'Arnaud won't be around this series to be thrown out on another incredible play by Andrelton Simmons (see highlights from April 10 and August 27, 2014). The Mets will turn to prospect Kevin Plawecki, a supplemental first round pick in 2012 out of Purdue. Blevins, by the way, has been the Mets' best lefty out of the bullpen, holding left-handers hitless in 14 at-bats this season.
