Five things about the Braves entering their series finale Thursday against the Mets.
1. They entered Thursday with an 18-11 record and a four-game winning streak that moved the Braves into first place in the National League East, the first time they held first place after April since July 20, 2014, when they were 54-44.
2. They fell from first place the next day in 2014, went 25-39 the rest of that season and were 232-317 from that day in July through the end of last season in the throes of a multi-year rebuilding project.
3. The Braves were 8-1 in day games before Thursday afternoon's series finale at New York. Their only day-game loss was the infamous freezing-rain debacle April 14 at Wrigley Field, where the Braves had a 10-2 lead after six innings and the Cubs used a walk-fueled nine-run eighth inning to win 14-10.
4. The Braves averaged 7.0 runs in nine day games before Thursday and had 17 homers in nine day games compared with 16 homers in 20 night games.
5. They were 6-3 on the 10-game trip entering Thursday's finale. It'll be the first time the Braves finished above .500 on a trip of at least 10 games since Aug. 2014, when they went 6-4 on a trip through Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and New York.
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