Can the Mets take down the Braves to win the series?

Picture Credit: MLB.tv & ESPN

4/11 12:10 PM NYM (Quintana) vs ATL (Winans)

With an unexpected day off due to heavy rain down in Atlanta the Mets have an opportunity to win the series against a division foe.

Jose Quintana will face off against Allan Winans and look to keep a red hot Braves lineup in order. Quintana has not had a start that has been completely dominate, but has been able to keep hitters honest. Over the first two games of the year his ERA stands at a 2.61 with 8 strikeouts over 10 and a 1/3 innings pitched. Quintana has struggled against the Braves in the past with a 6.75 ERA and a 2-5 record over 8 appearances. He will look to change that narrative this afternoon.

Winans for the Braves, who was originally drafted by the Mets back in 2018, looks to get revenge on the team that drafted him. With Spencer Strider set to miss significant time Winans will be taking a bulk of the innings this afternoon. While Winans has only three major league starts, two of them have been against the Mets. In the two games he pitched against the Mets last year Winans carried an ERA of 5.56 with 13 strikeouts over 11 and a 1/3 innings pitched.

Keys to the Game:

While the bats need to get started earlier the biggest key to the game is Jose Quintana. Quintana is going to have to find a way to pitch into the 6th-7th inning of this game. With the extra day of rest the bullpen should be fully ready heading into this game, leaving Carlos Mendoza anyone to use at his disposal in the later part of the game.