Braves vs Mets Series Preview With Mike Soroka and Jacob deGrom Kicking off Opener

The Atlanta Braves (48-34) and New York Mets (37-45) are going in opposite directions. Atlanta has been one of the best teams in baseball in the month of June, while the Mets are losers of five straight and continue to fall into the depths of the National League.

What this series very well may come down to is the effectiveness of each bullpen late in the game. Surprisingly, the Braves rank fourth in all of baseball with a 3.69 ERA, whereas the Mets have one of the worst relief corps and rank 28th with a 5.58 ERA.

New York was unable to help the Braves out when it came to the division race, as they were swept in a four-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies, who are now just 4.5 games behind Atlanta in the NL East. It'll be tough based off who they'll face, but the Braves have a good chance to pad their division lead against a struggling Mets team.

Let's take a look at the pitching matchups for each game of the series.

June 28: RHP Mike Soroka vs. RHP Jacob deGrom

Right-hander Mike Soroka has been great this season, owning an 8-1 record with a 2.07 ERA. However, he lasted only two innings last time out after getting hit by a pitch at the plate against the Washington Nationals. He appears to be fine and ready to go, but you wonder if that will have any impact tonight.

His team may not be playing at a high level, but reigning Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom is starting to look like the guy who ran roughshod over the league in 2018. Over his last seven starts he's posted a 2.40 ERA, including a start against the Braves where he lasted 8.1 innings and allowed just two runs and struck out 10 batters.

June 29: RHP Julio Teheran vs. LHP Steven Matz

Julio Teheran has been a bright spot for the Braves this season, but it's been a struggle for him over his last two starts, including an appearance against the Mets where he allowed six runs on eight hits over four innings of work.

Mets left-hander Steven Matz has been scuffling just as bad, as he's posted a 5.72 ERA over his last seven starts, including against the Braves where he gave up five runs on six hits and four walks over five innings. Over his career, Matz has had his way against the Braves, but the edge should on Atlanta's side after his last time out less than two weeks ago.

June 30: LHP Max Fried vs. RHP Noah Syndergaard

Left-hander Max Fried is beginning to revert back to what he did earlier in the season, and over his last two starts he's allowed a combined four runs over 12 innings of work, including a start against the Mets where he struck out six over six innings.

This will be Noah Syndergaard's first start since going on shelf with a hamstring strain after his outing against St. Louis. When healthy and in a rhythm, Syndergaard looks like one of the best starters in the game. However, in 15 starts this year he owns a 4.55 ERA with less than a strikeout per inning.