Braves pitcher after series loss to Mets: wait for October

Braves pitcher Spencer Strider isn’t hitting the panic button after the Mets won the series against Atlanta, pointing to October as the real test.

After the MLB trade deadline, the brave had a great opportunity to pass the Mets in the hunt for the NL East lead.

After five games and four defeats, they are significantly further behind than planned.

For pitcher Spencer Strider, whose 5-2 loss on Sunday ended the streak, the games just played don’t matter that much compared to what’s to come.

Braves pitcher Spencer Strider

“[There were] many strange hits. [The Mets] seem to be very lucky offensively at the moment. That’s great. It’s August. (We’ll) see how things are in October,” Strider said. per Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

New York seemed lucky at times on the series.

Quiet. The temptation may be to downplay regular-season games that don’t go their way, but Strider and company need to claw back a few games with the Mets when they get the chance.

The Braves have another series with New York in August. Those four games should also be pivotal in the division race, which now has a 6.5 game gap. They could also play a key role in the wildcard chase, where Atlanta could be looking over the Mets’ shoulder just as much as ahead.

Only three games separate the Braves from the Phillies and the Padres in the National League. San Diego is particularly dangerous considering what moves they’ve made as of deadline.

New York won the first game of the series 6-4 before Atlanta retook them 9-6 on Friday. Saturday’s double-header games both went 8-5, 6-2 for the Mets. On Sunday, Jacob deGrom proved too much for ATL. He brought a perfect game into the sixth inning and came out with a 5-2 win.