The most consequential series this weekend is between the top two teams in the NL East, the only division race that still isn’t decided. The Braves host the Mets in a three-game set at Truist Park in Atlanta. New York currently holds a one-game lead in the NL East, and can clinch the division—and the No. 2 seed—with a sweep this weekend.
It’s true that both teams have already secured playoff berths and will have home field advantage in their first postseason round, either the wild-card or division series, but the team that wins the NL East will have a major advantage: a first-round bye. That would allow them to reset their pitching rotation, rest players who could be a little banged up after the grind of a six-month season and, most importantly, not have to worry about an early October exit.
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