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Uh, with all that ihas been going on this holiday weekend, I lost track of when this assignment was due. I somehow thought that this series didn't start until tomorrow. Since I have to leave for another engagement in about 15 minutes, I have no other recourse than to cheat on this assignment.
Here is USA Today's series preview for this afternoon's game:
Mets-Braves Preview
GAME: New York Mets (70-66) at Atlanta Braves (78-59).
TIME: Monday, 1:05 p.m. EDT.
The New York Mets still like their chances of getting to the postseason.
The Mets will look to continue their 10-game road trip with a solid showing in Atlanta when they start a three-game series against the first-place Braves.
New York opened this trip with a pair of losses over the weekend in Florida to stretch its losing streak to four games. However, the Mets avoided the sweep with a 7-1 win on Sunday to move within 2 1/2 games of wild card leader Philadelphia.
''That's why you don't panic. That's why you don't overreact,'' Mets manager Willie Randolph said. ''We know very well that things can change at the drop of a dime, so we'll just keep playing.''
The Mets have three games in Atlanta and four games at league-leading St. Louis to close out the trip. The Braves have traditionally been tough on the Mets, including winning nine of 13 meetings this season.
Atlanta is 44-26 against New York over the last four seasons.
Steve Trachsel will take the ball for New York for his first start in 10 days. Trachsel made his season debut on Aug. 26 against San Francisco and allowed two hits over eight outstanding innings in a 1-0 win.
It was a spectacular outing for the veteran right-hander, who had been sidelined all season with a back injury. But Randolph and the Mets opted to skip Trachsel's next turn in the rotation, putting him in the bullpen for a few days.
''That's just how it is,'' Trachsel said. ''You don't lean on anybody. It's just something you go through. You try to act like a professional, be prepared and eventually things work out one way or another. I have no control over it.''
Trachsel is just 3-6 with a 5.54 ERA in 12 career starts at Turner Field, including a 1-2 mark with a 7.20 ERA in three outings last season.
While New York has plenty at stake in this series, Atlanta still has some work left as it zeros in on a 14th straight division title. The Braves lead the Phillies by five games in the East and play 22 of their final 25 games against division opponents.
Atlanta's Jeff Francoeur is playing through a sore left ankle suffered in Saturday's win over Cincinnati. The rookie outfielder has cooled off after a hot start, batting just .217 (5-for-23) over his last seven starts.
''I don't know what color it is,'' Francoeur said of the bruise on his ankle, ''And I don't want to know what color it is. All I know is, I can play. That's good enough.''
Atlanta center fielder Andruw Jones, who leads the NL with 44 homers and 111 RBIs, has had little success against the Mets this season, batting .239 (11-for-46) with just two RBIs in 13 games.
STANDINGS: Mets - 5th place, 7 1/2 GB, NL East. Braves - 1st place, NL East.
METS PROBABLE STARTER: Trachsel (1-0, 0.00 ERA). Trachsel is 11-12 with a 4.72 ERA in 27 career starts against the Braves.
BRAVES PROBABLE STARTER: John Thomson (3-4, 4.80 ERA). Thomson is 0-2 with a 7.62 ERA over his last six starts. The veteran right-hander is 7-2 with a 3.12 ERA in 13 career starts against the Mets. Thomson yielded two runs and eight hits over six innings and did not receive a decision in the Braves' 4-3 loss to Washington in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Mets - David Wright, .315 avg., 86 RBIs and 85 runs; Cliff Floyd, 29 HRs; Jose Reyes, 48 SBs. Braves - Marcus Giles, .305 avg. and 90 runs; Jones, 44 HRs and 111 RBIs; Rafael Furcal, 39 SBs.
SEASON SERIES: Braves, 9-4.
STREAKS AND NOTES: Mets - SS Reyes is batting .370 (10-for-27) at Turner Field this season. ... OF Floyd is hitting .167 (5-for-30) in his career against RHP Thomson. ... 3B Wright is batting .422 (19-for-45) over his last 12 games. Braves - Atlanta's bullpen is 20-23 this year. The last team to win the NL East with a losing bullpen record was the 1973 Mets. ... SS Furcal is batting .326 (14-for-43) in his career against RHP Trachsel. ... RHP Chris Reitsma has three saves and a 1.00 ERA in nine appearances against the Mets this season.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Mets - 29-39 on the road; Braves - 45-24 at home.
INJURIES: Mets - C Mike Piazza (hand), 15-day DL; OF Mike Cameron (facial fracture), 60-day DL; RHP Bartolome Fortunato (back), 60-day DL; LHP Felix Heredia (shoulder), 60-day DL; RHP Tyler Yates (shoulder), 60-day DL. Braves - LHP Mike Hampton (back), 15-day DL; RHP Jay Powell (arm), 15-day DL; C Eddie Perez (shoulder), 60-day DL.
I will do a preview for the remainder of the series later this evening or tomorrow evening. I hope this doesn't adversely affect my grade.
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