​ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 6: Martín Perez #33 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning during the game against the Miami Marlins at Truist Park on August 6, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images The New York Mets (52-67) travel to the Battery to face the Atlanta Braves (71-47) in a National League East showdown. Both teams are coming off of fairly strong post-deadline weeks, with the Mets going 5-1 against the Guardians and Pirates and the Braves sweeping the Marlins and then winning one of the three to the Yankees, including a walk-of loss on Friday night. These two teams met just two weeks ago at Citi Field, and the Mets took two of three and almost completed the sweep, but lost a 1-0 nail biter in the second game of a doubleheader. But even with the recent successes for New York, these are two teams on opposite trajectories for the season. The Braves added some pieces at the deadline and are firmly in control of their own destiny, playoffs wise. The Mets shed all their valuable assets on expiring contracts and are more or less playing out the string. Or, at least that is what was expected of them. I am not predicting that the Mets go on a heater for the next six weeks and make things interesting for the rest of the Wild Card race, but it is refreshing to see the team not just roll over, but actually play hard. If things really heat up, there can be an argument about tanking for a guaranteed draft pick, but we are still a bit away from that being relevant. For now, let’s just enjoy the Mets looking good on the field. And aside from Robert Stock’s start on Saturday, the Mets have looked very good as of late. Some of their experiments are working; Kodai Senga out of the bullpen in a small sample size looks like a smart decision. Sean Manaea has seemingly regained his second-half of 2024 form. The bats are more or less all clicking right now, with the one piece they couldn’t move, Luis Robert Jr., having a monster game on Sunday. None of this is enough to get truly excited; there are still six teams between the Mets and a playoff spot, and the Mets have one of the harder schedules in baseball remaining, with series against playoff teams like the Yankees, Braves, Rays, White Sox, and Brewers to come. But as has been a theme in these previews, the rest of this season is all about figuring out who is a key piece of next year’s club and giving various players a chance to prove their worth. If the Mets can do that while playing enjoyable baseball, that’s a win. Again, if that begins to potentially harm their draft for next season, we can discuss pouring some cold water on them. But for now, let’s enjoy something nice while we have it. And, speaking personally, any chance to spank the Braves is one I relish. So let’s see how how these Mets really are. Monday, August 10: Christian Scott vs Bryce Elder,  7:15pm EDT on SNYScott (2026): 74.1 IP, 92 K, 32 BB, 7 HR, 3.15 ERA, 3.3