At the end of a frustrating season, the Braves still have their fate in their own hands

Wait, what? How can a team that is bottom of the table control its own destiny?

Well, the Braves have their fate in their own hands, as they have a three-game series with the team ahead of them, so it's up to them whether they play in October or go home after Sunday.

“You're right,” Snitker said of Atlanta, which has its own destiny in its hands. “We have to win every day.”

On Tuesday, the Braves and Mets begin a three-game series at Truist Park. The winner has the tiebreaker because they have the better head-to-head record this season. The Braves are two games behind New York and Arizona, who can secure two of the last three wild-card spots in the National League.

What that means: To overtake the Mets, the Braves must beat them. If the Braves win two of three games, they will have to make up a game in the final series of the season — the Braves host the Royals and the Mets travel to Milwaukee. But if the Braves win two of three games against New York and tie at the end of the season, they would move past the Mets on the tiebreaker.

The crazy thing is that the situation is almost identical to two years ago when the teams were battling for the NL East crown. The Mets went into Atlanta with a two-game lead and the Braves knew they needed a sweep. They swept New York and won the division, forcing the Mets to play the wild-card series.

The stakes could be higher this time, as the loser may not even make the playoffs. That, of course, depends on how Arizona fares at home against San Francisco and San Diego. The Diamondbacks are two games ahead of the Braves, who have the tiebreaker against them, so theoretically the Braves don't have to make the playoffs against the Mets if Arizona falters. The Braves and Mets could both face each other in October.

Are you nervous yet?

Despite all of the Braves' injuries, despite all of the offensive slumps, despite all of the unfortunate setbacks, despite all of the moments when it felt like fate was not on this team's side…they are still in control of their destiny.

“It's good,” Sean Murphy said. “It means it's all up to us. We don't have to look at the scoreboard or anything like that. If we win, we're in, that's how it looks.”

This is a great opportunity. The Braves, who had to check the results of their competitors, can now turn the race around. They know what they have to do. They know they can overtake the Mets with a sweep.

Will it be easy? No. Will it happen? Maybe not, considering this team has often failed when more was needed. But is it possible? Yes.

To this point, the Braves have won five three-game series this season. But three of those have been in April. They've done it only once since mid-June. It's difficult to beat a good team, and the Mets have proven they're resilient.

“I think we just have to stay calm, play our own game, live day by day and game by game,” closer Raisel Iglesias said through interpreter Franco García. “Focus on doing the little things right that ultimately lead to victory.”

Here's something to remember: In 2022, the Braves were the best team in baseball from the beginning of June through the end of the regular season. This season, they've struggled to maintain their momentum, largely because of their depleted lineup. They don't have the same offense, and that's held them back. Their pitching is what kept them in this race.

The Mets, on the other hand, won three of four games against the Phillies – without NL MVP candidate Francisco Lindor. The Phillies had a chance to win the division on Sunday and Monday, but the Mets denied them that. On Sunday night, the Mets beat Phillies ace Zack Wheeler (again without Lindor). That's super impressive.

Since the beginning of June, the Mets are 63-36. The Braves are 53-48 over the same period. The Braves have two six-game losing streaks in the second half alone. This week's game is different only because the Mets are in good form – whereas two Septembers ago they were losing games to bad teams. The Braves are struggling to stay within striking distance.

But they do.

They are right there.

They can shock the Mets.

On Tuesday, Spencer Schwellenbach will face Mets right-hander Luis Severino. On Wednesday, Chris Sale will face left-hander David Peterson. On Thursday, Max Fried will face left-hander Sean Manaea.

The Braves have their three best healthy starters in this series, so they should be in every game.

So far, the Braves have frustrated fans with their unbearable inconsistency and sometimes inexcusable play.

But you know what?

The Braves have their destiny in their own hands. They can successfully finish the Mets' season and extend their own at the same time.

Given everything that has happened to the Braves this season, this is a great opportunity.

“We knew that a few weeks ago, right, this series will probably help decide this thing,” Murphy said. “We know what's coming and we know what we have to do.”