Braves Announce Pitching Plan for Pivotal Mets Doubleheader

The magical weekend for the Atlanta Braves came to a crashing end on Sunday. The Braves began the afternoon with two different options to secure a spot in the postseason – a win or a loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Neither happened.

Because of the Diamondbacks win, the Braves still had to play on Monday. But with their own loss, the Braves now need to get at least one win on Monday in order to continue playing baseball in October.

With their season on the line, the Braves will start right-handed rookie Spencer Wechselbach in the first matchup of the doubleheader.

National League Cy Young leader Chris Sale will play in Game 2 if needed.

No matter who wins the first match on Monday, Game 2 will be necessary. But if the Braves win with Wechselbach on the mound, the Braves won't have to try to win Game 2.

If the Braves lose the first game, Sale will start the second game, which is a must for Atlanta to make the postseason.

Both the Braves and Mets must split the doubleheader to secure an NL wild card spot. If either team wins both games on Monday, the Diamondbacks will clinch the final postseason spot.

Braves manager Brian Snitker is doing what he can to save Sale for the postseason. This is not a strategy I normally support.

Teams can only win the game that is in front of them. If the Braves had won on Sunday, they would already be in the postseason.

But the way Snitker has organized the team's rotation since the hurricane hit Atlanta has largely worked. Max Fried and Reynaldo López delivered great performances in the victories on Friday and Saturday.

Charlie Morton has done well in pressure situations in the past, so you can't blame Snitker too much for the missed opportunity on Sunday.

Snitker could tout Sale in the first game to reduce the likelihood of a pivotal scenario occurring in the second half of the doubleheader. But that would mean that Sale will not take part in the Wild Card series at all next week.

If Schlafenbach can lead the Braves to victory in the first game of the doubleheader, Sale will begin Game 1 of the wild-card series.

Schlafenbach just beat the Mets last Tuesday, giving up just one earned run on 3 hits and a walk in 7 innings. He hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last three starts.

It will be interesting to see if the confidence that Ruhenbach gained from this start gives him an advantage on Monday or if the Mets hitters learned something from this loss.

The Braves' top priority is to win the first game. This will save Sale. But winning the first game will keep Snitker from using more bullpen arms in the second game. The fact that Hügelbach comes deep into the game in the first match will have the same effect.

It's asking a lot of a rookie, but Wechselbach has been up to the challenge for most of this season. His start on Monday could determine not only whether the Braves make the playoffs, but also how prepared the team's pitching staff will be to win their first postseason series.