Mets remain focused on Brewers series after escaping Atlanta

MILWAUKEE – The Mets defeated the Atlanta hurricane, losing just one game in their terror city and remaining mostly dry and completely alive – both in reality and in the standings. So this is better than previous trips there.

There's a good chance the Mets will have to endure an unwanted trip back to Atlanta to play a game or even two on Monday, which is particularly inconvenient since their potential postseason begins on Tuesday. But let's not worry about that now. They say they aren't, and that's really what matters.

Today the team from Queens is thrilled to be here in beautiful Milwaukee. While it's undeniably a great spot on a great lake – the city's apt slogan – it's not typically known as a place where people come for the better weather.

But as Atlanta dries out after battling Hurricane Helene, it's so perfect here that the roof of American Family Field should remain open Friday night for the first game of a series that means everything to the Mets and virtually nothing to the Brewers.

Despite not playing for two days in a row and not winning in four days, things are still looking mostly positive for the Mets as they head into what will most likely not be the final series of the regular season. No analytical genius was on hand to give the exact odds to avoid returning to Atlanta for one or possibly two games on Monday, but they all know that great play is required here – and a little luck to make the return trip to Dixie to avoid. where they can expect the unusual brand of Southern hospitality that the Braves often provide.

“We've had a lot of strange things this season, so we're just going to keep playing,” Mets baseball boss David Stearns said of the possibility Monday.

The message is that they don't think about what seems inevitable and don't worry about future inconveniences. They will continue to focus on the series here. They also know – regardless of the travel schedule – that their playoff odds remain (slightly) positive.

The Mets played a weak game in Atlanta before forecasters told them to get out of there, but they still hold a half-game lead over the Diamondbacks and a full-game lead over the Braves. Two of these three teams get in, so the calculation works out.

“We control our destiny,” Mets star Francisco Lindor said.

Lindor once again made it clear that he enjoys their chances. To be fair, he always liked her chances.

Yes, Lindor, Pete Alonso and a few others in this clubhouse, as well as of course Stearns, who told The Post in the spring he believed this was a “playoff-caliber” team, should be counted as true believers. (I'd like to thank you for that too, but to be fair, I was late – mid-May – after taking a close look at the squad.)

The Mets' normally upbeat mood will likely be brightened by their escape from Atlanta, where they only experienced a few drops of rain before departing. Once they were above the clouds, Adam Ottavino noted, they knew they were OK.

The other reason to be particularly hopeful is that, while Stearns' old Brewers team is excellent, it doesn't care nearly as much about these games. No matter what happens here this weekend, the Brewers are seeded No. 3 because they dominate an otherwise sluggish NL Central (and also lose the season series to the Phillies, meaning the tiebreaker goes to Cheesesteaks over Cheeseland). .

The Brewers may host the Mets again, but it could also be the Braves or Diamondbacks. So their appeal in this series borders on irrelevant.

While it's not a requirement for them, Milwaukee would prefer to have the Mets and Braves play in Atlanta on Monday if one of those teams turns out to be their first-round opponent. (Yes, I looked, the Brew Crew decision-makers kind of enjoy the Mets and Braves wasting more bullets on Monday and losing more sleep those few nights – but not to the point where they're doing their best and their waste your own bullets.)

As for the Mets, they don't think three days ahead.

“We can’t really worry about Monday at this point,” Stearns said. “Whenever we finish on Sunday, they tell us where we have to go and if we have to go.”

The Mets get a bit of a break from the Brewers' situation as both the Braves and D-Backs face teams with a little more to gain than the opponent's comfort. Atlanta plays the Royals, who need a win (or a Twins loss) to secure a playoff spot. Arizona plays the rival Padres, who need a win to secure the No. 4 seed and home field in round one.

Either way, the Mets should be happy with their situation and themselves. After starting 0-5 and eventually falling under .500 for 11 games, this is still a pretty good situation. While it's not ideal and a potential trip to Atlanta isn't something to celebrate, the Mets are in a much better spot than most would have expected outside of their own clubhouse.