Sunday night baseball and we will see the Atlanta Braves take on the New York Mets in game 3 of their 3 game series from Citi Field in New York. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 (ET) pm start time and it will be televised live on ESPN. Currently the odds have Atlanta favored at -109, while New York is dogs of -101. The total for the game sits at 7.5 runs.
Free Analysis: The Ben Sheets comeback story gets a nationwide audience as Atlanta and New York play the series finale on Sunday Night Baseball. Sheets, who missed all of 2009 and 2011 with arm injuries, has won four of his five starts with the Braves since signing with Atlanta in early July. While not possessing the overpowing fastball that marked his career with the Brewers, Sheets has used effective breaking pitches to keep opponents off-balance. The Braves, owners of the NL's top wild-card spot, won their third in a row and are a major league-best 14-3 since July 24. They're averaging 6.2 runs in those victories. Atlanta's offense has been even better against New York (54-60), averaging 8.1 runs in winning the last seven meetings since a 6-1 loss April 16. The Braves are seeking their first eight-game winning streak over their NL East rival since 2009. Freeman has been instrumental to the dominance in the series, batting .481 with three homers, five doubles and 15 RBIs during the winning streak. The first baseman is also hitting .362 with 14 RBIs in his last 13 games overall for the Braves, who are 35-7 when he drives in a run. Freeman will try to continue his tear against Jonathan Niese (8-6, 3.82 ERA), against whom he is 4 for 10 with a double lifetime. Niese is 4-4 with a 3.95 ERA in his past 10 starts, but the left-hander has allowed 11 earned runs on 20 hits in his past 19 innings. He gave up eight hits and four earned runs in his last start Tuesday against Miami, losing for the second time in his past three starts. The left-hander has won his last three starts against the Braves despite a 5.19 ERA. He has been backed by a 7.33 run support average. Niese's last start in the series came in his season debut April 8, when he allowed four runs, two hits and four walks in six innings of a 7-5 victory. The Mets have dropped 11 of their past 12 games at Citi Field, a big reason behind New York dropping off the pace in the National League East. Overall, New York has lost five of its past seven.
Free Pick: I like the Braves in this one. Been Sheets has been resurgent and the Braves have been rolling, while the Mets have been playing like we thought they would at the beginning of the year. Overall the Braves pitching has been very good of late as they have allowed just 2.1 rpg in their last 9 games. Ben Sheets comes in at 4-1 with a 1.41 ERA, while on the road he is 2-0 with an 0.68 ERA. Jonathon Niese is 3-0 in his last 3 starts, but he has needed every bit of the 7.3 rpg worth of support the Mets have given him in those starts as he has a 5.19 ERA over that stretch. I don't see the Mets tagging Sheets or this Braves staff for that much in this one. Atlanta has won 7 in a row in this series and Freddie Freeman has been important, hitting .481 with three homers, five doubles and 15 RBIs during the winning streak. The Braves are 35-7 when he drives in a run this year. Look for Atlanta to keep winning while the Met's continue their losing ways.
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