Jul 29, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Mauricio Dubon (14) singles during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The Atlanta Braves will be looking for their 10th straight victory at home on Monday when they open a three-game series against the New York Mets.
The Braves salvaged one contest from their three-game set at the New York Yankees on Sunday and will return to Atlanta to begin a six-game homestand. The Braves lead the National League East by 8 1/2 games and are three games behind Milwaukee for the best record in the majors.
The Mets beat the Pirates 11-1 in the series rubber match on Sunday and are 5-1 on their current nine-game road trip. New York has won six of its last 10.
“We have a lot of baseball in front of us, and I think it’s in everybody’s interest and desire to play hard, find the best version of themselves and finish strong,” said New York third baseman Bo Bichette, who went 5-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBIs on Sunday.
Atlanta has been dominant at home since the All-Star Game, going 12-2 at Truist Park and sweeping four games against Washington and three against Miami before going to New York. The Braves are 39-20 at home and are 15-3-1 in home series.
This will be the final series of the year between the NL East rivals. New York is 6-4 against the Braves and split a four-game set in Atlanta in July.
The pitching matchup for the series opener features a pair of right-handers — Atlanta’s Bryce Elder (8-6, 3.69 ERA) against New York’s Christian Scott (3-3, 3.15).
Elder has won three straight decisions since the break, pitching to a 1.88 ERA and allowing no more than two runs in any of his four starts. In his last outing on Wednesday, he had one of his best appearances of the season, throwing seven innings of one-hit ball and allowing only one run.
“He’s been himself the whole time, knowing how his pitches work and he’s not trying to be anybody else, just sticking to his plan,” said Atlanta outfielder Michael Harris II.
Elder added, “I’ve said it before, it hasn’t always been pretty, but showing up every fifth day and trying to give your team a chance to win, that’s one thing that I’ve always been able to hang my hat on.”
Her has made seven career appearances (six starts) against the Mets, going 3-1 with a 5.00 ERA. Elder faced them once this season and was roughed up for six runs on 10 hits in four innings of an 8-1 loss on June 14.
Elder will try to extend the streak by Atlanta starting pitchers of allowing three or fewer runs in 18 consecutive games, matching Milwaukee for the second-longest streak of the year in the majors. The streak, the longest active in the majors, is the club’s longest-such streak since doing it in 25 straight games in 2024.
Scott has pitched better than his record indicates. He is 0-2 with a 4.30 ERA in three starts since the break. In his last outing on Wednesday, Scott didn’t factor into the decision against host Cleveland, allowing three runs on six hits over five innings with seven strikeouts.
In three career starts against Atlanta, Scott is 0-3 with a 3.94 ERA. He has faced the Braves twice this year, going 0-2 with a 3.60 ERA. He lost to Atlanta 1-0 on July 29 in New York despite allowing only one run in six innings with seven strikeouts.
–Field Level Media
