Alleged 100-loss Mets have chance to sweep Braves

Throughout the offseason the Mets were the joke of baseball. Some went so far as to predict that they would lose 100 games and while most weren’t that pessimistic, they were a near unanimous pick to finish in last place in the NL East. Those of us who suggested that they were not that bad were denounced as homers and fanboy optimists.

Well, what better way for the 2012 Mets to announce their presence with authority than to sweep the hated Braves in the first series of the season? That’s what’s on the table today after the Mets won the first two games of the year.

The Mets have not had a winning record against the Braves since 2006 and since the turn of the century, that is their only winning season against their division rivals. Heading into 2012, the Braves own a 125-91 (.578) advantage over the Mets since 2000, despite New York fielding many strong teams in that time frame.

Surprisingly, we do not have to travel too far back in time to see the last time the Mets swept the Braves. New York took a three-game set against Atlanta in April of 2010, as they outscored the Braves, 9-2. That series also featured a 1-0 win against Tommy Hanson, but this one was a rain-shortened affair. However, the Mets finished the year just 7-11 versus the Braves in 2010.

Just as impressive as the two wins is the way the Mets have achieved the results. Johan Santana came up with a strong game in the opener and the Mets broke out the longball in the second game, hitting three home runs. But equally important has been the play of the bullpen, as the team’s relievers have pitched seven scoreless innings. In that span, the relievers have issued just one walk and have seven strikeouts.

Jonathon Niese takes the mound Sunday as the Mets go for the sweep. In eight career games against the Braves, Niese is 3-2 with a 3.55 ERA. He has 17 BB and 45 Ks in 45.2 IP against Atlanta. Last year he was 2-0 against the Braves in three starts.

Atlanta has a lefty-heavy lineup, with McCann, Freeman, Bourn and Heyward all batting from the left side. McCann is likely to get the day off and the Braves will likely put lefty-killer Matt Diaz into the starting lineup. But the Mets should be happy to see Ross in for McCann and Niese has done a good job in his career versus Diaz, as the veteran RHB is just 1-8 lifetime versus the Mets’ lefty with the new nose.

New York opened the year with 12 games against division rivals and it was important for the club to avoid the poor start they got off to last season, when it opened the year 5-13. It’s important to remember that the Mets began 2011 3-1 before totally hitting the skids as the bullpen imploded. Still a sweep is on the table and at this point, nobody could ask for anything more in the young season.