The Atlanta Braves passed the New York Mets in the National League East on Friday. The Mets led the division for most of the season but have struggled as of late. Meanwhile, the Braves have rebounded nicely following a slow start to the 2022 campaign. Manager Buck Showalter and shortstop Francisco Lindor spoke out after the Mets lost possession of first place, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
“We never looked at it that way,” Showalter said. “I know everyone else looked at it like that. We certainly don’t look at it that way. It’s disrespectful to the other team.”
Buck Showalter is referring to the fact that the Mets are in the midst of an easy part of their schedule. Nevertheless, they lost 6-3 against the lowly Miami Marlins on Friday. Francisco Lindor echoed Showalter's sentiment.
“They’re not the Dodgers, they’re not the Braves, but they’re (Marlins) still a good team,” Francisco Lindor. “[Edward] Cabrera’s a good pitcher.”
Lindor, who rolled into a double play with the bases loaded in a key situation, said the Mets need to “turn the page.”
The Braves are 8-2 over the course of their last 10 games. The Mets are just 5-5 over that same time span. To make matters worse, All-Star pitcher Max Scherzer was recently placed on the IL.
The Mets held a division lead last year before crumbling in the season's second half. They are hoping to avoid the same fate in 2022. New York will try to bounce back and take care of business against the Marlins over the weekend.