Braves may be aiming for a very strange result on Sunday

Atlanta Braves pre- and post-game radio host Kevin McAlpin has a running joke on X (formerly Twitter). After many losses to the New York Mets, he will tweet, “The Mets lost.”

His disdain for the Mets is shared throughout the Braves fan base. Which isn’t shocking, but it does shock me a bit.

There isn’t much love for the Philadelphia Phillies in Braves country either. But based on the hatred of the Mets, it sometimes seems like the Mets are the club that knocked the Braves out of the postseason the last two years.

However, things will be better for the Braves on Sunday if the Mets win. Before you throw the keyboard at the computer screen, let me explain.

First, the Braves have to win their last game against the Kansas City Royals. Otherwise, the Braves are most likely better off if the Mets lose.

But let’s assume the Braves take care of their business. That gives them 89 wins, and that’s all the Arizona Diamondbacks can achieve even with a win on Sunday. This means the Braves secure a spot in the playoffs.

Without the need for Monday’s doubleheader game, the Braves would be better off not playing the games. However, this is only possible if the Mets also win and the Diamondbacks lose.

The Diamondbacks have 88 wins, one more than the Mets’ 87 before Sunday’s game. But with a loss in Arizona and a win in New York, they will have 88 wins each.

The Mets also have the tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks, so New York will clinch a wild-card spot if both outcomes occur.

If the Diamonbacks are eliminated, there is actually no need for the rescheduled doubleheader on Monday. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred could insist that teams play seeding games, but that would be unusually cruel. Especially because either the Braves or Mets have to fly to San Diego for a playoff game on Tuesday immediately after Monday’s doubleheader.

My guess is that the doubleheader won’t happen while the Diamondbacks are eliminated for this reason.

But if either the Mets lose or the Diamondbacks win, the Braves will have to play at least one of the doubleheader games. That will be the case even if the Braves win.

In this scenario, the Braves can now use their entire B team and allow Jesse Chavez to throw 100 pitches on Monday if they want. But the Braves are still stuck at Truist Park until the Mets either win or squander another playoff chance.

As long as the Braves win, Sunday will be one of the rare cases where the team would likely prefer the Mets to win as well.