Remaining Strength of Schedule Paints Exciting Picture for Mets in NL East Race

As September approaches, the New York Mets are locked in a tight NL East race with the Atlanta Braves. While the Mets currently occupy the division's top spot, only two games separate them from their rivals. In other words, this battle for divisional supremacy is far from over.

Fortunately, the Mets have a favorable remaining strength of schedule. As 92.9 The Game's Grant McAuley points out, 27 of New York's 36 remaining games are against sub-.500 clubs, whereas 16 of the Braves' final 36 matchups are against over-.500 teams.

I've read some chatter that the #Braves' had an easier schedule that allowed them to get back in the division race. However, there's no question that the Mets have the easier path ahead – 27 of final 36 games vs. sub-.500 clubs. Atlanta has 16 of final 36 against over-.500 teams. https://t.co/G3GUov12Ht
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) August 26, 2022

Mets Schedule 2022

According to Tankathon, the Mets have the easiest remaining schedule of all 30 MLB teams. Their final opponents average a .446 winning percentage, while series against the Braves, LA Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers are their only real tests. Meanwhile, the Braves' remaining schedule (.481) ranks 10th-easiest.

Mets fans will be thrilled to know that their club hasn't had many issues against losing teams this year, going 43-17 in 60 games against sub-.500 opponents in 2022.

Key injuries to aces Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer could've derailed the Mets' season, but they didn't allow it. Even with that time missed, New York still has the sixth-best team ERA (3.60) and has remained on top thanks to a consistent offense that averages 4.75 runs per game (No. 5).

The Mets had a chance to tighten their grasp over the NL East lead last week but lost a four-game series to the Braves, three games to one. The good news is that Buck Showalter's club still has one more chance to put the Braves in their place when the two rivals meet for a final three-game series at Truist Park from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.

NL East Odds

The Mets are currently FanDuel Sportsbook's favorites to win the NL East, coming in at -410 odds to win the division. The Braves are quite behind them at +320, while the Philadelphia Phillies are a distant third with +21000 odds.

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.