"It's going to come down to that series in Atlanta" "Mets can't afford to lose to the teams with under .500 records" - New York Mets fans optimistic of finishing the season ahead of Atlanta

As the MLB season nears its end, New York Mets fans anticipate the final series will decide which team sits atop the NL East. The Mets are currently in first place for the National League East, with a record of 82-47. They sit three games ahead of the defending World Series champs, the Atlanta Braves.

With a three-game lead in the division, the rest of the season will be crucial for the Mets. They are hoping to close out the season as the leaders of the NL East, giving them a bye for the wild card rounds.

As both the Mets and the Braves look to close out the season, the strength of their schedules is almost identical. They both have two series' against the Washington Nationals and the Miami Marlins. They also share a series against the Oakland Athletics. The two teams will play each other in their second-to-last series of the year.

With such a close race in the NL East, New York Mets fans understand the importance of finishing out strong. The Mets can't afford to lose games they shouldn't. Some fans believe that the NL East will be decided by the Braves-Mets series at the end of the season.

The Mets have a tough series coming up against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are the best team in all of MLB. The Mets were shutout last night against the Colorado Rockies. Some fans believe that winning the Dodger series will bring a spark to the offense.

With last night's shutout loss to Colorado, some fans are worried about the offensive production for the rest of the season. The Mets are led offensively by their slugging first baseman, Pete Alonso. Alonso has batted .273 for the season with 31 home runs and 104 RBIs. Alonso is tied for fourth in home runs, and tied for third in RBI's.

As the New York Mets welcome back Eduardo Escobar, they are hoping he can bring fire back to the offense

The Mets recently got their third baseman, Eduardo Escobar, back from the 10-day IL. standing in for Escobar was one of their top rookie prospects, Brett Baty. Baty homered in his first at-bat with the Mets. The Mets will get a boost offensively once Escobar returns fully healthy.

The Dodgers recently placed one of their best pitchers on the IL. The Mets won't be seeing Tony Gonsolin. Some fans are hoping that the Mets will be able to get to Los Angeles' bullpen early and get their offense rolling again.

With very few series left in the MLB season, the New York Mets need to finish out their season strong. The Braves play the Phillies in two more series' before the regular season ends. Mets fans will be rooting full force for their divisional foes to beat up on the Braves for them.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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