ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves bounced back from a stunning loss in the first game of a makeup doubleheader, claiming the last postseason berth with a 3-0 win over the Mets in the nightcap Monday after New York clinched a playoffs trip with an 8-7 victory in the opener.
With three teams in contention for the last two playoff spots in the National League, the Braves faced the Mets in a twin bill squeezed between the scheduled end to the regular season and the start of the Wild Card Series.
The defending NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks could only watch from afar and were eliminated as NL East rivals made up a pair of games rained out last week as Hurricane Helene wreaked destruction in the southeastern U.S.
The Diamondbacks needed one team to sweep, so they were pulling for the Mets after they locked up their postseason spot by overcoming deficits of 3-0 in the eighth inning and 7-6 in the ninth to win the opener.
Paul Newberry, The Associated Press
