ATLANTA – Almost to a man, the Braves say the Mets are as talented as they are, that their utter dominance of the Amazin’s has nothing to do with better ability or skill. Read between the lines, and the problem must be between the Mets’ ears.
After outscoring the Mets 18-7 in the first two games of this series, and sending Tom Glavine to the mound last night looking for a sweep, the Braves have all-but clinched their ninth straight division title. The Amazin’s seem destined for their fourth straight second-place finish in the NL East, the last two with a roster the Braves say is as talented as their own. Logic would follow if it’s not their lineup, it’s their mental makeup.
“We’re not any better than them (talent-wise). It just comes down to making the plays we needed to make,” said Glavine. “If you dissect it game by game, it comes down to doing the little things to win. The difference is a key hit or key pitch. We’ve done it against this team.”
They’d done it against them in every Sept. game here since Turner Field opened in 1997. The Mets came into last night 0-10 here in Sept. games, and the Braves think hearing about it can’t possibly help the Mets’ battered psyche.
“It’s a hindrance, no question,” Glavine said. “You hear that enough, it gets in the back of your mind. You start playing as much not to lose more than playing to win. You just have to stand up and break through it. It was like that for us with Pittsburgh. They whipped our butts in the early ’90s, but we found a way into the playoffs. You just have to get past that. Each individual has to stand up and say [I’m getting past this].”
Infielder Walt Weiss admitted, “I’m sure that’s part of it. It could be. Maybe that’s got something to do with it.” And when asked if the Amazin’s have looked like deer caught looking into headlights when they’ve played in Turner Field this year, ex-Met Bobby Bonilla said, “I don’t think it’s just this past year. I think it’s been going on for years. I think this has gone on for awhile.
“The Braves have played well against them, no question. We play exceptionally well against the Mets. I saw it myself last year when I was with the Mets, now I’m witnessing it myself over here.”
The Braves have had their problems with Montreal and Florida, but catcher Javy Lopez theorized the Expos and Marlins were loose and carefree, playing with house money and nothing to lose. But the Mets and Arizona, teams expected to contend for the NL pennant, have wilted under far heavier pressure.
“When we play a team like Montreal, there’s no pressure. They know they can’t win (the division). But when it’s the Mets or Arizona, there’s pressure to make the playoffs,” Lopez said. “You feel the pressure, get anxious, knowing you’ve got to play great to make it. That’s a whole different attitude.”
