MILWAUKEE -- It took an extra day to determine the opponent, but the National League Central champion Brewers will host the New York Mets on Tuesday in the opener of an NL wild-card series. The Mets earned the No. 6 seed Monday by winning the first game of a make-up doubleheader at Atlanta.
The Braves won the second game 3-0 to claim the No. 5 seed and a date against the host San Diego Padres in the other wild-card series. Monday's results eliminated the Arizona Diamondbacks from playoff contention.
The defending NL champions needed one team to sweep Monday's doubleheader, which made up for two hurricane-related postponements last week. New York won Monday's opener 8-7 on Francisco Lindor's two-run homer in the top of the ninth. The Mets scored six runs in the eighth, only to see Atlanta rally with four in the bottom half for a 7-6 lead.
"We've answered the bell and we've earned the right to play in the postseason," New York first baseman Pete Alonso said. "This is when we have a great opportunity in front of us." Freddy Peralta (11-9, 3.
68 ERA) will pitch Tuesday for Milwaukee, while fellow right-hander Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91) gets the nod for the Mets. The Brewers clinched the NL Central title with 10 games remaining and won five of their last seven games.
They won two of three against New York in the final series and finished 5-1 against the Mets this season. "This team hasn't worried about who they're playing all year," first-year Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said Mond.
