New York @ Atlanta preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 9, 2016 ) NY Mets 6, Atlanta 4

The New York Mets figure to lean heavily on their elder statesmen once again when they put a six-game winning streak on the line Saturday at the Atlanta Braves. Curtis Granderson, the team's oldest position player at 35, homered in his fourth straight game and drove in three runs to lift the Mets to a comeback 6-4 win in the opener of the three-game series Friday night.

He is batting .438 with 10 RBIs during the winning streak, which has given the club a hold on one of the National League's two wild-card spots. Another key figure in New York's late-season surge has been Saturday's starter, 43-year-old Bartolo Colon, who is 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA over his last seven starts. The four-time All-Star has also enjoyed his encounters with the Braves over the years, going 9-3 with a 2.35 ERA in 13 games, but he will be wary of Braves slugger Freddie Freeman. Atlanta's first baseman has hit safely in 15 straight games and is 13-for-27 with five doubles and a homer against Colon.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, WPIX (New York), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Bartolo Colon (13-7, 3.22 ERA) vs. Braves RH John Gant (1-3, 4.70)

Instead of slowing down, Colon is seemingly gaining strength as he plows through his 19th season, opening September with six scoreless innings in a win at Cincinnati. He is 6-3 with a 3.14 ERA since the All-Star break, recording four of those victories on the road. The Dominican Republic native has let up one run in 15 innings versus Atlanta this season and is 5-1 with a 1.51 ERA in six career starts at Turner Field.

Gant will be making his second start in a row for the Braves after just two relief appearances in August. The 24-year-old, who was traded from the Mets to Atlanta last year, limited New York to a run and two hits in 6 2/3 innings on June 17 to pick up his first major-league win. He has allowed eight runs and 13 hits in 9 1/3 innings at home, where he last pitched on June 27.

WALK-OFFS

1. Braves rookie SS Dansby Swanson had three more hits Friday and is 7-for-11 with two homers during a three-game hitting streak.

2. Mets RHP Jeurys Familia has allowed one earned run in his last 17 2/3 innings.

3. Atlanta OF Ender Inciarte was 0-for-5 on Friday to end his 18-game hitting streak, but he is still batting .357 since the All-Star break.

PREDICTION: Mets 5, Braves 3