The Mets split a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves. The series proved to be a roller coaster of emotions, with the Mets winning the first two and outclassing Atlanta before the tables were turned for the second two games where the Braves were clearly better. After the series, the Mets stand with their record at 55-50. There is a logjam in the NL when looking at the Wild Card standings. The Mets were in sole possession of the top Wild Card spot after their win in game two of the series. By the end of the series, they were holding on to the last Wild Card spot, a 0.5 game ahead of the Diamondbacks. New York is 10 games behind the division-leading Phillies.
Before getting to the breakdown of games from the Braves series itself, it is important to play catch up on the important happenings in Mets World over the past few days.
Francisco Lindor continues his MVP-caliber pace. It seems like ages ago when Lindor was being called a disappointment and struggling to get his batting average above .200. He is now being mentioned in the MVP conversation.
On the other side of the coin, Kodai Senga made his long-awaited 2024 debut in Game 2 of the series against the Braves. While he was strong in striking out nine in 5.2 innings, he left the game prematurely when he went down awkwardly with a left calf injury. An MRI on Saturday led to a left calf strain, diagnosis and he was placed on the 15-day IL. However, Manager Carlos Mendoza is not encouraged about seeing Senga again in the 2024 regular season.
The Mets also got a bit of a head start on the 2024 Trade Deadline, bringing in Ryne Stanek from the Seattle Mariners. Stanek brings nasty stuff that will fortify the bullpen. So far this season he has appeared in 46 games and pitched to a 6-3 record with an ERA of 4.38 (career ERA of 3.54) and WHIP of 1.33 (close to his career 1.28). This is likely the first of many moves to solidify the roster for a playoff push. The Mets are expected to be buyers at the deadline. Jesse Winker was also acquired ahead of the deadline, coming over from the Washington Nationals. While not trades, the continued rehab of Reed Garrett and Sean Reid-Foley will bring additional reinforcements to the bullpen.
Here are the by-game rundowns of the Braves series:
Game 1: Mets 3, Braves 2
Jeff McNeil continued his mid-season reclamation project by delivering the game-winning hit in the 10th, following another strong start by Luis Severino.
Ramon Laureano overran the McNeil fly ball in the 10th, allowing it to fall and giving the Mets the victory. He may have been a bit distracted after shouldering Francisco Alvarez in the top of the 10th on a botched squeeze play. While it did not appear that there was any ill intent by Laureano, Alvarez did take exception to the play.
McNeil’s game winner was his second hit of the contest, and only the third hit of the game for the Mets. The other was a two-run home run by Lindor in the bottom of the third inning. Mark Vientos and DJ Stewart each struck out three times.
On the mound, Severino had a solid if not spectacular outing. He went five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Jose Butto, an unsung hero of the Mets recent run, pitched three hitless innings in relief, followed by closer Edwin Diaz who pitched a scoreless ninth. Phil Maton pitched the top of the 10th to pick up his second win of the season.
The Braves more than doubled the hit output of the Mets, with seven, but could not make them count as much as needed. Austin Riley had two of the Atlanta hits, and Matt Olson another two. Laureano had a single, and former Met Travis d’Arnaud (one RBI) and Orlando Arcia (one RBI) had the other Braves hits.
Chris Sale was great on the mound for Atlanta. Over 7.1 innings he surrendered only two runs on two hits with a walk and nine strikeouts. Joe Jimenez followed for 0.2 innings to finish the eighth. Raisel Iglesias pitched a scoreless ninth before Pierce Johnson took the loss in the 10th.
Game 2: Mets 8, Braves 4
The Mets leapfrogged the Braves for the top Wild Card spot in the National League with the win. Senga made his return to the mound but left in the sixth with a calf strain. J.D. Martinez delivered the decisive shot for the Mets with an opposite-field grand slam.
For Martinez, the grand slam (11th home run) was the highlight of a three for four performance. Vientos rebounded from a tough opening game of the series to go two for three with a two-run home run (14th of the season) and three total RBIs. Alvarez drove in the other Mets run with a solo home run, his fifth of the season.
Senga went 5.1 innings in his first start of the season before exiting with the injury. He allowed two runs on two hits with one walk and nine strikeouts over that span. Eric Orze came on in relief, pitching 1.2 innings and giving up a run. Adam Ottavino pitched a nerve wracking but ultimately scoreless eighth before Jake Diekman pitched the ninth to conclude it, giving up a run.
Adam Duvall and Marcel Ozuna were the stories offensively for Atlanta. Duvall was two for four with two home runs and three total RBIs. Ozuna drove in the other run on a solo home run that was part of his two for three day.
Charlie Morton got the start for Atlanta, going only 2.2 innings while giving up seven runs (five earned) on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Daysbel Hernandez went the next 1.1 innings, giving up a run. The next four scoreless innings were thrown by the combination of Aaron Bummer (two innings), A.J. Minter (one inning), and Jesse Chavez (one inning).
Game 3: Braves 4, Mets 0
The Mets were a no-show on offense against a strong outing from Spencer Schwellenbach, producing only four hits and not generating any runs. Tylor Megill was okay starting for the Mets, but it was not enough. The Mets winning streak is snapped at five and they fall back behind Atlanta in the race for the top Wild Card spot.
Hits were few for New York, with the four generated by Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso, McNeil, and Luis Torrens. The hits from McNeil and Alonso were both doubles, with the others being singles. The Mets were hitless in five at-bats with runners in scoring position. They did not walk once, but struck out 14 times. Leading the way in K’s were Martinez (struck out in all four at-bats) and Vientos (struck out in all three at-bats).
Megill threw 95 pitches over his six innings. He surrendered four runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He was victimized by giving up three home runs, and moved to a record of 2-5 on the season with an ERA of 5.20. Danny Young tossed two scoreless innings, followed by a shutout inning from Alex Young.
For the Braves, three solo homers and an RBI single represented all the scoring. The scoring started in the fourth inning, with Ozuna and Olson going back to back with solo shots. Arcia extended the lead to three in the fifth inning with an RBI single, and the scoring was finished after Eddie Rosario’s solo home run in the seventh.
Schwellenbach started for Atlanta and picked up his fourth win of the year to move to 4-5 with a season ERA of 4.06. In a dominant start he went seven innings, and gave up only two hits while striking out 11. Jimenez and Iglesias followed suit, completing the shutout.
Game 4: Braves 9, Mets 2
The series ended with a thud for the Mets, and with a ton of momentum for the Braves. Eight of the nine Braves runs came via the long ball, and David Peterson took his first loss of the year for the Mets. Reynaldo Lopez, the Braves starter that represented the team in the All-Star game, left early due to injury. The Mets tried to mount a comeback in the fifth while trailing 4-0. Ben Gamel singled to center, but Tyrone Taylor was thrown out at the plate. By scoring in the ninth, the Mets prevented a second straight shutout loss.
After the Braves took a 9-0 lead, the Mets finally put some runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth, courtesy of a two-run home run by Alonso, his 21st of the year. He also had a double. Taylor also had two hits, both doubles. Vientos contributed a double, and Lindor a single in addition to Gamel’s hit.
Peterson went five innings in the loss, giving up four runs on four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. Of potential concern, Peterson appeared to be favoring his throwing shoulder while walking off at the end of the fifth. Alex Young came on in relief for a scoreless inning. Stanek made his debut, and went one inning while sacrificing three runs on two hits. He gave up two home runs. Diekman pitched the eighth and gave up a two-run homer before Ottavino mopped up with a scorless ninth.
Olson started the scoring for the Braves in the fourth with a three-run bomb, and struck out in his other three at-bats. A Peterson wild pitch scored d’artaud to make the score 4-0 and Arcia followed with a solo home run in the seventh. Riley had a two-run homer in the same frame to make it 7-0. The final two runs for the Braves came courtesy of a Laureano home run in the top of the eighth.
Lopez became the latest of a long line to be injured for Atlanta this season. He pitched three scoreless innings to lower his ERA on the year to 2.06. However, he left with forearm soreness and is day to day. Dylan Lee came on in relief and finished the fifth to pick up the win. Johnson pitched a scorless sixth and Minter a scoreless seventh. Jimmy Herget pitched the eighth and ninth, giving up the two-run homer to Alonso.
Up Next
The Mets stay at home to host the Minnesota Twins for a three-game set. Scheduled to pitch for the Mets are Jose Quintana (5-6 record, 4.02 ERA on the year), Sean Manaea (6-4, 3.74), and Severino (7-3, 3.58). The Twins enter the series with a record of 58-46, which is 4.5 games behind the AL Central-leading Guardians. The Twins hold the second Wild Card spot in the AL.
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