After long rain delay, Mets blow 6-0 lead and lose to Atlanta Braves

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News on Aug 14, 2025

Published in Baseball

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Just when it looked like the Mets were finally able to produce runs, a six-run outburst over the first two innings was undone by yet another starting pitching implosion. David Peterson, the only starter in the rotation who can reliably go six innings every five days, had nearly given up the lead when he was removed in the fourth inning.

This time, the Mets couldn’t hit their way out. They lost to the Atlanta Braves 11-6 on Wednesday night at Citi Field, losing for the eighth time in nine tries.

“Every one of them hurts,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “We’ve had some tough ones. I wouldn’t say it’s the worst loss of the season, they all count the same. Back at it tomorrow, but it sucks to lose a game when you go up six right away.”

The Mets (64-56) jumped all over right-hander Carlos Carrasco in the first inning, scoring three runs in the first and three in the second. Carrasco practically handed the game to the Mets, leaving after only two innings. Peterson struggled to find the strike zone in the top of the third, but ultimately worked out of a bases-loaded jam.

However, the shaky inning was a sign of what was to come in the fourth, when he lost the zone completely, giving up six of the nine runs the Braves (52-68) would score in the inning.

“I was a little out of sync with my mechanics,” Peterson said. “I wasn’t able to dial it back in.”

The lefty walked catcher Sean Murphy on four straight pitches, then gave up a single to Michael Harris II before striking out Eli White for the first out. He threw four pitches to Nacho Alvarez Jr. that were nowhere near the zone to load the bases, and battled with No. 9 hitter Nick Allen for nine pitches before walking in a run.

Back to the top of the order, Jurickson Profar got a changeup on the outside edge of the zone and lined it to left field for a double. Three runs scored, and the Mets lead was suddenly down to only two. Peterson threw six pitches to Matt Olson to walk him. Two of those pitches were strikes, but one was a generous call.

That forced Mendoza to go to the bullpen early. Again.

“We’re not holding up our end, and we need to do better,” Peterson said of the rotation. “I think that starts with analyzing the performance and then turning the page moving on to the next one.”

Peterson took his second straight loss (7-6), allowing a season-high six earned runs on six hits, walking five and striking out five in only 4 1/3 innings. The Mets have gone a full turn through the rotation without getting a six-inning start from a single pitcher, which is almost unheard of this deep in the season, and should sound the alarm on their pitching processes.

“It’s hard for me to sit here and say, ‘OK this is particularly what they’re doing,'” Mendoza said. The pitching coaches are kind of digging deep to make sure we’re not missing anything with what’s going on here, you know? And like I said, that’s our job as coaches to get these guys back on track because they’re talented. We just haven’t been able to get that now.”

Right-hander Reed Garrett replaced Peterson, and promptly gave up an RBI single to Marcell Ozuna. He got the first out, but walked Murphy to load the bases for Harris, who hit a grand slam to cap a disastrous inning and put Atlanta ahead 9-6.

Right-hander Paul Blackburn, making only his seventh appearance of the season, went five innings the rest of the way through to save the bullpen. However, his two-run effort muddies the pitching waters for the rest of the weekend. Having thrown five innings, he won’t be able to pitch again for another five days. Without minor league options, the only way the Mets can get another reliever from Triple-A would be to designate him for assignment.

“He saved our bullpen,” Mendoza said. “He was able to finish that game, gave up two on a hanging breaking ball, but he was good, he was pitch efficient, obviously, and like I said, he saved the bullpen. He’s in the bullpen.”

But for how much longer? The bullpen is still in a bind, with right-hander Kodai Senga going Thursday, and left-hander Sean Manaea opening the series against the Seattle Mariners on Friday.

Down by three in the bottom of the fourth, the Mets put two on with two out. Starling Marte singled to right field and Pete Alonso was waved around second, but the Polar Bear slid head-first right as the throw from White came in to Murphy. He was tagged out, and the inning ended.

The fans who stuck around through all nine innings after a nearly two-hour rain delay and a fourth inning that felt twice as long booed the Mets off the field, predictably.