Braves come back to edge Mets, 4-3, and deny series sweep
Published in Baseball
ATLANTA — The swag is back, but Mark Vientos might have been the lone bright spot in the Mets’ series finale against the Atlanta Braves.
Not that Mark Vientos ever lost it, but there was a time this season when the player the New York Mets call “Swaggy V” didn’t seem to possess the same power he did last season, when he hit 27 home runs in a breakout campaign. The Mets may not have completed a sweep of the Atlanta Braves on Sunday at Truist Park, but the third home run from Vientos in only two games has the Mets optimistic that his bat is fully back.
Left-hander Gregory Soto (1-4) couldn’t finish off the bottom of the eighth. With one on and two out, he walked Sean Murphy and plunked pinch-hitter Vidal Brujan to load the bases for Jurickson Profar. Profar sent a single up the middle to score two. The Mets lost 4-3, finishing a six-game road trip 3-3.
“I think the whole game, with the free passes, we were giving them extra outs and they made us pay,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “We saw it again in that situation with two outs, 0-2, and [Soto] couldn’t put him away. Then before you know it, hit by a pitch, and they ended up getting another two-run single there.”
The inning started with Ozzie Albies hitting a line drive right to Brett Baty at second base, but the ball went right off his glove. Ruled a base hit, it was an unfortunate break for the Mets (69-61).
“We couldn’t make a play,” Mendoza said.
Juan Soto’s one-out RBI single off closer Raisel Iglesias brought the Mets back to within one in the top of the ninth, but Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil went down in order. Had they managed to come back, the Mets would have completed their first-ever sweep of the Braves at Truist Park. The last time the Mets swept the Braves in Atlanta was at Turner Field in April 2016.
The Mets are 0-53 when trailing after eight innings this season.
“We’ve got to be able to make those adjustments, especially once we get to those middle innings, and we get to their bullpen,” Mendoza said. “We chased, and we didn’t get it done.”
Up 2-0 early after a home run from Vientos, left-hander David Peterson was able to cruise through the first five innings with relative ease. But again, it was extra outs given to Atlanta (59-71) that allowed the Braves to tie the game at 2-2. With one out and one on, the Mets couldn’t turn a double play, getting only one run out of a grounder by Ozzie Albies. Michael Harris II hit a single to left, and Peterson walked Nacho Alvarez Jr. to load the bases.
“I think I’m good until that point,” Peterson said. “I just didn’t do a good enough job after that ground-ball of continuing to get guys out and fell behind in the count.”
Peterson threw two balls to Murphy, and the catcher lined the third pitch to right field for a two-run single.
The Mets then brought in Brooks Raley for the third out.
Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes became the Mets’ first two starting pitchers other than Peterson to throw six or more innings since early June in the first two games of the series, snapping a streak of 63 games. The Mets were hopeful Peterson, who went eight his last time out to start the road trip in Washington, would be able to go deep enough to keep that run going and he nearly did, pitching 5 2/3.
Atlanta loaded the bases on Peterson, whose command started to waver. He fell behind 0-2 on Murphy, and threw a cutter away on the third pitch. Murphy lined it to right field to score two.
“Obviously, the walks don’t help, and then I got behind Murphy, was aggressive with the sinker and he was able to take it the other way,” Peterson said. “The way I kind of look at it is, a good outing overall, but I needed to stay aggressive, needed to get ahead in those counts in the sixth.”
The Mets loaded the bases on Pierce Johnson with two outs in the seventh, but Alonso grounded out on the first pitch.
Vientos took right-hander Bryce Elder deep with one on and none out in the second inning, putting the Mets up 2-0. His third home run in as many at-bats, Vientos hit two Saturday night in the Mets’ 9-2 win. Six of his 12 home runs this season have come after the All-Star break. Sunday’s homer extended his hitting streak to seven games.
Over those seven games, Vientos has gone 10 for 28, with five home runs, 11 RBI, two doubles and two walks.
They now return home to play three games against the Philadelphia Phillies, going into the series seven games behind their divisional foes in the NL East. They’re two games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds for the third NL wild-card spot, but the lead could be cut to only one game if Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the Reds tonight in Phoenix.
“Another day we didn’t get the job done,” Mendoza said. “We’ve got to finish games.”
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