Mets Series Review Splitting With the Braves
The New York Mets had their streak of seven series wins come to an end as they split a four-game set with the Atlanta Braves to end a seven-game homestand. The Mets had good starting pitching, but their bats slumped as the weak underbelly of their bullpen was exposed in their two losses. The Mets are 18-9 and still on pace for a strong season, but there is room for improvement.
As the Mets prepared to begin their four-game series with the defending World Champion Atlanta Braves, the Mets got the news that manager Buck Showalter was suspended for one game due to pitching tight to Kyle Schrawber Sunday. Chris Bassitt got the start for the Mets and was strong early, as New York held a 2-0 lead, with Starling Marte scoring on a wild pitch in the second and Mark Canha hitting his first home run of the season in the third. The Braves got one run back in the fourth on a home run by Austin Riley.
The Braves took the lead in the sixth inning, scoring two runs, as Travis d'Arnaud hit a bloop double in the right spot on the right-field line. The Mets had a chance to answer in the seventh, but Collin McHugh came on with the bases loaded and got Mark Canha to strike out to end the inning. Bassitt allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings, striking out eight. He would be saddled with the losses as Trevor May came in and allowed two runs to give Atlanta a 5-2 win.
After the game, May complained of tight biceps, which was later revealed to be a stress reaction on the elbow. The Mets shut Trevor May for the rest of May, hoping that he can get back on track in June. May has an ERA of 8.64 in eight appearances in 2022. He has been unable to command his pitches due to the injury.
On Tuesday, the Mets had a doubleheader with David Peterson getting recalled from Syracuse to start the opener against Charlie Morton. The Mets jumped on Morton early, scoring two runs in the first with Pete Alonso and Eduardo Escobar, each delivering base hits to drive in a run. The Braves got one run back in the second, aided by a Dansby Swanson double that should have been ruled foul. The Mets scored two more runs in the second, with Alonso again driving in a run with two outs.
In the fourth inning, the Mets made it 5-1 with a sac-fly by Mark Canha, but Charlie Morton, who struggled early, began to settle in. The Braves quickly cut the lead to 5-4 as Matt Olson smashed a three-run bomb into the bullpen. David Peterson crawled through the final inning, allowing four runs in five innings with three walks in six strikeouts.
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The game was now in the hands of the Mets' bullpen, as the offense failed to get the insurance run. Adam Ottavino pitched a perfect sixth with two strikeouts. Drew Smith got the next two innings, allowing one walk, with two strikeouts, as the trumpets blared for Edwin Diaz in the ninth. The Mets closer struck out the first two hitters before a pinch single by Orlando Arcia. Diaz would respond quickly as Ozzie Albies grounded to second to end the game, with the Mets hanging on with a 5-4 win.
In the nightcap, Carlos Carrasco started for the Mets against Kyle Wright. Ronald Acuna led the game off with a double but was stranded as Carrasco worked in and out of trouble all night. Meanwhile, the Mets got two runs in the bottom of the first, with Dom Smith driving in a pair with a double.
The Braves got the leadoff runner in four of the first six innings, but Carlos Carrasco pitched best with runners on base, as the Braves failed to score, despite six hits in eight innings, ending the game with five strikeouts. In the sixth, the Mets added a third run on a Pete Alonso home run as Seth Lugo finished the game, allowing one hit in the ninth. The Mets had their sixth shutout, with a 3-0 win to sweep the doubleheader.
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Tylor Megill, who started the No-Hitter last week, started the finale on Thursday against Ian Anderson. Both pitchers had similar stuff, as Megill did not allow a hit over the first four innings. Added with his five innings on Friday, it was nine straight innings without a hit for the Mets breakout star.
Tylor Megill would escape a jam in the fifth but appeared to run out of gas in the sixth, as Atlanta loaded the bases with one out. Buck Showalter made the call for the bullpen, calling on Adam Ottavino, who was pitching for the third day in a row. From the first pitch, it was clear that Ottavino had nothing as the Braves erupted for seven runs on the way to a 9-2 win.