After trouncing the Braves in the first game of their series, the Mets’ pulled off a less dramatic win, taking the matinee 3-2 with a nightcap to follow.
The first four and a half innings of this game looked very similar on both sides of the ball. Both teams committed errors, both allowed some baserunners on questionable defensive alignments, but both pitchers got out of jams and kept the games scoreless.
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AJ Smith-Shawver was making his first start after Tommy John Surgery and mostly looked very strong. A.J. Ewing reached twice and stole two bases against Smith-Shawver, but otherwise, he kept the Mets fairly in check.
That would change in the bottom of the fith.
Tyrone Taylor led off the inning with a walk, which was followed by a Brett Baty line drive that skipped off of Matt Olson‘s glove, and put runners on first and third with no outs. Francisco Alvarez then drilled a ball off the base of the wall in left, scoring Taylor and sending Baty to third, while Alvarez just barely got into second. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Ewing scored Baty, and the Mets were up 2-0.
That would be it for Smith-Shawver, who was pulled for Didier Fuentes with one out. Fuentes walked Lindor to put two on, but a Bo Bichette pop out and a Carson Benge strikeout ended the scoring at two.
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Sean Manaea similarly avoided trouble for his first five innings, working around some soft contact, walks, and a hit by pitch without allowing a run.
However, Manaea’s luck would run out in the top of the sixth, when a Matt Olson two-run homer tied the game before letting their lead last for one defensive out. However, three quick outs followed the dinger, and in five pitches, Manaea closed out the fifth.
Overall, Manaea’s six innings of five hit, two run, four strikeout, two walk ball got the job done, even if this wasn’t a pretty effort at times. Manaea has slowly righted his season somewhat, but not likely enough to make him a deadline target.
Victor Mederos began the sixth inning on the mound for Atlanta, and was greeted by Jared Young‘s second hit of the game. After retiring the next two batters, he was pulled for lefty Dylan Dodd, who struck out pinch hitter Marcus Semien to end the frame.
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Huascar Brazobán was first out of the ‘pen for the Mets and got three quick outs.
Dodd pitched the seventh for the Braves, and walked both Ewing and Francisco Lindor, but he looked like he was about to get through it when he got Bichette to line out to right. However, Carson Benge took an up and in fastball down the right field line to score Ewing and push Lindor to third. Young was then plunked by the first pitch he saw and, with the bases now loaded, Dodd was out of the game.
Old friend Danny Young was next in for the Braves, facing Jorge Polanco from the right side. Polanco, who got down a sacrifice bunt earlier in the game, struck out looking for what feels like the 600th time since he returned to end the inning.
The Mets had to get six more outs to win the game, and they first entrusted Luke Weaver to get them there. A strikeout and a double play got them halfway there. Both Weaver and Brazobán bolstered their trade value with excellent performances today.
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Tyler Kinley pitched the bottom of the eighth for the Braves, and good outfield defense prevented the first two batters from reaching base. An Alvarez ground out turned the game over to Devin Williams to close it out.
Williams got the first two batters to fly out to shallow right and left fields, respectively. Mauricio Dubón lined a single up the middle to keep the Braves alive. Pinch runner Jorge Mateo stole second on an overturned out call, putting the tying run into scoring position. However, the slumping Riley couldn’t deliver, striking out to end the game.
This is the first time the Mets won more than two in a row since a four-game winning streak that ended May. Could they match that streak tonight?
Christian Scott will face Chris Sale in the nightcap, starting at 7:10pm tonight.
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SB Nation GameThreads
Box scores
Win Probability Added
Big Mets winner: Carson Benge, +20.0% WPA
Big Mets loser: Bo Bichette, -15.0% WPA
Mets pitchers: +41.0% WPA
Mets hitters: 9.0% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Carson Benge’s game-winning double, +21.6% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Matt Olson’s two-run jack, -21.0% WPA
