The Mets came into the Sunday game against the Braves mired in a serious funk. They had lost three straight games and twelve of the last fourteen games. They needed to turn it around, and given the state of their rotation, they had their best chance with Nolan McLean on the mound. They were facing Martín Pérez, who was in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career, with a 3.27 ERA going into the game. But rain in the area pushed the game off its 12:30 PM start time, threatening to complicate the game further for a Mets team in desperate need of an easy afternoon.
After a lengthy rain delay of nearly two hours, the game was finally underway at Truist Park, with Francisco Lindor leading off. He hit a groundball right to Austin Riley, but Riley bobbled the ball which allowed Lindor to reach first safely. Juan Soto hit a single and was thrown out attempting to stretch it into a double, but Lindor was able to reach third. Bo Bichette then hit a soft single to left, driving in Lindor as the game’s first run. Pérez was able to get out of the sticky situation (after making it even stickier with a walk of Mark Vientos to put two runners on) but the Mets ended the top of the first with the lead.
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In the bottom of the inning, the Mets predictably immediately blew their lead. McLean hit Drake Baldwin with a pitch then gave up a double to Ozzie Albies to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Tyrone Taylor made a great sliding catch to record the first out of the inning while saving a run from coming in to score. But a Michael Harris II single drove both runners in to give the Braves the lead. Nolan McLean then tried to throw over to first to try and pick off Harris, but he threw it at Harris, which then bounced away from Vientos and allowed Harris to advance to third. Mauricio Dubón then hit a single to drive in Harris as the Braves’ third run of the inning. A Dominic Smith double play got the Mets out of the inning but it took just three outs to take the Mets from winning to losing by multiple runs.
The Mets did something no one expected in the top of the second: they bounced back. A.J. Ewing led off with a solo home run to center field, putting the Mets back by just one run. A Luis Torrens walk and a Brett Baty double mirrored the Braves start to the last half inning, then a Lindor single tied the game up at three runs apiece. Soto hit a single to right, driving in both baserunners and putting the Mets back ahead. The Mets big inning ended there, but a four run inning put them back ahead and was the first show of resilience they had had in a while.
The game was quiet after that point, with McLean going six innings and allowing just the three runs (only two of them earned), with five strikeouts and just one walk. The next two Mets relievers who came in after him, Brooks Raley and Luke Raley delivered two scoreless innings to keep the Mets ahead by two runs. The Mets exploded in the ninth, beginning with a solo home run from Tyrone Taylor to add on a run to their lead. After two consecutive outs, the Mets offense exploded, with a Baty single and consecutive walks by Lindor and Soto loading the bases. A Bichette double drove in two runs, and a Jared Young (brought in a few innings earlier to pinch hit for Vientos) single drove in two more to put the Mets ahead by seven runs.
But it is the Mets of course, and nothing ever comes easy, even with a seven run lead. Huascar Brazoban came in, with a sparkling 1.94 ERA on the season and a nice cushy lead. He gave up two consecutive singles and then committed a throwing error to allow a run to score. No big deal, they still had a six run lead. A single and a walk then loaded the bases, and after a strikeout, Drake Baldwin hit a grand slam. A grand slam. Four runs. A seven run lead dwindled back down to two runs. Devin Williams was brought in to put Brazoban out of his misery, and at first looked like an improvement, getting the second out by striking out Albies. But then he gave up a double to Olson, who advanced to third on a wild pitch. Then Harris hit a single driving in Olson and putting the Braves within one run. Two outs earlier then had a seven run lead. A Mauricio Dubón single put two runners on, but Dominic Smith struck out and the Mets clung to their lead for the win.
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A win is a win, but this was one of the ugliest wins of the season for the Mets, one that essentially felt like a loss by the end. They have one more game against the Braves tomorrow, with a chance to head home with a series split. They have Freddy Peralta taking the mound, which has been an uphill battle for a win as of late.
SB Nation GameThreads
Box scores
Win Probability Added
Big Mets winner: Brooks Raley, +15% WPA
Big Mets loser: Carson Benge, -10% WPA
Mets pitchers: +24% WPA
Mets hitters: +26% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Devin Williams striking out Dominic Smith in the ninth, +24.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Mauricio Dubón’s single in the ninth inning, -14.5% WPA
