Baseball can turn sideways in a hurry, and Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Citi Field was a clean example. The Braves got a solid return from AJ Smith-Shawver, erased a two-run deficit, and still walked away with a 3-2 loss to the Mets after Carson Benge delivered the decisive two-out RBI double in the seventh.
Smith-Shawver’s first start back after Tommy John surgery was encouraging. More than 13 months after the procedure, the 23-year-old right-hander worked 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four on 69 pitches, 36 of them strikes. He leaned on a four-seamer and mixed in an occasional splitter, and for the most part he kept the Mets from doing much damage early.
The trouble started in the fifth, when the bottom of New York’s order put together the inning that changed the game. Tyrone Taylor drew a four-pitch walk, Brett Baty followed with a single that glanced off Matt Olson’s glove, and Francisco Alvarez drove in a run with a double that skipped to the left-field fence. Ewing then added a sacrifice fly to center, pushing the Mets ahead 2-0 and ending Smith-Shawver’s night.
The Braves answered right back in the sixth. Drake ripped a double off the left-field wall, Olson followed with his 28th homer, and suddenly the game was tied again at 2-2. But Atlanta never got the big hit after that.
The seventh inning belonged to the Mets. Victor Mederos entered after a Jared Young single and a Jorge Polanco sacrifice put a runner in scoring position.
With two outs, Dylan Dodd took over and immediately ran into trouble. He struck out Marcus Semien, but then walked Alvarez, Ewing, and Lindor on full counts.
Benge made Atlanta pay with a double to right that scored Ewing and gave New York a 3-2 lead.
Dodd hit Young to load the bases before being lifted for Danny Young, who struck out Polanco looking with a sweeper to end the inning. The Braves had one more chance in the eighth, but Olson’s one-out ground-ball double play ended that threat. Tyler Kinley then worked a clean bottom of the inning.
Devin Williams closed it out for the Mets, allowing a single and a stolen base to Mauricio Dubón before Riley struck out on a pitch up and out of the strike zone. That finished off New York’s 3-2 win.
The Braves did get a bit of help elsewhere. The Phillies blew a 6-0 lead in Miami and lost 8-6, completing a sweep by the Marlins. Since the break, Philadelphia is 3-9.
Game 2 is set to feature Chris Sale, who is 11-6 with a 2.19 ERA, against Christian Scott, who is 3-2 with a 3.13 ERA.
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