The Mets didn’t need fireworks this time. After steamrolling the Braves in the opener, they settled into a tighter, grind-it-out 3-2 win in the matinee, with another game still waiting later in the day.
For most of the afternoon, the two clubs were locked in the same kind of messy stalemate. Errors popped up on both sides, baserunners kept finding their way aboard, and yet the pitchers kept slipping out of trouble before anything could break open.
Atlanta’s AJ Smith-Shawver, making his first start since Tommy John Surgery, looked sharp for much of his outing. A.J.
Ewing was the one Mets bat who kept bothering him, reaching base twice and swiping two bags, but the rest of the lineup was mostly held in check until the fifth.
That’s when the game finally cracked. Tyrone Taylor opened the bottom of the fifth with a walk, and Brett Baty followed with a line drive that skipped off Matt Olson’s glove.
Suddenly the Mets had runners on first and third with nobody out. Francisco Alvarez then ripped a ball off the wall in left to bring Taylor home and move Baty to third, while Alvarez slid into second.
Ewing’s sacrifice fly plated Baty, and just like that New York had a 2-0 lead.
Smith-Shawver was done after that, leaving with one out in the inning for Didier Fuentes. Fuentes walked Lindor to load the bases with two outs, but a Bo Bichette pop out and a Carson Benge strikeout kept the damage at two runs.
Sean Manaea answered with five scoreless innings of his own before Atlanta finally broke through in the sixth. Matt Olson crushed a two-run homer to tie the game, though the Mets’ lead lasted only one defensive out before the inning settled back down.
Manaea still finished with six innings, five hits, two runs, four strikeouts and two walks, enough to get the job done even if it wasn’t always clean. His season has been trending in the right direction, though the source here makes clear it still may not be enough to make him a deadline target.
The middle innings belonged to the bullpens. Victor Mederos opened the sixth for Atlanta and gave up a Jared Young single, but after getting the next two outs he was replaced by left-hander Dylan Dodd, who struck out pinch hitter Marcus Semien to end the frame. Huascar Brazobán then came on for the Mets and worked a quick three outs.
The seventh turned into the Mets’ next opening. Dodd walked both Ewing and Francisco Lindor, then looked close to escaping when Bichette lined out to right.
But Carson Benge came through with an up-and-in fastball down the right-field line, scoring Ewing and sending Lindor to third. Young was hit by the first pitch he saw, loading the bases and knocking Dodd out of the game.
Danny Young entered for Atlanta and faced Jorge Polanco, who had already laid down a sacrifice bunt earlier. This time, Polanco struck out looking to end the inning.
From there, New York needed six more outs. Luke Weaver handled part of that assignment with a strikeout and a double play, and both he and Brazobán helped their trade value with strong outings.
Tyler Kinley worked the eighth for the Braves, and good outfield defense kept the first two Mets from reaching. After Alvarez grounded out, the game moved to Devin Williams for the save chance.
Williams got the first two batters to lift harmless fly balls to shallow right and left, but Mauricio Dubón singled up the middle to keep Atlanta alive. Pinch runner Jorge Mateo then stole second after an overturned out call, putting the tying run in scoring position.
Still, Riley couldn’t deliver, striking out to end it.
The win gave the Mets their first stretch of more than two straight victories since a four-game run that ended in May. Christian Scott is set to face Chris Sale in the nightcap at 7:10 p.m. tonight.
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The problem is that starting-pitcher shopping rarely comes cheap, especially for a team trying to balance present urgency with longer-term roster control. ESPN has already surfaced a few more possibilities in that same lane, including Joe Ryan, which only adds to the sense that the Mets could be weighing a move that would help immediately but also invite plenty of debate about how much future value they should be willing to touch for a rotation upgrade. [Read more 🡒]