The Mets got exactly what they needed on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park: a win, and a little bit of breathing room after a brutal stretch. They had dropped three straight and 12 of their last 14, so the bar was simple enough.
Stop the slide. Nolan McLean gave them the best shot to do it, even with Martín Pérez bringing a 3.27 ERA into the game and rain threatening to turn the whole thing into a mess before it even started.
The weather did its part first, pushing the 12:30 PM start back by nearly two hours. Once the game finally got going, Francisco Lindor set the tone in the top of the first by reaching when Austin Riley bobbled a grounder.
Juan Soto followed with a single, and though he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double, Lindor moved to third. Bo Bichette then punched a soft single to left to bring Lindor home for the first run.
Pérez escaped further damage after walking Mark Vientos, but the Mets had an early lead.
That didn’t last long. Not even close.
McLean opened the bottom of the first by hitting Drake Baldwin and then allowing a double to Ozzie Albies, putting two runners in scoring position with nobody out. Tyrone Taylor made a sliding catch that saved a run and got the first out, but Michael Harris II followed with a single that scored both runners and flipped the game.
McLean’s next miscue made things worse: he tried to pick Harris off first and threw the ball at him instead, with the ball bouncing away from Vientos and letting Harris reach third. Mauricio Dubón then singled him in, and a Dominic Smith double play finally ended the inning.
In three outs, the Mets had gone from ahead to trailing by multiple runs.
Then came the response.
In the top of the second, A.J. Ewing led off with a solo homer to center, cutting the deficit to one.
Luis Torrens walked, Brett Baty doubled, and Lindor singled to tie the game at three. Soto then lined a single to right that drove in both baserunners and put the Mets back in front.
The inning stopped there, but it was a much-needed burst from a team that had been searching for any sign of life.
McLean settled in after the rocky first and gave the Mets six innings, allowing three runs, only two earned, with five strikeouts and one walk. Brooks Raley and Luke Raley followed with two scoreless innings to keep the Braves at bay.
The Mets added on in the ninth, starting with Tyrone Taylor’s solo shot. After two outs, the offense opened it up: Baty singled, Lindor and Soto drew back-to-back walks, and Bichette doubled in two runs. Jared Young, who had entered earlier as a pinch hitter for Vientos, then singled home two more to stretch the lead to seven.
And then, because it was the Mets, the game nearly unraveled anyway.
Huascar Brazoban entered with a 1.94 ERA and that big cushion, but he gave up two straight singles and then made a throwing error that allowed a run to score. The lead was still six.
Then a single and a walk loaded the bases, and after a strikeout, Drake Baldwin crushed a grand slam. Just like that, a seven-run lead had been chopped to two.
Devin Williams came in next and seemed to steady things at first, striking out Albies for the second out. But Olson doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch, and Harris singled him in to make it a one-run game.
Dubón singled to put two more runners aboard, and Dominic Smith struck out to end it. The Mets survived, but only barely.
A win is a win, but this one was as ugly as they come. The Mets will get one more shot against the Braves tomorrow, with a chance to leave with a series split. Freddy Peralta is set to take the mound.
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