Mets Doubled Up By Braves, 6-3, As Offense Stalls Again

The New York Mets lost the rubber game of their three-game series against the Atlanta Braves, 6-3, as the offense provided a familiar storyline by getting starter Zac Thornton behind early and not scoring enough late. 

The Braves nicked Thornton for single runs in the second, third and fifth innings, starting with a solo home run by Lane Thomas in the second inning to put Atlanta up 1-0. A double-play ball from Matt Olson got another run home in the third, with Ronald Acuna Jr. singling home the third run in the fifth to give the Braves a 3-0 lead. 

The Mets began their brief comeback in the sixth with a solo home run from Luis Torrens off starter Tyler Mahle, who threw six frames and gave up just the one run. Luis Robert Jr. hit another solo homer in the seventh off reliever Dylan Dodd to draw the Mets closer at 3-2, but that was as close as New York got. 

Mike Yazstremski gave Atlanta some breathing room with yet another solo homer off reliever Dedniel Nunez, who wasn’t good in this one. Austin Riley hit another solo homer, and Drake Baldwin singled home the final run of three-run inning to make it 6-2. 

The Mets managed to close the gap a little with a solo home run from Bo Bichette off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth, but that was all the Mets could manage. Mahl got the win, which was just his fourth of the year, to run his record to 4-9, and Thornton took a tough loss to level his at 3-3. 

Thornton was solid, and he continues to keep his ERA under three at 2.78 after this one. The bottom of the lineup did nothing beyond the Torrens homer, as the Mets’ recent offensive explosions seem to have become a thing of the past, especially against Brave pitching in the last two games. 

The Mets get a day off before resuming play at Citi Field as they host the Washington Nationals for a three-game weekend series. Robert Stock will get his third start on Friday, with Sean Manaea starting on Satruday and Christian Scott on the hill in the series finale. 

The Nats have been streay and inconsistent of late, as they’ve lost the first two games of their current series against the Chicago Cubs after winning four of five. They’re six games head of the Mets in the NL East Standings and they’re five out and hanging around at the edge of the wild card race at the moment.