The Mets squandered another lead against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night, losing 7-5.
Here are the takeaways…
– That was good news, bad news for the Mets in the top of the first inning. The good news is that they scored a point, which they have rarely done at first this season.
The bad news was Pete Alonso was forced out of the game after being hit in the hand with a 97mph fastball from charlie morton. What was feared to be something serious turned out to be a bruised left wrist after Alonso’s X-rays came back negative and the first baseman was considered day-to-day, it has been reported. the team.
– Seeking to end New York’s four-game losing streak, Max Scherzer looked sharp early on, striking out three in the first inning, surrounded by a field single. Scherzer struck out five first time in the lineup and had seven strikeouts in three scoreless innings while allowing just two hits in the field.
– But it was in the fourth set that things turned around for the 38-year-old. austin riley started the inning with the Braves’ first hard-hit pitch of the night, scoring down the middle. After Scherzer knocked out the next two batters, it looked like he would come out of the inning unscathed, but it was death by 1,000 paper cuts as three consecutive field singles put Atlanta on the board. Scherzer struck off Michael Harris II to end the round and escape further damage.
– In the top of the fifth inning, the Mets recovered that point and more thanks to Tommy Pham‘s two-point shot. Pham came into the game as a pinch runner in the first after Alonso had to come out and stayed to play in left field, moving Marc Canha to first base.
– Now bet on a 4-1 lead, Scherzer got the first two outs in the next half inning but couldn’t finish the inning, giving up another well-hit single to Riley before Sean Murphy took him deep for a two-run home run that made it a one-run game again.
It was the same story in the sixth inning for Scherzer who retired the first two batters of the inning before giving up back-to-back doubles to batters #8 and #9 in Orlando Arcia and Harris II who created the tie. Ronald Acuna Jr.RBI’s single gave the Braves the lead and bounced Scherzer out of the game and just like Tuesday night, Atlanta rallied from a 4-1 deficit to reclaim the lead.
Scherzer went 5.2 innings and allowed five earned runs on 11 hits despite 10 strikeouts.
– The Mets charged with one out in the top of the seventh inning against Kirby Yates, which caused Pham to strike in the cleaning area. With a full count, Pham hit a fastball to the right field wall which Acuna Jr. made a bounding catch. The sacrificial fly brought in the tying point, but the catch saved at least another point and possibly two. New York wouldn’t score another point.
– The Braves would win the game in the eighth inning on a two-run home run by Harris II off Adam Ottavino who came in with a runner on second base and an out. Throwing on back-to-back days, Ottavino left a 1-1 cutter in the middle of the zone and Harris II crushed it to center field.
– The Mets have lost five straight games for the first time since September 2021, fell to 30-32 and are now 7.5 games behind Atlanta in the division.
– Francisco Alvarez hit his ninth homer of the season in the second inning.
Strong points
And after
The Mets will look to avoid the series sweep on Thursday night. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. on SNY.
HPR Justin Verlander (2-3, 4.25 ERA) will face RHP Spencer Strider (6-2, 2.97 ERA) in the series finale.