The Mets gave the Braves a taste of their own medicine, as they slugged four home runs en route to a 6-4 win in the opener of the crucial five-game set Thursday night at Citi Field.
Tyler Naquin hit the Mets’ first homer in the second inning, a solo shot which made it 2-0 Mets. Naquin would also homer in the sixth. Pete Alonso and Daniel Vogelbach hit back-to-back homers in the third, giving the Mets a 5-0 lead.
Carlos Carrasco was the beneficiary of the early offense and he cruised thru the first four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. After giving up three runs in the fifth, Carrasco retired the side in order in the sixth and still appeared to have gas in the tank.
But Buck Showalter went to his bullpen, bringing in Adam Ottavino in the seventh inning. A wild pitch allowed the Braves to score a run but Ottavino got Ronald Acuna Jr. to strike out with a runner on second to end the inning.
If it was a surprise to see Ottavino in the seventh inning, it was even more of a shock to see Edwin Diaz in the eighth. He mowed down the 2-3-4 hitters and then came back for the ninth. Diaz wasn’t as overpowering in his second inning of work but he got the job done, earning his first six-out save of the year and his 24th of the season.
The Mets are now 5-3 against the Braves this year and hold a 4.5 game lead in the division. They’ll look to pad both totals Friday night when Taijuan Walker takes the mound.
Was at a charity function in the Bronx and had the game on GameDay. The nuns at my table commandeered my phone and announced the play-by-play.
Different way to experience a win but ultimately saisfying.
Glad to hear that nuns are different and more helpful today compared to back when I ran into them in the 1970s!
Possibly the same nuns (mellowed). They were in their 80’s.
Great to get the first game. They beat the long ball teams with the long ball. I would not have opted to use Diaz for 2 innings…it really puts a glaring light on Eppler’s inability to outbid Philly for Robertson…but it worked…with some help from a check swing on a 3-0. Yes, the small details can cost any chance at a comeback win.
Had storms last night in upstate NY that knocked out the Internet and also made using the SNY app and even the ESPN app very spotty. Amazing how dependent we all are on all things Internet related. Managed to see enough to make me happy with the outcome. Another bold move by Buck bringing in Diaz to face the heart of their order in the 8th. If we had cashed in a few more runs in the bottom of the 8th, perhaps Diaz does not pitch the ninth. When the first batter singled on an 0-2 strike with Met killer d’Arnaud coming up I started to get nervous, but Diaz did his thing and just like that we are back to 4.5 games up. Now they need to face Walker, Max, Petersen and deGrom in the next four games, and all, save for only one outing by Jake, have been pitching great. Nice to see the new acquisitions jump in to provide some fire power and of course Pete will get some better pitches to hit because of it and continue to lead this team forward. Cookie is now one game off the NL win leader and has dropped his era further down in the 3’s. Okay it’s only one game but winning the opener is always big and puts the other team on the defensive. Love the new platoon at DH and having Guillorme and Escobar sharing time at 3B. Looking for just another series win this weekend to keep the ball rolling and tick off some more games off the schedule. LGM.
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