Atlanta Braves defeat New York Mets 9-2, settled for series split

The Atlanta Braves outperformed the New York Mets on Wednesday due to a two-run double by Adam Duvall in the sixth inning. In a 9-2 setback, the Mets ended up with a series split.

After a terrible sixth inning in which Adam Ottavino and Trevor Williams combined to give up seven runs, The Mets were unable to capture three of four games from the Braves. On the other hand, Dansby Swanson and Ronald Acuña Jr. each drove in runs in Atlanta’s largest inning of the season. With the bases loaded, Travis d’Arnaud walked, and Matt Olson ended the inning with a run-scoring groundout.

“That was nice to put together — keep the line moving a little bit,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “The one big inning — I don’t know that we’ve done that this year. That was good to see that we are capable of that.”

In their first 26 games, the Braves scored seven or more runs only three times. The World Series winners started the day with a .212 batting average with runners in scoring position after being swept by the Mets in a doubleheader on Tuesday.

“Hitting is contagious, it really is,” Duvall said.

Luis Guillorme hit a ninth-inning home run for New York, which had won three of its previous four games. In the sixth, Eduardo Escobar doubled home Pete Alonso.

“Not much margin for error there,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “We could get out of that (down) one or two, we might have a shot, But we weren’t able to do it. A tough thing (is) it makes, statistically, Tylor’s outing look a lot different than it actually was.”

Game’s dynamic

Tylor Megill (4-1) of the Mets was charged with three runs and four hits in 6.2 innings in his first start since combining with four relievers to pitch a no-hitter against Philadelphia on Friday night. Megill went the entire game without allowing a hit against the Braves until the fifth inning.

“Their guy did a great job, he seems to be off to a great start this year,” winning pitcher Ian Anderson said of Megill. “For us to keep chipping away, draw a couple walks, get a couple base hits — usually we’re a team that hits a lot of homers and to score those runs with single, walk (and) moving guys over was good to see.”

With one out, eight consecutive hitters reached base. Austin Riley sparked the rally with an infield single. Riley was first called out on a grounder to third base, but the Braves appealed. d’Arnaud raced home on a wild ball after Duvall’s double off Ottavino made it 3-0. Guillermo Heredia scored after Acuña evaded a rundown on Olson’s probable double-play grounder.

“Cool stat but just trying to pitch,” Megill said. “Don’t really kind of tend to think of those things when you’re out there pitching, just on what’s going on in front of you.”

Now, the Mets are 18-9 this season. They will begin a seven-game on Thursday night, beginning with a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park before returning to D.C. to face the Washington Nationals for the last three games.