Mets at Braves
Maybe the New York Mets should consider having a players-only meeting prior to Wednesday’s road series finale at the Atlanta Braves, because they played one of their best games in weeks after meeting behind closed doors Tuesday afternoon. First baseman Pete Alonso doubled twice and homered en route to a four-hit, three-RBI performance and Jacob deGrom stopped the bleeding with 10 strikeouts in a 10-2 victory, just the fifth win for the Mets in their past 17 road contests.
Alonso’s first career four-hit game extended his hitting streak to seven games, giving him a .462 average with three homers and 11 RBIs during that stretch, and left fielder Jeff McNeil raised his lifetime average against Atlanta to .333 with a 3-for-5 performance as the Mets finished with a season-high nine extra-base hits. New York cooled off an Atlanta offense that had averaged 7.8 runs per game while winning 13 of its first 16 games this month, limiting the Braves to five hits and ending their nine-game streak of scoring at least five runs. Third baseman Josh Donaldson extended his hitting streak to eight games with two hits, including a ninth-inning homer, and is hitting .388 during his streak with five homers. Center fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. saw his nine-game hitting streak end as the Braves – who have hit at least two homers in five consecutive games – saw their lead over Philadelphia in the National League East reduced to 2 ½ games.
TV: 7:20 p.m. ET, MLB Network, SNY (New York), FS Southeast (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Steven Matz (5-4, 3.93 ERA) vs. Braves LH Max Fried (7-3, 4.11)
Matz did all he could to help the Mets shake their recent slump in his last start Friday against St. Louis, striking out six while allowing three earned runs (four total) on just three hits in six innings while going 2-for-2 with a homer in a no-decision. The 28-year-old missed two starts in early May with a nerve injury in his arm, and since returning has surrendered more than three earned runs just once in six starts, although opposing hitters are batting .273 in that span. Matz earned his first victory of 2019 at Atlanta on April 11, allowing two runs on four hits in six innings to improve to 5-0 with a 2.78 ERA in eight lifetime starts against the Braves.
Fried has struggled with command in his past four starts, and it’s resulted in a 7.52 ERA and a .352 opponents batting average with four homers allowed and eight walks issued over 20 1/3 innings to add more than a run to his season ERA. The 25-year-old got a no-decision Friday against Philadelphia despite giving up five runs on seven hits (two homers) in 4 2/3 innings, needing 98 pitches to record just 14 outs in a game Atlanta rallied to win. Fried, against whom right-handed batters are hitting .218 this season, is 0-1 with a 1.26 ERA in six career appearances (four in relief) against the Mets, and has not faced them in 2019.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Mets placed RHP Jeurys Familia on the injured list with a right shoulder injury, optioned RHP Drew Gagnon to Triple-A Syracuse, and added RHP Stephen Nogosek and LHP Daniel Zamora.
2. Atlanta 1B Freddie Freeman finished 1-for-4 with a solo homer in the ninth Tuesday, and in 147 career games against the Mets is hitting .312 with 23 homers and 98 RBIs.
3. New York RF Michael Conforto went 2-for-4 with a homer and a double Tuesday to extend his hitting streak to a career high-tying nine games.