Mets Hang On 7-6, Avoid Sweep By Braves

The New York Mets (52-65) took on the top team in the league on Sunday Night Baseball at Citi field. The Mets looked to avoid a miserable four-game sweep after getting manhandled in the first three games of the series. Thanks to more stellar pitching from their rookie, and an unlikely star, New York was able to salvage a game, 7-6.

The scoring got started right away, as the best first inning team in baseball took advantage of the worst. Marcell Ozuna took a Kodai Senga pitch to the right field corner with the bases loaded for a three-run double. Just like that, the Braves opened up the game with a 3-0 lead.

For Senga, this was the only blemish in his outing. While the Braves are the best team in baseball with an absurd offense, they could not figure out Senga and his ghost-forkball for the following five innings.

Senga’s three earned runs in his outing Sunday night all came in the first inning off of two hits and two walks. After that, Senga was near perfect and only allowed two hits through the next five innings and struck out six. This is the ninth-straight outing he has allowed three or fewer runs.

In his first season in North America, Senga has not only emerged as a stalwart in a rotation that desperately needs one. But one of the best pitcher in the National League. After the game, he said, “I feel good. I feel strong on the mound and I think I can get through this season on a high note.”

The big bats of the night were Jeff McNeil and Rafael Ortega. Each had three hits and scored roughly half of the Mets’ runs on the night. McNeil opened the scoring for New York with an RBI-single in the third to shorten Atlanta’s lead, 3-1.

The Mets took advantage of some bad pitching from starter Yonny Chirinos and reliever Colin McHugh. What started with an Ortega single in the fifth inning ended with an Ortega single to score a pair. Every Met was able to bat around in the bottom of the fifth inning.

With four hits and a catcher’s interference, Atlanta crumbled under the pressure of what felt like a bases loaded jam the entire inning. Throw in three walks and the Mets had a big inning for themselves following the 21-run debacle Saturday afternoon. The Mets would lead 7-3 after their big fifth inning.

The Braves inched closer as the night went on, with Sean Murphy and Matt Olson hitting homeruns to score three runs for the Braves in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively.

However, Adam Ottavino was given the opportunity to save the game for the Mets and he sat down the Braves in order to preserve the 7-6 win.

With the victory, the Mets now own the ninth-worse record in the league. Before the contest began, they found themselves sixth, only a half game from fifth. There are five teams, from fifth through ninth, all within a single game.

Player of the Game: Rafael Ortega

Of the pair of three-hit performances from the Mets’ offense, Ortega collected two RBIs in his big night against the division-rival Braves.

Ortega went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and the aforementioned two RBIs.

Statistic of the Game: Offense Comes Alive

The Mets had an expected batting average (xBA) of .313 in their game against the Braves. Everything they got offensively was well deserved. And they could have had much more.

With McNeil and Ortega collecting six hits collectively, Nimmo also had a pair of hits Sunday night. While the Braves defense caught a lot of hot shots off the Mets’ bats, it didn’t stop them from winning, 7-6, and avoiding the sweep.

On Deck:

The Mets (53-65) will send Carlos Carrasco to open their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night. Quinn Priester takes the mound for Pittsburgh in the game that starts at 7:10 pm ET.