The New York Mets had been rolling entering the second game of their three-game set against the Atlanta Braves. They had won seven of their last nine games and clobbered the Braves 10-4 the night before.

Tylor Megill got the ball on Tuesday night and looked to keep New York rolling toward an improbable wild-card run. Megill, who had allowed five earned runs 11 days prior to Tuesday’s start, worked around a lead-off single to Ronald Acuña Jr. and retired the next three batters.

However, Megill’s troubles with the Braves resurfaced in his second inning of work. After allowing a lead-off single to Marcell Ozuna, the right-hander served up a two-run homer to Eddie Rosario.

The Braves played long ball again in the bottom of the fifth. Ozuna tagged Megill for a homer to centerfield, giving the Braves 239 total home runs on the season and a 3-0 lead.

Ozuna has been a thorn in the Mets’ side this entire series. The former Marlin has hit three home runs in his last two games against New York, increasing his OPS to .739 in 123 career games against the Mets.

Meanwhile, Bryce Elder kept the Mets’ offense dormant in his start on Tuesday. The native Texan struck out three and allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings. While Pierce Johnson allowed a two-run home run to Daniel Vogelbach, Elder was charged with an earned run due to the lead-off double he allowed Francisco Lindor before he was pulled.

However, during one moment in Elder’s start, he plunked Pete Alonso in the back, resulting in cheers from Braves fans. It’s the second time this year Alonso has been hit in Atlanta, following Charlie Morton hitting him in the wrist, resulting in an injured list stint for Alonso.

As mentioned, Vogelbach got the Mets on the board with a two-run home run after Brian Snitker pulled Elder in favor of Johnson. Vogelbach has been hot recently for the Mets recently, slashing .278/.408/.611 in his last six games coming into Tuesday’s game. Meanwhile, before allowing the home run in the sixth, Johnson hadn’t allowed a run in 11 1/3 innings since being traded to the Braves.

While the Mets got within one run, the offense couldn’t score again to tie the game. The closest New York got was in the ninth inning when they put the first two runners on base with nobody out. However, Francisco Álvarez grounded into a double-play, and Rafael Ortega grounded out to end the game.

Elder had a much-needed start for Atlanta. After posting a 2.97 ERA in the first half, the Braves starter has struggled in the second and had recorded a 5.06 ERA entering Tuesday.

Megill also had a better start this time against the Braves, allowing three earned runs on two home runs. However, the right-hander has still struggled with length and only pitched 4 2/3 innings against Atlanta.

With their loss on Tuesday night, the Mets fell back to nine games under .500. New York trails the third wild card by 6.5 games with only 35 games remaining.

Player of the Game

Daniel Vogelbach was the player of the game on Tuesday. The left-handed DH clubbed a two-run home run in the top of the sixth, getting the Mets within one run of the Braves before their eventual 3-2 loss.

On Deck

The Mets will go for the series win in Atlanta on Wednesday night. José Quintana will get the start for the Mets and face the veteran Charlie Morton.

First pitch for the series finale will be at 7:20 p.m. on Wednesday. The game will be televised on SNY. The game can be listened to on WCBS 880.