The New York Mets (8-12) lost 8-2 in the opening game of their series with the Atlanta Braves (7-12) on Wednesday night at Citi Field. The loss extends their losing streak to five games.

Pitching

Robert Gsellman made the start today after the Mets were rained out on Tuesday. Noah Syndergaard was originally supposed to start, but was then pushed back as announced earlier in the day.

Gsellman got off to a horrific start as he gave up five runs in the first inning on four hits, two walks, and a throwing error. After getting out of the inning he fared pretty well the rest of the way. Overall he pitched four-plus innings, struck out two, and gave up 10 hits, six runs, five earned runs, and three walks. He also had to work around three errors on the night.

Josh Edgin came into the game in the fifth after Gsellman gave up three consecutive singles and a run to start off the inning. Edgin was able to retire the next three batters to hold the Braves to six runs. He stayed in for the sixth and got two outs before being taken out of the game.

Fernando Salas then came in to get the final out of the inning and did so successfully. His next inning wasn’t as successful as he gave up two runs on three hits to make it an 8-1 Mets deficit.  Jerry Blevins was called upon to get the final out of the seventh and struck out Freddie Freeman to get the job done.

Hansel Robles also got some playing time on Wednesday as he pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth. He gave up a walk and a hit while striking out three.

Offense

The Mets didn’t score until the fourth inning when they loaded the bases with no outs. Neil Walker hit a sac fly to right field to score Asdrubal Cabrera. That was all that the offense could muster in the inning, however.

Rene Rivera produced the only other Mets run of the game in the seventh inning also on a sac fly to right field.

Mets hitters combined for five hits and four walks. Jay Bruce got on base four times as he had two hits and two walks.

On Deck

The Mets will look to snap their five-game losing streak against their former Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey (1-2, 3.86) at 1:10 PM in Queens. Syndergaard (1-1, 1.73), who the Mets received in their 2012 trade of Dickey, will be opposing the 42-year-old knuckleballer.