Mets Suffer Another Defeat Against Braves
So, what about the Mets and their second loss of the season? Well, it came as a surprise on Wednesday night when manager Carlos Mendoza’s plans to secure a win against the Braves fell apart spectacularly.
The Mets squandered a six-run lead, resulting in an embarrassing 11-6 defeat at Citi Field. This marked their 12th loss in 14 games, dimming the good vibes from the previous night.
The Mets’ hold on the third and final National League wildcard spot is now down to just one game over Cincinnati.
They’re also trailing Philadelphia by five games in the NL East.
Once again, the starting pitching proved problematic. The team seemed to lose focus after two energetic innings, which followed a lengthy 95-minute rain delay.
David Peterson was pulled early, marking his fourth rough outing in a row. He allowed six runs, issued five walks, and struck out five over four innings.
It’s notable that this game featured a rotation where the starter struggled significantly—the bulk pitcher, Frankie Montas, didn’t even finish five innings.
Peterson, who had been completing six innings in his earlier starts, fell apart, especially after walking Marcel Ozuna to load the bases in the third. His fourth inning was particularly disastrous.
Returning to Citi Field, the Mets faced Carlos Carrasco, a familiar right-hander who had previously delighted fans during his time with the team from 2021-2023.
That night, he didn’t have much success against the lineup.
After recently surpassing Daryl Strawberry on the franchise’s all-time home run list, Pete Alonso received warm applause in his first at-bat, delivering a two-run single that kicked off the scoring.
Cedric Mullins added a sacrifice fly, bringing the lead to 3-0.
The Mets sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning, forcing Carrasco to labor through 39 pitches. Francisco Lindor’s double helped spark the rally, while Juan Soto’s two-run homer pushed the lead to 5-0.
For Soto, that was his 29th homer of the season, putting him ahead of Alonso in team stats.
After Soto’s strong hit, Jeff McNeil added an RBI double, but then everything started to spiral for the Mets. By the end of the fourth, they were down 9-6—quite a disappointing turn of events.
In that inning, Peterson walked four batters before being taken out. Jurickson Profar capitalized on the situation, hitting a three-run double after Nick Allen was walked. Ozuna then knocked in an RBI single, followed by Sean Murphy walking to reload the bases. Michael Harris II cleared the fences with a grand slam, further deepening the Mets’ deficit.
Ultimately, Ozuna hit a two-run homer in the sixth, extending the Braves’ lead to 11-6. Paul Blackburn, returning from the injured list, managed to keep things steady for the Braves, allowing only two runs over five innings.
