Atlanta Braves Edge New York Mets in Ten Innings

ATLANTA – There’s a curious trend when the Mets come to town, especially at Trust Park—it almost feels like the Braves’ struggles this season get amplified.

Last night, the Mets seemed to be cruising along, but then, out of nowhere, everything turned upside down.

They lost a three-run lead, and it all came crashing down with Austin Riley’s walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, sealing a 5-4 defeat for the Mets.

Throughout the game, the Mets only managed to get six runners in scoring positions, which, frankly, isn’t great. It was a frustrating night for them, especially considering they could only cross the plate once.

In a strategic move, Brazovan intentionally walked Ronald Acuña Jr. in the 10th, placing automatic runners on second and third bases.

Following Alex Verdugo’s out, Brazovan threw a wild pitch allowing the runner to advance to third base.

Matt Olson walked, loading the bases, and then Riley came through with a decisive hit that drove the ball toward the center field fence.

Interestingly, this marked the Mets’ first game since last September’s doubleheader, during which they celebrated clinching a National League wildcard spot, highlighted by Francis Colindor’s ninth home run.

After a solid seven innings, David Peterson took to the mound again for the eighth but was pulled after walking Nick Allen, which led to Acuña’s single.

Reed Garrett came in and gave up a single to Verdugo, which loaded the bases. Just when it seemed the Mets might escape unscathed, Marcel Ozuna hit a double that cleared the bases, tying the game at 4-4.

Unfortunately for Garrett, this was the second time in three outings that he allowed a tough hit. He eventually retired Ozzie Albies, but things felt pretty tense.

Peterson had a decent game overall, allowing five hits with three strikeouts across his seven innings—though he did walk three batters and give up three runs on 93 pitches. It’s worth noting he had just thrown a full-game shutout the week prior.

Over his last five starts, the left-hander has pitched at least seven innings in four of them, which is impressive.

Juan Soto was quick to make an impact, smashing a solo homer off Spencer Schwellenbach in the first inning, marking the game’s opening run. That was Soto’s fifth home run for June, starting the evening with a strong 1.146 OPS.

Soto’s powerful hit cleared the left center fence, bringing his seasonal total to 14 homers, tying him with Lindor for the second spot on the team, just behind Pete Alonso’s 17.

Tyrone Taylor added another blow, further extending the Mets’ lead to 3-0 with a Bloop hit.

Jeff McNeill started things off with a single, and following a walk to Francisco Alvarez, Taylor sent a fly ball to right field, resulting in two runs just before Acuña could dive.

Acuña managed to snag a few walks, but the Braves quickly found themselves down 3-1.

As the game unfolded, Eli White and Olson capitalized on yet another walk issued to Acuña, both getting singles off Peterson. However, despite having runners on base, the left-hander managed to get out of the jam by forcing Riley into a fielder’s choice.

Ozuna went on to add another single, but the Mets successfully ended the inning with a double play, balancing the scales somewhat for them.

Eventually, the Braves engineered a 6-4-3 double play off Albies’ grounder.

In the fifth inning, Taylor launched a 0-2 splitter from Schwenbach over the left field fence for another homer, pushing the Mets’ lead to 4-1.

Ronnie Mauricio’s error on the grounder for Ozuna then gave the Braves an opening to score. Still, Peterson shut things down by retiring the next three batters, keeping his team in the lead.

After the Braves managed to tie the game against Peterson and Garrett in the eighth, Soto led off the ninth with a single. Alonso followed with a shot into right field that Acuña barely managed to catch, while Soto took advantage and ended up doubling after a slip by Acuña.