Mets struggle against Braves’ Chris Sale as losing streak reaches five games

Braves Best Mets as Sale Pitches Dominantly

ATLANTA – Chris Sale couldn’t quite finish off Wednesday’s game, leaving after eight innings, despite the Braves leading by five runs.

The ace of the Braves, a past National League Cy Young Award winner, aimed for a complete game shutout. He got two outs in the ninth, but after a single was ruled out, Sale exited the game with 116 pitches—perhaps the highlight of an otherwise rough night for the Mets.

The Mets certainly could have benefited from a rainout. They struggled, managing just five hits (all singles) and taking a 5-0 loss at Truist Park, which pushed their losing streak to a season-high five games.

The Mets have now dropped 25 of their last 35 matchups against the Braves since the 2022 season, bringing their road record to 18-19 this year.

Paul Blackburn, in just his second start of the season, lasted only 3²/₃ innings while allowing four runs on four hits, walking two and striking out two. He was pulled after throwing 73 pitches.

This week marked Blackburn’s return to the rotation after dealing with a nervous right hamstring, having come out of the bullpen initially following his earlier start against the Dodgers.

Early in the game, Ronald Acuña Jr. took Blackburn deep with a home run, putting the Braves up 1-0. Things only got tougher for Blackburn as he faced more challenges. With runners on base in the second and third, a poorly thrown pitch led to an error charged to catcher Luis Torrens, allowing Verdugo to score. A sacrifice fly from Marcell Ozuna doubled the Mets’ deficit to 3-0.

In the fourth, Ozzie Albies hit a double, advancing a runner to third, which prompted José Buttó to replace Blackburn. Buttó then threw a wild pitch, letting Albies score and extending the Mets’ troubles to 4-0.