Mets’ Offensive Struggles Prevail In 3-2 Loss to Atlanta
The Mets (46-33) fell to the Braves (36-41) by a score of 3-2 on Monday evening at Citi Field.
In the first of a four-game series, the Mets were hoping to rebound from a tough stretch in the division, having dropped five of six to the Phillies and Braves entering the night. But the offensive struggles continued. New York managed just six hits and went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. The team’s only runs came on a two-run homer by Juan Soto.
The Mets have now scored two runs or fewer in six of their last eight games and have lost nine of their last ten. The last time they dropped nine of ten was June 2023, also at the hands of Atlanta.
Paul Blackburn (0-2, 6.62 ERA) got the start and took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits over 4 and 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out five.
Atlanta struck first in the second inning. Blackburn hit the leadoff batter, allowed a single, and gave up a run on a sacrifice fly. In the third, Ronald Acuña Jr. launched a solo homer, and Blackburn later loaded the bases with a double and two walks. Another sac fly extended the Braves’ lead to 3–0.
José Buttó entered in relief in the fifth with runners on the corners and two outs. He escaped the jam with a groundout, then followed with a clean, 1-2-3 sixth inning.
Soto brought the Mets back within a run in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run blast — his 17th of the season — scoring Brandon Nimmo, who walked. Soto is now slashing .254/.391/.487 on the year. It was also his fourth home run in seven games.
Ryne Stanek kept the Mets in it with a scoreless seventh, working around traffic on the corners. Reed Garrett followed with a shutdown eighth, recording two strikeouts.
New York attempted a two-out rally in the bottom of the eighth, as Francisco Lindor and Nimmo singled back-to-back, putting the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on first for Soto. But he struck out on a full count, failing to capitalize. It was Lindor’s third consecutive two-hit game since snapping an 0-for-20 slump on Saturday.
Edwin Díaz pitched the ninth and, despite allowing two hits, worked out of trouble with two strikeouts to keep it a one-run game.
Pete Alonso led off the bottom of the ninth with a strikeout, and Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor grounded out to end it.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: The Bullpen
Despite the loss, the Mets’ bullpen pulled off brilliant work, combining for 4 and 1/3 scoreless innings to keep the game within reach. However, it marked the fifth consecutive game in which a Mets starter failed to pitch through the fifth inning, a trend that is seriously taxing on the bullpen. With injuries continuing to thin the rotation, it’s unsustainable. Luckily, help is on the way as Frankie Montas will make his season debut tomorrow, followed by Sean Manaea’s return in early July. Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill could be back by the end of the month.
ON DECK
Frankie Montas will make his long-awaited Mets debut on the mound tomorrow after spending months on the injured list. The right-hander signed a two-year, $34 million deal with New York this offseason.
Atlanta will hand the ball to Spencer Strider (2-5, 3.89 ERA), who will face the Mets for the second straight start. In his last outing at Truist Park, Strider earned the win by pitching six innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits, striking out eight, and walking one.
The first pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. on SNY.
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