The New York Mets couldn’t capitalize on late chances and dropped the opener of their four-game series with the Atlanta Braves, 3-2, on Monday night at Citi Field.
Juan Soto’s sixth-inning home run brought New York (46-33) within striking distance, but Atlanta (36-41) held on to hand the Mets their ninth loss in 10 games.
Starter Paul Blackburn labored again, allowing traffic in each of his 4.2 innings. A sacrifice fly in the second and a solo homer by Ronald Acuña Jr. in the third gave the Braves a quick lead. Blackburn managed to limit the damage after loading the bases in the third, escaping with only one more run scoring. He finished his outing allowing three runs on six hits and three walks, the fifth consecutive game a Mets starter failed to complete five innings.
The offense was quiet early against Spencer Schwellenbach, who gave up just two singles through five innings. That changed in the sixth when Soto launched a two-run home run to left-center following a Brandon Nimmo walk, cutting the deficit to 3-2. It was Soto’s 17th home run of the season.
New York threatened again in the eighth with two outs, as Francisco Lindor and Nimmo both singled to bring Soto up as the go-ahead run. But, Dylan Lee froze Soto with a sharp 3-2 slider to end the inning. Lee returned to close out the ninth, retiring the heart of the Mets’ order in order.
The bullpen kept the game close, with scoreless frames from Ryne Stanek, Reed Garrett, and Edwin Díaz.
Frankie Montas will make his Mets debut on Tuesday as they look to even the series. The first pitch is slated for 7:10 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].