Ozzie Albies broke up Nolan McLean’s no-hit bid with a solo homer in the fifth inning, providing all the offense Atlanta needed as the New York Mets fell 4-0 to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night at Truist Park. New York dropped to 53-68, while Atlanta improved to 72-48.
McLean was outstanding for most of the night, keeping Atlanta hitless through four innings while taking advantage of the Braves’ aggressive approach. But Albies changed everything by turning on an 0-2 fastball and sending it over the wall for his 20th homer of the season.
The blast was particularly damaging for McLean, who retired the next four batters and completed six innings on 85 pitches. The right-hander allowed just one hit and one run while striking out six, but the lone mistake was enough to hand him the loss.
The Mets had no answer for MartĂn PĂ©rez, whose strong start kept New York off the scoreboard despite several hitters entering with favorable career numbers against him. The Mets managed only four hits, with Carson Benge collecting two.
Atlanta added an insurance run against Jefry Yan in the seventh before Chayce McDermott surrendered a two-run homer to Matt Olson in the eighth. Olson’s 35th home run of the season pushed the Braves’ lead to four runs.
Atlanta’s bullpen then closed out the shutout with three perfect innings.
The Mets and Braves close out their series Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. Zac Thornton (3-2, 2.52 ERA) will start against Tyler Mahle (3-9, 4.83 ERA).
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.