Mets Rout Braves 9-2 Powered By Six Homers

 

Mets 2B Jeff McNeil (Photo Credits to Dane Zanine-Imagn Images)

The New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 9-2 tonight at Truist Park for their second consecutive win and improved their record to 69-60.

The Met offense was held scoreless for the first two innings and then broke through in the top of the third.

SS Francisco Lindor led off with a single and RF Juan Soto followed with a walk. Three batters later, 2B Jeff McNeil hit a towering three-run homer that stayed inside the right-field foul pole.

The offense was held in check for the first three innings until the top of the seventh after Soto led off a walk and then 1B Pete Alonso followed with a two-run homer.  DH Mark Vientos followed with a solo homer and two batters later, LF Starling Marte hit a solo homer. In addition to his homer, Marte had a fantastic all-around game going 3-3 with a homer, two stolen bases and also a key outfield assist.

In the top of the ninth, Vientos and McNeil hit back-to-back homers for their second homers of the game.

RHP Clay Holmes had a smooth first couple of innings and then in the bottom of the third was helped out by his defense after Marte made an outstanding throw from left field to throw out 3B Nacho Alvarez at home for the last out of the inning.

Holmes had a more difficult bottom of the fourth with back-to-back walks to start the inning and then CF Michael Harris II grounded into a fielder's choice to McNeil, but McNeil was unable to throw out RF Ronald Acuna Jr at second which loaded the bases with no outs.

Holmes then retired DH Marcell Ozuna on a sacrifice fly and gave another run on a RBI ground-out by catcher Drake Baldwin.

Holmes was able to retire 2B Ozzie Albies on a fly-out to end the inning.

Holmes was able to settle down after that retiring 10 straight batters before a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh and was then taken out.

His final line was 6.1 innings, three hits, two runs, two walks and four strikeouts.

LHP Gregory Soto followed and picked up the last two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

RHP Tyler Rogers came in next and threw a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

RHP Edwin Diaz closed it out with a scoreless bottom of the ninth.

The Mets next game is tomorrow afternoon, Sunday, August 24 at the Braves at 1:35 p.m.