Braves Take Second Game And Series From Mets

In a rain-delayed game, the Braves were able to win another series, this time against the Mets. In an up-and-down game, much of the same happened for the Braves with good starting pitching, bad bullpen pitching, and timely offensive production.

Dallas Keuchel was up for the Braves in game two with the Mets. In his previous start, Keuchel got hit hard against the Miami Marlins giving up 8 runs in just 4 innings. Keuchel was in need of a good start, and that’s exactly what he did. Keuchel was fantastic in six innings, giving up 5 hits and no runs while striking out 7. It was the exact thing the Braves and Keuchel needed.

However, like many Braves game this season, things would be a little bit more complicated after Keuchel exited the game. Keuchel exited the game with a 1-0 lead going into the 7th. Sean Newcomb came in the game to pitch the seventh but was pulled for Chris Martin after surrendering baserunners. Both pitchers were charged with a run after giving up the lead in the 7th inning.

Going into the bottom of the 7th, trailing 2-1 now, the Braves were ready for a rally. The Braves were able to retake the lead by nearly batting around to score 5 runs in the 7th to retake the lead from the Mets. It started with Josh Donaldson and went all the way around back to Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies. In a low-scoring game, Ender Inciarte proved to be most valuable, scoring a run and knocking in two.

Once again, the Braves would find themselves in trouble after going further into their bullpen. The one positive note from the bullpen came in the 8th. Shane Greene, the closer than the set-up guy, had his first clean inning with the Braves. No hits, no walks, and one strikeout. Greene was in desperate need of a clean inning. This time it was Mark Melancon who struggled in a non-save situation. Coming into the game with a four-run lead, Melancon would go on to give up two runs making it a 6-4 game. Jerry Blevins was able to be steady enough to close the game out for the Braves, thankfully.

So with the win last night, the Braves have taken the first two games of the series from the Mets, assuring the series win. This further separates the Braves from the Mets in the NL East standings, who likely needed a sweep in this series to even come close to the NL East lead. The Mets have been one of the hottest teams in baseball since July, but the Braves have successfully dumped a bucket of ice water on their momentum. The Mets will look to salvage anything from this series and their momentum while the Braves look for the series sweep tonight. First pitch is at 7:20 tonight.