Since the beginning of June, the Braves have poured on runs, piled on wins and looked like one of baseball’s best teams while doing it. In the process, they stormed back in the standings, trimming the deficit enough to create real intrigue for a three-game series in July.
And this week, they had an opportunity to finally catch the team they have chased all season.
It did not happen – at least not yet.
The Braves lost to the Mets 7-3 on Wednesday afternoon in a game that proved to be an anticlimactic finish to the series at Truist Park. The Braves (53-37) lost two of three to New York and are 2-1/2 games behind the Mets. All week, the Braves stayed away from publicly declaring this to be a bigger series than others.
“I didn’t feel like the guys felt like it was a high-pressure situation,” Charlie Morton said. “It’s a recognition that, ‘Hey, we’re going to play the Mets, they’re playing really well, they’re a really good team.’ In the long run, there are divisional implications to this series.”
The Braves and Mets play 12 more games this season. The Braves, who seems like a likely postseason team, have 72 games to pass the Mets and win a fifth consecutive division title. While they could’ve leapfrogged the Mets and sent a message in this series, the Braves knew they wouldn’t clinch the division now.
They still hoped for a better showing in the rubber match, and in the series. The Mets were without regulars Starling Marte and Jeff McNeil, plus starting pitcher Jacob deGrom.
The Mets might have made a point: They are not the Mets of old, the ones who would collapse and fall over themselves.
“They’re just a good team,” Morton said. “They’re more difficult to pitch to because they’re kind of scrappy. They’re not just giving at-bats away and trying to hit all homers. They’re definitely more selective, they’re more picky, they’ll battle you. That’s from top to bottom.”
“We’re going to play them a lot more,” manager Brian Snitker said. “They’re going to get guys back, too. They were without two of their regulars, and there’s a starting pitcher out there that’s looming. It’s a good club. Knew that in February.”
Morton served up three home runs: A solo homer by Eduardo Escobar in the second inning, a three-run blast by Francisco Lindor in the third and a solo shot by Mark Canha to begin the sixth. The Braves, who usually are the ones launching bombs, found themselves down five runs.
“While I was out there, I just felt just not sharp,” Morton said. “They put together good at-bats, and they can work a count.”
In a two-run seventh inning, Matt Olson committed an error, and a run scored when Jesse Chavez balked. The other run crossed when Luis Guillorme, once down 0-2, battled Chavez and fouled off multiple pitches before poking a pitch that was off the plate down the left-field line.
Meanwhile, New York’s Chris Bassitt held the Braves to a run over six innings. Olson led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run, but the Braves couldn’t convert on a couple of other opportunities to rally. In this series, the Braves struggled versus New York’s starters.
“We had three really good starts against us, and we didn’t handle it, pretty much,” Snitker said.
Austin Riley slugged a solo homer in the eighth, and Eddie Rosario hit one in the ninth. By then, the outcome had been decided.
Before Wednesday, Morton had posted a 1.60 ERA in his past five starts. He went seven innings in all but one of those. The Braves believe in Morton, but from the outside, it might be fair to wonder how much of that success occurred because he pitched against the Reds, Nationals and Cubs in that stretch. The Mets are far better, and Morton allowed five earned runs for the first time since his second start of the season April 14.
“While I was out there, I just felt just not sharp,” Morton said. “They put together good at-bats and they can work a count.”
The Mets put a strain on Max Fried and Spencer Strider, though they never broke open those games. Morton, who threw 107 pitches, allowed six hits and walked three batters.
Days ago, the baseball world circled its collective calendar for this series. The Mets and Braves are two of the sport’s top clubs. One of them likely will win the NL East, and both likely will make the postseason. They both are talented and deep. They feature great starting pitching and star power in their lineups.
The Mets slid and the Braves surged in recent weeks, but New York showed it won’t roll over, as it did last season. The Mets took this round. But the Braves still are the reigning World Series champions, the team that must be dethroned before another is crowned.
These two clubs meet again in early August, when they’ll play five games in four days in New York. By then, the race will have heated up even more.
“I don’t expect them to just fall off,” Morton said. “I think if they continue to do what they’ve been doing, they’re going to be a team that’s hard to beat until the end.”
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