I’m not going to bog you down with a long intro because there’s a lot to get into since this was a wild series. The most important thing to know is that even in these turbulent times with change and upheaval happening everywhere, one thing remains constant: The Braves know how to reel in the Marlins and they know how to meet and beat the Mets. ˇ
Tuesday, August 12
Mets 13, Braves 5
For Mets fans, this was a special night for them as Pete Alonso became the Mets all-time leader in home runs with 253 dingers in that same uniform. For Braves
fans, this night was a clear bummer as it was yet another night of struggles for Spencer Strider. Alonso’s homer made it 5-1 Mets in the third inning and Strider went on to get absolutely walloped for eight runs over just four innings with only two strikeouts. You have to figure that he’ll eventually figure things out as he continues to adjust to life after his most recent elbow surgery but it’s abundantly clear that he’s still got a long way to go before reclaiming his former glory.
Interestingly enough, the Braves took that punch on the chin and delivered a counterpunch that saw them end the fourth inning tied at five runs apiece. Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Matt Olson both delivered big RBI doubles — Nacho’s double was the first RBI hit of his career and Olson’s opposite-field deep drive brought the Braves right back into the game. For a moment there, all the euphoria from Alonso’s milestone was gone and it was replaced with a familiar atmosphere of collective anxiety surrounding Citi Field — one that brings comfort and joy to a lot of Braves fans.
The moments of schadenfreude were fleeting — for now, at least. Austin Cox pitched the next 2.2 innings and he got rocked for five runs during that span, so this was essentially just a disasterclass from Atlanta’s pitching staff on this particular night. Shutdown reliever Luke Williams came in and threw 1.1 shutout innings but by then, it was too little too late and the Mets had themselves a blowout victory to open the series.
Wednesday, August 13
Braves 11, Mets 6
It sure seemed like the Mets were going to pick up where they left off on Tuesday night and finally, maybe, get on a good run of form after having struggled so mightily for the past few weeks. Indeed, the Mets wasted no time jumping on Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco’s third start for the Braves was his worst, as he got blown up for six runs in just two innings as a lot of the pitches he was throwing were barely competitive. This was also Carrasco’s last start for the Braves, as Atlanta DFA’d him shortly after the game was over.
However, this game was a tale of what happened while Carlos Carrasco was in the game and what happened after Carlos Carrasco exited the game. From that point forward, it was all Atlanta. Mets starter David Peterson ran into some serious trouble in the fourth inning as he went from nearly cruising to suddenly being unable to find the strike zone. Atlanta’s lineup coaxed four walks out of Peterson in this inning alone (including a bases-loaded walk to Nick Allen) and also fit in a single and a bases-clearing double from Jurickson Profar in order to get right back into the game.
Things didn’t get much better once Reed Patrick entered the game. Patrick was greeted rudely by Marcell Ozuna hitting an RBI single to bring Atlanta to within one and then eventually Michael Harris II came up to the plate with the bases loaded and two out. Business has been booming for Money Mike and he proceeded to hit an astonishingly ill-timed hanger near to Wall Street for a Grand Slam that made it nine runs in one inning for the Braves. Boom.
Desperation set in for the Mets after that. They ran themselves out of the very next frame after Pete Alonso was sent home and subsequently gunned down by Eli White at the plate. Juan Soto came up in the fifth inning with two men on and a chance to tie the game with one swing but Tyler Kinley got him to strike out as he was looking desperately for something to hit and that was essentially it for the Mets in this one. Marcell Ozuna bopped one for a two-run shot in the sixth that made it 11-6 Braves and that’s how this ended as Atlanta had improbably evened up the series in dramatic fashion.
Thursday, August 14
Braves 4, Mets 3
Finally, we got the usual tight game between these two longtime foes that always seems to happen in any given series. Bryce Elder remains an enigmatic figure, as he outlasted Kodai Senga while going stride-for-stride with him while both of them were out there. Sure, Elder did serve up his routine hanger that routinely gets crushed right on schedule but ultimately he avoided disaster in this one.
That ended up being important, as his seven innings of decent work kept the Braves in it long enough to eventually make their move in the eighth inning. A one-out walk from Marcell Ozuna was cashed in by Money Mike with an RBI double off of Ryan Helsley. Then Ozzie Albies came up to the plate and went down and golfed one into right field for another RBI double that put the Braves in the lead for the first time since briefly leading in the sixth inning.
This was after Ozzie delivered an RBI single and homered earlier on in the game. The homer in particular was a true gift, as it gave us the delicious image of Juan Soto feeling forlorn at the fence as the ball cleared it. Dylan Lee and Raisel Iglesias made the lead stick and the Braves had clinched the season series against a supposed Postseason contender.
There have been very few satisfying moments this season and folks, this qualifies as one of them. The Mets have been a hot mess for weeks now and fortunately, the Braves made sure to add to their misery instead of relieving it. Sure, New York had a big moment in the first game and they also tore up Carlos Carrasco but outside of that, the Braves looked like the more confident and composed team for long stretches of this series. It is extremely apparent that the Mets are in a state of extreme frustration and honestly, it’s relatable. It’s also hilarious but it’s certainly relatable.
This doesn’t save or salvage the season by any means but in a year like this, you have to take your joy whenever and wherever you can get it. Fortunately, the Braves were able to go to two familiar sources in order to help make this current stretch a bit of a bright spot for Atlanta. The Braves are now 6-4 in their last 10 games and they’re playing as well as they did during that brief period of when they had hope back in May when they were floating around .500. The offense is starting to show sustained signs of life as well, as the Braves have collectively put up a wRC+ of 107 since the All-Star Break — which is good for eight place in all of baseball during that span. This team is slowly but surely starting to look like their normal selves at the plate.
The pitching is still problematic and will probably continue to be a drag on them at times but at the very least, this is watchable! It may not be great if you’re rooting for them to have the strongest lottery chances that they could possibly get but I’m just happy that the on-field product is somewhat palatable again.
