ATLANTA (AP) — Brett Baty hit the first grand slam of his career and the New York Mets held off the Atlanta Braves 8-5 on Monday night for their sixth win in seven games.
Francisco Lindor was 3 for 5 with a 420-foot home run, Jared Young had two hits and two RBIs, and Bo Bichette drove in a run and scored.
Daniel Duarte (1-0) earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief, and Kodai Senga pitched a scoreless ninth for his first career save. Regular
closer Devin Williams was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier in the day.
Baty's grand slam came in the first inning off Bryce Elder (8-7), who was unable to follow up on his past three starts where he gave up just one run each game.
Elder nearly escaped the first inning after allowing just one run. With one out and Bichette on first, the Braves thought they had a double play. On a 3-2 count to Carson Benge, Bichette was caught stealing. The pitch was called a ball, wiping out the caught stealing, but replays showed the ball was a strike and Elder tapped his hat for an ABS challenge. The challenge was not granted, keeping the inning alive, and Baty homered three batters later to give the Mets a 5-0 lead.
Mauricio Dubón had a two-run single in the first, Drake Baldwin was 2 for 5 with an RBI and Ronald Acuña Jr. knocked in a run for the Braves, who had won nine straight home games. Michael Harris II scored from third on a wild pitch in the fifth to cut the lead to 7-5 before Young closed the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the ninth for the Mets.
Braves LHP Martín Pérez (7-6, 3.14) will be opposed by Mets RHP Nolan McLean (8-7, 3.51) in the second game of the three-game series Tuesday.
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