*Photo from NorthJersey.com*
The New York Mets had been at the mercy of the Atlanta Braves all game long, being held to just 3 hits and no runs entering the 7th inning. Baseball can be cruel sometimes. James McCann hit the tying homer, Francisco Lindor drove in the winning run, and the Mets defeated the Braves 4-3 on Tuesday night.
McCann said "You’re always gonna be able to look back over the course of the season and see different points that are turning points, whether they’re good or they’re bad. So hopefully, the seventh inning today is a rallying point that we can take into the All-Star break and then beyond."
The Mets scored all 4 of their runs in the 7th inning. It started when McCann belted a game tying 3 run homer to left center field, tying the game at 3-3 with no one out in the 7th. Later that inning, it was Lindor who singled to center field, scoring Jose Peraza and giving the Mets a 4-3 lead, and the win.
Drew Smith picked up the win for the Mets, pitching a shutout inning of relief, despite allowing two walks. Tylor Megill got his second start of the season for the Mets, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and two walks, racking up 8 strikeouts in 5 innings pitched. Trevor May and Seth Lugo pitching scoreless innings in the 7th and 8th, and Edwin Diaz picked up his 17th save of the season with a shutout 9th.
Mets manager Luis Rojas said of his team that "They feel that they’re gonna come back. They’re never just giving in. That’s what we saw today. Like, one inning and we turn it around. The resiliency here, I think, is contagious. I know that the numbers are not blown up right now, but Lindor’s delivered a lot of big hits for us in wins. And McCann has done it, too, since he started swinging a hot bat. I know they’re gonna take off. They’re gonna end up hitting a lot better than the numbers show today."
For the Braves, they got all 3 of their runs in the 5th inning against Megill. They all came on one swing of the bat, when Ozzie Albies belted a 3 run homer to right center field, putting Atlanta up 3-0, before the Mets came back.
It was the Braves bullpen that backfired for them, as AJ Minter took the loss, allowing the winning run to score in one inning of work, being put in after Charlie Morton gave up the tying homer to McCann. Morton allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and one walk in 6+ innings. Shane Greene and Tyler Matzek each threw scoreless innings of relief after Minter departed.
Minter said "We have not been playing good baseball, and we know that. The fact we’re still in this division race is encouraging. The only thing I know is winning in this organization. So when we are playing the way we are, it’s a new feeling. Hopefully, we can address it and get back how we know we can play baseball."
The Mets and Braves continue their series tonight, with David Peterson getting the start for the Mets, and Max Fried starting for the Braves.
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