Atlanta-The New York Mets found themselves in a bad situation tonight.
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The Mets’ six-game winning streak is their longest since they won eight straight from April 22-30. They trailed in seven of their last 10 victories.
Curtis Granderson continued to swing a hot bat Friday, homering for the fourth straight game for the first time in his career as the Mets rallied to defeat the Atlanta Braves, 6-4, at Turner Field.
“You’ve got to capitalize this time of year”.
Terry Collins on his club: “Right now some things are falling our way, there is no question about it”. And the Mets’ deficit remained at two heading into that inning thanks to a great outing by Josh Smoker, who inherited a first-and-third, nobody-out scenario from Jim Henderson and quickly got a strikeout and a ground ball double play to end the inning. “We’ll take them as they are coming”. Granderson got the Mets on the board in the sixth with a two run homer off Teheran and tied the game in the eighth with an RBI single. Johnson’s double down the right-field line off rookie right-hander Maurico Cabrera drove in Asdrubal Cabrera. “That’s why we got him (again)”, Collins said of the former fearless.
Teheran, who pitched seven scoreless innings against the Mets in 2015, threw a one-hit shutout against them at NY in June and followed that up six days later with eight scoreless innings in a no-decision at home.
“It’s a good thing I was able to escape and kind of react. It’s a little sweeter, I guess”.
Granderson homered for the fourth straight game and for the sixth time in his last nine overall. “I think he’s seeing the ball better. He’s not swinging at the borderline pitches like he was”, Collins said. Center fielder Ender Inciarte (18-game hitting streak) and first baseman Freddie Freeman (14-game streak) are two of the hottest hitters in the NL. “I’m just actually hitting the ball”, Freeman said.
“It’s just because this is the place you debuted and you come home”, Johnson said. “It wasn’t the pitch I wanted to throw in that location. I just made a mistake”. The Atlanta Braves jumped on Robert Gsellman for four runs in five innings, handing their ace Julio Teheran a 4-0 lead. He struck out six and walking two, one intentionally. The Mets wasted an opportunity to get Teheran in the first, loading the bases with one out but failing to score, and Teheran cruised for a while after that.
The Braves would strike first in this game as Matt Kemp blasted a solo homer (29) off Gsellman to give the home team a 1-0 lead.
Mets rookie Robert Gsellman allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings.
Yoenis Cespedes drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Hansel Robles (6-4) got the victory in relief for the Mets and Jeurys Familia worked around leadoff double by Adonis Garcia and a two-out walk in the ninth to record his major league-best 48th save. The fact the Mets are in a playoff race is impressive given the injuries that wrecked their starting rotation, but NY starts the weekend riding a five-game winning streak and Gsellman has provided a much-needed boost.The Mets also could use a boost from their big acquisition at the trade deadline, as right fielder Jay Bruce has hit just.204 with 33 strikeouts and a.613 OPS in 23 games since coming from Cincinnati. LHP Steven Matz (shoulder) is scheduled to throw off a mound Saturday in Florida and 1B Lucas Duda (back) will take batting practice against live pitching as they try to make it back for the Mets.
Bartolo Colon was expected to just be a place holder in the New York Mets rotation until Zack Wheeler returned from Tommy John surgery in the second half of the season.
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Braves: Infield prospect Ozzie Albies will undergo surgery next week for a broken right elbow. Sun Trust Park, the Braves’ new ballpark in suburban Cobb County, will open with a March 31 exhibition game against the New York Yankees next year.
