The New York Mets five-game series against the Atlanta Braves have been a dog fight from the beginning, and it proved again in game four. The Mets 2-1 win was symbolic of their 2021 surprising success. It featured unlikely heroes, bullpen success, and tremendous defense to get a much-needed victory.
Got him! ? @mconforto8 ?? @McCannon33 pic.twitter.com/IYnfAd1Due
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 29, 2021
After a tense 1-1 battle that carried into the seventh inning, manager Luis Rojas turned to the bat of Brandon Drury. He was fresh off a 3-for-3 night in Tuesday’s blowout loss and was 6-for-14 as a pinch hitter. Drury waited back on a Max Fried curveball and launched it deep into the left-field bleachers for a 2-1 Mets lead.
Battle Tested
The usually reliable Aaron Loup got the ball to protect the lead in the eighth but ran into instant trouble. After two straight singles to leadoff inning, a swinging bunt from Freddie Freeman set the Braves up with runners on second and third with only one out. Jeurys Familia came into face the red-hot Austin Riley, who homered earlier in the game. Familia struck out Riley, then induced a Dansby Swanson groundout to escape the jam.
Trouble returned in the ninth inning for Edwin Diaz, who allowed a leadoff double to Abraham Almonte. After getting a flyout, Ehire Adrianza singled to right field, and a perfect throw from Michael Conforto and a great tag from James McCann nabbed Almonte from scoring the tying run. Pablo Sandoval flew out to Kevin Pillar, cutting towards the left-center field gap to secure the win.
Tylor Megill was solid once again in 5.1 innings, allowing just one run while striking out six to lower his ERA to a very impressive 2.04. The combination of five relievers the Mets used allowed just four hits, no walks, and kept the Braves scoreless. The win pushed the Mets four games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Phillies and five ahead of the Braves.
On Thursday, both teams finish up their series with a 12:10 afternoon game. Drew Smyly faces Taijuan Walker in the rubber game of the five-game series from Citi Field.