ATLANTA – This was different. The Mets left town having not embarrassed themselves. They took the series, stretched their division lead by a game and gained the respect of their longtime nemesis.
“They’re just a good team,” Braves pitcher Charlie Morton said. “I don’t expect them to fall off. I think they’re going to be really good until the end.”
Said manager Brian Snitker: “They had three really good starts, and we didn’t have any.”
The Mets split the week’s first two games by scoring five runs. On Wednesday, they scored five runs against Morton, of whom Snitker said: “He just wasn’t sharp.”
Morton struck out six in five innings. Trouble was, the Mets who didn’t whiff kept hitting the ball over the wall. Eduardo Escobar hoisted a first-pitch fastball 426 feet in the second inning. Francisco Lindor whomped a 2-2 fastball into the right-field seats in the third. Mark Canha hit a 3-2 curve into the first row in left.