NEW YORK – Pinch-hitter Brandon Drury delivered a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning, and right fielder Michael Conforto threw out a runner at the plate in the ninth to preserve the New York Mets’ 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night.
The first-place Mets have maintained their five-game lead over the third-place Braves in the National League East Division by splitting the first four games of the five-game series.
“That was like a playoff game,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.
Drury, batting for Trevor May (4-2) after the reliever struck out two in a perfect seventh, hit Max Fried’s 1-0 pitch well into the seats beyond left field for his fourth pinch-hit homer of the season, tying him for the MLB lead with the Braves’ Pablo Sandoval.
In the eighth, Jeurys Familia struck out Austin Riley and retired Dansby Swanson on a grounder to escape a two-on, one-out jam created by Aaron Loup.