ATLANTA — Veteran left-hander Chris Sale went 8 2/3 innings while just missing his first shutout since 2019, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson hit home runs, and the Atlanta Braves handed the New York Mets their season-high fifth straight loss, 5-0 on Wednesday night at Truist Park.
Atlanta, which followed up on a 5-4 win in 10 innings Tuesday night to open the three-game series between National League East Division rivals, secured its third straight series win after dropping six series in a row.
The Braves, who improved to 33-39, have won six of their past eight games since their second seven-game losing streak of the year dropped them to a season-worst 10 games below .500. Atlanta is third in the NL East, 11 games behind the first-place Mets (45-29), whose lead over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies is down to a game.
Sale (5-4), the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, allowed five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts and did not allow a runner past second base. He threw 116 pitches before giving way to Raisel Iglesias, who got a groundout to end the game.
Sale has given up four runs in his past 41 2/3 innings for a 0.86 ERA in his past six starts. Acuña’s 419-foot home run to center in the first inning was the 36th leadoff homer of his career and his second this season, and it’s the eighth homer overall this year for the 2023 NL MVP after not joining the team until late May due to rehabbing from knee surgery that led to him missing nearly a year.
The Braves pushed their lead to 2-0 in the first on a catcher’s interference call. Mets catcher Luis Torrens blocked a pitch with a runner on third, and when he went to corral the loose ball, he used his mask in his right hand to sweep it into his glove. The ruling was catcher’s interference and an error, allowing the run to score.
Olson hit his 15th home run of the season in the seventh inning.
Ozzie Albies was 2-for-3 with a double and a triple. He was hit in the right knee with a pitch while swinging at a third strike in the sixth inning and went down for a few moments, but he stayed in the game.
A night after hitting a bases-loaded sacrifice fly for the win, Atlanta’s Austin Riley was 0-for-3 with a walk.
New York’s Jeff McNeil was 1-for-3 on Wednesday while extending his on-base streak to 20 games, the longest active run in the major leagues. Mets starting pitcher Paul Blackburn (0-1) gave up four runs (three earned) on four hits with two walks in 3 2/3 innings.
The scheduled starting pitchers for Thursday night’s series finale are right-handers Spencer Strider (1-5, 4.35 ERA) for Atlanta and Clay Holmes (7-3, 2.87) for New York.