ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves are gaining steam. The New York Mets are losing ground.
Matt Olson hit a three-run double, Spencer Strider struck out eight batters in six innings, and the Braves beat the Mets 7-1 on Thursday night to sweep a three-game series between the National League East Division rivals at Truist Park while extending New York’s season-worst losing streak to six games.
The latest sloppy defeat, paired with the Philadelphia Phillies’ 2-1 win over the division’s last-place Miami Marlins, left the Mets and Phillies tied for first place in the NL East with each team 45-30 heading into their weekend series at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.
In the series finale against the third-place Braves, who are 10 games back at 34-39, New York pitchers issued nine walks, including a career-high six in 4 2/3 innings by starter Clay Holmes (7-4), who allowed three runs. Huascar Brazobán walked three batters while giving up four runs in relief.
With the bases loaded and Holmes working with a 3-2 count against Atlanta’s Drake Baldwin in the fifth inning, the right-hander had trouble with the PitchCom device in his cap. After a new device was delivered from the dugout, Holmes threw ball four to force in a run that gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead. Brazobán followed with another bases-loaded walk, this one to Ozzie Albies.
Strider (2-5) yielded one run and five hits with one walk while winning his second straight start. Olson added another double, walked twice and scored three runs.
The Braves, 15 games out of first place a week ago, have won three straight games and seven of their past nine. After locking up a third straight series win Wednesday night, Thursday’s outcome secured Atlanta’s first sweep since taking three games from the visiting Minnesota Twins on April 18-20. That’s the only other sweep this season for the Braves, who have endured two seven-game losing streaks and been above .500 just twice this year.
Juan Soto’s single with two outs in the first for the Mets was his 1,000th career hit at age 26. This is his first season with the Mets after playing last season with the American League’s New York Yankees and reaching the World Series.
The Braves have a three-game series at Miami this weekend before visiting the Mets for a four-game series that starts Monday at Citi Field. Atlanta is expected to call up 20-year-old rookie right-hander Didier Fuentes for his MLB debut in Friday’s opener against the Marlins, with the youngster’s start intended to provide extra rest for the regular members of the rotation.
Mets make pitching moves
Right-hander Justin Hagenman could make his first start of the season soon to help the Mets’ depleted rotation, but it won’t come Friday at Philadelphia.
Perhaps of more significance, the Mets debut for right-hander Frankie Montas could come soon.
The Mets on Thursday recalled Hagenman and right-handed reliever Dedniel Núñez from Triple-A Syracuse and optioned right-hander Ty Adcock to Syracuse. Right-hander Max Kranick was also placed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain.
Hagenman, who gave up one run in 3 1/3 innings in his only other appearance for the Mets this season, was forced to work in relief in Thursday night’s game at Atlanta. Before the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Hagenman could pitch Friday, either as a starter or in bulk relief behind an opener, but those plans changed as the Mets fell behind the Braves.
Mendoza said Montas, who was placed on the IL with a strained right lat on March 24, also may be ready to join the rotation despite allowing eight homers and posting a 12.05 ERA in six rehab games in the minor leagues. Montas allowed 30 hits in 18 2/3 innings in his series of rocky rehab outings.
“I mean, I’m not going to lie, you know, he got hit,” Mendoza said of Montas. “He got hit around, you know? But look, we’ve seen it before where guys in spring training struggle and they get hit around. And once you put him on a big league game under the lights and your game plan, and you make adjustments and they flip the switch. He’s had success before at this level.”
Montas, 32, signed a $34 million, two-year contract with the Mets in December. He missed most of the 2023 season because of shoulder surgery but was 3-3 with a 4.53 ERA in 11 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024.
New York needs help on the mound one way or another. Right-hander Tylor Megill was placed on the 15-day IL on Tuesday with a right elbow sprain and will miss at least one month. Last week, right-hander Kodai Senga was placed on the 15-day IL with a right hamstring strain.
Mendoza said Kranick, who had a 3.65 ERA, returned to New York on Thursday for an MRI after having continued discomfort in his elbow Wednesday, when he played catch and then tried to throw from the mound.
Kranick, 27, was recalled from Syracuse on June 13.
So do Phillies
MIAMI — Philadelphia moved right-hander Aaron Nola to the 60-day injured list Thursday, a week after he injured his ribcage while trying to work himself back from a sprained right ankle.
Nola had been out since early May with the ankle injury. He experienced stiffness in his right side last week in Toronto that wiped out a planned session against live batters, and an MRI showed a stress reaction in his right ribcage.
Nola, who is in the second season of a seven-year, $172 million contract, is 105-86 with a 3.78 ERA in 11 seasons with the Phillies, making six straight opening day starts from 2018-23. He was 1-7 with a 6.16 ERA in nine starts this year before injuring his ankle on May 8 during pregame agility drills.
The Phillies selected the contract of infielder Buddy Kennedy from Triple-A Lehigh Valley before Thursday’s game against the Marlins and optioned infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson to the IronPigs.