NEW YORK - After a frustrating sweep in Tuesday's doubleheader with the division-leading New York Mets, a series win was out of the Atlanta Braves' grasp against their National League East rivals.
However, the Braves wound up leaving town with a split of the four-game set - and maybe even a bit of momentum for their struggling lineup.
Adam Duvall hit a two-run double during the Braves' seven-run sixth, the big inning during Wednesday afternoon's 9-2 win against the Mets that left fourth-place Atlanta six games back.
Dansby Swanson and Ronald Acuña Jr. added RBI singles in Atlanta's biggest inning of the season at the plate. Travis d'Arnaud walked with the bases loaded, and Matt Olson capped the outburst with a run-scoring groundout.
"That was nice to put together - keep the line moving a little bit," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "The one big inning, I don't know that we've done that this year. That was good to see that we are capable of that."
The Braves (12-15) had scored seven or more runs just three times in their first 26 games. The reigning World Series champions began the day with a .212 batting average with runners in scoring position after they managed just four runs Tuesday, when they lost 5-4 and 3-0.
"Hitting is contagious, it really is," Duvall said.
Luis Guillorme homered in the ninth for New York (18-9), which had won three of its past four games - with the loss in that stretch 5-2 in Monday's series opener. Eduardo Escobar doubled home Pete Alonso in the sixth Wednesday.
Mets right-hander Tylor Megill (4-1) was charged with three runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings in his first start since he combined with four relievers on a no-hitter Friday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. Megill didn't allow a hit against the Braves until Duvall singled in the fifth.
Everything fell apart for the Mets in the next inning.
"Their guy did a great job, he seems to be off to a great start this year," winning pitcher Ian Anderson said of Megill. "For us to keep chipping away, draw a couple walks, get a couple base hits - usually we're a team that hits a lot of homers, and to score those runs with single, walk, moving guys over was good to see."
Eight straight batters reached with one out in the bottom of the sixth. The rally began with an infield single by Austin Riley, who was initially called out on a grounder to third before the Braves challenged.
After Duvall's double against Adam Ottavino made it 3-0, d'Arnaud raced home on a wild pitch. Guillermo Heredia scored when Acuña used some nifty baserunning to escape a rundown on Olson's potential double-play grounder.
"Not much margin for error there," Mets manager Buck Showalter said. "We could get out of that (down) one or two, we might have a shot, but we weren't able to do it. A tough thing (is) it makes, statistically, Tylor's outing look a lot different than it actually was."
Heredia tacked on a two-run homer in the eighth on a drive to center field against Trevor Williams.
Anderson (3-1), who grew up about three hours north of Citi Field in Clifton Park, pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball. He issued four walks and allowed five hits. Anderson improved to 3-2 with a 2.76 ERA in five career starts at the New York ballparks.
The nine consecutive no-hit innings for Megill is tied for the fifth-longest such streak in franchise history.
"Cool stat, but just trying to pitch," Megill said. "Don't really kind of tend to think of those things when you're out there pitching, just on what's going on in front of you."
Before the game, Braves right fielder Travis Demeritte was scratched and replaced by Heredia; the team said Demeritte was getting rest after playing both ends of Tuesday's doubleheader.
Heredia robbed Jeff McNeil of a homer in the second inning when he scaled the wall, hung on with his left hand and reached over with his glove before lingering at the top for a moment.
"Unbelievable catch," Snitker said. "I said we might be watching that the rest of the year. It was awesome."
With the four-game split, the Mets' streak of series wins to start the season ended at seven - a team record and two shy of the 2018 Arizona Diamondbacks for the most consecutive series wins to open a season by an NL team in the past 45 years.
Atlanta, which has just one series win this season, earned a split for the third time in 2022. The Braves are off Thursday before beginning an eight-game homestand with three games against the Milwaukee Brewers, their opponent in an NL Division Series last fall.