Brian Snitker ejected, then Adonis Garcia's homer lifts Braves past Mets

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Atlanta Braves logo

ATLANTA - The Braves got a win in their homestand opener Thursday night against the Mets, and the Turner Field crowd got a throwback-Thursday moment of sorts when interim manager Brian Snitker was ejected and left with a fiery display reminiscent of legendary Braves manager Bobby Cox.

Adonis Garcia's two-run homer in the eighth inning lifted the Braves to a 4-3 win to start a 10-game homestand. It was their seventh win in eight games including four in a row against the Mets, whom they swept last week in New York.

Before Garcia's homer on an 0-2 pitch from reliever Addison Reed, Snitker had sent a charge through the crowd with his emotional reaction to a umpire-review decision.

With the Braves trailing 3-2 and two runners in scoring position in the seventh inning, Ender Inciarte hit a fly ball that left fielder Michael Conforto caught in foul territory. Emilio Bonifacio tagged up and was called out on a close play at the plate when he slid into catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who was on top of the plate.

Replays showed that Bonifacio's knee might have touched the plate before the tag, but the call was confirmed upon video review, as umpires ruled the tag was made before he touched the plate and also that d'Arnaud - the brother of Braves utility player Chase d'Arnaud - did not violate the home-plate collision rule.

Snitker was livid, and home-plate umpire Jordan Baker tossed him after a couple of choice words from Snitker, who continued arguing and followed crew chief Mike Everitt toward third base. Snitker gestured with his arms, shouting and eventually taking off his cap and waving it in the air.

Many in the crowd of 22,324 roared with approval for Snitker's actions, just moments after they'd booed lustily when the call was confirmed.

Matt Wisler got no decision for the Braves after allowing seven hits, three runs and four walks in 6 2/3 innings.

The season isn't half-over yet and Matt Harvey has already made four starts against the Braves. He got no decision Thursday after allowing eight hits and two runs in six innings and leaving with a 3-2 lead. Harvey is 0-3 with a 4.58 ERA in three career home starts against the Braves and 2-1 with a 2.92 ERA in four at Turner Field.

A.J. Pierzynski drove in both runs against Harvey with a fourth-inning single and a two-out double in the sixth, which made him 8-for-12 with four RBIs in his career against the right-hander. He drove in Nick Markakis both times Thursday.

Wisler pitched on two extra days' rest after the Braves decided to push back his scheduled start Wednesday at Miami for two reasons: so John Gant could avoid facing the Mets consecutively in his first major league starts, and so Wisler could face the team's had the most success against in his young career.

He was 3-1 with a 1.55 ERA in four starts against the Mets before Thursday, beginning with a superb major league debut when Wisler limited them to six hits and one run in eight innings to win on June 19, 2015. He hadn't turned in a finer performance until facing the Mets on May 3 at New York, where Wisler allowed just one hit and two walks in eight scoreless innings.

In his last start before Thursday, Wisler snapped a four-start losing streak by allowing two runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings of a win against the Reds on June 16.

Harvey had gone 0.90 ERA and .127 opponents' average in three starts before facing the Braves last Friday in New York, where they knocked him around a bit for seven hits and four runs in six innings.

He stepped it up Thursday when he needed to, holding the Braves scoreless in the first and second innings despite two hits in each, and helping himself by picking off Jace Peterson at first base after his leadoff single in the first inning.

In the second inning, Alejandro De Aza snapped an 0-for-20 skid with a line-drive double to center that scored Conforto from first base for a 1-0 lead with one out. Conforto walked to start the inning, the third walk issued in a span of four batters by Wisler, who hadn't walked more than three all season.

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