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    Mets smash six home runs, Clay Holmes solid in 9-2 win over Braves

    Scott HicksBy No Comments5 Mins Read


    The Mets smashed six more home runs on Saturday and Clay Holmes pitched six innings for the first time in more than two months as New York defeated the Braves, 9-2, in Atlanta.

    New York has hit 29 home runs in their last 11 games, including Saturday. Four Mets pitchers held the Braves to two runs on just five hits.

    Here are the takeaways…

    -After a 21-hit barrage on Friday, the Mets' lineup wouldn't go that nuclear on Saturday, but they continued to get knocks against Cal Quantrill. Francisco Lindor extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a third-inning single to lead off. After a Juan Soto walk, they executed a double-steal to put runners on second and third and no outs. Pete Alonso grounded to the left side for the first out before Mark Vientos struck out swinging. The Mets were in danger of not getting a run, but Jeff McNeil, starting for the first time in three games, launched a towering three-run blast just inside the right field foul pole. 

    -The Braves almost answered the Mets' three-run third with a big inning of their own in the bottom half of the inning. After Holmes couldn't come down with the toss from Alonso, putting runners on first and third with one out, Starling Marte — making just his sixth start in the outfield this season — caught a fly ball in left before throwing a seed to Hayden Senger and getting Nacho Alvarez Jr. at home.

    It wouldn't get easier for Holmes in the fourth. He walked back-to-back batters to start the inning and got Michael Harris II to hit a grounder to McNeil, who turned to try and get Ronald Acuña Jr. at second, but the former NL MVP slid in safely before the ball got there — after it was overturned by replay. With the bases loaded and no outs, Marcell Ozuna got a sac fly to give the Braves their first run of the game. Drake Baldwin hit a slow chopper to Holmes to drive in another on the groundout. Holmes got Ozzie Albies to fly out to end the threat, but Atlanta picked up two runs without getting a hit in the fourth.

    A 1-2-3 fifth and some stellar defense by Lindor and Tyrone Taylor in the sixth helped Holmes get through six innings for the first time since June 7. Coincidentally, the Mets had gone 62 games before a starter other than David Peterson went six-plus innings when Nolan McLean broke that on Friday. And now Mets starters have done so in back-to-back games. 

    Holmes had retired 10 straight batters before a one-out single in the seventh and left after a quality start. The right-hander tossed 94 pitches (54 strikes) through 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, two walks and striking out four.

    -After that three-run shot by McNeil, the Mets' offense was kept at bay by Quantrill and Braves relievers until the seventh, when Alonso hit a towering blast just inside the right field foul pole with Soto on first base to give the Mets a 5-2 lead. Vientos followed with a no-doubt homer to left field to put the Mets on top, 6-2. 

    It's Alonso's first home run (43 ABs) since the two-homer night when he broke Darryl Strawberry's franchise record. The Mets weren't done in the seventh as Marte hit a solo shot to give New York a four-spot in the inning. Marte was removed from left field in the seventh for Cedric Mullins, who played center and Taylor shifted to left. Vientos and McNeil would cap off the Mets' scoring with ninth-inning solo shots, the second of both slugger's games.

    -In relief of Holmes, Gregory Soto, Tyler Rogers and Edwin Diaz — who hadn't pitched in a week — picked up the final eight outs. Here how it broke down:

    • Soto: 0.2 IP, 1 BB, 1 K
    • Rogers: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K
    • Diaz: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K

    -The 6-9 hitters went a combined 12-for-20 with six RBI in Friday's game, but didn't have the same success on Saturday. That part of the lineup went 4-for-17 with one RBI. Three of those hits came from Marte. Brett Baty, who had four hits, went hitless, while Taylor picked up just one hit after picking up three on Friday.

    -Mets stole four bases on Quantrill, Marte having two of them. It's the first time they stole four bases in a game this season.

    Game MVP: Starling Marte

    The veteran outfielder not only went 3-for-3 with a homer, two stolen bases, but that assist in the outfield changed the tenor of the whole game.

    Highlights

    What's next

    The Mets and Braves finish their three-game set with an afternoon game in Atlanta. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. on WPIX.

    David Peterson (8-5, 3.18 ERA) will take on Bryce Elder (5-9, 6.29 ERA)





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