A costly first inning proved too much for the Atlanta Braves to overcome Monday night as Brett Baty blasted the first grand slam of his career, lifting the New York Mets to an 8-5 victory at Truist Park.
The loss snapped Atlanta’s nine-game home winning streak and opened a pivotal three-game series with a setback.
The Mets wasted little time taking control against Braves starter Bryce Elder. After an overturned caught-stealing opportunity kept the inning alive, Baty made Atlanta pay by launching a grand slam that capped a five-run opening frame.
Elder (8-7) was unable to recover after entering the game on a hot streak, having allowed just one run in each of his previous three starts.
The Braves answered with two runs in the bottom of the first on Mauricio Dubón’s two-run single and continued to chip away throughout the night. Drake Baldwin finished 2-for-5 with an RBI, Ronald Acuña Jr. added a run-scoring hit, and Michael Harris II crossed the plate on a wild pitch in the fifth inning to pull Atlanta within 7-5.
However, the Braves could get no closer as New York’s bullpen shut the door. Daniel Duarte (1-0) earned the victory with two scoreless innings of relief, while Kodai Senga recorded the first save of his major league career with a scoreless ninth after closer Devin Williams was placed on the injured list earlier in the day.
Francisco Lindor paced the Mets’ offense by going 3-for-5 with a towering home run, while Jared Young collected two hits and drove in two runs. Bo Bichette also contributed with an RBI and a run scored.
The Braves had opportunities after trimming the deficit to two runs but were unable to deliver the big hit. Young added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth to seal the Mets’ sixth win in their last seven games.
Atlanta will look to even the series Tuesday night when left-hander Martín Pérez (7-6, 3.14 ERA) takes the mound against Mets right-hander Nolan McLean (8-7, 3.51 ERA). You can listen to tonight’s game starting with the Braves pregame show at 6pm with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m.