Braves Win Fourth Straight With Victory Over Mets
NEW YORK (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. led off with his first big league triple and reached three times, Johan Camargo hit a two-run double in a three-run third inning, and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 4-2 Thursday night to extend their winning streak to four.
Mike Foltynewicz (8-7) won for the first time since July 11, allowing two runs and five hits in six innings. Three pitchers followed with one-hit relief as the Braves improved to 10-3 against the Mets this year.
New York dropped a season-low 18 games under .500 at 44-62. The Mets have lost 41 of their last 60 games overall and 23 of their last 32 home games.
Jason Vargas (2-7) allowed four runs and six hits in five innings. He has not pitched past the fifth in any of his 11 starts.
Todd Frazier returned from a ribcage injury and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his first game since July 8. He was booed loudly when he hit an inning-ending popup in the sixth that stranded Michael Conforto on third.
Acuna is hitting .357 (15 for 42) since being move to the leadoff spot on July 20. He grounded inside the third base bag and down the line on the night's third pitch, and when Conforto struggled to find the ball quickly, Acuna sped to third and slid in headfirst as his helmet came off. He scored when Ozzie Albies followed with a single.
Making his second big league start in center, Acuna threw out Wilmer Flores trying to stretch a single into a double in the sixth. Flores initially was called safe by second base umpire Gary Cederstrom, but the call was overturned in a video review.
Brando Nimmo hit his career-high 14th homer leading off the bottom half, and Freddie Freeman hit a go-ahead single in the third as Atlanta took a 4-1 lead. Freeman is hitting .400 (20 for 50) against New York this season.
Pinch-hitter Luis Guillorme singled in a run for the Mets in the fifth.
Jesse Biddle pitched a perfect seventh, and Brad Brach struck out Conforto with a runner on second to end the eighth. A.J. Minter worked around a leadoff walk to Flores to remain perfect in seven save chances.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mets: OF Yoenis Cespedes had to remove bone calcification in his right heel. He will have a second surgery on his left heel in two to three months. ... LHP Steven Matz was diagnosed with a flexor-pronator strain in his left forearm and could be placed on the DL. The Mets said they will decide Friday, two days before Matz's next turn. ... INF Phillip Evans was placed on the DL with a broken tibia. He will be on crutches for at least three weeks and will not be able to resume baseball activities for a month. ... RHP Bobby Wahl got two outs in the eighth in his Mets debut, his first big league appearance since May 23 last year with Oakland.
UP NEXT
RHP Anibal Sanchez (5-3, 3.00) is to start for the Braves on Friday, two days after a rainout caused his turn to be pushed back. He is 4-5 with a 4.34 ERA in 13 starts against the Mets. New York RHP Jacob deGrom (5-6, 1.82) is 5-4 with a 1.80 ERA in 15 starts against Atlanta.
(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
