Wheeler Outpitches Gausman As Mets Top Braves
NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Gausman was outpitched in his Braves debut by a blossoming Zack Wheeler, and the New York Mets won 3-0 on Saturday night to stop Atlanta's five-game winning streak.
Rookie second baseman Jeff McNeil went 4 for 4, and Austin Jackson had an RBI infield single as the Mets halted a four-game skid. They improved to 4-11 against Atlanta this year and won for only the 10th time in their last 34 home games.
Pitching against his hometown team, Wheeler (6-6) matched a season high with nine strikeouts over seven innings of three-hit ball and extended his shutout streak to 17 innings.
The 28-year-old right-hander has won four consecutive starts for the first time in his career — immediately after going 13 outings in a row without a win, marking the longest such streak by a Mets starter in 20 years.
Bobby Wahl and Robert Gsellman finished the five-hitter, with Gsellman getting four fast outs (all on grounders to McNeil) for his sixth save.
After taking early infield work Saturday afternoon before batting practice, New York (45-63) put together a rare game of first-rate defense to delight a crowd of 36,946 that showed up eager to receive Noah Syndergaard as Thor bobbleheads.
Wheeler's long-awaited emergence after missing the 2015-16 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery was one reason the struggling Mets held onto him at the non-waiver trade deadline. They hope he'll be a big part of a major turnaround next season, and Wheeler was certainly on his game in his first outing since staying put Tuesday, firing 98-99 mph heat as he fanned his first three batters for the first time in his career.
Atlanta, on the other hand, made an aggressive move to acquire Gausman (5-9) from the Orioles in an effort to bolster its rotation for a tight race atop the NL East. The right-hander, drafted fourth overall out of LSU in 2012, was charged with three runs and six hits over five-plus innings during his first professional start outside the Baltimore organization.
McNeil's double set up Amed Rosario's run-scoring grounder in the second before Gausman gave up three straight singles to start the sixth and was pulled. Jackson drove in a run with a single off the foot of reliever Shane Carle, and Kevin Plawecki added a shallow sacrifice fly.
LOOKING AHEAD
Atlanta planned to start left-handers Max Fried and Sean Newcomb in Tuesday's doubleheader at Washington, manager Brian Snitker said. Fried tossed a scoreless eighth inning out of the bullpen, working his way out of a first-and-third jam. Newcomb (10-5) will be on eight days' rest after throwing 134 pitches last Sunday, when he fell one out short of a no-hitter against the Dodgers. ... Matt Harvey is not scheduled to pitch against his former Mets teammates when Cincinnati visits Citi Field for a three-game series beginning Monday. Harvey started the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader in Washington and got hit hard.
UP NEXT
Braves RHP Julio Teheran (8-7) starts the finale of the four-game series Sunday afternoon. Teheran is 9-6 with a 2.33 ERA in his career versus the Mets and has allowed only two runs on 11 hits in 21 innings (0.86 ERA) against them this season. Rookie RHP Corey Oswalt (1-2) pitches for New York in place of injured Steven Matz. Oswalt beat San Diego in his last big league start July 25 for his first career win.
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