ATLANTA — An exorcism is not supposed to start with a reintroduction of your demons.
Poised to make a statement in this enormous series at Truist Park, the Mets instead played one of their sloppiest games in months. Atlanta seized upon every Mets mistake in dismantling New York in the series opener, 5-1. It was same old, same old for a September series in this city.
The Mets’ lead over Atlanta for a wild-card spot is down to a game. (The Mets fell back into a tie with Arizona, pending the Diamondbacks’ late game against the Giants.)
“We didn’t play well,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Leading off the game, José Iglesias ran into his own ground ball in fair territory for an out — a portent of what was to come. Practitioners of crisp baseball for four months, the Mets looked more like their May selves for much of the night.
NYM 1
ATL 5
FinalThe Mets played one of their sloppiest games in months. Atlanta took advantage, and the margin between the two teams is down to one.
The Mets are 87-70.
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) September 25, 2024
Luisangel Acuña bobbled a potential double-play grounder. Luis Severino and Francisco Alvarez nearly collided on a swinging bunt, with the pitcher then throwing the ball into right field. Starling Marte airmailed a cutoff man. And Brandon Nimmo misplayed a sharp line drive to left into a double. These led to extra bases, longer innings and Atlanta runs.
Severino labored to finish off hitters, and he was hurt by some soft contact finding turf. He lasted only four innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. It’s his second-shortest start of the season.
The third inning was the problem. Orlando Arcia was behind that swinging bunt, which Alvarez pursued aggressively from behind the plate, getting in Severino’s way as the pitcher uncorked a wild throw to first that allowed Arcia an extra base. That formed the snowball, and the Mets spent the rest of the inning pushing it down the hill.
“It’s pretty much in no man’s land,” Mendoza said. “It’s going to be a tough play for Sevy, it’s going to be a tough play for Alvy.”
Michael Harris II, a thorn in New York’s side all night, promptly laced Severino’s first-pitch cutter down the right-field line for an RBI double. Ozzie Albies then grounded the next pitch into right field to score Harris standing up. Marte threw all the way home anyway, which permitted Albies to move to second. He’d score three batters later when Ramon Laureano double-doinked an inside fastball to right field for a two-out RBI knock. The ball actually caromed off the barrel of Laureano’s bat after first hitting its handle.
“There was a lot of bad luck involved in that inning,” Severino said. “There’s going to be days like that. I feel like I could have done better.”
That inning — and indeed the entire evening — was a reminder that the Mets are facing a fuller version of Atlanta than the one that last visited Queens in late July. Harris is back and scalding at the top of the lineup. He added a solo homer off Severino in the fourth and a diving theft of an Acuña line drive in the fifth. Afterward, Severino lamented that Harris beat him on the cutter inside for the RBI double and on the fastball outside for the home run.
“He’s hot,” he said.
Albies is back delivering professional at-bats even if they’re all from the right side for the time being. Matt Olson is swinging like Matt Olson again. And Jorge Soler has added depth to the middle of the order— another power bat from the right side helping mitigate the sustained absences of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley.
Offensively, the Mets did next to nothing against Spencer Schwellenbach. Mark Vientos contributed two of their three hits off the rookie, including an opposite-field solo homer in the seventh. Schwellenbach has allowed that single run in 14 innings against the Mets this season. They’ve picked up just five hits off him while striking out 15 times. New York’s might be the only lineup in baseball that misses that other Spencer S. in the Atlanta rotation.
“He has a really good fastball, man. He controls it really well,” said Jesse Winker, who went 0-for-4 on the night. “He’s outstanding. You have to tip your hat to him.”
The task gets no easier for the Mets, who are slated to face Cy Young frontrunner Chris Sale on Wednesday, weather permitting.
“To get into the playoffs you’ve got to beat the best. That’s what’s in front of us,” said Nimmo, hitless in four at-bats Tuesday. “We’ve had a lot of challenges in front of us this year that we’ve been able to overcome. It’s just another one.”
The best offensive news for the Mets came at the very end of the night, in the form of Francisco Lindor in the on-deck circle. Lindor was in line to pinch hit for Tyrone Taylor had the game extended another batter. Mendoza said the shortstop, who hasn’t played in New York’s last eight games, “could be in play” for Wednesday’s game.
(Photo of Luisangel Acuña: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
