This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Jeff McNeil’s second hit of the night, an RBI single in the 10th inning, gave the New York Mets a 3-2 walk-off win over the Atlanta Braves in the opener of a four-game series between the National League East rivals.
Francisco Lindor hit a two-run homer in the third inning — the Mets’ last hit before the 10th. New York has won four straight games to improve to 14-7 this month and is within a half-game of Atlanta for the top wild-card spot in the National League.
McNeil singled in the second for the Mets’ first hit. Eight innings later, right fielder Ramon Laureano overran McNeil’s long fly off Pierce Johnson (3-2), allowing automatic runner Jose Iglesias to score from second.
McNeil has three consecutive multi-hit games, and he is 10-for-24 (.417) with four homers and nine RBIs in seven games since the All-Star break.
Phil Maton (2-2) threw a scoreless 10th, helped greatly when Laureano, the automatic runner who was sacrificed to third to begin the inning, was tagged out on failed suicide squeeze for the second out.
Orlando Arcia (second inning) and Travis d’Arnaud (sixth inning) had run-scoring singles for the Braves, who have lost five straight to fall to 8-11 this month. Austin Riley and Matt Olson finished with two hits apiece.
Mets starter Luis Severino allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six in five innings. Braves starter Chris Sale gave up two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out nine in 7 1/3 innings.
Severino wriggled out of a first-and-third jam with one out in the first before the Braves mounted a two-out rally in the second. Laureano singled, stole second and scored on Arcia’s single.
The Mets’ Tyrone Taylor walked with one out in the third before Lindor homered to left-center with two outs. It was his 22nd homer of the season.
The Braves chased Severino before he could record an out in the sixth. Marcell Ozuna worked a leadoff walk, went to third on Olson’s single and scored on d’Arnaud’s broken bat single over third base.
Jose Butto then struck out Eddie Rosario and Nacho Alvarez Jr. before getting Laureano to fly out to deep center.
Butto retired all nine batters he faced.
–Field Level Media
