Rally cut short as Braves lose 8-7
ATLANTA — DJ Stewart hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to give New York the lead, Brandon Nimmo drove in five runs with four hits, including two homers, and the Mets held on to beat the Atlanta Braves 8-7 on Monday night.
The Mets, who have won four of five, snapped Atlanta’s three-game winning streak on the night Atlanta celebrated the 50-year anniversary of Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th homer.
Marcell Ozuna hit his fifth homer of the season for the Braves, matching Mookie Betts and Tyler O’Neill for the most in the majors.
Pierce Johnson (2-1) gave up a single to Brett Baty with one out in the eighth before Stewart’s first homer of the season cleared the center field wall, snapping a 5-all tie.
Mets right-hander Jorge López gave up a double to Matt Olson to open the ninth. Ozuna advanced Olson to third with a drive that Jeff McNeil caught at the left-field wall. Olson scored on a single to right field by Michael Harris II, trimming the New York lead to 8-7.
Orlando Arcia popped out and López earned his first save when Travis d’Arnaud lined out to right field.
Mets right-hander Drew Smith issued a bases-loaded walk to Ozzie Albies in the eighth. Smith ended the inning on Austin Riley’s grounder.
Right-hander Julio Teheran lasted only 2 2/3 innings, giving up four runs, in his Mets debut. Teheran, 33, signed with New York on Friday. He began his career with Atlanta in 2011 and was an All-Star with the Braves in 2014 and 2016.
Albies’ two-run double off Teheran in the third came before Ozuna’s homer, which carried 442 feet to left-center, extended the lead to 4-0.
Braves right-hander Charlie Morton couldn’t hold the lead. Morton walked five batters while giving up five hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Morton walked Jeff McNeil and Joey Wendle at the bottom of the Mets’ lineup before giving up Nimmo’s 435-foot homer to the second deck in right field.
Left-hander Jake Diekman (1-0), the Mets’ third reliever, pitched a scoreless seventh.
Smith crashed into a padded post and TV camera near the Braves’ dugout in the eighth while failing to catch a foul pop by d’Arnaud but remained in the game.