Freeman lifts Braves over Mets in 9th despite deGrom’s 14 K
ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman singled home the winning run with a low line drive that deflected off reliever Seth Lugo in the ninth inning, and the Atlanta Braves beat New York 4-3 on Thursday night after Mets ace Jacob deGrom racked up 14 strikeouts.
Dominic Smith homered twice for the Mets, including a tying solo shot off closer Will Smith in the top of the ninth.
Austin Riley hit a tworun homer as Atlanta
scored three times in the first against deGrom, who recovered to throw seven innings and retire his final 18 batters.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Freeman shook off four earlier strikeouts by drilling the ball up the middle off Lugo’s foot. It ricocheted to third baseman Luis Guillorme, whose throw to first was too late as the winning run scored.
It appeared Guillorme — if he had thought quickly in a hasty moment — might have been able to scoop up the ball, change direction and step on third in time for a forceout that would have ended the inning and kept the game tied. That’s what Lugo was yelling at the third baseman to do, but Guillorme fired off balance to first on a tough play.
The ninth began with Guillermo Heredia reaching second on a throwing error by Lugo (1-1). He fielded the soft single in the grass and fell down as he made a wild throw to first. After Heredia advanced on a groundout and Lugo issued two walks, Freeman came through.
Smith had his first career multi-homer game came, hitting a solo shot off Braves starter Ian Anderson in the seventh to trim the lead to 3-2 and a drive off Will Smith (2-5) in the ninth that made it 3-all. The Mets had won eight consecutive starts by deGrom, the major league leader with a 0.95 ERA, but the loss was their fourth in five games and 11th in 17 overall.
New York, in first place since May 8, has a two-game lead over Washington in the NL East. The three-time defending division champion Braves pulled within 3 1⁄2 games of the lead after taking two of three in the series.
DeGrom allowed three runs — the most he’s given up this season — with no walks. The two-time Cy Young Award winner left for a pinch-hitter to begin the eighth.