Mets fall 7-0 to first-place Braves.
NEW YORK — Kyle Wright allowed only one hit in the best start of his big league career, pitching into the seventh inning to lead the Atlanta Braves past the New York Mets 7-0 on Sunday.
Ronald Acuna Jr. homered off Rick Porcello to break a scoreless tie in the sixth and finished with four RBI. Travis d’Arnaud added a two-run double for his latest clutch hit against his former team.
Looking for its third straight NL East title, Atlanta began the day with a2 ½ -game division lead over Miami, which won the opener of its doubleheader against Washington.
Wright went 6 ⅓ innings and combined with three relievers on a three-hitter as the Braves took two of three in the series.
The Mets entered Sunday 1 games out of the final NL playoff spot.
Wright and Porcello were unlikely candidates for a pitchers’ duel. They came in a combined 2-9 with a 6.45 ERA, but both entered the sixth working on a one-hit shutout.
Wright (2-4), whowalked 20 batters over 25 innings in his first seven starts this season and had never pitched beyond the sixth in 10 career starts, retired the first eight batters before Wilson Ramos doubled down the left field line. The 24-year-old righthander set down the next 11 before walking J.D. Davis.
Will Smith entered and got Dominic Smith to hit into an inning-ending double play.
The two-run double by d’Arnaud off Jeurys Familia provided insurance in the eighth. The catcher also singled in the sixth and finished the season series hitting .479 (11 for 23) with three homers and 11 RBIs against the Mets, for whom he played from 2013-19.
The Braves added four more in the ninth, when Acuna delivered a threerun double and scored on Marcell Ozuna’s double.
Porcello (1-6) took the hard-luck loss despite allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out 10 over seven innings. The 10 strikeouts were his most since he whiffed 10 while pitching for Boston against Philadelphia on Aug. 14, 2018.