Slumping Mets swept by Braves
NEW YORK >> Josh Donaldson and Dallas Keuchel were playing T-ball back in the days when Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves began tormenting the New York Mets.
They’ve picked up the tradition pretty quick.
Donaldson hit two more home runs against the Mets, Keuchel pitched his best game of the season and the Braves won their eighth in a row, holding off New York 2-1 Sunday.
“Shows these guys can compete with anyone,” manager Brian Snitker said.
The NL East leaders completed a three-game sweep and matched their longest winning streak of the season. The Braves play Monday at Colorado in a makeup of an April snowout, then start a series at Toronto.
Atlanta relievers set a team record, too, by extending their string to 25 scoreless innings before the Mets scored in the ninth. Mark Melancon got pinch-hitter Joe Panik to ground out with runners on first and second to end it.
Wearing all-white uniforms on Players’ Weekend, the Mets hardly looked like the team that went into this set at Citi Field with a fivegame winning streak. They dropped to 5-11 against Atlanta, long their nemesis.
“They’ve beat up on us a little bit,” manager Mickey Callaway said, adding, “so we need to figure the Braves out, that’s for sure.”
A day after hitting his 30th home run, Donaldson lofted a high fly over the left field wall in the second inning and lined a drive to deep center in the seventh for his ninth long ball against the Mets this season. He tied Hank Aaron’s club mark for most homers in a year against the Mets — Hammerin’ Hank did it against the expansion club in 1962.
“I’ve had some success against them,” Donaldson said. “I have a lot of respect for their pitching staff. They know that they have good stuff, and they’re going to challenge you.”
Donaldson also had some playful, back-andforth exchanges with the Mets crowd. No doubt, some of those same fans used to heckle another Braves third baseman, chanting “Larry, Larry” — that was Chipper’s actual first name.
“I like to interact with the fans,” Donaldson said. “Sometimes it’s more fun on the road because you know they don’t want you to have success.” St. Louis Chicago Milwaukee Cincinnati Pittsburgh Los Angeles Giants Arizona San Diego Colorado
Sunday’s games
Miami 3, Philadelphia 2 Atlanta 2, N.Y. Mets 1 Pittsburgh 9, Cincinnati 8 Arizona 5, Milwaukee 2 Washington 7, Chicago Cubs 5, 11 innings
San Diego 3, Boston 1 Giants 5, A’s 4
Philadelphia
Hernandez 2b 3 Hoskins 1b 4 Realmuto c 4 Dickerson lf 4 Segura ss 3 Kingery cf 3 Haseley rf 2 b-Rodriguez ph-rf1 Franco 3b 3 Nola p 2 c-Knapp ph 1 Hughes p 0 Alvarez p 0
Totals Miami
Berti ss
AB 30 AB
4
R H BI BB SO
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 R
1 86 65 65 60 58 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 H
1 45 65 66 69 72 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 1 8 BIBBSO
1 .656 .500 .496 .465 .446 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 2 _ 20 1⁄2 21 25 27 1⁄2
Avg
.283 .236 .272 .275 .287 .272 .233 .207 .233 .082 .190
—
—
Avg
.278
Totals New York
Rosario ss McNeil 2b Alonso 1b Conforto rf J.Davis lf Frazier 3b Lagares cf c-Ramos ph Rivera c d-Panik ph Matz p Sewald p b-R.Davis ph Wilson p
Totals Atlanta New York
a-struck out for Keuchel in the 8th; b-grounded out for Sewald in the 8th; c-singled for Lagares in the 9th; dgrounded out for Rivera in the 9th. Duvall (2); Atlanta 3, New York 7;
Duvall (3), Alonso (27); Donaldson (32), off Matz, Donaldson (32), off Sewald; Donaldson 2 (76), Frazier (51);
Atlanta 1 (Flowers), New York 3 (Rivera 2, Panik); Atlanta 0 for 3, New York 1 for 8; Hechavarria, Frazier 2; Lagares, Frazier, Alonso;
Atlanta 3 (Donaldson, Albies, Freeman, Albies, Freeman, Donaldson, Albies, Freeman); Keuchel (McNeil);
E: 2B: DP: 010 000 100 000 000 001
.289 .333 .265 .255 .303 .228 .218 .286 .000 .292 .244 .000 .250
—
2 31 1 70 RBIs: Runners left in scoring position: RISP: Runners moved up: GIDP: HBP:
Keuchel, W, 5-5 7 4 Newcomb, H, 131 0 Melancon, S, 5-51 3
Matz, L, 8-8 Sewald Wilson
30 AB
4 3 4 4 3 4 2 1 2 1 2 0 1 0
31 LOB:
6 2 1
2 1 0
2 R
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1
0 0 1
1 1 0
3 H
1 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
7
0 0 1
1 1 0
2 2 12 BIBBSO
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 — — HR:
3 0 0
1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
3
1 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
7 Avg
7 111 3.78 0 17 3.28 0 18 6.10
6 102 4.06 4 31 3.00 2 13 2.22