Mets at Braves
The New York Mets keep finding a way to lose on and off the field entering the finale of a four-game series Wednesday at the Atlanta Braves. Noah Syndergaard, slated to start the series finale, instead landed on the disabled list with a sore right index finger on Tuesday afternoon, hours before Tuesday’s starter Steven Matz left the game with discomfort in his pitching hand in a game New York led 6-2 before its bullpen imploded once again in a 7-6 loss.
The Mets bullpen responded Tuesday with its fifth rotten performance in the past six games, giving up seven runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings – capped by Atlanta third baseman Johan Camargo hitting a walk-off solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Braves scored five times in the final three innings. It marks the second time in three games in the series where Atlanta – the National League East leader – has belted a game-winning walk-off homer off a New York bullpen that has allowed 28 runs on 39 hits in 24 1/3 innings across the past six games. The Braves won in their final at-bat for the eighth time this season, the fifth time they have prevailed after trailing after seven innings. Atlanta got plenty of production Tuesday from the bottom of its lineup, as Camargo, Charlie Culberson and Dansby Swanson combined for six hits, four runs scored and two RBIs.
TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), FS Southeast (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets TBD vs. Braves RH Julio Teheran (4-2, 4.20)
Instead of Syndergaard the Mets potentially could turn to right-hander Jason Vargas (1-3, 10.62 ERA) for the series finale, four days after he allowed five runs on six hits in three innings in a no-decision at Milwaukee. The 35-year-old, who joined New York’s rotation in late April, has surrendered four runs or more four times in five starts, and gave up six runs on 11 hits with three homers in an 11-0 loss to the Braves on May 3. Vargas has given up six homers in 20 1/3 innings.
Teheran had not lost a start since early April before falling in Boston on Friday, giving up just four hits but three runs with three walks and two homers in a 6-2 defeat. The 27-year-old has surrendered 13 runs in his past three starts (17 innings) after only allowing three runs in his previous four outings (23 innings). Teheran, who has held opponents to a .217 batting average through his first 11 starts, is 1-0 in two starts against New York this season while allowing six hits in 14 scoreless innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Atlanta 1B Freddie Freeman extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in four at-bats Tuesday.
2. Mets 2B Asdrubal Cabrera recorded his eighth career two-homer game Tuesday, finishing with three RBIs in raising his average to .315.
3. The start of Tuesday’s game was delayed 40 minutes by rain -- one day after 3 hours, 28 minutes of delays -- and more rain is in the forecast for Wednesday’s series finale.