Braves Hit Their Stride(r), Olson Gets the Seat—and the Mets Get the Broom in 7-1 Loss.

Braves 7 Mets 1 (Truist Park, Atlanta, GA)

Mets Record: 45-30

Mets Streak: L6

Mets Last 10: 4-6

WP: Spencer Strider (2-5)

LP: Clay Holmes (7-4)

Seat On The Korner: Matt Olson

We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.

The Seat on the Korner tonight goes to a familiar face: Matt Olson, who might as well have his own assigned stool and monogrammed Braves towel in our virtual Kiner's Korner studio. Since joining Atlanta in 2022, Olson has absolutely feasted on Mets pitching. Coming into tonight’s game, he already led all major leaguers in both home runs (15) and RBIs (37) against New York (NL) over that span. And then, because tormenting the Mets is apparently a personal hobby, he just kept it going.

Olson piled on with two doubles, two walks, three RBIs, and two runs scored—raising his career totals against the Amazins to a .279 average with 51 hits, 15 homers, 40 RBIs, and 32 runs in 50 games. Ralph would’ve had him on the Korner set with a grin and a "You like hitting against the Mets, huh?" followed by Olson nodding, "Yeah, I hit them pretty good" No kidding, Matt. Maybe too good.

Need To Know:

• The Mets made the following roster moves RHP Justin Hagenman and RHP Dedniel Núñez have been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.

  RHP Max Kranick has been placed on the 15-Day Injured List, retroactive to June 16, with a right elbow strain. RHP Ty Adcock was optioned to Triple-A following last night's game.

• Clay Holmes made his first career start and 11th overall appearance against Atlanta,he now is 1-1 record and a 2.30 ERA (4 ER/15.2 IP) all-time vs. the Braves. His streak of 11.1 consecutive scoreless innings against Atlanta was snapped.

• Spencer Strider made his seventh start and ninth total appearance of his career against New York, and is 5-1 despite with a 4.91 ERA (20

  ER/36.2 IP) over his first nine appearances. The Braves are 6-1 versus the Mets in his seven career starts against them.

• Jeff McNeil’s streak of reaching base safely in 20 consecutive games—dating back to May 25, the longest such streak of his career and the longest active streak in the majors—came to an end tonight, as he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

• Juan Soto first inning single gives him 1,000 hits for his career.With that hit Soto, age 26, also has over 200 home runs and 700 walks before turning age 27, he joins Hall of Famers Mel Ott and Mickey Mantle in that elite category.

• Over the last 11 games, Juan Soto is batting .348 (15-43) with five

  extra-base hits. He has recorded a Major League-leading 61 walks. His 61 walks through the team's first 73 games are the most in franchise history.

•  With Brandon Nimmo's two stolen bases tonight the Mets runners have now recorded an 85.9 (61-71) stolen base percentage this season which is the second-best mark in the majors. The Mets are one of eight teams in the majors to have four players with eight or more stolen bases this season (Lindor,Soto, Acuña, Taylor).

• The Braves have won 26 of the last 36 games with New York dating to the 2022 season, outscoring the Mets 217-136 (+81) over the stretch.

• The Braves have taken the season series from their NL East rivals for seven consecutive seasons dating to 2018, and are 71-44 against the

  club overall in that stretch. New York has lost 16 more games to Atlanta than any other team in baseball in that span.

• The Yankees snapped their five-game losing streak today—but the Mets weren’t so lucky. This marked the first time since August 1996 that both New York teams carried five-game losing streaks at the same time. Back then, the Mets dropped eight straight from August 21–30, while the Yankees lost five in a row from August 25–29. Nearly three decades later, history echoed—but only the Bronx got the bounce-back.

Turning Point

The game’s momentum swung dramatically in the bottom of the 5th inning, a 22-minute turning point that saw the Braves break open a 1–1 tie and seize control. It began with a leadoff walk to Ronald Acuña Jr., but that free pass opened the floodgates. Alex Verdugo struck out swinging for the first out, but Austin Riley followed with a sharp single to right field, moving Acuña to third. Matt Olson then worked a walk to load the bases, and the Mets were suddenly in deep trouble.

Clay Holmes briefly appeared poised to escape the jam when he struck out Marcell Ozuna for the second out, but the inning quickly spiraled. Holmes got to a full count on rookie Drake Baldwin when a pitch com malfunction caused a delay. Whatever rhythm Holmes had left was gone, and his next pitch missed the zone—walking Baldwin and forcing in Acuña to give Atlanta a 2–1 lead. That marked the end of Holmes’ night, as Huascar Brazobán came in to try to stop the bleeding. But on just four pitches, he walked Ozzie Albies, scoring Riley and making it 3–1 Braves. Michael Harris II finally ended the inning with a groundout to first, but by then, the damage—and the momentum shift—was done.

Three Keys:

"I hate the Drake. I love the Drake. How could you not like the Drake? Who's the Drake?".

Drake Baldwin may not be that Drake (of Seinfeld fame), but he’s quickly becoming a name Mets fans won’t forget. The 24-year-old rookie catcher had two of the game’s most pivotal at-bats during Atlanta’s win, showing the poise of a veteran in just his third month in the big leagues. In the bottom of the 5th, Baldwin fouled off a pair of nasty changeups from Clay Holmes before drawing a bases-loaded walk that broke a 1–1 tie and swung the momentum Atlanta’s way. An inning later, with two outs and the Braves looking to bury the Mets, Baldwin came through again—this time with his bat—lining an RBI single to extend the lead to 7–1. A former standout at Missouri State and one-time hockey star in Wisconsin, Baldwin’s rapid rise through the Braves’ system continues to pay off in big moments.

Mets Bats are Offensive and Not in a Good Way.

The Mets offense has gone missing in Atlanta, and the search party may need a few extra flashlights. After scoring four runs in the first five innings of Monday’s series opener, the bats have gone ice-cold—managing just one run over the next 23 innings. In Thursday night’s 7–1 loss, they scratched out six hits, only one after the Braves took the lead in the fifth.

With Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill still sidelined, the Mets need the lineup to carry more of the load. Instead, the offense has been MIA when it matters most. For a team that started the year riding strong pitching, this series has been a loud reminder: you still need to hit to win.

Will the Mets’ Mystery Pitcher Please Sign In?

The plan was for recently recalled Justin Hagenman to get the start tomorrow night in Philadelphia. That was, of course, before Clay Holmes and Huascar Brazoban couldn’t get the Mets through six innings. The two combined to give up seven runs on six hits and an inexcusable nine walks. Holmes threw 104 pitches, 62 for strikes, while Brazoban threw 27 pitches, 13 for strikes. Rather than burning through more relievers, Carlos Mendoza called on Hagenman to eat up the remaining innings. There’s also a possibility the Mets will recall Blade Tidwell to take the spot start tomorrow as the Mets and Phillies—now tied for first—begin their crucial three-game series.