Back to Back (x2) That's a Fact Jack, Mets 6 Home Runs Power 9-2 Win Over Braves

Mets 9 Braves 2 (Truist Park, Atlanta, GA)

Mets record: 69–60

Mets streak: Won 2

Last 10: 5–5

WP – Clay Holmes (11-6)

LP – Cal Quantrill (4-11)

S – None

Seat on the Korner: Starling Marte

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.

Tonight’s Seat on the Korner goes to Starling Marte, who injected energy and excitement into a struggling Mets lineup with a dynamic all-around performance. In just his sixth start in the outfield this season filling in while Brandon Nimmo nurses a sore neck Marte looked like the sparkplug the Mets have been missing. He went a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk, two stolen bases, and a solo homer, showcasing the full range of his game.

Marte set the tone early, dropping a perfectly executed bunt single in the second inning before swiping second , immediately putting pressure on Washington’s defense. He wasn’t done there, later flashing his arm with a highlight-reel assist, gunning down Nacho Alvarez Jr. at the plate in the third to keep the Mets in control. His mix of speed, savvy, and veteran presence stood out in a night where New York needed a spark, making him the obvious choice for Ralph Kiner’s virtual postgame chair.

Need to Know

• The Mets offense continues to roll. They have scored 117 runs in 20 August games so far, more runs than they scored in 24 July games and 27 May games and more than the 113 that they scored in June.

• The Mets slugged six homers for the second time this month (Aug. 12 also vs. ATL). They’ve now gone back-to-back 10 times this season.

• Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos, and Starling Marte went deep in a three-homer seventh inning, breaking open what was a 3-2 game.

• Back from a sore shoulder, Jeff McNeil blasted a 420-foot, three-run homer and later added another in the ninth. His first homer tied for the third-longest of his career.

• Clay Holmes worked into the seventh for the first time since June 7, allowing two runs on three hits. His ability to escape the fourth inning with the lead was pivotal.

• The Mets swiped four bags in the first three innings and have six steals in the series so far.

• After being 0-3 at Truist Park this season, the Mets have now outscored Atlanta 21-9 and out-hit them 32-15 in this series.

• The win moved the Mets (69-60) to a 2.5-game lead over Cincinnati for the final NL Wild Card spot.

• Frankie Montas has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 22, with a right elbow UCL injury. The setback likely marks the end of his brief Mets tenure, during which he logged 38.2 innings, posting a 3-2 record and a 6.28 ERA. In a corresponding move, right-hander Huascar Brazobán has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.

  
  

Turning Point

The Mets entered the bottom of the fourth with a 3-0 lead, but Clay Holmes’ recent struggles with walks came back to haunt him. Holmes issued back-to-back free passes to Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña Jr., putting the Braves in business with no outs. A fielder’s choice by Michael Harris II loaded the bases after a successful Atlanta challenge overturned the initial out call. Marcell Ozuna then lofted a sacrifice fly to center, plating Olson to cut the lead to 3-1 and moving Acuña to third.

Drake Baldwin followed with a soft groundout to first, bringing home Acuña and trimming the Mets’ lead to a single run. With two outs and Harris on second, Holmes finally escaped the jam, inducing Ozzie Albies to pop out to Francisco Lindor to end the inning.

Three Keys

Chicks Love the Long Ball

Saturday’s 9-2 series-clinching win over the Braves was all about power, as the Mets’ six home runs were the driving force behind the victory. Jeff McNeil put New York on the board early with a three-run shot in the third, and the Mets’ bats continued to feast on Braves pitching in the seventh, when Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos, and Starling Marte all went deep in a single inning. Vientos and McNeil went back-to-back again in the ninth, marking the team’s 10th set of back-to-back homers this season. In a delicious bit of irony, the long-ball assault came against a Braves team once famously represented in a vintage commercial by pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, with the line, “Chicks love the long ball”a slogan that couldn’t have been more literal in determining the outcome tonight. The display of power showed the Mets’ ability to capitalize on mistakes in the zone and made a statement against a Braves squad that had caused them trouble earlier in the season.

Holmes Takes The 5th and the 6th and part of the 7th !

For the Mets to secure the win, starting pitcher Clay Holmes had to navigate tense situations, particularly in the fourth inning, a frame that has recently been kryptonite for New York. With runners on second and third and one out, the Braves looked poised to grab momentum, but Holmes bore down, inducing a harmless flyout from Ozzie Albies to escape the inning unscathed. His ability to command the strike zone and limit free passes—something that has plagued him in previous losses—was on full display, demonstrating both poise and focus under pressure.

Holmes didn’t stop there. Feeding off the confidence instilled by rookie Nolan McLean’s dominant outing 24 hours earlier, he carried his performance deeper into the game than he had in months, working 6 1/3 innings while allowing just two runs on three hits. By navigating through high-leverage moments and avoiding additional damage in the traditionally problematic fourth, Holmes gave the Mets a chance to extend their lead, ultimately allowing the offense to capitalize in the seventh inning. This outing not only marked a personal milestone for Holmes—reaching the sixth inning for the first time since early June—but also reinforced the stabilizing effect a veteran starter can have on a team in the thick of a playoff hunt.

Core Strength

The Mets’ victory was also fueled by contributions from the core of their lineup, with McNeil, Alonso, Vientos, and Marte each delivering in critical moments. McNeil’s early three-run homer provided a buffer, while Alonso’s two-run blast and Vientos’ back-to-back home run in the seventh allowed New York to regain separation after the Braves threatened to cut into the lead. This consistent production from key hitters ensured that the Mets were never behind by more than a couple of runs and highlighted the importance of executing with runners in scoring position—a trend manager Carlos Mendoza emphasized after the game.