Mets end season's first half by finally beating Braves

Mets 7 Braves 3 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets Record: 47-34

Mets Streak: W 1

Mets Last 10: 2-8

WP: Clay Holmes (8-4)

LP: Didier Fuentes (0-2)

SV: Edwin Diaz (16)

Seat On The Korner: Ronny Mauricio

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.

This was a tough one to figure. The Mets got contributions from just about everyone in their 7-3 victory over the Braves, their first win against Atlanta in six tries. But the sentimental invitation to the Korner goes to Ronny Mauricio — which is nice because he could be sent back to Triple A any day. With Mark Vientos just about finished with his rehab and Mauricio hitting under .200 for much of the time since his call-up on June 3, he seemed a good bet to be changing places with Vientos on the big-league roster. But Mauricio, who had a double in Tuesday night's loss, followed that up with three hits in four trips. If it turns out to be his last game in Flushing for a while, he'll have left on a good note. Mauricio put the Mets on the board first with a no-doubt homer to right field leading off the third inning. He belted a single to right field in the middle of the Mets' five-run fourth inning and then, in the eighth, he smacked a single to left — the first hit as a right-hander for the switch-hitter in his 15th righty at-bat. When the night was through, the 24-year-old had his average up to .224.

Need To Know:

• This was game 81 of the 162-game regular season, marking the halfway point.

• The final game of the four-game set will pit the Braves Grant Holmes (4-6) against the Mets Griffin Canning (7-3).

• With the Phillies losing to the Astros, the Mets are a half game out of first place.

• Francisco Lindor threatened to give the Mets more of a cushion in the eighth when, with a man on, he was robbed of a home run by Braves centerfielder Michael Harris II.

• Braves rookie catcher Drake Baldwin, an early Rookie of the Year candidate, tied the game at 1-1 with a homer off Clay Holmes in the fourth inning.

• Braves starter Didier Fuentes went 3.1 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits with one strikeout in his second big-league start. Fuentes started the season in Single A.

• The Mets' revolving door of pitchers was extended to 31 when Jonathan Pintaro made his major league debut in the ninth inning. After yielding a walk and a hit, Pintaro got a ground out and strikeout. After getting a quick 0-2 count on Ronald Acuna Jr., his next two pitches brushed back Acuna, who then laced a two-run single. One walk later, Edwin Diaz was summoned to get the final out.

• Pintaro is a great story. A graduate of Division II Shorter University in Georgia, the right-hander played two seasons of Independent ball, 2023 and 2024, in the Pioneer League, where the Mets discovered and signed him. He was starting for Double A Binghamton most of the season and was promoted to Triple A Syracuse the day before being called up to the Mets.

• Brett Baty, another candidate for demotion once Vientos returns, is 5-for-11 in this series.

• Brandon Waddell, Jose Butto and Ryan Stanek threw up goose eggs in the sixth through eighth innings in relief of Mets starter Clay Holmes.

Turning Point:

It looked like the Braves were going to jump out to another lead when Marcel Ozuna bashed a Clay Holmes serve toward the centerfield fence. With a runner on, it seemed destined to put the Mets in an early 2-0 hole. But Jeff McNeil, the Mets' defensive Swiss Army Knife, was in center on this night and made his way toward the fence. As he reached the warning track, turning to his right, he did a stutter-step and leaped — snatching the ball above the wall to deprive Ozuna of a homer and the Braves of what could have been an early dagger. No doubt all Mets fans were saying, "Here we go again" — until McNeil came down with the ball in his glove.

Three Keys:

Setting a tone

In first pitch of the game — reminiscent of Noah Syndergaard's first pitch to Kansas City's Alcides Escobar in the third game of the 2015 World Series — Clay Holmes buzzed the tower of Ronald Acuna Jr. to start the night. It seemed like a message that got through when Acuna struck out. And, although Jeff McNeil saved Holmes with his catch a few batters later, he went on to give the Mets five solid innings. Holmes gave up three hits — one a temporarily game-tying homer to Drake Baldwin in the fourth inning — and struck out two to lower his ERA to 2.97. He did walk four, which is why he finished the night with 96 pitches, but stayed tough when it mattered.

Juan-derful! Marvelous!

Remember a month ago when folks were wondering if Juan Soto was worth the $765 million the Cohens signed him to last December? Remember when some questioned whether he was enjoying himself in Flushing? Well, Soto has been on fire this month and stayed red hot with a two-home-run night. His first homer, a solo shot leading off the fourth inning, broke a 1-1 tie and ignited the Mets' five-run rally that proved decisive.

Then, leading off the Mets' seventh inning, Soto smashed an almost identical shot to center. Michael Harris II raced to the wall and leaped, but came up empty. It was Soto's 19th homer of the season, breaking a tie with Pete Alonso for the team lead, and his 10th homer in June. It also marked Soto's 27th career multi-homer game, a record for the most by a player before his 27th birthday — pulling ahead of Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx.

And, finally, some hits

The Mets offense has been close to nonexistent during their recent struggles, but finally broke out. Facing the Braves' Didier Fuentes, making his second big-league start just a week after his 20th birthday, the Mets put up a five spot in the fourth inning. After Soto's leadoff homer, Jeff McNeil (double), Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Hayden Senger and Brandon Nimmo had hits, and Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor lofted sacrifice flies. All told, the Mets pounded out 13 hits, with Mauricio (three hits), Soto (two homers), McNeil (two hits) and Baty (two hits) leading the way.

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