ATLANTA — The road between the Mets and the All-Star break is littered with trouble. It includes a pair of series against the first-place Nationals, the first of which begins on Monday. It also features four games against the juggernaut Cubs, who Mets manager Terry Collins called “arguably the best team in baseball right now.”
The next two weeks promise to be treacherous, which is why in Sunday’s series finale against the lowly Braves, Collins opted for caution. He rested veterans Curtis Granderson and Asdrubal Cabrera and resolved to stay away from his top two relievers, Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia.
“We’ve got some fresh faces in there just to give our guys some rest, which we need,” Collins said.
Predictably, the Mets paid a short-term toll, dropping a 5-2 decision against the division’s worst team. Not that the Mets made them look that way. After getting swept by the Braves at Citi Field during their most recent homestand, the Mets followed by managing just a split in this four-game series.
Freddie Freeman hit a first-inning solo homer off Bartolo Colon, who allowed nothing more over his seven innings. But just like Jacob deGrom the day before him, Colon got no run support in his first outing since a comebacker knocked him out just one batter into his start.
Later, relievers Antonio Bastardo and Logan Verrett paved the way for a four-run eighth inning that the Braves used to take a 5-0 lead.
The lefty Bastardo faced three hitters, allowing two singles, a walk, a balk and a run ahead of Verrett, who surrendered a three-run shot by Adonis Garcia. Bastardo’s ERA rose to 5.46 in his first season with the Mets after signing a two-year, $12-million contract.
Braves righty Bud Norris tossed seven shutout innings, allowing four hits while striking out a season-high eight batters. Freeman finished a triple away from the cycle. The notorious Mets killer went 3-for-3 with a walk.
With his parents in the stands for his first big-league start, Mets prospect Brandon Nimmo finished 0-for-4 and bounced into a force in the fifth, when he came to the plate with two on and nobody out. He also stranded a runner at second in the ninth, when he struck out looking to end the game.
Of course, he wasn’t alone in faltering when faced with a critical spot. The Mets finished 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
They did not score until the ninth.
Now, the Mets begin a two-week stretch that Collins called “very, very important for us.” The challenge begins with three games at Washington, which holds a 2 1⁄2-game lead in the standings. It will be the first three of seven games against the Nationals before the break.
“We’ve got to be ready,” Collins said, before watching another poor offensive performance. “We’ve got to get the A-game going and maintain it.”
..... - Newsday