Jun 23, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach (56) pitches in the third inning New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
QUEENS, NY — Even a return to the friendly confines of Citi Field could not stop the New York Mets’ slide, as they lost their ninth game in 10 tries with a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Braves on Monday night — the first of a four-game set.
“It’s a combination of a lot of things, especially when you’re chasing a lot,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It feels like during this stretch, we’re getting down early in games and then the at-bats are completely different.”
Juan Soto’s two-run home run in the sixth inning was the only mistake made by Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach, who went seven innings and allowed just four hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
Soto had a chance to have a seminal Mets moment in the bottom of the eighth with two men on and two outs, but he went down swinging on a full-count slider from Braves closer Dylan Lee.
The Braves, who swept the Mets (46-33) last week in Atlanta, have now won each of the first four meetings this season.
With a 1-0 lead in the third against Mets starter Paul Blackburn, Ronald Acuna smacked his ninth home run of the season out to center field just hours after the Mets sent his little brother, Luisangel, down to Triple-A.
Blackburn’s trouble worsened, as he loaded the bases with no outs, but only yielded one more run on a Sean Murphy sacrifice fly to limit the Mets’ hole to three runs after two and a half frames.
He would only last 4.2 innings, but limited the ceaseless traffic to just three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks.
“I feel like I made adjustments from the last time facing them [last week],” Blackburn said. “I hang one curveball to Acuna, he hits it out. Other than that, I feel like I made some pretty good pitches and battled out there.”
In the meantime, the Mets were stifled, per usual, by Schwellenbach, who cruised through his first five innings. The Atlanta righty got through the first two frames on just 19 pitches, and allowed his first hits of the night with two outs in the third — back-to-back singles by Brett Baty and Francisco Lindor.
“The last thing you want to do is go out there swinging first pitch of the inning,” Mendoza said. “If we do it, the next guy has to take a couple of pitches. Before you know it, it’s a quick two outs, and the at-bats are completely different.”
Schwellenbach proceeded to retire the next seven men he faced before Soto finally got to him in the sixth to cut the Mets’ deficit to just one. With two outs and Brandon Nimmo on first, having walked, Soto took a 1-1 sinker that stayed in the middle of the zone the other way 412 feet into the left-center-field seats for his 17th round-tripper of the season.
Eight of those long balls have come this month.
After retiring the side in order in the seventh, Schwellenbach was pulled after 89 pitches for demoted closer Raisel Iglesias. The righty gave up two straight two-out hits to Lindor and Nimmo, putting runners at the corners for Soto. Braves manager Brian Snitker went to his closer, Lee, who came back from a 3-1 count to get the imposing lefty swinging on a sinker that meandered out of the bottom of the zone.
“He made a great pitch,” Soto said. “He made really good pitches on the corners, and I couldn’t come through on the last one. It just got me right there.”
Lee retired the side in order in the ninth, picking up the Braves’ first save in 31 games dating back to May 16.
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