Mets beat Braves 4-3

The New York Mets played the Atlanta Braves tonight at Turner Field. The Mets were trying to put a 3-1 lost behind them and beat their division rival. Terry Collins decided to start Willie Harris tonight rather than start Jason Bay who has struggled against Jair Jurrjens. The Mets came out wanting to get a win as they were able to get a run in the first inning on a Carlos Beltran RBI single. The Mets added two runs in the 3rd inning on an Angel Pagan RBI single and a Lucas Duda sacrifice-fly. The Mets were able to get clutch hits tonight and score when they needed to. The importance of winning the series will be key as the Mets try to get back to the top of the division.

Jon Niese started for the Mets trying to continue the Mets hot starting pitching. Niese would go 6.1 innings allowing two runs on five hits. Niese was great tonight as he was able to force the Braves to put the ball in play. He was taken out after allowing David Ross to double in a run.

Jair Jurrjens started for the Braves as he tried to get his 9th win of the season. Jurrjens was held to his shortest outing of the season as he went 5.1 innings. He really didn’t have his best pitches tonight as he also walked a season-high five batters. Jurrjens also gave up a season-high four runs on eight hits. This was his worst outing of the season and it seemed as if he struggled to get his pitches over for strikes. The Mets are the only team to hit Jurrjens this hard for the season and it shows why the Mets are swinging the bat very well.

The Mets are still hitting the ball well as a collective unit. They haven’t hit homeruns, but they have used their speed to their advantage. Tonight the Mets stole four bases and were able to put pressure on the Braves pitching. Pitching was the story tonight for the Mets as they were able to hold the Braves offense down.

Game Notes:

• Jose Reyes is hitting the ball very well at this point in the season. He continued to have success tonight against the Braves as he went 3 of 5. The Mets are excited about Reyes’ production this season. He has become a spark for this team and continues to be an important piece to the team.
• Carlos Beltran went 2 of 4 with an RBI single in the first inning.
• Jason Isringhausen gave up a solo homerun to Dan Uggla in the 8th inning drawing the Braves deficit to one run.
• Francisco Rodriguez came trying to capture his 19th save of the season. Rodriguez would get the save with two strikeouts to end the game. This was his 19th consecutive save of the season and he is pitching great in save opportunities.