Braves @ Mets: 08/03 7:10 PM ET; SNY, FS; WOR, ESPN, WCNN

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GAME 107, HOME GAME 56

Friday, 3rd August,
7:10 PM ET
Citi Field




BRAVES -- STANDINGS -- METS



NATIONALS -- LEADERS -- METS



NATIONALS -- BATTING -- METS



NATIONALS -- PITCHING -- METS



NATIONALS -- TRANSACTIONS - INJURIES



METS -- TRANSACTIONS - INJURIES



GAME START WEATHER



NATIONALS -- LINEUPS -- METS

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Mets' deGrom, with League's Best ERA, Faces Braves



-- How well can a human being pitch while getting little to no support from his team? If the last three months are any indication, Jacob deGrom is going to find out again Friday night.

DeGrom will take his major league-leading ERA to the mound when the Mets host the Atlanta Braves in the second contest of a four-game series at Citi Field. The Braves earned a 4-2 win Thursday, when Freddie Freeman (single) and Johan Camargo (two-run double) each had RBI hits in a three-run third inning.

DeGrom (5-6, 1.82 ERA) is scheduled to oppose the Braves' Anibal Sanchez (5-3, 3.00) in a battle of right-handers.

The Mets (44-62) have scored 53 runs with deGrom on the mound in his 21 starts this season, including 27 in his last 15 starts dating back to May 2 -- a stretch in which deGrom has recorded a 1.73 ERA but went 2-6. Twelve of those runs came against the Colorado Rockies at hitter-friendly Coors Field on June 18.

The lack of run support has not only endangered deGrom's hopes of winning the Cy Young Award, which has never gone to a starting pitcher with fewer than 13 wins, but also given him a chance to finish with a losing record despite a sub-2.00 ERA. No one has done that since Jim Scott went 20-21 with a 1.90 ERA over 312 1/3 innings for the Chicago White Sox in 1913.

DeGrom did his best to aid his cause in his most recent start Saturday, when he collected two hits but took the loss after giving up three runs over seven innings as the Mets fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0.

"He did his job again," Mets manager Mickey Callaway told reporters afterward. "He continues to put us in a position to win, and we're failing him."

DeGrom will face a former ERA champ in Sanchez, who won the American League crown with a 2.57 mark for the Detroit Tigers in 2013. He posted a 5.15 ERA over the next four seasons but has mounted a comeback this season for the Braves, who signed Sanchez as a free agent March 16.

Sanchez has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his 13 starts and has given up more than three runs only three times -- including in his most recent start Sunday, when he took the defeat after surrendering five runs (four earned) over 6 1/3 innings as the Braves lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-2. His ERA is at 3.00 for just the second time this year. He also had a 3.00 ERA following his fourth appearance and third start on May 29.

Sanchez was scheduled to start Wednesday, when the Braves were rained out against the Miami Marlins. The postponement disappointed manager Brian Snitker, who was eager to see Sanchez back on the mound.

"I wanted Anibal to get out there," Snitker told reporters.

DeGrom is 5-4 with a 1.80 ERA in 15 career starts against the Braves. Sanchez is 4-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 13 career starts against the Mets.

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METSCELLANEOUS: New York has lost three straight and is 4-6 in its last 10 games...The Mets are 19-23 vs. the NL East...New York is 19-41 in its last 60 games.

AT HOME: New York is 7-8 in its last 15 home games and 9-23 in their last 32 home games...Overall, the Mets are 21-34 at home this year, the second-worst winning percentage (.382) in the National League, behind San Diego (.357).

ATLANTA: The Mets are 3-10 vs. Atlanta with six games remaining...The last time the Mets lost 11 or more games in one year to the Braves was in 2012 (6-12).

LEADOFF HOMERS: The Mets have 32 leadoff homers since 2015, including one last night from Brandon Nimmo, the most in the majors during that span...Minnesota is second with 30.

BRANDON NIMMO: Hit his third leadoff home run of the year last night off Mike Foltynewicz (also, June 18 at Colorado and June 8 vs. the Yankees)...Nimmo is the fifth Met to have three or more leadoff homers since 2000...Curtis Granderson (four times), Jose Reyes (three times), Michael Conforto and Kazuo Matsui are the others.

NIMMO NOTES: Brandon Nimmo is 13th in the NL with a .375 onbase percentage and tied for fifth in the majors with six triples...Nimmo has a career-high 14 homers, but just two in his last 36 games.

MICHAEL CONFORTO: Is 13-for-41 (.317) with three homers, four doubles and nine RBI, a .396 OBP and a .634 slugging percentage in 12 games since the All-Star break...Over his last 16 games, Conforto is hitting .302 (16-53) with four home runs, four doubles, 12 RBI, 12 runs scored and a .406 OBP...Conforto has a 14.7 percent walk-rate, the 10th-best in the majors.

IN THE SECOND HALF: Michael Conforto is 10th with a .634 slugging percentage since the All-Star break, 13th with a .396 OBP, tied for 11th with four doubles, tied for eighth with seven extra-base hits and tied for 11th with three homers.

JOSÉ BAUTISTA: His next home run will be his 340th career homer and tie him with Jack Clark for 98th on major league baseball's all-time list...Bautista is sixth among active players in home runs, behind Albert Pujols, Adrián Beltré, Miguel Cabrera, Edwin Encarnacion and Nelson Cruz.

1,000: Bautista has scored 999 runs during his career...He will be one of 10 active players with 1,000 runs scored.

FROM THE ELIAS FILES: José Reyes became the first player in team history to homer from both sides of the plate in a game he didn’t start when he did so on August 1 at Washington.

AMED ROSARIO: Is tied for third in the NL with three stolen bases in the second-half...Overall, is tied for fifth in the majors with six triples.

AUSTIN JACKSON: Has gone 5-13 (.385) since joining the Mets with a .429 OBP and a .615 slugging percentage (five games).

STREAKS: Jacob deGrom has hurled 13 straight quality starts, the longest active streak in the majors and the longest single season streak since Johan Santana had 14 consecutive quality starts from July 22-September 27, 2008....DeGrom has held opponents to three runs or less in 18 straight starts, the second longest single-season streak in franchise history...Dwight Gooden had a 24-game streak in 1985.

deGROMINATE: Jacob deGrom leads the majors with a 1.82 ERA, is third in the NL and seventh in the majors with 164 strikeouts, sixth in the majors in WHIP (0.98) and is third in the majors with a .296 slugging percentage.

JAKE VS. ATL: DeGrom has a 0.72 ERA (two earned runs/25.0 innings) in four starts vs. the Braves this year...His 1.80 career ERA (19 earned runs/95.0 innings) vs. Atlanta is the second best among all major league pitchers vs. the Braves since 1913 (min. 75.0 innings), trailing only Whit Wyatt's 1.60 ERA against the Braves...DeGrom has allowed one or no runs in five-straight starts against Atlanta dating back to September 16, 2017...That is the longest streak by a Mets starter in franchise history.

deCITI: DeGrom has the lowest home ERA (1.66) in the majors and the second-lowest home ERA (2.21) since 2014 behind Clayton Kershaw (1.93) and the lowest home ERA in franchise history (min 400 IP).

BOBBY WAHL: Made his Mets debut last night, retiring the only two batters he faced...He had 73 strikeouts in 45.0 minor league innings and 292 strikeouts in 221.2 career minor league innings.

PRIDE NIGHT: The Mets, along with LGBT Network CEO David Kilmnick, will host Pride Night for the third year in a row tomorrow night...Thousands of fans will wear commemorative Pride Night shirts with a portion of each ticket sale going to support the LGBT Network’s anti-bullying programs in Long Island and New York City schools...The Mets were the first New York team among the four major sports leagues to host a Pride Night when they did so in 2016.

SYNDERGAARD AS THOR BOBBLE: This Saturday, the first 25,000 fans attending the Braves-Mets 7:10 p.m. will receive a Noah Syndergaard as Thor bobblehead presented by Marvel.

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Top of 1:
Braves first. Acuña Jr. struck out. Albies was out bunting, third baseman Frazier to first baseman J.Bautista. Freeman singled to left. Markakis flied out to left fielder Conforto.
Runs: 0, Hits: 1

Bottom of 1:
Mets first. Nimmo lined out to right fielder Markakis. J.Bautista struck out. Conforto lined out to center fielder Inciarte.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

Top of 2:
Braves second. Suzuki lined out to left fielder Conforto. Inciarte flied out to left fielder Conforto. Camargo homered to right on a 0-1 count. Culberson struck out.
Runs: 1, Hits: 1

Bottom of 2:
Mets second. Frazier flied out to center fielder Inciarte. Jackson struck out. J.Reyes grounded out, second baseman Albies to first baseman Freeman.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

Top of 3:
Braves third. A.Sánchez struck out. Acuña Jr. singled to center. Albies grounded out, second baseman J.Reyes to first baseman J.Bautista, Acuña Jr. to second. Acuña Jr. was out advancing, first baseman J.Bautista to third baseman Frazier, Acuña Jr. out.
Runs: 0, Hits: 1

Bottom of 3:
Mets third. Rosario doubled to right. Mesoraco grounded out, third baseman Camargo to first baseman Freeman. deGrom singled to center, Rosario scored. deGrom to second. Nimmo walked on a full count. J.Bautista struck out. Conforto struck out.
Runs: 1, Hits: 2

Top of 4:
Braves fourth. Freeman walked on a full count. Markakis singled to right, Freeman to second. Suzuki grounded into fielder's choice, third baseman Frazier unassisted, Freeman out, Markakis to second. Inciarte struck out. Camargo grounded out, second baseman J.Reyes to first baseman J.Bautista.
Runs: 0, Hits: 1

Bottom of 4:
Mets fourth. Frazier struck out. Jackson grounded out, shortstop Culberson to first baseman Freeman. J.Reyes grounded out, second baseman Albies to first baseman Freeman.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

Top of 5:
Braves fifth. Culberson struck out. A.Sánchez struck out. Acuña Jr. doubled to center. Albies doubled to left, Acuña Jr. scored. Freeman struck out.
Runs: 1, Hits: 2

Bottom of 5:
Mets fifth. Rosario struck out. Mesoraco fouled out to first baseman Freeman. deGrom grounded out, first baseman Freeman to pitcher A.Sánchez.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

Top of 6:
Braves sixth. Markakis flied out to left fielder Conforto. Suzuki grounded out, shortstop Rosario to first baseman J.Bautista. Inciarte flied out to center fielder Jackson.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

Bottom of 6:
Mets sixth. Nimmo struck out. J.Bautista walked on a full count. Conforto struck out. Frazier struck out.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

Top of 7:
Braves seventh. Camargo grounded out, third baseman Frazier to first baseman J.Bautista. Culberson struck out. Flaherty pinch-hitting for A.Sánchez. Flaherty struck out.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

Bottom of 7:
Mets seventh. Winkler pitching. Jackson walked on a full count. J.Reyes flied out to right fielder Markakis. Rosario grounded into a double play, pitcher Winkler to second baseman Albies to first baseman Freeman, Jackson out.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

Top of 8:
Braves eighth. Acuña Jr. flied out to center fielder Jackson. Albies flied out to right fielder Nimmo. Freeman grounded out, third baseman Frazier to first baseman J.Bautista.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

Bottom of 8:
Mets eighth. Swanson in as shortstop. Biddle pitching. Mesoraco lined out to right fielder Markakis. Flores pinch-hitting for deGrom. Flores flied out to right fielder Markakis. Nimmo struck out.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

Top of 9:
Braves ninth. Swarzak pitching. Markakis popped out to right fielder Nimmo. Suzuki grounded out, third baseman Frazier to first baseman J.Bautista. Inciarte lined out to second baseman J.Reyes.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

Bottom of 9:
Mets ninth. Minter pitching. J.Bautista popped out to shortstop Swanson. Conforto lined out to center fielder Inciarte. Frazier safe at first on fielding error by third baseman Camargo. Jackson grounded out, first baseman Freeman unassisted.
Runs: 0, Hits: 0

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Albies, Sanchez Lead Braves to 2-1 Win Over Mets



by LARRY FLEISHER

-- Ozzie Albies hit a tiebreaking double off Jacob deGrom, Anibal Sanchez pitched six effective innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 2-1 Friday night for their fifth straight win.

Albies gave the Braves the lead in the fifth when he doubled to left field corner as Ronald Acuna Jr. easily scored from second after getting a two-out double.

Johan Camargo hit his 13th homer off the facing of the second deck in right field to put Atlanta up 1-0 in the second, a day after hitting a two-run double Thursday off Jason Vargas.

Mixing in an effective cutter with his splitter, Sanchez (6-3) allowed one run and two hits. He struck out a season-high nine, including Michael Conforto and Todd Frazier to end the sixth after issuing a one-out walk to Jose Bautista.

Three pitchers followed with hitless relief as Atlanta beat the Mets for the 11th time in 14 meetings. Dan Winkler allowed a leadoff walk to Austin Jackson in the seventh but got Rosario on a double play. Jesse Biddle was aided by right fielder Nick Markakis' second diving catch of the game and pitched a perfect eighth.

A.J. Minter worked around a two-out error by Camargo at third in the ninth to remain perfect in eight save chances.

The Braves are 5-0 in games they have faced deGrom, though they have scored just four runs off him.

DeGrom (5-7) allowed two runs and six hits in eight inning innings while striking out nine. He retired the final 12 hitters after Albies doubled, and also drove in New York's run with an RBI single in the third that scored Amed Rosario.

The right-hander also recorded his 14th straight quality start, the longest single-season streak since Johan Santana also had 14 straight for the Mets in 2008. He also allowed three runs or fewer for the 19th straight start, the second-longest single-season streak in team history.

The Mets have scored 54 runs with deGrom on the mound in his 22 starts this season, including 28 in his last 16 starts dating back to May 2. DeGrom is 2-7 in that stretch.

New York dropped a season-high 19 games under .500 at 44-63. The Mets have lost 42 of their last 61 games overall and 24 of their last 33 home games.

The Mets matched a season-low by getting held to two hits for the fourth time.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mets: LHP Steven Matz was placed on the 10-day DL with a flexor pronator strain in his left arm. The Mets think Matz will miss only one start but will re-evaluate him after he plays catch on Saturday. ... RHP Corey Oswalt was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas and will start in Matz's place Sunday.

UP NEXT

Braves: RHP Kevin Gausman (5-8, 4.43 ERA) will make his Braves debut after being acquired from Baltimore on Tuesday. Gausman has been in New York most of the week since the Orioles were playing the Yankees when he was traded.

Mets: RHP Zack Wheeler (5-6, 4.11) is 3-0 with a 2.56 ERA in his last six starts.

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[NY FANG]

Clearly DeGrom's fault. We've now seen his ERA ballon by over 10% in the last 3 games. OUTRAGEOUS!