Braves back in first after trouncing the Mets

Powered by a 6-run 6th inning, the Braves streamrolled the Mets on Tuesday night, 8-2. Ozzie Albies mashed a no doubt grand slam to cap the inning, and the Braves ended the night in first place in the NL East.

It wasn’t all happy news, as Mike Foltynewicz left the game after the 5th inning due to tricep tightness. We will keep you updated as we hear more. Prior to his departure, he threw 5 scoreless innings. Folty now has a streak of 7 consecutive starts without allowing more than 2 earned runs.

He was slow to get rolling, hitting Michael Conforto lead off the game and throwing 21 pitches while he labored through the first. He hit his stride shortly after, retiring 13 straight batters and taking a no-hitter into the 5th inning.

The Braves took a short-lived lead in the 4th inning after Ender Inciarte dumped an RBI single over short to score Tyler Flowers and stake the Braves to a 1-0 lead.

After his at-bat in the 5th, Foltynewicz returned to the dugout and was seen speaking to pitching coach Chuck Hernandez. He didn’t appear to be in any visible pain, but nonetheless he walked down the tunnel and left the game.

Jesse Biddle relieved Foltynewicz in the top of the 6th, and the tone of the game changed immediately. Biddle’s control was nowhere to be found, and the Mets jumped on him. Following two walks and an error, Jay Bruce roped a ground rule double into left center to make the score 2-1. It could have gotten worse, but after Shane Carle relieved Biddle, Camargo pulled off one of the prettiest double plays you’ll see all year.

With the momentum seemingly shifted in New York’s direction, Freeman mashed the first pitch of the 6th inning into the right field seats to tie the game at 2. Later than inning, Markakis and Flowers found their way on and off the bases, Camargo wound up on second base with 2 outs. Inciarte hit another soft flare over short that sent Camargo home and put the Braves back in front, 3-2. Following back-to-back walks to Charlie Culberson and pinch-hitter Preston Tucker, the Mets called on Paul Sewald to face Ozzie Albies.

The Mets bullpen has struggled mightily this season, but based on Ozzie’s recent rough patch at the plate, there was concern about how the matchup would go.

Then, this happened and we all rejoiced.

It was Ozzie’s second grand slam of the season, and hopefully a harbinger of things to come for him. As Ozzie goes, so goes the Braves offense, and the team needs his bat to heat back up. After he crossed the plate, the Braves were up 7-2.

The Braves kept piling on in the 7th inning, as Freeman walked and Markakis doubled him home to make it 8-2. The trio of A.J. Minter, Sam Freeman, and Luke Jackson kept the Mets bats quiet, and closed the game out without incident.

With the Nationals losing 3-0 to the Yankees, the Braves have reclaimed their rightful place at the top of the division, albeit by only one game. These two teams will meet back up tomorrow afternoon and do it all over again.