Today's Three Things: Braves Score Eleven Unanswered to Rout Mets
The Atlanta Braves use a nine-run fourth inning and seven scoreless innings from the bullpen to even the series against the New York Mets
The Braves' bats and bullpen came to play tonight in game two of their three-game set, taking down the New York Mets 11-6 in Citi Field on Wednesday night. Here are Today’s Three Things.
The Turning Point:
The turning point of this game was easily the top of the fourth inning.
The Braves got to Mets starter David Peterson, tagging him for six runs, while reliever Reed Garrett got credited for the other three.
It wasn’t just the biggest inning of the game for the Braves, but their biggest inning of the season. Erasing a 6-0 deficit, the Atlanta Braves came storming back, scoring NINE runs in the inning. Aided by five Mets walks, the inning was headlined by a three-run double by Jurickson Profar, a bloop RBI single from Marcell Ozuna, but the inning was really capped off by a Michael Harris II grand slam to dead center field.
This is the most runs the Braves have scored in an inning since September 2020, when they scored 11 runs in the second inning against the Miami Marlins…the famous 29-run game.
Today’s Player of the Game:
If you could give a player of the game feat to a whole bullpen, tonight might be the night. However, a go-ahead grand slam is enough to give it to none other than Michael Harris.
(Not Brandon’s best call, but it was a grand slam.)
His FIFTH straight multi-hit game included a single in the fourth as well as the aforementioned grand slam off of Mets reliever Reed Garrett, the second of his career. Harris is almost halfway to the legendary Rogers Hornsby’s record of thirteen straight multi-hit games, an incredible feat.
In this five-game stretch, Harris is 10-21 (.476) with three home runs, eight RBI, and only THREE strikeouts. His OPS is up to .669 after his slow, slow start and is showing no signs of regression.
What You’ll Be Talking About:
On a night where seventeen total runs were scored, you probably wouldn’t think we’d be talking about the Braves’ bullpen. However, here we are.
Carlos Carrasco started for the visiting Braves and only lasted two innings, giving up six earned runs on six hits. He then gave way to five Braves relievers, consisting of Aaron Bummer (2.1 IP), Tyler Kinley (0.2 IP), Dylan Lee (1.2 IP), Pierce Johnson (1.1 IP), and Raisel Iglesias (1.0 IP). The five combined for seven scoreless innings, striking out seven.
Over the last two nights, the Braves bullpen has thrown eleven innings and has used both long relief guys, Aaron Bummer and Austin Cox, ahead of a Bryce Elder start. A morning transaction may be in Atlanta’s future to aid a taxed Braves bullpen.
Looking for more discussion about the game?
Here’s tonight’s solo Postcast, where Lindsay went live to break down the win.
What’s Next for the Braves?
The rubber match between the Braves and Mets will take place tomorrow at 7:10 ET. Bryce Elder (4-9, 6.12 ERA) takes on Mets ace Kodai Senga (7-4, 2.30 ERA) as Atlanta looks to win the series.