ATLANTA (AP) — Michael Harris II hit a two-run, tiebreaking homer off Adam Ottavino in the eighth inning and the Atlanta Braves rallied to beat the New York Mets 7-5 Wednesday night for their fourth straight victory.
The third-place Mets wasted a three-run lead for the second straight night. They have lost five straight for the first time since 2021 and at 30-32 dropped 7 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the NL East.
New York slugger Pete Alonso was hit on the left wrist by a 96 mph fastball from Charlie Morton in the first inning. The Mets said Alonso, who leads the major leagues with 22 homers, has a bruise and will get a CT scan on Thursday.
Mets co-ace Max Scherzer gave up five runs and 11 hits, one shy of his career high, in 5 2/3 innings.
He struck out 10 in the 111th double-digit strikeout game, passing Roger Clemens for third. The three-time Cy Young Award winner was chased in the sixth when Harris hit a tying double and scored on Ronald Acuña Jr.’s RBI single for a 5-4 lead.
Tommy Pham homered and tied the score 5-5 with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly.
Ozuna doubled in the eighth off Brooks Raley (1-1) and Harris hit a 443-foot drive against Ottavino for his third homer this year.
Nick Anderson (4-0) pitched a one-hit eighth and A.J. Minter got three straight out for his eighth save in 11 chances.
Francisco Álvarez hit his ninth homer, a solo shot in the second, and Pham went deep for two runs in the fifth as the Mets took a 4-1 lead. Pham, who ran for Alonso, hit his sixth home ruin and first off a right-hyander,
Sean Murphy cut the deficit to 4-3 with a two-run homer in the fifth.
Morton allowed four runs, four hits and four walks in a season-low 4 2/3 innings.
GREAT GRABS
With the bases loaded in the seventh, Acuña leaped against the wall in right to rob Pham of extra bases with the bases loaded and hold him to a sacrifice fly. … Harris made a tough play with two outs in the eighth, turning to run backward in center and catch Mark Canha’s liner near the wall.
DOMINATING
Since winning the first of five straight NL East titles in 2018, the Braves are 55-36 in the rivalry, including victories in 10 of the last 12 meetings. Atlanta has outscored the Mets 71-41 over that stretch and has won seven of eight at Truist Park.
MILESTONE
Braves manager Brian Snitker reached 579 career wins to surpass George Stallings for the third-most in franchise history. Hall of Famer Bobby Cox had 2,149 wins and Frank Selee 1,004.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets SS Francisco Lindor had a slight collision with Pham as he caught a flyball in shallow left in the fifth. Lindor stayed down for a couple of seconds but stayed in the game after a quick visit from a trainer.
UP NEXT
Mets RHP Justin Verlander (2-3, 4.25 ERA) will face RHP Spencer Strider (6-2, 2.97) as the teams conclude a three-game series Thursday. Verlander, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in three career starts against Atlanta. Strider, tied for the major league lead with 113 strikeouts, is 3-1 with a 5.03 ERA in four career starts and two relief appearances against New York.
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