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Mets Outlast Atlanta, 8-5, As Senga Gets First Save
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- Mets Outlast Atlanta, 8-5, As Senga Gets First Save
The New York Mets posted an unusual win over the Atlanta Braves last night, 8-5, as the rode a first-inning grand slam from Brett Baty to a big lead, then managed to outlast the Atlanta Braves in a bullpen game that included Kodai Senga's first big-league save.
The Mets shot out of the gate against Atlanta starter Bryce Elder with a five-run first, thanks mostly to Baty, although Bo Bichette also drove in a run with a base hit.
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But Christian Scott wasn't sharp in this one, and he immediately gave back two to the Braves, with Mauricio Dubon driving in both runs with an RBI single.
The Mets didn't let up, however, as Jared Young singled home a run in the third and Francisco Lindor added another with a solo shot in the fourth to make it 7-2.
But Scott couldn't hold the line, and Atlanta mounted a comeback with two more in the fourth. The key hits were RBI singles from Drake Baldwin and Ronald Acuna Jr. to make it 7-4 as Scott left the game, and the Braves closed the gap to 7-5 in the fifth as Michael Harris II scored on a wild pitch by reliever Jonathan Pintaro.
That made it a bullpen game, and a couple of new Mets relievers are slowly making a name for themselves. Nate Lavender posted a scoreless inning to continue his recent run, and Daniel Duarte added two more to keep it a two-run game.
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The Mets added an insurance run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly from Jared Young, and that set the stage for the Mets new closer du jour, Kodai Senga. Senga struck out the first two hitters he faced, then stumbled by walkig Ozzie Albies, but Senga righted the ship and got Dubon to fly to right.
A moment of hilarity then ensued when Senga called for the ball, but right-fielder Carson Benge could offer only a sheepish smile when he realized he'd turned the memorabilia item into a souvenir by tossing it to the crowd.
It was Senga's third straight successful outing as a high leverage, one-inning reliever, and it will be interesting to see if the Mets temporarily give him the closer job with Devin Williams going on the 15-day IL with a shoulder strain.
The Mets have now won six of their last seven, and the three-game series continues tonight with Nolan McLean squaring off against Martin Perez.
