Queens, NY — Pete Alonso delivered three hits and drove in a run as the New York Mets shut out the Atlanta Braves 4-0 on Thursday night, salvaging a split in their four-game series at Citi Field.
The Mets, who had dropped 10 of their previous 11 games before Wednesday’s 7-3 win, have now clawed their way back to the top of the NL East. With the win, they sit half a game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies.
The victory came with a cost, however. Starting pitcher Griffin Canning exited the game in the third inning after sustaining a left ankle injury on a non-contact play while running off the mound. Manager Carlos Mendoza indicated after the game that the injury appeared to be related to Canning’s Achilles. The team said he will undergo imaging to determine the full extent of the damage.
Before leaving, Canning tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings. In relief, Austin Warren (1-0) stepped up to throw 2 1/3 solid frames, giving up just one hit. The bullpen combined to limit Atlanta to only two hits the rest of the night.
Tyrone Taylor opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning off Braves starter Grant Holmes (4-7), who surrendered two runs on six hits over five innings while striking out six. Alonso made it 2-0 with an RBI single in the fifth, and Jeff McNeil added insurance with a two-run single in the seventh.
The Mets debuted a new look on the field, wearing alternate blue uniforms featuring a script “New York” across the chest.
Rotation Woes Deepen:
Canning’s injury adds to the Mets’ growing list of sidelined starters. The team is already missing Kodai Senga (hamstring), Tylor Megill (elbow), and Sean Manaea (oblique/elbow), raising concerns about the rotation’s depth moving forward.
Milestone Watch:
Braves first baseman Matt Olson played in his 700th consecutive regular-season game, extending the longest active streak in Major League Baseball. The last player with a longer streak was Miguel Tejada, who played in 1,152 straight games between 2000 and 2007.
Weather Check:
It was a cool evening at Citi Field, with first-pitch temperatures at 69°F (20°C)—a notable contrast to the record-setting heat of 97°F earlier in the series.
Looking Ahead:
The Mets send left-hander David Peterson (5-3, 2.98 ERA) to the mound Friday night to face Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller (1-10, 4.02 ERA). The Braves return home to open a series against the Phillies, with Bryce Elder (2-4, 4.77 ERA) set to square off against Philadelphia’s Mick Abel (2-1, 3.47 ERA).
