Braves sweep first-place Mets

“We’re just going out there and playing the game and playing the game right,” Ozuna added. “You see the chemistry coming together. That’s how we win games. Everyone’s coming together, following each other. One guy has a good at-bat and the next guy has a good at-bat and the next guy has a good at-bat and we continue like that.”

Braves starter Spencer Strider (2-5) settled in after an inconsistent beginning and finished with eight strikeouts in six innings of work. Seven of Strider’s eight Ks came via the slider.

Strider, Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach combined to hold the Mets to five earned runs in 21 2/3 innings, totaling 23 strikeouts and issuing just four walks. Their efforts helped the Braves to just their second sweep of the season and first since April 18-20 (Minnesota).

Winners of seven of nine, the Braves open a three-game series at Miami on Friday.

“Last three series have been really good. To be able to cap it off against the Mets is huge,” Braves third baseman Austin Riley said. “The biggest thing I hope we take is we can compete with anybody. Just hoping we can take confidence away from that and keep it rolling.”

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Strider gave up four singles to the first nine hitters he faced Thursday, the fourth coming with two outs in the second. Ronny Mauricio’s line drive to center scored Tyrone Taylor, who had singled and stole second, to give the Mets (45-30) the early lead.

In his seventh start of the season, Strider allowed a Brandon Nimmo double to start the third, but left Nimmo stranded with a pop up, strikeout and grounder. Strider fanned the side in the fourth and then fanned the final six hitters he faced after a leadoff walk in the fifth.

“Fastball command was fine first time through the order. Couple sequencing things I probably could have done better and then maybe a couple of execution (things) with the fastball that I suppose could have been a little better,” Strider assessed his outing. “But I’ll take my chances with attacking in the zone and it’s definitely a change I’ve been wanting to make, especially early in the game, is just trying to set the tone in the zone and kind of build from there.”

Mets starter Clay Holmes began to falter in the fourth when he walked Olson and gave up a single to Ozuna. One out later, Ozzie Albies slapped Holmes’ low-and-away changeup to left center to bring in Olson, whose head-first slide just beat the throw to the plate.

Rookie catcher Drake Baldwin worked an eight-pitch, bases-loaded walk in the fifth to give the Braves (34-39) their first lead of the night. Holmes was lifted for Huascar Brazoban who threw four straight pitches out of the zone, making it 3-1.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Holmes (7-4) was charged three earned runs on four hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five but issued a career-high six walks.

Huascar gave up a single and two walks to load the bases in the sixth ahead of Olson’s hit into the right field corner. Baldwin’s RBI single later in the inning off Mets reliever Justin Hagenman gave the Braves a bit of insurance.

The Braves bullpen didn’t surrender a run in the series.

“Surely that’s as close as we’ve been to playing, just, a complete series,” Strider said. “We know what we’re capable of, just the three different ways that we did it. Speaking for myself, and then I’m sure for everybody else, it’s just reassuring to go out and have some justification for the work you’ve been and that belief that we’ve had this whole time that we can play better baseball.

“Now the challenge is to continue to do it, obviously. Doesn’t get easier from here. The idea would be that the struggles we’ve had up to this point, and whatever we might encounter for the rest of the season is all in preparation for what we’re ultimately trying to accomplish and it’s gonna make us better. We just gotta continue to believe that and keep working.”