Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a walk-off home run to lead off the ninth inning and give the Atlanta Braves a 5-4 win over the visiting New York Mets and end their three-game losing streak.
The home run, his 13th, came off Jacob Barnes (1-1) and ended an 0-for-13 streak, dating back to before he missed time with a left ankle injury.
The winning pitcher was Will Smith (1-4), who struck out two batters in the ninth. Smith stranded a runner at third and worked around two wild pitches to keep the game tied.
Neither starter received a decision. Atlanta’s Charlie Morton, working on an additional day off, was back in form after four straight subpar performances. The 14-year veteran pitched six innings and allowed one run on two hits and no walks. He struck out eight.
New York’s David Peterson worked 4 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
The Mets scored a run in the fourth inning on Jonathan Villar’s solo homer, his fourth.
The Braves sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth and took a 3-1 lead. Guillermo Heredia and Morton both singled in a run, and Acuna walked with the bases loaded.
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Atlanta left the bases loaded in the fifth and sixth innings.
The Braves gambled in the sixth and lifted Morton, who had thrown only 79 pitches, in favor of pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval to try to break the game open. But Sandoval lined to third base to end the threat.
The Mets were able to start a two-out rally in the seventh when reliever A.J. Minter committed a two-base throwing error. Jose Peraza drove in a run with a double, and Tomas Nido added a two-run single to shallow center to give the Mets a 4-3 lead.
The Braves tied the game in the eighth. Austin Riley doubled off the right-field wall, went to third on Dansby Swanson’s infield single, and scored on William Contreras’ single to right.
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Swanson ran the team out of the inning when he was caught trying to steal third base.
–Field Level Media