Neither lineup did much through the first four innings, and this one turned into exactly the low-scoring grind both rosters' pitching questions might have predicted. The Mets scratched across single runs late to squeeze past a Braves club that came in with the better record by a mile.
The final line tells the story: Mets 3, Braves 2, with Atlanta actually out-hitting New York 7-6 and still finding a way to lose. That's been the theme of this series — the Braves have dropped 4 of their recent meetings with the Mets, largely because a tired bullpen keeps handing back whatever the lineup builds.
New York is 45-62 and has nothing to play for in the standings, but that looseness has clearly helped — a 14-3 blowout of Atlanta two days earlier and now a series-defining 1-run win. Injuries are mounting on both sides: the Mets are without Juan Soto (calf) and Mark Vientos (fractured hand), while the Braves are still missing Sean Murphy behind the plate and Ha-Seong Kim at short.
For a team fighting for playoff position, dropping the opener of a doubleheader to a sub-.500 opponent stings. Atlanta still has the deeper roster on paper, but until that bullpen stabilizes, results like this are going to keep popping up against teams they should be beating.