Chris Sale (8-6, 2.27 ERA) took the ball looking to bounce back from a hard-luck loss to San Francisco, while Sean Manaea (1-3, 5.16 ERA) tried to build on a solid turn against Toronto. On paper it read as a legit lefty-on-lefty duel at 8:08 PM ET.
New York had actually won two of three from Atlanta back in June at Citi Field, so this series was a chance to prove that wasn't a fluke. Instead the Mets arrived at Truist Park having dropped four of their last five, and the roster crunch showed — no Marcus Semien, no Luis Robert Jr., a rotation still without Clay Holmes or Tylor Megill. Atlanta had its own absences, most notably Ronald Acuna Jr. still working back from a hamstring issue and Ha-Seong Kim landing on the IL Saturday with a finger injury, but the Braves had just taken the series opener and were the healthier club where it counted.
Whatever the market expected, the game blew the doors off early. Atlanta strung together four runs in the second inning alone and never let New York get comfortable, tacking on runs in six of its eight innings at the plate.
Sale was the story on the mound. He carried a shutout bid into the 9th before finally allowing a Mets run, finishing with a dominant final line that made his last outing's tough-luck loss feel like ancient history. Manaea, by contrast, couldn't find the same form that got him through Toronto — the Braves lineup teed off for extra-base damage all night, and the Mets' bullpen had no answer for the bleeding.
This one was over by the middle innings. The Mets managed 10 hits but could never bunch them together against Atlanta's relievers, while the Braves turned nearly every trip to the plate into pressure. For a Mets team already staring up at .500 with 36-52 record, it's another gut punch in a season that's starting to feel like a lost one.
- 10-Day-ILMarcus Semien 2B — Semien was diagnosed Monday with a Grade 3 left hip flexor strain and is expected to be out for 4-to-6 weeks, at a minimum, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
- 60-Day-ILLuis Robert Jr. CF — Robert (back) will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILClay Holmes SP — Holmes (fibula) has been throwing on flat ground and is expected to progress to mound work next week, Chelsea Janes of SNY.tv reports.
- 60-Day-ILJorge Polanco 1B — Polanco (Achilles) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILDedniel Nunez RP — Nunez (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie on Thursday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILReed Garrett RP — The Mets placed Garrett (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.
- 60-Day-ILJustin Hagenman RP — The Mets placed Hagenman on the 60-day injured list Saturday due to a rib fracture.
- 60-Day-ILTylor Megill SP — The Mets placed Megill (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILHa-Seong Kim SS — Atlanta placed Kim on the 10-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Wednesday, due to right middle finger inflammation.
- 10-Day-ILRonald Acuna Jr. RF — Acuna (hamstring) went through a full pregame workout at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
- 15-Day-ILRobert Suarez RP — An MRI on Suarez's right elbow came back negative Friday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
- suspensionJurickson Profar LF — Profar will miss the full 2026 season after the appeal of his 162-game PED suspension was denied Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILAJ Smith-Shawver SP — Smith-Shawver (elbow) pitched three innings Tuesday during a rehab start with Single-A Augusta, allowing one run on three hits while striking out four batters, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
- 60-Day-ILSpencer Schwellenbach SP — Schwellenbach (elbow) will likely report to Atlanta's spring training facility in early July and could be a candidate to rejoin the major-league rotation by late August or early September, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILSpencer Strider SP — Atlanta transferred Strider (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILSean Murphy C — Murphy had the cast on his left hand removed Tuesday and is now wearing a splint to protect his fractured middle finger, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reprots.