Ronald Acuña Jr. slammed a massive home run, followed by Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson also hitting homers in the third inning.
With Charlie Morton pitching seven strong innings, the Atlanta Braves defeated the New York Mets 4-2 on Friday night, despite playing through rain delays. This win marked Atlanta’s third consecutive victory after a tough series against the Dodgers.
Francisco Lindor hit a home run on Morton’s first pitch in the seventh inning, but Morton’s performance was impressive, allowing only three hits in total.
Manager Brian Snitker praised Morton’s consistency, highlighting his impressive milestone of surpassing 2,000 innings in the majors. Relief pitchers A.J. Minter and Raisel Iglesias also played crucial roles in securing the win for the Braves.
Iglesias allowed a two-out RBI single by Pete Alonso before J.D. Martinez hit a long ball that curved foul down the left-field line. Martinez then flew out to end the game.
After the match, Iglesias had the ball from his milestone save in his locker and mentioned he was pleased to give it to his wife as a birthday present.
“I feel really satisfied,” the reliever said. “It was a goal I had set for myself, and I’m just happy I achieved it.”
Mets starter Jose Quintana (1-4), who was coming off a tough outing, surrendered four runs and six hits in five innings. The experienced left-hander had struggled, giving up eight runs and 10 hits over 2 2/3 innings in his previous game against Tampa Bay.
“It’s frustrating because everything felt good and I was pitching well against a tough lineup,” Quintana said. “But after two outs, everything changed. Big damage. So that’s pretty bad.”
Right after a double play that cleared the bases in the third inning, Acuña crushed a full-count sinker 461 feet to straightaway center, landing it beyond the home run apple at Citi Field.
