The Mets began their three-game series on Tuesday night in Atlanta against the Braves. It’s hard to call a matchup at the beginning of June a must-win situation. But, coming in on a three-game losing streak and a 30-30 record on the season, New York needs to show some signs of life on this road trip.
Unfortunately, the Mets followed a familiar script en route to a 6-4 loss. The Braves scored first, but then New York took control with a pair of two-run homers from Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. It stayed 4-1 until the sixth, when the pitching staff wilted and gave the lead back to Atlanta.
Now at 30-31, the Mets are 6.5 games behind the Braves and 2.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot.
As if the manner in which the Mets lost wasn’t bad enough, they also had to add insult to injury by trash-talking early in the game. Obviously, that bit them in the behind once the final out was recorded.
Alonso’s 22nd home run of the year traveled 448 feet. Once he got back to the dugout, he pleaded with Bryce Elder to keep throwing that hanging slider he crushed:
Here's Pete Alonso yelling out to Bryce Elder: pic.twitter.com/AoUfQvTm5w
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) June 7, 2023
Was this funny at that moment? Yes — it definitely was. Elder also had the perfect response ready when asked about it after the game:
Bryce Elder said he didn’t hear Pete Alonso saying “throw it again.”
Asked if he would be upset about it, Elder said:
“No. If I hit one to the concourse, I might holler, too.”
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) June 7, 2023
Kudos to him. This is one of those situations where people say, “If you don’t like what they say, then don’t throw a pitch that they can destroy.” But of course, what Alonso said riled up the Braves dugout a bit:
The response from @TylerMatzek. pic.twitter.com/JmFug9pY7n
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) June 7, 2023
Also, if you’re going to talk smack, you need to back it up. The Braves went on to score five unanswered runs to beat the Mets for the third time in four tries so far this season. Doing stuff like that while watching the opposition come back and take the lead allows people to do stuff like this:
✅ Request submitted
✅ Request granted pic.twitter.com/Yn71CNkTnr
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) June 7, 2023
Just not a good night for the Mets. And we’ve watched way too many of these to start 2023.
With the way New York has played thus far, they have no reason to be outwardly cocky. And that’s especially the case when they play the Braves. New York went 9-10 vs. Atlanta last year, with a 3-7 mark on the road. That includes the second-to-last series of the year when all the Mets had to do was win once at Truist Park to keep control of the division. Instead, they ended up getting swept.
Everything regarding the National League East runs through the Braves right now. Not only are they currently in first place, but they’ve dominated the division since 2018. Their stretch of five straight NL East titles includes winning the 2021 World Series, too.
Oh, and let’s not forget that the Mets had a 10.5-game lead in the division last year on June 1st and still couldn’t finish in first place. It doesn’t matter how good or bad they played over the final few months — the Braves played better and took it from them.
I have no problem with trash talk, bat flips, and celebrations during a game. I actually love all that stuff — it makes the game more exciting. But, it’s kind of like trying to steal second base while down a run with two outs in the eighth inning. If you take that chance, you better freakin’ make it because if you don’t, you’ll look like an idiot.
And after once again not holding onto a lead, the Mets look like the latter after chirping from the dugout. It’s time to go out and take care of business. The jokes and laughter will keep coming until New York finds a way to get past Atlanta. Whenever that may be.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
