Rookie Thornton Outduels Braves as Mets Bats Explode 14-3

Martín Pérez (6-6, 3.49 ERA) got the ball for Atlanta looking to bounce back after a shaky no-decision against San Diego, where he walked 4 in just 4 innings. Across from him stood the story of the Mets' summer: rookie lefty Zac Thornton (2-1, 2.43 ERA), who'd carried an 18-inning scoreless streak into his last start and rewarded New York with 6 shutout innings against Milwaukee on 7/21.

Atlanta rolled into this series opener with Ronald Acuña Jr. freshly activated after a hamstring saga that cost him two separate injured-list stints, and Chris Sale reportedly nearing a return from his own rehab stint — reinforcements a first-place club can use down the stretch. The Mets, on the other hand, are working without Juan Soto, who landed on the 10-day IL with a strained calf just two days before first pitch, thinning out an already M*A*S*H-unit lineup missing Mark Vientos too.

None of that mattered once the bats got going. First pitch was 7:10 PM ET, and by the middle innings this had stopped being a pitchers' duel and turned into exactly the kind of laugher that makes a division race feel a lot less pressing for one night.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
ATL	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	0
NYM	1	0	2	0	0	2	4	5	—	14	19	0

Ozzie Albies actually got Atlanta on the board early and later tied it with a two-run homer off Pérez's relief, Connor Thomas, but Marcus Semien answered right back with a two-run shot of his own to put the Mets ahead for good. Thornton settled in from there, working into the 7th before departing having allowed 3 runs on 6 hits with 5 strikeouts — hardly his sharpest, but plenty good enough. Behind him, the Mets bullpen and lineup buried Atlanta with 19 hits and a five-spot in the 7th, then five more in the 8th to turn a competitive game into a rout.

For the Braves, this is the kind of loss a 62-44 club with a division cushion can absorb without much panic — Atlanta's still comfortably in first and getting healthier by the week. For the Mets, buried under .500 at 45-62, this is just about all that's left: play spoiler, develop arms like Thornton, and make life miserable for whoever's chasing a pennant. On night 1 of this series, they did exactly that.

It's a reminder that even bad teams beat good teams plenty in a 162-game season — the Braves just found that out the hard way, and Thornton's turning into a legitimate reason to watch a Mets game that otherwise means nothing in the standings.

Atlanta Braves at New York Mets

Sources