Final Score: Braves 5, Mets 3 - Defense dooms Mets in first game in Atlanta

The Mets first game of the year in Atlanta was an infuriating one from the first inning on. Jon Niese worked from behind for the first two innings, after giving up a home run to Cameron Maybin in the Braves first at-bat of the game, and Wilmer Flores made a throwing error which allowed Nick Markakis to score on a Jonny Gomes single. Niese looked flat for much of his appearance, allowing another run to score in the bottom of the third, after another Wilmer Flores throwing error, but the tide turned in the fourth when David Wright and John Mayberry, Jr., took Eric Stults deep, who was perfect up to that point.

After some good bullpen work for both teams, things got bad for the Mets in the eighth inning. Chris Johnson smoked a ball off of Rafael Montero into the gap, which Juan Lagares could not corral. David Wright botched a play at third, and then Montero served up a single to Phil Gosselin which plated two runs, and the Braves never looked back. Jon Niese was not great, but defense damned the Mets tonight, and for a team based around young pitching, that's a looming concern.

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