Final Score: Braves 5, Mets 4—The 1969 Mets were good, the 2019 Mets are not

On a day when the Mets celebrated one of the most unforgettable seasons in franchise history, the current team showed once again why this season is one that fans will be trying very hard to forget, as the Amazins lost to the Braves 5-4 for their seventh straight loss.

After a wonderful pre-game ceremony in which the members of the 1969 World Series-winning Mets and their families were honored, the game itself got off to a rocky start, as Steven Matz—as he has often done this season—allowed multiple runs in the first inning, in this case on a two-RBI single off the bat of Ozzie Albies. The good news is that these would be the only runs that Matz would give up today. The bad news is that the reason for that is because he was forced to depart following a rain delay which lasted over an hour. Chris Mazza, a 29-year-old rookie pitcher making his major league debut, entered the game in his place, and before he could even record an out he gave up two hits, including an RBI double to Dansby Swanson which made it 3-0.

Mazza recovered after this rough start, however, and he ended up going four innings without giving up any more runs and keeping the Mets in the game. The Amazins subsequently chipped away at the lead, scoring their first run in the bottom of the third thanks to Dominic Smith’s eighth home run of the season. They scored once more an inning later thanks to an RBI double off the bat of Jeff McNeil which scored Amed Rosario from second. Fast-forward a few innings, and McNeil would once again double to once again score Rosario from second. This time, however, McNeil himself would come home thanks to an RBI single from Robinson Cano, which gave the Mets a 4-3 lead and provided fans with some hope that the six-game losing streak might finally be on the verge of being snapped.

Alas, the struggling Seth Lugo came into the game in the seventh inning, and his struggles continued today. While he got through his first inning without much trouble, he came back out for the top of the eighth and, after recording the first out, gave up back-to-back home runs to Nick Markakis and Austin Riley, respectively. Just like that, the lead was gone, and the Mets would not get it back. While they did get two runners on to lead off the ninth inning, they were unable to bring them home, and a day which started with such joy ended with yet another demoralizing defeat.

Full recap to follow.

GameThread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the GameThread embiggens us all.

1. MetsFan4Decades: 205
2. MookieTheCat: 149
3. JR and the Off-Balance Shots: 102
4. John Oldnrude: 79
5. Oak Beach Inn: 65
6. Jets Mets Devils Nets 16: 59
7. Knurk: 56
8. natteringnabob: 48
9. Rajohnnn: 37
10. David Klein: 32