


ATLANTA — For a couple of spare parts receiving chances because of the team’s trade-deadline purge, DJ Stewart and Rafael Ortega have fit in quite nicely with the Mets.
Stewart’s bat and Ortega’s steady all-around play have been key components during a surge over the last two weeks that has at least kept the Mets watchable.
Monday night the outfielders were two of the big contributors in the team’s 10-4 victory over the Braves at Truist Park.
Stewart homered for the fifth time in six games and brought in another run with a sacrifice bunt and Ortega delivered a two-run homer on a night every member of the Mets starting lineup except Jonathan Arauz reached base.
The Mets (59-67) won for the seventh time in nine games and have two straight wins against the Braves.
This is after Atlanta embarrassed the Mets by outscoring them 34-3 in winning the first three games of their recent series at Citi Field.
David Peterson lasted 4 ²/₃ innings for the Mets — his longest outing in four starts since returning to the rotation – and allowed four earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
It was a third straight shaky start for the left-hander, who walked six batters in only 3 2/3 innings last week against the Pirates.
Phil Bickford, Sam Coonrod, Adam Ottavino and Drew Smith combined to pitch 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief.
Stewart homered in the second inning for the game’s first run and Ortega’s two-run blast in the inning extended the Mets’ lead to 3-0.
Stewart’s homer was his sixth of the season and Ortega’s was his first.
The Mets have homered in eight straight games and hit 20 during that stretch (including Francisco Lindor’s three-run blast in the sixth inning).
Marcell’s Ozuna’s homer in the bottom of the inning recovered a run for the Braves before Michael Harris II stroked a two-run double in the third against Peterson that tied it 3-3.
Orlando Arcia and Ronald Acuna Jr. both singled ahead of Harris to begin the rally.
Ozuna’s second homer of the game, a blast leading off the fourth, put the Mets in a 4-3 hole.
The Braves threatened later in the inning, when Vaughn Grisham singled following a walk to Arcia, but Peterson struck out Acuna Jr., to end the threat.
The Mets scratched for a 7-4 lead in the fifth on four straight singles following a walk to Brandon Nimmo.
Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso and Daniel Vogelbach each brought in a run with a single before Stewart’s sacrifice bunt allowed Alonso to score from third.
All seven runs were charged to Braves starter Allan Winans, who allowed nine hits and one walk over 4 1/3 innings.
Lindor’s three-run homer in the sixth buried the Braves in a 10-4 hole.
Ortega walked and Nimmo singled before Lindor cleared the fence in left-center for his 23rd homer of the season.