ATLANTA — Mets manager Buck Showalter would have signed up for what he received from his starting pitcher and bullpen Tuesday night, but ultimately it was going to take runs to beat the Braves.
Daniel Vogelbach provided two with a homer in the sixth inning, but that was all for the Mets in their 3-2 loss at Truist Park.
The Mets (59-68) lost for the second time in three games to fall nine games below .500.
The Mets got the tying run to second base in the eighth inning on Jeff McNeil’s single and stolen base with two outs before A.J. Minter got Pete Alonso to pop out.
In the ninth, Vogelbach had walked (Tim Locastro ran for him) and DJ Stewart singled to begin the inning against Raisel Iglesias.
But the Braves closer got Francisco Alvarez to hit into a double play and retired Rafael Ortega on a grounder for the final out.
A night earlier, the Mets had exploded for 10 runs on the strength of three homers.
On Tuesday, Tylor Megill gave the Mets 4 ²/₃ innings in which he surrendered three earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
Given the potency of this Braves lineup, the outing was perhaps acceptable.
Alonso was drilled in the back by a pitch from Bryce Elder in the fourth inning, eliciting cheers from the fans.
In the Mets’ last visit to Truist Park, in June, the first baseman was caught on mic yelling “Throw it again, please!” after he blasted a slider for a home run against Elder.
The following night, Alonso was drilled in the right wrist by a Charlie Morton pitch and landed on the injured list for 10 days.
After Alonso was plunked Tuesday, Vogelbach walked to load the bases, but Stewart struck out and Alvarez flew out to end the threat.
Eddie Rosario’s two-run homer in the second gave the Braves a 2-0 lead. Marcell Ozuna singled leading off the inning before Rosario cleared the fence in right-center for the fourth homer allowed by Megill in his four starts since returning from Triple-A Syracuse.
Ozuna’s third homer in two games sank the Mets into a 3-0 hole in the fifth. Megill recorded two outs in the inning, but after Orlando Arcia walked to put runners on the corners — and after the right-hander threw his fourth wild pitch of the night — Adam Kolarek entered to retire Nicky Lopez on a groundout.
Vogelbach’s two-run homer in the sixth sliced the Braves’ lead to 3-2. Francisco Lindor doubled leading off the inning and Vogelbach cleared the fence in left-center for his 11th homer of the season and his fourth in his last 10 games.