Mets avoid sweep with huge fifth inning to beat Braves – The Denver Post

If Mets fans weren’t well acquainted with Rafael Ortega before, they might be after Sunday night. The reserve outfielder who was called up from Triple-A Syracuse after the trade deadline went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in the Mets’ 7-6 win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday night at Citi Field.

The Mets went down 3-0 in the first inning but scored six runs in a wacky fifth inning to come back and prevent a four-game sweep by Atlanta (75-42).

“We just wanted to win,” starting pitcher Kodai Senga said through a translator. “Even though I’m not in the first three games, I still wanted to win and the rest of the team wanted to win. Despite me giving up three runs in the first inning, I just wanted to go as deep as I can to give the team the best chance possible.”

The fifth inning started with Ortega singling off right-handed starter Yonny Chirinos and ended with Collin McHugh on the mound after the Mets batted around. Six runs were scored on four hits, three walks and a catcher’s interference. Omar Narvaez and Mark Vientos both walked with the bases loaded and DJ Stewart was awarded first base on catcher interference.

Ortega had two hits in the inning, one against Chirinos (5-5) and a two-run single against McHugh that gave the Mets (53-65) a 7-3 lead. The Mets battled through every at-bat in the inning to extend and make Chirinos and McHugh work harder. It felt more like a 2022 Mets performance than a 2023 Mets performance.

“We’ve done it at times this year, but not nearly at the rate we have in the past or at the rate we need to,” said manager Buck Showalter.

But the league-leading Braves came back. Grant Hartwig took over for Senga in the seventh and left a meatball of a sinker right out over the plate for Sean Murphy. The catcher drove it 455 feet into the left field stands to cut the lead to 7-4.

Baseball’s home run leader Matt Olson hit his 43rd of the season in the eighth off Brooks Raley. The lefty came in to replace Hartwig with one on and one out. Olson is just about the toughest out in the NL and he managed to golf a sinker that was low and inside to bring the visitors back to within one run.

Adam Ottavino shut the door in the ninth, retiring the side in order to convert his seventh save.

Senga (9-6) struggled through the first inning before settling in and holding the Braves scoreless over the next five. Senga’s forkball wasn’t effective early and the Braves were hunting fastballs. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner suggested he start changing speeds to give a different look.

“Everybody wants to make a big deal about the forkball but he didn’t have a feel for it,” Showalter said. “Some nights he doesn’t, but he’s got enough pitches to survive.”

Senga allowed three earned runs on four hits, walked two and struck out seven over six innings in his ninth win of the season, which ties him with J.P. France and Tanner Bibee for MLB’s rookie lead. He was also able to do it in front of his young son and daughter. The two presented him with the title belt the Mets award to the player of the game after wins.

“It was big for him,” Showalter said. “He’s been pretty solid for us from start to finish and I think he’s looking forward to finishing strong.”

Getting him through six was a boon to a beleaguered bullpen, but it didn’t look like the right-handed rookie would get that far when he needed about 30 pitches to get through the first inning.

All three runs came in the first when Senga gave up a leadoff single, two walks and a one-out double to Marcel Ozuna with the bases loaded. He quieted the Braves after that, allowing only two more hits.

“I feel strong on the mound and I think I can get through the season on a high note,” Senga said. “On the field and off the field, I think I’m doing what I can to maintain my high performance on the field.”

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