Michael Harris II recorded three hits, including a solo home run and an RBI double, while rookie Spencer Schwellenbach excelled against the New York Mets, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 5-1 victory on Tuesday night in the first game of a crucial three-game series.
“Felt good to come out swinging and get some runs early,” Harris said. “That’s what we did tonight. Pitching was phenomenal from Schwellenbach. We just have to come out and do the same thing the next two days.”
Marcell Ozuna also hit his 39th home run for Atlanta, which is now just one game behind the Mets in the National League playoff race with five games left.
New York (87-70) is half a game ahead of Arizona (87-71) for the second wild card spot, while the Braves (86-71) moved within half a game of the Diamondbacks for the final postseason spot after Arizona lost 11-0 to San Francisco.
These three teams are competing for the two remaining spots after San Diego secured its playoff spot with a 4-2 win against the Dodgers.
Schwellenbach (8-7) pitched seven solid innings, allowing just one run and three hits, with four strikeouts. He has given up only one run and five hits while striking out 15 batters in 14 innings over two games against the Mets this season.
“The juices were definitely flowing,” Schwellenbach said. “This is basically the playoffs for us. We need wins.”
Harris finished just a triple shy of the cycle and has recorded 13 hits in his last five games. He also made a diving catch in center field, taking a hit away from Mets rookie Luisangel Acuña.
“Good timing,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker. “It is the right time of year to get hot.”
Acuña made his major league debut in front of his older brother, Ronald Acuña Jr., who watched from the Braves dugout. The star outfielder and reigning NL MVP is out for the season due to a knee injury. The brothers exchanged jerseys before the game.
Luis Severino (11-7) took the loss after allowing four runs in four innings. He gave up seven hits and a walk while striking out five.
New York had just finished a successful 6-1 homestand.
Mark Vientos hit his 26th home run for the Mets, and Jose Iglesias extended his hitting streak to 17 games.
“We still have a chance to win a series here,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We didn’t play well. We didn’t make a play a couple of times.
We missed a cutoff man one time. We’ve got to turn the page. I know it is going to be a story because it is here in Atlanta. We’ve got to go out and do it.”
The Braves scored three runs in the third inning, starting with Harris doubling to drive in Orlando Arcia, then scoring on a single from Ozzie Albies. With two outs, Ramón Laureano brought in Albies with a soft single.
Harris extended the lead to 4-0 with a 422-foot home run to left field in the fourth, and Ozuna’s homer made it 5-0 in the fifth.
Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Helene is expected in the Atlanta area on Wednesday and Thursday, which might complicate the scheduling of the games and could lead to a makeup game next Monday, just one day after the regular season is set to end. The Mets will be in Milwaukee starting Friday, while the Braves will host the Royals.
