Mets Drop Extras in Atlanta, but Still Hold the East
The Mets don’t need perfection to stay atop the National League East—they need balance. New York let a three-run lead slip away late in Tuesday night’s 5–4 extra-inning loss to the Braves, their fourth straight loss—but there’s no panic. Despite the bumps, despite the bruises, and despite the injuries, they’re still leading the NL East. And thanks to the Marlins taking care of the Phillies, that lead holds at 2.0 games.
What the Mets need now is synergy: pitching that holds leads, bats that don’t go quiet after the fifth, sharp baserunning, and defense that plays to the all-star potential stitched into nearly every uniform.
David “Ace” Peterson
David Peterson was in full command for seven innings. The lefty rolled through the Braves lineup with a heavy dose of ground balls—10 of his first 15 outs came on the dirt—and held Atlanta to just one earned run until he came back out for the eighth.
The final line tonight for David Peterson pic.twitter.com/qWBeAHXp9z
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 18, 2025
Welcome to the Mets-Braves Rivalry, Juan
Offensively, the Mets did their damage early. Juan Soto, turning on a knee-level slider, launched a 108.4 mph, 412-foot center field moonshot in the first—his 14th home run of the year—after faking a bunt and debuting a new (and frankly intimidating) stance in the box.
He’s so back it’s insane https://t.co/NrfptmlQgz
— Gab (@gabrielleraucci) June 18, 2025
Check out Juan Soto’s new batting stance 😂 pic.twitter.com/VwZDOZEp61
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 18, 2025
Offensive Production, But Not Enough To Hold The Line
Tyrone Taylor had himself a night, having delivered both a 2-run bloop double in the second and a solo homer in the fifth to seal the Mets’ 4-1 lead.
Tyrone Taylor drills one to left! pic.twitter.com/HLBZRq267Q
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 18, 2025
Jeff McNeil extended his on-base streak to 19 games with a first-inning single and ripped a 98 mph liner in the sixth that got turned into a double play after another costly baserunning mistake.
Pete Alonso had a pair of hard-hit singles, including a 105.9 mph liner down the line, but got thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. In the ninth, he nearly gave the Mets the lead with a deep drive to right—but Acuña Jr. made a leaping grab at the wall.
Unfortunately, Soto had misread the play and strayed too far off first, getting doubled up to end the inning. Earlier, he had also been picked off after taking off early on a steal attempt, caught in a 1-3-4 trap after Spencer Schwellenbach stepped off the mound.
Bullpen Unravels After Peterson’s Exit
After a leadoff walk to the nine-hole hitter and a single to Ronald Acuña Jr. in the eighth, Carlos Mendoza pulled Peterson and turned to a cold Reed Garrett.
He nearly worked the tightrope, freezing Matt Olson on a 1-2 splitter and getting Austin Riley to fly out, but he hung a splitter (originally a four-seam that Francisco Alvarez changed) up to Marcell Ozuna—and it got scorched into the corner for a game-tying, bases-clearing double.
Francisco Alvarez said he changed the pitch call to a splitter on Marcell Ozuna’s game-tying double after Reed Garrett called for a fastball
“I think he was right. I think I made a mistake in that situation. I feel very bad for that” pic.twitter.com/vapsjc1iRi
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 18, 2025
Another crack in the defense after a low throw from Ronny Mauricio in the seventh, Francisco Lindor’s relay had a shot at cutting down Alex Verdugo at home, but the ball slipped on the transfer, knotting the score 4-4 into the ninth.
Expensive Extra Inning Mistakes
The 10th was more of the same. With Luisangel Acuña starting the inning on second, the Mets couldn’t get him to third. Unsure of why a red-hot Starling Marte didn’t PH for Jared Young, who was then 0-3, struck out to open the tenth, Alvarez popped out to shallow right, and Mauricio popped to short.
Then came the frustrating bottom half. Alvarez couldn’t backhand a ball in the dirt, and instead of running at the lead runner between second and third, he threw to second, allowing the go-ahead run to advance. A walk followed, and Austin Riley ended it with a deep walkoff sac fly to right-center.
The Time to Lock In Is Now
There’s no panic here. But there is urgency. Atlanta and Philadelphia are not slowing down. The Mets begin a stretch of 13 games in 13 days, with the Braves and Phillies lined up to test every inch of this roster’s depth and resolve.
The arms are tired. The bats are hot. The defense just needs to hold. It doesn’t take a perfect week—but it does take a focused one.
Don’t Give Atlanta an Inch, and Philly Even Less
This loss came down to details. The pitching was good enough. The bats did their job early. But the baserunning misreads, hesitation on relays, and fundamental lapses kept the Mets from putting this one away. It was a sequence of missteps and mistimed decisions.
But still, the Mets aren’t spiraling. They’re still playing good baseball. They’re not getting buried. They’re getting beaten narrowly—and often, by their own doing. That’s fixable. There have been so many injuries and shuffles. They know both sides of the ball need to execute. The Mets have been the team to watch all season long. And above all else, they’re still 2.0 games ahead in the NL East.
There is still a whole lot of baseball left.
