Arizona Diamondbacks fans are now temporarily New York Mets fans.

The Mets clinched a postseason spot by winning a blockbuster first game of Monday’s doubleheader against the Atlanta 8-7, and now the Diamondbacks need a Mets sweep to clinch the final NL Wild Card spot.

A Mets win in the second leg would send the D-backs to Milwaukee to kick off the postseason.

Francisco Lindor – New York Mets (33)
pic.twitter.com/4R33irMlRM

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) September 30, 2024

The Braves led 3-0 after seven shutout frames from Spencer Schwellenbach, but the Mets rallied to take the lead with six runs in the eighth inning. Jose Iglesias tied the game with a single to right, and Brandon Nimmo hit a two-run shot off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias.

Atlanta responded with four runs in the bottom half, three after what looked like an inning-ending diving play by Mets first baseman Pete Alonso. New York closer Edwin Diaz failed to cover first base, and Ozzie Albies took advantage with a bases-clearing, go-ahead double.

But the Mets were not done, as MVP candidate Francisco Lindor blasted the game-winning, two-run homer in the ninth inning. Diaz locked it down to cap a wild ballgame.

WHAT pic.twitter.com/NKYAKXS6o1

— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) September 30, 2024

Even with the clinch, the Mets will not be able to pop champagne bottles until the doubleheader is over, but the win gives them leeway to manage their team’s workload in Game 2.

Chris Sale scratched for Game 2

NL Cy Young favorite Chris Sale (2.38 ERA) was set to start Game 2 for the Braves with their season on the line, but he was scratched due to back spasms. Grant Holmes (3.78 ERA) will start for Atlanta.

The Mets would have run out right-hander Luis Severino if needed. Instead, left-hander Joey Lucchesi will get the ball. Lucchesi has made one appearance in the major leagues this season.

The second game will begin approximately 40-45 minutes after the end of the first on ESPN2.

Why is there a Mets-Braves doubleheader?

Two games of a critical Mets-Braves series last week were postponed due to weather caused by Hurricane Helene, and this weekend’s results created a postseason-like environment for the doubleheader.

Arizona lost two of three games against the San Diego Padres to end the regular season, thus putting its fate in the hands of either NL East competitor to knock out the other.

The D-backs entered Monday in a tough spot without having either tiebreaker. The Braves won five of seven games against the D-backs, twice in extra innings with another win after trailing Arizona 6-0. The Mets won four of seven against the Diamondbacks with three one-run victories.

The Wild Card Series begin Tuesday with the Brewers hosting the third Wild Card, while the Padres will face the second Wild Card.

Updated NL Wild Card standings

1. San Diego Padres: 93-69*
2. New York Mets: 89-72*
3. Arizona Diamondbacks: 89-73
4. Atlanta Braves: 88-73

*Clinched

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After a blowout loss to Kansas State two weeks ago, Arizona football upset No. 10 Utah 23-10 in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

The Wildcats — who were coming off a bye — were in control essentially the entire game. The Utes led in total yards (364 to Arizona’s 358), but two costly interceptions in the second half proved vital in the loss.

The Wildcats were up 10-3 at halftime, and after two field goals in the third quarter widened the lead to 13, an eight-play, 87-yard drive ending with a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Noah Fifita to Keyan Burnett with eight minutes left in the game sealed the deal.

Arizona’s Noah Fifita with an absolute BEAUTY of a throw for the touchdown ?

? ESPN pic.twitter.com/lKnATYZDXf

— ESPN (@espn) September 29, 2024

Fifita finished 19-for-31 with 197 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown came on a 3-yard pass late in the second quarter to Jeremiah Patterson.

Burnett finished with 76 yards on five receptions, averaging 15.2 yards per catch while receiver Tetairoa McMillan recorded six receptions for 50 yards.

Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson, who started in place of the injured Cam Rising, threw for 280 yards with one touchdown in the loss.

Arizona takes on Texas Tech next week at home next week, while Utah has a bye. Following their bye, the Utes head to Mountain America Stadium to face Arizona State on Oct. 11.

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Joey Ortiz drove in three runs for Milwaukee and the New York Mets mustered just two hits as their playoff hopes sustained another blow with a 4-0 loss to the Brewers on Saturday night.

New York (87-72) lost their third straight and fell one game behind Atlanta (88-71) in the NL wild card race when the Braves beat Kansas City 2-1 on a ninth-inning, walk-off homer from former Met Travis d’Arnaud.

The Mets are competing for the NL’s final two wild-card spots with the Braves and Arizona (88-72), which was hosting San Diego.

Both the Mets and Braves have head-to-head tiebreaker advantages over the Diamondbacks. The Mets and Braves would play a Monday doubleheader in Atlanta if their postseason fates haven’t been settled.

Ortiz put the Brewers ahead 2-0 in the fourth by looping a full-count curveball from Jose Quintana (10-10) into left-center with a bases-loaded single.

Milwaukee broke open the game in the eighth inning by scoring four runs off Reed Garrett, the first runs he allowed since Aug. 18. The outburst included an RBI single by Willy Adames, a bases-loaded walk by Ortiz and a two-run single by Andruw Monasterio.

Quintana and four relievers combined to strike out 18 — the Mets’ highest total this season. But New York was shut out for the first time since Aug. 23 and was held to two hits or fewer for just the fifth time this year.

Jose Iglesias singled in the first inning and Starling Marte hit a ground-rule double in the fifth. The only other time the Mets put a runner on base was when Iglesias drew a one-out walk in the ninth.

Quintana (10-10) entered with 22 2/3 consecutive shutout innings. He struck out nine while allowing two runs, five hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.

After Milwaukee’s Jared Koenig pitched a scoreless first inning as the opener, Tobias Myers (9-6) took over and struck out five while allowing one hit and no walks in four innings.

Joel Payamps, Aaron Ashby, Nick Mears and Devin Williams each pitched one inning of hitless relief.

After the Brewers pulled ahead in the fourth, Marte led off the fifth with a double and advanced to third when Luis Torrens grounded out. Marte got stranded at third after Myers retired Harrison Bader on a liner to third and Luisangel Acuña on a fly to right.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: C Francisco Alvarez was out of the lineup after back spasms caused him to leave the Mets’ 8-4 loss Friday. He struck out on a pinch-hitting attempt in the eighth inning. … SS Francisco Lindor didn’t play the field and was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts as a DH, one day after returning from a sore lower back that had sidelined him for nearly two weeks. “I just thought that after having him down for 10, 11, days, to throw him back-to-back on the field is not ideal,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.

Brewers: Although an MRI revealed no structural damage, OF Sal Frelick bruised his hip when he crashed into the right-field wall attempting to make a diving catch of a foul ball Friday. The NL Central champion Brewers expect to start the playoffs without Frelick but haven’t ruled out a possible return at some point in the postseason.

UP NEXT

LHP David Peterson (9-3, 3.08) starts Sunday’s series finale for the Mets.

The Arizona Diamondbacks could not have started on a much worse foot in the first inning of what is essentially a playoff game Friday against the San Diego Padres, and defensive miscues from Ketel Marte played a key role.

The D-backs fell behind 4-0, and starter Merrill Kelly needed 31 pitches to record three outs.

Four in the first ? pic.twitter.com/qqYe3TtOQ7

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 28, 2024

Padres slugger Manny Machado hit a sharp one-hopper to Marte at second base, and the veteran infielder whiffed while trying to pick it. The first run of the game scored.

A Jackson Merrill RBI single brought D-backs manager Torey Lovullo out of the dugout to talk to his players on the mound.

The meeting apparently worked, as Kelly induced a grounder to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo for a potential inning-ending double play. But Marte struggled to make the turn and threw the relay over first baseman Christian Walker and out of play.

Another run scored on the error, and San Diego picked up one more on a David Peralta single.

The Diamondbacks, however, responded, as Corbin Carroll blasted a solo shot to lead off the bottom half against Yu Darvish. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. nearly tied the game with a deep fly ball to left, but he settled for a sacrifice fly.

Arizona cut the deficit, and may have shifted the momentum as Kelly threw a 1-2-3 second inning.

Catch the rest of the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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The final weekend of regular season baseball is here, and there remain so many scenarios that end with champagne showers for the Arizona Diamondbacks or an unceremonious end to their NL pennant defense.

Arizona putting together a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres at Chase Field punches its ticket, no matter what fellow NL Wild Card contenders the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves do the rest of the way. But this situation is a bit more complicated without a perfect weekend.

The Mets and Braves play a doubleheader on Monday due to postponements from Hurricane Helene, so they each have five games left to Arizona’s three. That’s one of several reasons the magic number is a bit of a moving target here. Sure, three wins is a clinch, but two wins and one Braves loss in no way guarantees the D-backs get to jump in the pool.

Perhaps laying out the D-backs’ clinching scenarios is simpler, even if all these possibilities are a bit bell-ringing.

FanGraphs’ odds have Arizona (58.6%) slightly behind New York (76.7%) and Atlanta (64.7%) to make the playoffs entering play on Friday.

Arizona (88-71) sits in a virtual tie with New York (87-70) and one game ahead of Atlanta (86-71) without a tiebreaker over either team.

The Padres (91-68), who fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday to end their NL West chase, are three ahead of the D-backs and can lock up the top Wild Card spot with another win.

The playoffs truly start this weekend at Chase Field.

Will the Diamondbacks make the playoffs? D-backs clinching scenarios

3 wins by Arizona

Let the beer and bubbles flow, it’s over.

The Diamondbacks would jump the Padres and eliminate either the Mets or Braves with a 91-win season. This would also give the D-backs a chance to host a Wild Card Series unless the Mets finish with a 4-1 or 5-0 record. In that case, the D-backs would be off to Queens.

2 wins by Arizona

There is a reason general manager Mike Hazen was referencing the 90-win mark as significant earlier this week.

Essentially, the Mets and Braves would need to combine for four or more losses in 10 combined games left, and two of those will come Monday.

The D-backs would reach 90 wins, while the Mets and Braves eliminate the chance to both crack 90 with four more defeats between them.

That means either the Braves or Mets would have to lose at least two of three games in their respective series this weekend, or they each drop at least one. The Mets are in Milwaukee, while the Braves host Kansas City.

For example, if the Mets and Braves both win two of three games this weekend, their 89 and 88 win totals would ensure Monday’s doubleheader only decides which of the NL East rivals moves on.

If the Mets drop two of three in Milwaukee and the Braves sweep Kansas City, same deal: New York would have 88 wins and Atlanta 89. If the Braves drop two games to the Royals and the Mets sweep the Brewers, the Braves are eliminated.

1 win by Arizona

This is where it gets really tricky for the Diamondbacks.

For 89 wins to get Arizona into October, the Mets would have to finish 1-4 or 0-5, or the Braves would need to go 2-3 or worse.

The D-backs finishing with 89 wins would be enough by the end of the weekend only if the Braves get swept. That’s the lone scenario where Monday’s doubleheader would not matter for the D-backs’ postseason chances, only seeding, in this case.

No wins by Arizona

Arizona would need the Mets to lose out or have the Braves finish 1-4 or 0-5.

The D-backs would not be in a position to clinch before Monday if they are swept by San Diego.

Unfavorable matchups to help the D-backs

The Mets visit a Brewers team with absolutely nothing to play for. The Brewers are the NL Central champs locked into the third division winner spot behind the Dodgers and Phillies. Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy can manage workloads with his pitching and position players.

Frankie Montas (4.85 ERA) will start on Friday for the Brewers against Mets ace Sean Manaea (3.29 ERA).

The Braves host the Royals, whose magic number for an AL Wild Card berth is one. A Royals win or a Minnesota Twins loss would clinch a spot for Kansas City, as only the second or third Wild Card slot would be up for debate.

Brady Singer (3.73 ERA) starts for Kansas City against Atlanta’s Max Fried (3.42 ERA) in the opener.

And that is why FanGraphs’ odds have the D-backs’ odds behind the Mets and Braves to make the postseason entering play on Friday.

Doubleheader impacts Diamondbacks

Failing to clinch before Monday’s doubleheader is a tenuous possibility for the Diamondbacks.

That scenario brings up the potential nightmare of either the Mets or Braves clinching in the first game of their doubleheader and slamming the brakes to preserve their top starters, relievers and position players for a second game in which the other club needs a win to get in. If the D-backs win 90 games but both the Mets and Braves sit at 89 entering Monday, that’s a problem.

There’s also this scenario: Let’s say the D-backs finish with 89 wins, the Mets sweep the Brewers to clinch while the Braves win two of three against Kansas City. Atlanta would only need one win in two games against the Mets’ B-Team to eliminate the D-backs.

Very simply, the Diamondbacks could really use two wins to keep their odds solid — if they don’t slam the door with three.

Yes, the playoffs truly start this weekend.

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TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort made it a point to bring in players who provided a boost in the talent department and had knack of staying upright.

But even the best laid plans don’t always work out.

After starting every game across the past two seasons with Chicago, veteran defensive lineman Justin Jones’s streak came to an abrupt end three games into his Cardinals tenue due to a season-ending triceps injury suffered in last week’s 20-13 loss to the Detroit Lions.

With him now on injured reserve, it’s on Arizona’s depth within the D-line room to avoid any drop off with Jones sidelined the rest of the way.

“Definitely a huge blow. He’s a great D-lineman, great teammate, great friend. Been praying for him. Hopefully he’s doing well,” safety Budda Baker said Thursday.

“Of course, I have all the belief in all the other players to pick up that slack and to play Cardinal football at the end of the day. These other guys have an opportunity to play and just going to be exciting to see what these guys can do.”

Unlike the current depth at right tackle behind Kelvin Beachum, Arizona’s defensive line has a few options to consider, highlighted by second-year pro Dante Stills.

It’s been a couple of weeks to say the least for Stills.

After not putting much on the tape across 25 defensive snaps in Week 1’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, Stills was a healthy scratch in Arizona’s big win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Ahead of Sunday’s loss to the Lions, though, the defensive lineman was a limited participant at practice.

That didn’t stop him from making an impact come Sunday, with Stills racking up five tackles, a sack and a quarterback hit. All but one tackle came after Jones left the game with the triceps injury.

Stills stepping up in the wake of injuries isn’t anything new for the young lineman.

As a rookie, Stills was thrown into the mix early on with injuries to L.J. Collier and others along the line in 2023.

After he was a healthy inactive in Week 1, Stills went on to record 47 tackles, five of where were for loss, 3.5 sacks, five QB hits and a fumble recovery across 15 games played (eight starts).

That experience and having gone through a similar situation just a season ago has already come in handy for the lineman.

“It definitely helped me,” Stills said. “I got a big jump on the game I guess you could say with a lot of the experience I had and kinda seeing blocks and play style like that. I feel like last year was big for me.”

As for that shoulder issue? Stills is back to practicing fully after being a limited participant to start the week.

Stills isn’t the only Cardinals defensive lineman that’s in line for increased playing time moving forward, either.

Similar to Jones, veteran defensive lineman L.J. Collier was lost for the season early on last year after signing with the Cardinals that offseason.

Now, Collier has the chance to earn a more prominent role in the rotation and potentially regain the starting role he had entering 2023.

While Stills has been used at a similar rate across the two games he’s appeared in, Collier saw a healthy increase of snaps with Jones out. After seeing no more than 38% of available defensive reps in the two games prior, the six-year veteran saw that number jump to 48% in Week 3.

Getting those added opportunities could go a long way in Collier proving his worth as a 2019 first-round pick.

Since the Seattle Seahawks nabbed him with the 29th overall pick, Collier hasn’t lived up to the price tag behind three sacks, six tackles for loss and two QB hits in 49 games played (18 starts). Injuries have played a factor in his production, appearing in at least 12 games in a single season just once (2020).

Recently signed Naquan Jones could also find himself in the rotations in some capacity if he can get back up to speed after rejoining the team this week following a stint on the Miami Dolphins practice squad.

Waiting in the shadows

Yes, in the immediate aftermath of Jones’ injury, all signs point to Stills and Collier taking on a bigger workload.

But in the potentially not so distant future, Arizona could be getting back a massive reinforcement in rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson.

Robinson was in the mix to start entering the regular season before a calf injury suffered in practice put him on the injured reserve.

Following Sunday’s game, however, Robinson is eligible to come off the IR, that is if he’s healthy enough to do so.

Either way, whenever the versatile Robinson returns to the mix, he’ll provide an immediate upgrade in the trenches.

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks were in dire need of their ace to “rise to the occasion” and stop the bleeding of a three-game losing streak, and Zac Gallen delivered Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants.

In likely the final start of Gallen’s regular season, he gave the D-backs six innings with one run on two hits, striking out a season-high 11 batters en route to an 8-2 victory to keep Arizona (88-71) in a postseason spot.

“That’s probably the best I’ve felt in a while,” Gallen said. “There’s been some good outings in there, but either just didn’t feel great or battled a little bit of a sickness for a little while. … It’s best one in a while.”

His day did not start off particularly neat, as Gallen labored through the first two frames on 41 pitches and San Francisco took a 1-0 lead in the second on a Tyler Fitzgerald double. From there, Gallen was brilliant, retiring 12 Giants in a row with seven punch outs.

The offense, meanwhile, started to rally. From innings 2-4, Arizona racked up five runs on seven hits and five walks. By the end of the fourth inning, every hitter in the D-backs’ lineup had reached base safely. The Giants yanked starter Mason Black after 2.2 innings.

Pavin Smith broke the game open in the eighth inning with a pinch-hit, three-run shot to the pool to take an 8-2 lead.

The third inning was key. Arizona just took a 3-1 lead, and Gallen got the offense right back to work with a nine-pitch, 1-2-3 frame. The D-backs extended the lead to 4-1, and Gallen was off and cruising.

“To put up a couple runs and have a quick 1-2-3 inning, get right back in the dugout, keep the offense rolling, keep the energy high, all that is so important,” first baseman Christian Walker said.

Gallen finished off seven of his strikeouts with the curveball, which induced 11 whiffs on 17 swings, to which he said, “They just seemed really aggressive at the bottom of the zone, so I was trying to use it to my my advantage.”

The right-hander finished his September with a 2.67 ERA in five starts, all of which resulted in wins. He held the Giants hitless in six shutout innings earlier this month at Oracle Park.

“Proud of the guys for sure. This was a big one.”

Zac Gallen on the D-backs bouncing back. pic.twitter.com/ePh0zFFn3n

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 26, 2024

Gallen (likely) closed his regular season with a solid 3.65 ERA in 148 innings and the D-backs went 18-10 in his starts (he earned a 14-6 record). There was more variance than what we’ve grown accustomed to over the past few seasons — 3.47 ERA in 2023, 2.54 in 2022 — as Gallen sought a certain rhythm all year.

But Wednesday was a game the Diamondbacks frankly had to have, and he — in manager Torey Lovullo and general manager Mike Hazen’s words — was the right guy in the right spot.

“The biggest thing is just pitching to win, not pitching to not lose,” Gallen said. “When you get a tight spot, you can be a little, I don’t want to say timid, but maybe you’re waiting for something to happen. So I’m trying to be on the attack, trying to be aggressive, just take it to them.”

The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves were rained out for both Wednesday and Thursday, so the D-backs picked up a half-game on both Wild Card contenders in the standings. The D-backs and Mets (87-70) are in a virtual tie one game up on the Braves (86-71) entering Thursday.

The Diamondbacks had to get over a gut punch from Sunday’s 10-9 loss in Milwaukee, and the next two days against the Giants were below standard that led the club to this point.

Lovullo addressed the team on Tuesday, noting he thought about screaming at them during an 11-0 loss but thought better of it, and the message came out quite positive from the players’ recollection. Wednesday was much closer to “Diamondbacks baseball” with a clean operation and a lineup that can get on a pitcher with its patience and depth.

There was a weight to the moment felt in the clubhouse, not anxiety but “urgency” popped up postgame from multiple players.

“These matter big time,” Walker said. “I think we had to prove to ourselves to get back on track. We had to find a little confidence, a little swagger. A lot of props to Gallen on the mound tonight, but I think we checked a lot of boxes taking a little bit of load off, and taking some pressure off and remembering how good this offense can be.”

“I feel like there’s just sense of urgency,” Smith added. “You can call it pressure. We know they’re super important, so it’s going to feel a little extra pressure. But just getting out to a good start today, and then Gallen being so dominant took the pressure off a little bit.”

Lovullo described the slate as clean going into the final series of the regular season, which starts Friday against the San Diego Padres. Merrill Kelly will start the opener.

Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke pregame his goal was 90 wins, which requires a series win over the postseason-bound Padres. Doing so would not in itself guarantee a playoff spot, which may not be finalized until Monday when the Mets and Braves have a doubleheader scheduled, but it would put the D-backs in a strong position to hold firm.

A sweep would end any doubt.

“We very much feel like we control our own destiny in here,” Walker said.

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PHOENIX — The final two games of the New York Mets at Atlanta Braves series Wednesday and Thursday, critical to the National League Wild Card race in the final week of the season, have been postponed with storm weather bearing down.

The two games will be rescheduled for a Monday traditional doubleheader starting at 10:10 a.m., the day after the regular season ends and before the Wild Card Series begins.

With this development, it is possible, if not likely, the Arizona Diamondbacks won’t know whether they make the postseason until Monday night, after their season finale against the San Diego Padres on Sunday.

The D-backs (87-71), Mets (87-70) and Braves (86-71) are all in a battle for the final two Wild Card spots, separated by one game.

pic.twitter.com/0m81QiZzdN

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) September 25, 2024

Arizona does not own the tiebreaker against either the Mets or the Braves and needs to be at least one game ahead of either NL East club to clinch. The D-backs control their own destiny for four games left, considering the Braves and Mets cannot both win out.

The Mets have three games at the NL Central-winning Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend, while the Braves are scheduled to host the AL Wild Card-contending Kansas City Royals starting Friday.

The Padres have the top Wild Card spot nearly locked up at 91-66, but they are in a race for the NL West two games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“Clearly we’re aware of it, and it doesn’t make a difference to me,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said.

“I can honestly say I’m so concerned about what we’re able to do in our dugout and in our clubhouse to go out and perform the best way we know how. And that’s what I continue to talk to these guys about, put it on us, take care of what we do best and control what we can control. If it gets to that point on Monday, of course we’re going to be watching, but we’ve got four games to go and we just got to continue to play hungry baseball.”

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, if the D-backs are are eliminated before Monday, it will be at commissioner Rob Manfred’s discretion to play the doubleheader for seeding.

Atlanta is already in a Tropical Storm Warning with rain and wind as Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall Thursday night in Florida.

The Braves and Mets both had this past Monday off with a hurricane in the upcoming forecast.

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ATLANTA — Michael Harris II had three more hits, including a solo home run and an RBI double, and rookie Spencer Schwellenbach shut down the New York Mets again as the Atlanta Braves cruised to a 5-1 win Tuesday night in the opener of a pivotal 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 added his 39th home run for Atlanta, which trails the Mets by one game in the National League playoff race with five remaining. New York began the night a half-game ahead of Arizona for the second of three wild cards, while the Braves were 1 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks.

Arizona hosted San Francisco in a later start.

Schwellenbach (8-7) threw seven strong innings, giving up one run and three hits with four strikeouts. He allowed one run and five hits while striking out 15 batters over 14 innings in two wins against the Mets this season.

“The juices were definitely flowing,” Schwellenbach said. “This is basically the playoffs for us. We need wins.”

Harris finished a triple shy of the cycle and has 13 hits in his last five games. He also made a diving catch in center field to rob Mets rookie Luisangel Acuña of a base hit.

“Good timing,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker. “It is the right time of year to get hot.”

Acuña was playing his first major league game in front of older brother Ronald Acuña Jr., who watched from the Atlanta dugout. The star Braves outfielder and reigning NL MVP is out for the season with a knee injury. The siblings exchanged jerseys before the game.

Luis Severino (11-7) took the loss, giving up four runs in four innings. He permitted seven hits and a walk while striking out five.

New York was coming off a 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 pushed across three runs in the third, when Harris doubled home Orlando Arcia and then scored on a single from Ozzie Albies. With two outs, Ramón Laureano knocked in Albies with a soft single.

Harris extended the lead to 4-0 with a 422-foot homer to left field in the fourth, and Ozuna’s shot made it 5-0 in the fifth.

Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Helene are forecast for the Atlanta area on Wednesday and Thursday, which might make it difficult to get the games in and could potentially force a makeup situation next Monday, one day after the regular season is scheduled to be completed. The Mets are at Milwaukee starting Friday, and the Braves will host the Royals.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: Star shortstop Francisco Lindor missed his eighth straight game with a sore back. He worked out beforehand and was available to pinch hit. Lindor was on deck when the game ended, and Mendoza said the switch-hitter “could be in play for (Wednesday).” Lindor had a bone scan Monday that revealed no structural damage to his back.

Braves: 3B Austin Riley was ruled out for the year after a CT scan Monday showed his broken right hand had not healed sufficiently. Riley was hit by a pitch on Aug. 18 and initially ruled out for six to eight weeks, leaving some hope he could return for the postseason if the Braves make it. … Snitker said RHP Reynaldo López threw a side session and could be activated from the injured list this week. He is eligible to return Thursday.

UP NEXT

Weather permitting, Mets LHP David Peterson (9-3, 3.08 ERA) will face LHP Chris Sale (18-3, 2.38) in the middle game of the series Wednesday night.

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