Mets Start 2nd Half with Loss to Braves

Let’s hope that the first game of the second half is not a sign of things to come for the Mets — shaky starting pitching to go along with the usual shoddy bullpen work, as the Braves beat the Mets in a long four-hour contest.

Chris Young dug an early hole for the Mets in the first, allowing two runs despite the Braves managing to hit just one ball out of the infield. That was a leadoff double by Michael Bourn. He would score on an infield hit, and Young went on to walk three batters, including one with the bases loaded as the Braves took a 2-0 lead.

The game was delayed in the top of the second inning for about 15 minutes when the power went out at Turner Field.

They should have left the lights off because in the third David Ross hit a three-run home run to extend the Braves lead to 5-0.

The Mets offense finally came to life in the fourth. David Wright led off with a double, and with one out Lucas Duda walked to put runners on first and second. Scott Hairston doubled to score Wright with the Mets first run and move Duda to third. Kirk Nieuwenhuis followed with a single that plated Duda and Hairston to make it 5-3. Josh Thole singled, moving Nieuwenhuis to third. Pinch hitter Jordany Valdespin popped out but Ruben Tejada came through with two outs, singling to right to make the score 5-4. Daniel Murphy grounded out to end the inning.

Valdespin was pinch hitting for Young, who lasted only three innings, allowing the five runs on six hits, two strikeouts and those three first inning walks.

The Mets knocked Tim Hudson out of the game in the top of the fifth. Wright led off with a single and Hudson was pulled after walking Ike Davis. Christhian Martinez came on and walked Duda to load the bases with no outs. But Hairston and Nieuwenhuis both struck out and Thole flew out to center to blow a golden opportunity and keep it a 5-4 game.

Miguel Batista loaded the bases for the Braves with one out in the bottom of the fifth courtesy of three straight walks. It was at that point that Terry Collins decided Josh Edgin should make his major league debut. Edgin responded by striking out the next two batters to end the inning.

Edgin got the first two outs, including another strikeout, in the sixth but then Chipper Jones, of course, hit a solo home run to make it 6-4. Freddie Freeman then hit a double and Edgin’s night was over. He would score on a Dan Uggla single off of Ramon Ramirez that made it 7-4.

Pinch hitter Ronny Cedeno led off the eighth with a double and scored on an Andres Torres single to cut the lead to 7-5.

Mets pitchers walked 11 batters (in eight innings) as they lose to the Braves, 7-5.