Mets, Umps Blow Game to Braves in 10th Inning

The Mets played yet another extra inning game Wednesday afternoon and they lost to the Braves in 10 innings, in part because of an apparent blown call by the umpires.

The game was scoreless until the fourth when Josh Satin hit a long home run to left to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

Jonathon Niese was cruising along until two outs in the sixth when he hit Jason Heyward in the face with a pitch. Heyward went down and was on the ground for several minutes. Fortunately he was able to walk off the field on his own power. It appears the ear flap took the brunt of the ball. Perhaps rattled, Niese allowed two straight singles as the Braves tied the game at one.

Niese was able to pitch his way out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh to keep the game tied, helped by a failed two-strike suicide squeeze attempt that went foul for the second out.

Niese lasted seven innings, allowing the one run on five hits, his third fine start since coming back from the disabled list. For the second straight game he struck out nine batters, one short of his career high of 10 strikeouts in a game.

With one out in the ninth, Justin Turner lofted a fly ball to left. Joey Terdoslavich hesitated and it landed in front of him as Turner pulled in for a double. Wilmer Flores grounded out to second, advancing Turner to third. John Buck was intentionally walked to face pinch hitter Travis d’Arnaud. D’Arnaud walked to load the bases. Juan Lagares hit a chopper to short for the final out and send the game into extra innings.

Scott Atchison was on the mound for the 10th. Andrelton Simmons singled with two outs. Scott Rice came in to face the lefty Freddie Freeman. He hit a comebacker that Rice knocked down, but by the time he chased down the ball behind the mound, his throw to first was just late. The replay showed he might have gotten Freeman by a hair, and that was crucial because of what happened next. Greg Burke come on, pitching is his first major league game in a month and the first since being recalled from the minors earlier this week. And on his first pitch, Rice allowed a three-run homer to Chris Johnson to give the Braves a 4-1 lead. This is why Burke has been up and down all season long.

Mets lose 4-1.