Mets Blow 3-Run Lead, Lose to Braves

The Mets blew a three-run lead and lost to the Braves Wednesday — the game ending on a catch that took away what would have been a game-winning homer by Yoenis Cespedes.

The Mets jumped out to an early lead when Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. It was the 21st homer for Cabrera on the season.

Rene Rivera made it 3-0 with a solo homer in the fifth.

Bartolo Colon was cruising along until the seventh, when old pal Anthony Recker hit an opposite field liner into the Mets bullpen with one on to make it a 3-2 game. Addison Reed came on with two outs to end the inning.

Colon went 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.

Terry Collins made a questionable move in the eighth. With one out and a man on (courtesy of a James Loney error), Collins took out the effective Reed and brought in rookie Josh Smoker to face Freddie Freeman. The overrated lefty-lefty move didn’t work — Freeman fisted one out over shortstop for a single on the very first pitch. With runners on first and second, Jeurys Familia came in for the potential five-out save. A double steal moved the runners to second and third. Matt Kemp hit a sacrifice fly to left to tie the game at three.

(By the way, lefties are hitting .196 against Reed. Smoker? — .381.)

With one out in the eighth, Yoenis Cespedes hit a towering shot to left. He thought it was out, so he jogged to first. However, Kemp jumped and it hit off his glove near the top of the wall. Cespedes only made it to second. He absolutely should have been on third. Granderson was intentionally walked. The Mets then pulled off a double steal of their own to put runners on second and third (where he should be been all along). T.J. Rivera struck out for the second out. Pinch hitter Eric Campbell (who was pinch-hitting for pinch hitter Kelly Johnson, whom Collins wasted) was intentionally walked to load the bases. So it was up to another minor league pinch hitter, Kevin Plawecki. He struck out to end the inning and keep the game tied.

A leadoff single and a sacrifice put a runner on second with one out in the top of the ninth against Familia. Emilio Bonafacio singled to put the potential tie-breaking run on third. Ender Inciarte hit a slow roller to second, to slow to get the runner at third as the Braves took a 4-3 lead.

Brandon Nimmo led off the ninth inning with a pinch hit single. Then came pinch hitter Jay Bruce, benched after being pinch hit for in humiliating fashion the previous night. But he could not turn things around and be a hero — he struck out; the humiliation continues. Travis d’Arnaud was next in the pinch hitter parade. He walked to move Nimmo to second. Cabrera flied out. And up came Cespedes. He hit a long shot to center that was over the wall but Enciarte brought it back on an incredible catch to end the game.

Mets lose 4-3 and are swept by the Braves. Fortunately the Cardinals also lost so they are still tied, The Giants have a late game in sunny Los Angeles in an attempt to go a game up on both teams.