NEW YORK _ Before the season began, any road that projected the Mets to reach the playoffs likely included plenty of wins over the Phillies, Marlins and Braves.
Those three entered the year needing a lot to go right to be contenders, and quality teams find a way to bolster their record against those lesser teams.
As the calendar has turned to May, though, the Braves are showing that they have the potential to throw a wrench into those plans and be a thorn in the Mets' side.
Noah Syndergaard allowed three runs in the first and the Mets struggled against debuting righty Mike Soroka in a 3-2 loss on Tuesday night at Citi Field. The Mets (17-10) managed just a homer off Soroka, and have lost three of four to Atlanta.
"The division is substantially upgraded and we're going to have to play good baseball throughout the season," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said before the Mets started this six-game homestand. "I think we rise to the competition."
The NL East still features one of the worst teams in the majors in the Marlins, but the three non-Washington teams have all performed better than expected.
The Mets are one of baseball's biggest surprises with their first-place start, and the Braves and Phillies both are off to promising debuts.
Atlanta has usually played the Mets tough even in down years, and the Braves seem ready to take a step forward now with some of their young talent in the majors. Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna Jr., Freddie Freeman and Ender Inciarte are a quality core.
The Braves will have to prove they have enough pitching to stay relevant, but their offense can be quite potent. They displayed that Tuesday by besting Syndergaard.
Syndergaard carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning in his last start, but the Braves put the Mets in a three-run hole before an out had been recorded.
A single by Albies, a double by Acuna Jr. and a Freeman two-run double got Atlanta off to a quick start. Nick Markakis then laced a single to center to put Atlanta ahead, 3-0.
That first inning provided a preview of how feisty Atlanta's hitters would be against Syndergaard, and he did a commendable job to prevent a blowout.
He stranded two in the first by retiring Soroka, and again induced a groundout from Soroka to leave the bases loaded in the third inning in a 3-0 game. With runners on the corners and two outs in the fourth, Syndergaard fanned Markakis.
Syndergaard allowed a season-high 10 hits, and struck out a season-low three batters in a 91-pitch effort. He remained winless against Atlanta in six career starts.
As Syndergaard battled to keep the Mets within striking distance, Soroka kept the hitters off balance. The 20-year-old relies on his command, and the Mets did not seem comfortable against him. MLB.com ranks Soroka as the No. 30 prospect.
He yielded six hits and struck out five batters while not issuing a walk.
The Mets had several chances, but Soroka didn't break. He induced a grounder from Todd Frazier to strand two in the first, and Adrian Gonzalez hit into a slow-developing, inning-ending double play with two aboard in the fourth inning.
Soroka's offerings where no issue for Yoenis Cespedes, though, with the outfielder going 3-for-3 against the top prospect.
Cespedes returned to the lineup faster than expected after suffering a sore left thumb Sunday in San Diego, and there were no signs of any lingering issues. Cespedes did not even undergo an MRI although usual protocol involves further testing.
The outfielder stroked hard-hit singles to left in his first two at-bats, and then hit a long homer into the second-deck in left in the sixth to cut Atlanta's lead to 3-1.
Cespedes also contributed defensively with a strong throw to cut down Kurt Suzuki at the plate seventh to keep the deficit at two runs.
The Mets put two on with no outs in the ninth after a routine fly out dropped in, but they plated only one of those runners. Jose Reyes flied out to strand the tying run at second.
