ATLANTA _ The Mets' bullpen is starting to show cracks.
Jeurys Familia blew a one-run lead in the ninth and allowed a walk-off safety squeeze in the Mets' 4-3 loss to Atlanta on Saturday night at SunTrust Park. Familia was asked for a multi-inning save, and Ender Inciarte's beautiful safety squeeze ended the game.
Familia has now blown two saves this week after starting the year 8-for-8, and left Jacob deGrom with a no-decision despite seven shutout innings.
The Mets (14-6) will look to split the series in Sunday's series finale, and announced before the game that scuffling righty Matt Harvey will now be used as a reliever.
The Met's bullpen wasted a 6-1 lead in Monday's 8-6 loss to the Nationals, and Familia entered Saturday with the tying run at third with two outs in the eighth.
Manager Mickey Callaway has now turned to Familia four times in the eighth inning, and it has not worked in the last two appearances. Familia allowed the game-tying and go-ahead hits Monday, and he did the same Saturday in front of a sellout crowd.
A leadoff walk came around to score when Johan Camargo's RBI triple somehow went to the right-center wall after getting by a diving Asdrubal Cabrera.
With runners on the corners with one out, Inciarte bunted toward first base, and Camargo beat the throw from Adrian Gonzalez.
Familia's rough night spoiled what would have been a nice win for the Mets after they took a 3-0 lead in the eighth inning by capitalizing on Atlanta's mistakes.
A pitchers' duel between deGrom and Julio Teheran had the teams scoreless entering the eighth inning, and the Mets loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth.
The Mets' rally was fueled by Atlanta mistakes with the Braves failing to cover first on a bunt by Jose Reyes, and Ozzie Albies dropping the throw on what should have been a double play. Reyes' single gave him a 3-for-4 day after starting the year 0-for-20.
Cabrera made the Braves pay with a two-run single into right, and Jay Bruce provided an insurance run with an RBI single that pushed the lead to 3-0.
The Mets needed that third run when Jerry Blevins allowed a two-run double to Freddie Freeman that sliced the lead to 3-2, but Familia stranded Freeman at third.
DeGrom certainly did enough to earn a win, producing his most dominant effort of the season by holding Atlanta to just four hits while striking out 10.
He did not allow a hit through the first 42/3 innings.
The only rally Atlanta mustered in the early innings came as a result of deGrom issuing two walks to put a runner in scoring position with two outs for catcher Carlos Perez. DeGrom induced a fielder's choice to keep the game scoreless.
Perez later ended deGrom's no-hit bid with a two-out single to right in the fifth.
The Mets caught a break in the sixth inning when Inciarte came off the bag while attempting to steal third with no outs in a scoreless game. The center fielder, who reached on an infield single, beat the throw, but came off ever so slightly.
Since starting the season 0-for-21, Mets catchers have now thrown out three runners in the past two days. Tomas Nido threw out two runners in Friday's 5-3 win in 12 innings.
Catching Inciarte at third loomed large when Freddie Freeman doubled to right with two outs. DeGrom stranded Freeman by retiring Nick Markakis on a shallow pop out.
Atlanta put a runner at second with two outs in the seventh, but deGrom again retired Perez to turn this game into a battle of the bullpens.
On this night, the Mets' bullpen faltered.
