ATLANTA _ On Thursday, it didn't seem like the Mets would need a heroic effort from the bullpen.
The Mets handed Julio Teheran a beatdown he had never before endured. They appeared to ensure there would be no late-game drama, no opportunity for the SunTrust Park crowd to become energized and, most importantly, no heartbreak.
But, of course, you had to bite your nails late.
The Braves hit six homers, including back-to-back shots in the ninth, to trim the deficit to two runs. The Mets looked dangerously close to blowing a game that seemed out of reach, but they escaped with a 10-8 victory.
Boy, did the Mets need this one. Though they lost the series here, Thursday's win over Atlanta snapped a three-game losing streak, which could serve as some momentum as New York heads to play the lowly Royals.
The Mets knocked out Teheran after 1 1/3 innings. It marked the shortest start of his career, and the most brief since he went 3 1/3 innings on June 29 against _ you guessed it _ the Mets. New York tagged him for six runs in its latest showdown with the right-hander.
Since 2010, Braves starters have failed to last more than 1 1/3 innings only 11 times. Two have come against the Mets, including when Sean Newcomb went 1 1/3 this season.
After scoring seven runs combined in the first two games here, the Mets exploded for seven in the first three innings on Thursday. They tallied 10 hits in that span.
They finished with a season-high 23 hits. They had only matched or exceeded that number four times in franchise history before Thursday.
The standout individual performances were aplenty.
Pete Alonso became the third Mets rookie to notch six RBI in a game, joining David Wright (Aug. 5, 2004) and Jeromy Burnitz (Aug. 5, 1993). Amed Rosario had a career-high five hits and finished a homer shy of the cycle. Nine Mets tallied hits, including one by starter Marcus Stroman.
The loudest damage came in the first inning, when Alonso launched his latest bomb and tied the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger for the National League rookie home run record with 39. Alonso hammered Teheran's fastball 451 feet over the center-field wall. He is two homers away from tying the Mets' single-season franchise record.
The Mets began the game with four consecutive hits, and it set the tone. In the second, Rosario hit an RBI triple before Teheran walked three straight batters to allow another run.
Wilson Ramos lined an RBI single to make it 6-0 Mets, effectively ending Teheran's day. New York did not stop there, though. Todd Frazier homered off Josh Tomlin in the third to give the Mets a seven-run advantage.
Because of the offensive outburst, it did not matter that Marcus Stroman required 33 pitches to escape the first. Or that he allowed a fourth-inning solo home run to Matt Joyce. Or that Josh Donaldson took him deep in the sixth.
The Braves launched five home
Stroman did not need to spin a gem. The bats had his back from the beginning, and the Mets were able to relax as the game progressed.
Before Thursday's victory, the Mets had led for an inning since Saturday's game against Washington. Comebacks had eluded them in close losses the last three games. Wednesday's defeat included a seventh-inning meltdown, complete with a managerial decision that brought much debate.
The Mets are still in the wild card race, and the Kansas City series provides an opportunity to handle easier competition. It leads into a homestand, so it could serve as a good way for the Mets to get on another run.
