NEW YORK _ When the Mets last visited Atlanta, manager Mickey Callaway maintained that his team is just as good as the Braves when playing its baseball.
The Mets are on one heck of a run. It perhaps reached its apex after a sweep of Cleveland, which came just in time for Atlanta's next trip to Citi Field, a place that has recently provided postseason atmospheres.
The results did not come.
The Mets were swept, capped by Sunday's 2-1 loss. They were close in every game, but the clutch plays eluded them.
This one included a near comeback.
Pete Alonso then led off the ninth with a double and, eventually, the Mets had runners on the corners with an out and the winning run at the plate. Todd Frazier grounded into what looked to be a game-ending double play, but beat the throw to first and Alonso scored.
Pinch-hitter Wilson Ramos then singled to extend his hitting streak to 19, tying a career high. New York had runners on first and second with two gone against Mark Melancon. But Joe Panik grounded out to end the game.
What might sting most is that they spoiled two great starting pitching performances _ Jacob deGrom on Friday, Steven Matz on Sunday _ that should have led to victories.
In the finale, Matz allowed a run over six. He retired 15 of 16 at one point, and finished with six strikeouts. But the offense did not back him, reminiscent of two days ago, when deGrom struck out 13 and hit a homer in a game the Mets lost in 14 innings.
Josh Donaldson on Sunday launched two solo homers _ one off Matz, the other off Paul Sewald. The first, which occurred in the second inning, looked like a pretty routine fly ball until it kept carrying and carrying and carrying, then landed in the seats.
It was yet another example of how much did not go right for the Mets this weekend. Some of that was self-inflicted, but Sunday featured one instance of bad luck.
In the fourth inning, J.D. Davis hit a fly ball in the same area as Donaldson. It carried, but was caught at the wall. Per Statcast, it traveled further than Donaldson's first homer.
The Mets had no answer for Dallas Keuchel, who held them to four hits over seven innings, while striking out seven. It did not help that New York grounded into three double plays in that time. Those loomed large because it remained a one-run game until Donaldson left the yard _ again _ in the seventh inning.
Four leadoff men reached for New York before the ninth inning. Once again, the big hit did not come.
Before this weekend, the Mets had won 10 of 13 series since the All-Star break. They had not been swept by the Braves in a series of at least three games since May 1-3, 2018, at Citi Field.
New York still has an opportunity to close the homestand on a high with the Cubs, a poor road team this season, coming to town for three. The Mets are still four games above .500, still chasing a wild card spot.
Yet, in a way, this weekend felt like a missed opportunity after the Mets easily handled Cleveland.
