ATLANTA — The Braves teed off on David Peterson, then on Sean Reid-Foley, then on Thomas Szapucki, then on outfielder-turned-reliever Albert Almora Jr.
The onslaught never ended. In front of their happy fans at Truist Park, the Braves took the Mets to the woodshed for a few hours.
The final, after the bloodshed finished: 20-2, Braves.
Yes, you read that correctly.
The 20 runs are the most the Mets have allowed in a game this season (the previous high was 16 against the Cubs in April). The Braves scored in six of eight innings, including a seven-run fourth and a six-run eighth — though you probably didn't tune in long enough to watch the latter. The Braves finished with 20 hits.
This was a game for around three innings. It got out of hand in the fourth. A couple innings later, Mets manager Luis Rojas pulled a couple starters. A couple frames after that, outfielder Albert Almora Jr. became right-handed reliever Albert Almora Jr.
It was as bad as it sounds.
As the Braves rocked Reid-Foley in the fourth inning, a dark cloud hung over Truist Park.
It seemed fitting given the situation.
Peterson, who struggled in his latest outing, had just departed the game due to right side soreness. He left a three-run deficit for Reid-Foley, who allowed hit after hit, run after run, and couldn't stop the bleeding. As the storm cloud sat over the ballpark, with the occasional lightning flash or thunder boom, the Braves were embarrassing the Mets.
The Mets' pitching has kept them in many games this season.
Not this one.
The ugly rundown:
— Peterson allowed six runs — five were earned — over three innings before leaving with right side soreness in the fourth. The Braves collected eight hits off him.
— Reid-Foley surrendered five runs — four were earned — and only recorded an out. He enabled Atlanta when he fielded Braves starter Max Fried's attempted sacrifice bunt and threw it away as he tried to start a double play.
— Szapucki allowed six earned runs over 3 2/3 innings.
— Poor Almora just tried to throw the ball over the plate, but walked in a run, hit a man to score another and served up a three-run shot to Ozzie Albies (his second of the game).
The Mets (41-35) finished June with a .500 record — they went 15-15 this month — for the first time since 2017. They still hold sole possession of first place in the NL East, but they only lead it by two games after having a five-game lead on Saturday. Though they've remained afloat throughout the injuries they've dealt with this season, they've also missed opportunities to run away with the division.
Recently, the Mets have lauded their late-game heroics. But there is a difference between coming back from two or three runs and erasing an 11-run deficit, which is what the Mets faced after Szapucki — who made his MLB debut when he replaced Reid-Foley — served up a two-run home run to Albies in the fifth inning.
The Mets used an impressive four-run seventh inning to win Tuesday's game here, but their offense has struggled for most of the season. They are at or near the bottom in every important statistical category. But you can give them a break here because no offense can overcome the deficits the Mets faced in this game.
The Mets took an early 2-0 lead when Pete Alonso homered in the top of the first.
The Braves scored 20 unanswered after that.
