NEW YORK — In a place he once called home, Travis d’Arnaud starred to lead the Braves (11-13) to a 5-2 win over the Mets on Monday at Citi Field.
Here are five observations:
1. Three years ago, the Mets designated d’Arnaud for assignment.
In the series opener, d’Arnaud acted like he’d never left.
D’Arnaud has not let the Mets forget about him. His latest act: going 3-for-4 with three RBIs. D’Arnaud hit a run-scoring double in the sixth inning that tied the game, then smacked a two-run double to extend the lead in the eighth.
Entering this series, d’Arnaud had hit .429 with a 1.321 on-base plus slugging percentage against the Mets over eight games. He had hit two doubles and three homers, while also driving in 11 runs, against his former team.
Asked why he’s been so good against the Mets, the catcher said: “You know as much as I do. I’m just trying to go out there and win and win a series, and that’s all I can really control.”
Monday’s win came against the new-look Mets, who have been dominant to start the season. They’ve yet to lose a series. Their pitching seems elite and deep, their lineup dangerous. The Braves, meanwhile, came into this series after dropping two of three to Texas.
“We believe in ourselves,” d’Arnaud said, “and we know we’re a good team.”
2. This felt like one of those momentum-shifting situations, the type that define wins and losses.
Collin McHugh exited the bullpen and headed toward the mound, with three Mets on the bases. Tyler Matzek, who began the inning with two quick outs, issued two walks and hit a batter before manager Brian Snitker summoned McHugh.
With the Braves up a run in the seventh, McHugh entered to face Mark Canha, who had homered earlier in the game.
McHugh began the showdown by throwing two cutters for called strikes. After wasting a pitch, he got Canha to swing through a cutter to end the inning.
“It’s what you live for, it’s what you come out here and prepare to do every day,” McHugh said. “So to be able to come out on the right side of that today is nice.”
It looked like potential disaster for the Braves, but McHugh preserved their lead.
3. Max Fried had a quiet night. Against this Mets lineup, that’s a good thing.
Fried allowed only two runs over six innings. He now holds a 3.00 ERA.
What might be most impressive is this: In a rotation that has struggled with walks, Fried has 27 strikeouts and only one walk over 30 innings pitched this season.
“I think I’m in a really good spot with my delivery,” Fried said. “I’m really just trusting the process. The relationship that me and (d’Arnaud) have behind the plate and what he’s putting down, I know that it’s the right pitch call and I have a lot of trust to be able to throw in the zone and have good results.”
4. The Braves have been victims of many hard-hit outs this season.
It only made sense that they found themselves on the fortunate end of the flip side: a soft hit that scored a run.
In a two-run sixth inning, d’Arnaud went way out of the zone to place a ball down the right-field line for the first of three RBIs. The blooper had a 63-mph exit velocity, according to Baseball Savant, and d’Arnaud did a great job to even get a bat on the ball.
“It’s better to be lucky than good sometimes,” d’Arnaud said.
5. There is something special about Citi Field for Austin Riley.
His fourth-inning home run Monday gave him nine homers in 73 at-bats at the Queens ballpark. He has hit more homers here than any ballpark not named Truist Park.
Mets starter Chris Bassitt threw a slider at the bottom of the zone – which didn’t look like a bad pitch – and Riley hit it high and far for a 418-foot home run.
Last season, during a five-game series at Citi Field, Riley went 8-for-19 with four home runs and 10 RBIs.
Stat to know
4 - The Braves have now won four consecutive series openers.
Quotable
“I think we’ve got a lot of pieces and a lot of talent, and we’ve got a world championship to prove it. I think that we’ve got to work off that premise first. We haven’t played our best baseball, but tonight was a good one.” – McHugh after the team won another series opener
Up next
The Braves and Mets play a doubleheader. Right-hander Charlie Morton will face right-hander Carlos Carrasco in the first game, which begins at 3:10 p.m. Atlanta righty Kyle Wright will face left-hander David Peterson in the second game, which is scheduled to begin at 6:40 p.m.
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