The Braves have come from behind to win more games than any other National League team this season, and it looked like they might do it for a 22nd time Tuesday, despite a lack of sleep and a four-run deficit entering the eighth inning.
But after scoring three runs in the eighth and getting a runner on with one out in the ninth, rally hopes died when Andrelton Simmons flied out and B.J. Upton grounded out to end a 4-3 loss to the Mets in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Turner Field. Braves batters added 16 strikeouts to their league-high total.
“We had some good at-bats (late),” said manager Fredi Gonzalez, whose Braves lost for only the fourth time in the past 20 home games. “We had some of the right people up there and scored some runs but we just didn’t score enough.”
It was the first start of Alex Wood’s major league career, but the Braves left-hander was overshadowed by the Mets’ dominant young ace, Matt Harvey, who had a career-high 13 strikeouts and took a no-hitter to the seventh inning.
“Obviously he had it going today,” said Jason Heyward, who broke up the no-hit bid with an infield single to start the seventh. “We were able to get his pitch count up, to where he wasn’t going to go nine. Put up some good at-bats there late and gave ourselves a chance to win.”
Wood (0-1) left after three innings because of a high pitch count (73) and a callous that split open on top of his left index finger and made it difficult to throw breaking balls.
Harvey (6-1) was working on a one-hit shutout before the Braves loaded the bases with none out in the eighth on a leadoff walk by Gerald Laird and singles by Dan Uggla and Andrelton Simmons.
“Even though we’re down 4-nothing — we’d have liked to have been down two, but it didn’t work out that way — we still feel like we have a chance, especially when we’re at home,” Uggla said. “For some reason, we’ve had a lot of magic playing at home so far this year. That’s the way we feel and the way we think.”
Harvey was replaced by LaTroy Hawkins, who struck out pinch-hitter Brian McCann before Jordan Schafer’s two-run opposite-field single cut the deficit in half and gave the Braves reason to believe a 22nd comeback win was doable.
After pinch-hitter Justin Upton’s fielder’s choice, Heyward’s RBI double over the first baseman’s head cut the lead to 4-3.
With runners on second and third and two out in the eighth, the Mets walked Freddie Freeman intentionally to bring up Chris Johnson. Enter closer Bobby Parnell, who struck out Johnson.
Two runs off reliever David Carpenter in the eighth proved decisive. In his second appearance in 15 hours, Carpenter was erratic. He gave up a one-out double by Byrd and intentionally walked Lucas Duda before hitting John Buck with a pitch.
Then he walked Jordany Valdespin with the bases loaded to bring in a run, and a sacrifice fly gave the Mets a 4-0 lead.
“That eighth inning we gave them a couple runs,” Gonzalez said. “That kind of comes back and bites you.”
Buck homered in the fourth inning off Braves rookie Cory Rasmus, who has an 8.10 ERA and four homers allowed in three appearances. He settled down after the homer and pitched three solid innings.
Wood, making his first start in 3 1/2 weeks, was charged with two hits, one run and three walks with five strikeouts in three innings. The Mets scored a run in the third when third baseman Johnson double-clutched before throwing to first base on a Byrd grounder. Byrd narrowly beat the throw, and Daniel Murphy scored from second base on a close play.
“I just didn’t have it in my hand,” Johnson said. “I made sure I had a good grip before I fired it in there.”
Gonzalez said: “That was the only run that scored off of Woody. Not only that, it kept the inning going.”
Wood, a former University of Georgia standout, made six relief appearances since being brought up last month from the minors. At Double-A Mississippi, he had a 1.26 ERA in 10 starts, with 57 strikeouts and 15 walks in 57 innings.
Wood used two strikeouts and a ground out to work out of a jam after walking the first two batters in the second inning.
