Braves 4, Mets 3
How the game was won
Ervin Santana, the former All-Star pitcher for the Angels who signed a one-year $14.1 million contract to rescue the Braves from a rash of elbow injuries, pitched eight shutout innings in the victory at Turner Field.
Braves highlights
Jason Heyward broke a skid with a leadoff home run in the first inning. Heyward also made a diving catch in right center to take extra bases from David Wright in the sixth. In the second inning, Andrelton Simmons went down on his backside to field Travis d’Arnaud’s grounder and threw him out at first after rising up to his left knee.
Braves lowlights
The Braves took a 4-0 lead into the ninth and allowed a Mets rally before Craig Kimbrel got his fourth save in four chances.
Mets highlights
They got off the floor in the ninth and had the tying run on third base when Kimbrel got the final out of the game on a strikeout. In the first inning, Juan Lagares raced back to make a leaping catch of Freeman’s drive at the wall, his cleat leaving a rip in the cushion.
Mets lowlights
Santana threw 28 of his first 29 pitches for strikes through three innings. And the one ball? It was borderline, at d’Arnaud’s knees. It was the first game of the season in which the Mets did not hold a lead.
Notable
According to Stats Inc., Santana is the only starter to begin a game with 20 or more strikes since 1988. Only Roy Halladay has come close in that time, opening a game against the Mets with 18 straight strikes on April 30, 2011.
Quoting them
“It’s your first outing and next thing you know, you’re (pushing) a hundred pitches. We didn’t want to risk that.” — Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, on taking Santana out after 88 pitches.
“That’s what he was signed for, to go out there and dominate and that’s what he did tonight.” — Kimbrel, who could enjoy the moment only after surviving a shaky ninth inning in which he and Jordan Walden gave up three runs.
“This is better than the (2011) no-hitter. When you throw strikes all the time, it’s better. That means that you’re in control of the game.” — Santana
Mark Bradley’s view
Twenty-nine pitches, 28 of them strikes, called to mind the great Vin Scully’s apt description of the great Bob Gibson: “He pitches like he’s double-parked.” But Santana could well have had a hidden agenda. He might just have been in a hurry to take his cuts at Wheeler. Santana’s line: Eight innings, three hits, no runs, no walks, six strikeouts, 88 pitches, 63 strikes. We around here have seen more than our share of stellar pitching performances, and this belonged on that same lofty shelf. It’s not uncommon for very good pitchers to become even better when they switch from the American League to the one without the DH — check Roy Halladay’s numbers — and if Santana can be anywhere near this good on a regular basis, the Braves might well have found the No. 1 starter they’ve lacked.
