Plenty of Braves and Mets swapped teams via trade or waivers over the past several years, and the tangled web produced a most unwelcome outcome for the Braves on Friday night.
Braves reliever Dario Alvarez gave up a decisive pinch-hit home run by Kelly Johnson in the 11th inning for a 1-0 Mets win at Turner Field, the Braves’ third loss in four games since a six-game winning streak.
The Braves claimed Alvarez off waivers from the Mets on May 25, and traded Johnson to the Mets on June 8.
“Alvy just got one up that kind of flattened out for him. But Kelly’s a pro,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s been doing this a long time, and that’s why people want him and why we wanted him, because he’s a professional hitter. That’s a real good at-bat, he got one pitch up and he made him pay for it.”
With two on and one out in the Braves’ 11th, Nick Markakis hit a hard grounder back to Mets closer Jeurys Familia, who fielded it and threw to second to start a game-ending double play.
Until that interesting turn of events in the 11th, the game had been all about a pitching matchup of Julio Teheran vs. Jacob deGrom. It was a one-sided last weekend when only Teheran dominated in New York, but the pitcher’s duel was in full effect on a steamy night in downtown Atlanta.
Teheran allowed five hits and no walks with seven strikeouts in eight innings, extending his scoreless-innings streak to a career-best 23, the longest active streak in the National League. He's the first Braves pitcher to have consecutive starts with at least eight scoreless innings since Tim Hudson in August 2010.
He has a 1.61 ERA in his past 12 starts but only a 3-5 record in that span, as the Braves two runs or fewer while Teheran was in nine of those games including one or no runs while he was in six.
The subject of increasing trade rumors — the trade possibility hasn’t been entirely dismissed by the Braves — Teheran said he’s remained focused on his performance despite what’s been said about the Red Sox and other teams pursuing him.
“This is the best I’ve felt in my career,” said Teheran, who also had two singles for his sixth career two-hit game and second this month “Every time I go out there I just try to do my job and forget about any comments being made.”
He was almost as good as he’d been in his one-hit shutout six days earlier at Citi Field, and this time deGrom kept up with him for most of the night before the bullpens took over.
“Both of them were impressive tonight,” said Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte, who had two hits and a walk in four plate appearances against deGrom. “When a game goes zero-zero until the 10th or 11th inning, it’s because two starters were dealing.”
The homer off Alvarez was the first run allowed by the right-hander in five appearances since he was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett, and snapped a streak of 23 2/3 scoreless innings by Braves relievers.
Johnson has hit .310 with two homers in 33 plate appearances over 12 games for the Mets, after hitting .215 with one homer in 132 PAs (49 games) for the Braves. The Braves traded him for pitching prospect Akeel Morris.
DeGrom, after allowing five hits and three runs in six innings of the Braves’ 6-0 win Sunday at Queens, gave up seven hits and a walk with six strikeouts in eight innings Saturday and worked out of a jam in the sixth when the Braves got three hits and left the bases loaded.
Teheran hasn’t allowed a run since Jay Bruce’s three-run homer June 14 against the Reds, and in his past two starts, both against the Mets, he’s surrendered six hits with no walks and 15 strikeouts in 17 innings.
He also has a streak of 24 consecutive scoreless innings over three starts against the Mets, who’ve totaled seven hits and two walks in those three games.
“Another great outing,” Snitker said of Teheran. “He just battled hard from the first pitch to the last one. He swung the bat, did everything. It’s just a shame we couldn’t score a run for him…. To face a team (twice in a row) and follow it up with one darn near as good as the one before, it’s hard. It’s really hard. It just goes to show you what kind of roll he’s on.”
After giving up four hits in the first three innings, Teheran retired 15 straight Mets between Yoenis Cespedes’ one-out single in the third and Curtis Granderson’s one-out single in the eighth. Cespedes was out trying to stretch his hit into a double.
The Braves failed to score after loading the bases on three hits in the sixth, beginning with Teheran’s leadoff hit. Garcia’s sharp one-hopper with bases loaded was right at third baseman Wilmer Flores, who stepped on the base to end the inning.
The Braves had a couple of chances to score in that sixth inning. After Freddie Freeman struck out with two on and two out, Nick Markakis singled to shallow left field — not deep enough for third-base coach Bo Porter to send Teheran.
