The Braves need everything to go right for them to slip into the NL playoffs but things went wrong quickly for them Saturday night against the Mets.
Left-hander Mike Minor lasted just one inning before shoulder pain sent him to the clubhouse. The rest of the Braves joined him after losing 4-2 and edging to the brink of elimination from the playoffs.
The Braves (76-78) could be officially out of the race for the final NL wild card before the Pirates come to town on Monday. Entering Saturday, any combination of three Braves losses and Pirates victories would eliminate the Braves.
The Pirates played host to the Brewers on Saturday night.
The Braves will be short in the bullpen for the series finale against the Mets on Sunday. Minor left after facing five batters in the first inning while throwing 20 pitches with nine strikes and allowing one run. The Braves had no immediate update on his condition.
Five Braves relief pitchers held the Mets (75-80) to three runs over eight innings but, as usual, there wasn’t much offense in support. Mets left-hander Jonathon Niese (9-11) held the Braves scoreless over 7 1/3 innings until Freddie Freeman knocked a two-run single off reliever Josh Edgin in the eighth inning.
That wasn’t enough for the Braves, who lost for the 10th time in 12 games. They’ve scored 23 total runs over that stretch with four shutout losses.
Minor was slowed by tendinitis in his left shoulder during spring training and made no appearances. He began the season on the disabled list before joining the starting rotation on May 2.
Minor allowed five runs in 4 2/ 3 innings in a loss at Texas on Sept. 14. That outing ended a string of six consecutive starts in which he went at least six innings and allowed no more than three runs.
Minor got off to a bad start Saturday when he walked lead-off hitter Eric Young Jr and hit Daniel Murphy with a pitch. Lucas Duda drove in Young with a sacrifice fly before Wilmer Flores flied out to right to end the inning.
Reliever David Hale replaced Minor and gave up a lead-off double to Curtis Granderson. Braves right fielder Emilio Bonifacio threw out Granderson at the plate trying to score on Eric Campbell’s single, but rookie Dilson Herrera followed with a two-run home run.
The Mets added Granderson’s lead-off homer in the eighth inning for a 4-0 lead. The Braves finally answered in the bottom of the inning.
Consecutive one-out singles by Joey Tredoslavich, Bonifacio and Phil Gosselin loaded the bases. Freeman scored two runs with a single to center before Justin Upton and Chris Johnson grounded out to end the rally.
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