Mets hang on to edge Braves
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Jonathon Niese stifled Atlanta over eight strong innings Sunday as the Mets salvaged the finale of a three-game set with a 6-5 victory at Citi Field.
Niese (9-6) allowed just one run on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts and improved to 2-0 against Atlanta this season.
David Wright clubbed a pair of doubles, knocked in a run and also scored twice on a pair of RBI singles from Ike Davis as the Mets snapped a seven-game skid against the Braves.
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"I'm not making any excuses, we have not played well on any side of the ball," said Mets manager Terry Collins of his club. "This win helped, I don't care how it came about, I'm glad to get it."
Ben Sheets (4-2) was charged for five runs -- four earned -- on eight hits over six innings to absorb the loss, while Freddie Freeman clubbed a solo home run and Martin Prado added a two-run double in the ninth, as the Braves wrapped up a six-game road trip at 4-2.
"I love this team because we battle all the way to the end," said Prado. "We came up short, but we tried. We played hard."
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The Mets took the lead in their first at-bat as Mike Baxter stroked a one-out single and Wright followed with a double into the right-field corner.
Baxter scored easily on the play, while Wright moved to third as Jason Heyward's throw to second skipped into left field. Davis then singled home Wright for a 2-0 advantage.
Atlanta trimmed the margin in half in the second when Freeman crushed a leadoff homer into the bullpen in right-center field, but New York responded in the bottom half on Ruben Tejada's RBI single to restore a two-run lead.
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The Mets tacked on a two-out run in the fifth as Wright kept the inning alive with a double to left and came around to score on Davis' base hit to give the home team a 4-1 lead.
Jordany Valdespin made it a four-run game in the sixth with a leadoff blast into the right-field seats, then scored a run in the eighth on an RBI single from Andres Torres to give the Mets a seemingly comfortable lead.
It wouldn't come easily, however, as the Braves loaded the bases in the ninth on a hit-by-pitch and a pair of walks by Josh Edgin. Frank Francisco entered next and walked pinch-hitter Juan Francisco to plate a run and bring the tying run to plate.
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Michael Bourn then walked to bring the Braves within 6-3 and Prado followed with a slicing double into right field to score a pair and pull the Braves within a run.
But Jon Rauch was called upon to clean up the mess and the right-hander fanned Heyward to nail down his second save of the season.
Game Notes
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Wright's run-scoring double in the first was the 800th RBI of his career...Sheets fell to 5-3 in 10 career starts against the Mets...Niese pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed four runs -- three earned -- on two hits and four walks in a 7-5 victory over the Mets on April 8 at Citi Field.