Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who didn’t start the game due to a side injury, hit a walk-off two-run homer in the ninth inning to lift the host New York Mets over the Atlanta Braves, 4-3.

The Mets averted being swept in the three-game series and won for just the seventh time in 19 games. The Braves’ four-game winning streak ended.

Nimmo, who left after four innings in Saturday’s 4-1 loss due to a tight right intercostal muscle, entered Sunday as a pinch runner for DJ Stewart in the seventh inning.

The Braves snapped a 2-2 tie in the eighth, when Marcell Ozuna delivered his second RBI single of the night, and the Mets went down in order in the bottom of the inning before coming back in the ninth against A.J. Minter (5-3).

Jeff McNeil legged out a bunt single and went to second on a sacrifice by Tomas Nido. Nimmo then hit a 3-2 pitch beyond the fence in right-center field for his second career walk-off homer.

Edwin Diaz (1-1) threw a perfect ninth inning.

Pete Alonso had an RBI single in the third and a run-scoring double in the sixth for the Mets. Stewart and Francisco Lindor also had two hits apiece.

New York starter Luis Severino allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four over five innings.

Ozuna’s run-scoring hits increased his major-league-leading RBI total to 40 in 37 games. He is the fastest Braves player to reach 40 RBIs since Hall of Famer Henry Aaron had 40 in his first 35 games in 1970.

Jarred Kelenic homered in the second inning for the Braves. Kelenic was selected by the Mets in the first round of the 2018 draft before being traded to the Seattle Mariners in the Diaz blockbuster following that season.

Braves starter Bryce Elder gave up two runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out six over 5 1/3 innings.

The Atlanta Braves are getting beat up tonight. 

Not from a scoring perspective, mind you – it’s tied 1-1 in the 5th inning as we’re writing this. 

But from a physical and health perspective, however, Atlanta’s taking some hits. 

Third baseman Austin Riley has been lifted from tonight’s game with what the team is calling “left-side tightness”. On video replay, it looks to stem from his final swing in the third inning, when he struck out on an elevated fastball from New York Mets Mets starter Luis Severino. 

EDIT: Manager Brian Snitker told ESPN’s Buster Olney that Riley felt some minor tightness during batting practice and after it popped back up in that at-bat, they “didn’t want to take any chances.”

Riley, 28, entered tonight’s game batting .241/.317/.386 with three homers and 18 RBIs. Mired in a bit of a slump as he exited April, Riley has turned it on a bit in the month of May, going .300/.382/.467 with a homer and a triple entering tonight, driving in four and scoring six runs. 

Riley’s also flashed significant strides to his defense at third base, prompting conversation of this finally being his year to beat St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado for his first career Gold Glove award. 

The team mentioned the exit being precautionary in nature; the Braves roster is currently without catcher Sean Murphy, who left the team’s season-opening matchup with an oblique injury, one that still has him on the shelf almost two months later. 

Riley’s potential injury is not the only physical blow to a Braves position player tonight. Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. took a foul ball off of his own foot earlier in the contest. He was checked out by trainers and appeared to be limping slightly on an inning-ending groundout, but remained in the game. 

The feeling around the 2024 New York Mets was that the lineup would be their strongpoint, with the pitching be more of the question mark. When J.D. Martinez was signed at the end of March, that belief was even furthered. But, it has not really played out that way, as the team’s offensive production has been up and down through 38 games. The Mets have gone through stretches where their big bats have produced in key moments. In the same way, the lineup has gone through periods where most of the at bats are non-competitive. The latter has been on display this weekend, as the Mets dropped a second straight game to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, losing 4-1.

Braves starter Max Fried showcased one of his best performances in recent memory, throwing seven no-hit innings. The Mets could only muster three walks against the left-handed starter, failing to put him under any stress. Results did not improve once Atlanta went to the bullpen, as the home team entered the bottom of the ninth three outs away from being no-hit. The Mets were down to their last out when Martinez went deep off of Raisel Iglesias, making it a 4-1 game. That would be how it finisheed, at the Mets dropped to 18-20.

“You don’t want to get no-hit. It’s something that every team is trying to avoid every single game. But the thing was, I felt like we had good at-bats throughout the game,” Brandon Nimmo said after the game.

The Mets are scoring 4.32 runs per game, which ranks 16th in all of baseball. That may seem okay on the surface, but their lack of run support at Citi Field in certainly alarming. The Mets are scoring just 3.38 runs per game at home, which ranks 26th. Ironically, they are scoring 5.47 runs per game on the road, with the Texas Rangers (5.50 runs per game) being only team ahead of them in that.

There is no denying that the Mets have the individuals in place to produce at a higher rate offensively. In 2022, the team ranked fifth in baseball with 4.73 runs per game. A lot of those same names are still on the team, so it is possible they can replicate most of what they did two seasons ago. The Mets own a 3.74 ERA as a team, which ranks 11th in the league. The pitching staff is carrying their weight, more than some would have expected. Now it is time for the Mets offense to find some rhythm, particularly at home.