Four-run inning assists Braves in flushing out the Mets in series opener

The Atlanta Braves scuffled a bit after a 1-5 road trip against the Mariners and Dodgers landed them in second place. The team returned home for a quick two-game set with the Red Sox and they got back to their winning ways before hitting the road again.

Atlanta traveled to New York to face their bitter rivals, the New York Mets, this weekend and things got off to a great start. Great pitching and an offensive outburst led to a series-opening win in Flushing, Queens.

A barrage of homers leads to Braves win over Mets

It's no secret that the top of the Braves lineup has been struggling to showcase the power they possess. Things were scoreless early on during Friday's game in New York but that all changed once the third inning rolled around.

Ronald Acuña Jr. struggled coming into this series but kicked things off Friday night with a monster home run to center field. The ball left his bat at 114 mph and traveled 461 feet for his third homer of the season. With that home run, Sarah Langs reported that he now has 12 career round-trippers that have traveled 460 feet or more which is three more than anyone else in MLB since the start of 2018.

Acuña said after the game hitting the homer "felt really good' and "it was nice to regain that feeling". He's been waiting to break out and be the player he was in 2023 and things are trending in the right direction.

Ozzie Albies decided he wanted to get in on the action and went back-to-back with Ronald with his third homer of the year. He deposited the second pitch he saw into the left field seats to extend the lead. Austin Riley then walked after a six-pitch at-bat and was driven in via a first-pitch blast by Matt Olson.

This put Atlanta up 4-0 and broke a career-worst 26-game home run drought for Atlanta's slugging first baseman. It was only a matter of time until the top of the lineup broke out of the funk they found themselves in. Unfortunately for the Mets, it happened last night and hopefully, for the Braves, that success carries into Saturday's game.

Uncle Charlie continues to be ol' reliable

Uncertainty surrounded Charlie Morton as he entered the 2024 season as one of the oldest pitchers in baseball. The 40-year-old right-hander has continued to show he is a reliable option for the starting rotation and that age is just a number.

He had an incredible start to the game, striking out the side in the bottom of the first inning. The Mets threatened in the second inning as they had two runners on but Charlie, per usual, worked his way out of the jam.

He retired 10 of the next batters faced and the only blemish came in the bottom of the seventh when Francisco Lindor ambushed Morton's first pitch for a solo home run. However, the veteran starter settled in and retired the next three batters to end his night.

Morton looked impressive over those seven innings with just one run allowed on three hits including one walk and seven strikeouts. His curveball looked as sharp as ever and the fastball velocity steadily sat around 95 mph most of the night.

Braves closer Raisel Iglesias earns 200th career save

The Mets made things interesting late Friday night as they battled against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. Iglesias walked Starling Marte and with two outs in the inning, Pete Alonso drove in New York's second run of the game.

Luckily, it didn't go any farther and Iglesias got J.D. Martinez to fly out on a 3-2 count. Michael Harris II recorded the final out of the game, resulting in career save number 200 for Raisel Iglesias. He is now one of five MLB relievers with 200 saves or more in their careers. Two pitchers on the list, Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel, spent time with the Braves organization.

Iglesias said after the game that he dedicated this accomplishment to his wife as he achieved it on her birthday. This was a major goal of his to reach during his MLB career and it's awesome that Braves fans got the chance to witness it.

Game two between the Mets and Braves kicks off at 4:10 p.m. EST on Saturday.

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