Soroka wins 8th straight decision, Braves mash Mets
ATLANTA (AP) - Mike Soroka won his eighth straight decision, Ozzie Albies homered and drove in four runs, and the surging Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 12-3 on Monday night.
Nick Markakis hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the fifth inning as the NL East-leading Braves improved to 13-3 in June, best in the majors this month. Atlanta, which scored 15 runs a day earlier against Philadelphia, has plated 90 runs in winning 10 of its last 11.
New York continued to struggle on the road, losing for the 12th time in 16 games away from Citi Field and dropping 8½ games behind the Braves.
Soroka's winning streak is the longest in the majors by a pitcher under 22 since Dontrelle Willis won the same number for the 2003 Florida Marlins.
Soroka (8-1) gave up three runs, six hits and allowed just his third homer in 12 starts this year, a solo shot by Robinson Canó in the sixth. He walked one and struck out two in six innings.
Atlanta went up 5-2 in the fifth on Markakis' opposite-field bloop single to left and Albies' RBI single.
The Braves led 2-0 in the first. Ronald Acuña Jr., the 2018 NL Rookie of the Year, hit his 17th homer, the 11th of his career to begin a game and the 22nd to begin an inning. Freddie Freeman singled and scored from second on first baseman Pete Alonso's fielding error.
New York cut the margin in the third when Alonso lined an RBI single to left. The Mets tied it at 2-all in the fifth on pitcher Zack Wheeler's RBI single to left and made it 5-3 on Canó's fourth homer.
Wheeler (5-5) allowed five runs - four earned - and 10 hits in six innings.
Reliever Jeurys Familia was charged with three of the four runs that crossed in the seventh. Albies lined a two-run single to right to begin the scoring.
Brian McCann, who reached five times and went 3 for 3, hit a two-run homer and Albies added a solo shot in the eighth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mets: MRI results on RHP Noah Syndergaard's right leg showed a low-grade hamstring strain. Syndergaard is on the injured list and will miss at least one start. ... OF Brandon Nimmo, sidelined since May 21 with neck stiffness, is getting a second opinion. Manager Mickey Callaway said there is no timetable for Nimmo's return. ... LHP Jason Vargas, who left Sunday's loss to St. Louis with a left calf cramp, is expected to make his next turn in the rotation.
Braves: LHP Sean Newcomb played catch before the game and has shown no ill effects from getting hit in the back of the head by a liner and leaving Saturday's game. Manager Brian Snitker said Newcomb is not symptomatic other than where he got hit and is under no restrictions. Snitker expects Newcomb to pitch out of the bullpen as soon as Wednesday.
KEUCHEL'S DEBUT
Snitker said LHP Dallas Keuchel is in line to make his Atlanta debut Friday at Washington, adding that the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner won't need a third minor league start to get ready. Keuchel went 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA in 34 starts last season for Houston.
UP NEXT
Mets: RHP Jacob deGrom (3-6, 3.38 ERA) is 0-1 with a 2.38 ERA in his last five starts. In 18 career starts against Atlanta, deGrom is 6-6 with a 1.86 ERA.
Braves: RHP Julio Teheran (5-4, 2.92 ERA) is 3-0 with a 0.81 ERA in his last eight starts. In 25 career starts and one relief appearance against New York, Teheran is 10-7 with a 2.35 ERA.
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