Ronald Acuña Jr. made his return to the lineup tonight, but what should have been a triumphant moment for the Braves quickly turned into an absolute nightmare. The Mets just pummeled them 14-3, with Atlanta’s “last guy” out of the bullpen, Connor Thomas, getting absolutely shelled in a performance that went south so fast it made your head spin.
Acuña’s Comeback and the Early Spark
Before the wheels came flying off, there were some bright spots, especially with Acuña back on the field. In his first major league plate appearance in a while, Acuña fell behind 0-2 against Mets pitcher Zac Thornton. But he battled back to a full count, then absolutely teed off on a pitch down the middle, knocking it 108 mph to center for a solid single. That’s the kind of fire we love to see! Drake Baldwin followed up with a hard liner single of his own, and the Braves looked like they were in business. Matt Olson hit into a double play, but Ozzie Albies, seemingly seeking revenge for a rough Sunday game, legged out an infield hit to bring his buddy home for the first run.
However, the lead did not last. Braves pitcher Martin Perez didn’t have a shutdown first inning, giving up a leadoff hit. Francisco Lindor then got his arms extended on an outer-edge cutter, nearly hitting it out for a home run. It ended up being a weird play, bouncing far enough off the wall for an RBI triple. Perez escaped with the game tied at one thanks to a grounder, a strikeout, and a flyout. The second inning was quiet, but in the bottom of the third, Lindor struck again. After a leadoff single, he pulled a Perez changeup into left for a two-run homer. Perez was hitting his spots, but it just wasn’t mattering. The Braves fought back in the fourth: Olson drew a leadoff walk, and Albies crushed an elevated fastball from Thornton for a definitive, no-doubt homer. Michael Harris II singled, and it felt like Atlanta was on the verge of solving Thornton, but Mauricio Dubon popped out and Austin Riley hit into a double play. The rain started to pick up, bringing a brief pause to the action. Acuña then hit into a double play to end the top of the fifth, jammed on an inner-portion fastball.
The “Last Guy” Meltdown That Sealed the Deal
Then came the bottom of the fifth, and it was one of those unbelievable sequences you’ve just seen too many times already. The rain was coming down in a serious downpour, and Perez was still laboring. What happened next was the kind of bullpen decision that leaves you shaking your head. The Braves opted to bring in Connor Thomas, literally described as the “last guy” in their bullpen, into a tie game. It went south almost immediately, and honestly, it just kept going south until there was no more south to go. The Mets just pummeled Thomas into oblivion. To their credit, the Braves let Thomas wear it, not using another pitcher to try and stop the bleeding. They avoided a “double-down” mistake of trying to save the bullpen but not actually saving it. Jorge Mateo eventually got the last out, but by then, the score had already ballooned to a stunning 14-3 in favor of the Mets.
A brutal loss like that, with a bullpen arm taking the full brunt of the damage, means Atlanta has some serious questions to answer about their pitching strategy and depth. That 14-3 shellacking stings, especially on a night when Acuña made his anticipated return. They’ll need to look past this one quickly and find a way to bounce back hard to show this was just one bad night, not a sign of things to come.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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