Jeff McNeil sat for Game 1 of Monday’s doubleheader and played only five innings in the nightcap, but that presence was enough to help save the Mets from getting swept.
On a day the Mets were stuck in neutral offensively, McNeil smashed an RBI double that accounted for the only run of a 1-0 victory over the Braves in Game 2 of a doubleheader.
The Mets lost 2-0 in Game 1 — their first time getting shut out in the second half after averaging 5.67 runs in their previous nine games.
McNeil, who stroked a pinch-hit, go-ahead double on Sunday, saved this day from becoming a complete wreckage by hitting a shot over Guillermo Heredia’s head in center field to bring in Brandon Nimmo with the only run of the nightcap. McNeil started at second base in the nightcap after a three-game absence because of fatigue in his left leg. After his double, he departed the game for a pinch runner.
In a bullpen game, the Mets used six pitchers in the nightcap who combined for the shutout. Anthony Banda went the longest, two innings. Edwin Diaz struck out the side in the ninth for his 22nd save.
In Game 1, Kyle Muller stifled the Mets over five shutout innings in which he allowed four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. The left-hander was recalled from Triple-A last week and made his fifth major league start.
The Mets entered the day with a .626 OPS against lefty starting pitchers. Against right-handed starters they had a .733 OPS.
“We have a lot of guys that can click and connect good at-bats against lefties,” manager Luis Rojas said. “I know we just got shut out, but we feel very confident. We are going to see more lefties. Max Fried is on the way to face us, [Drew] Smyly is on the way to face us, so we trust our offense against lefties.”
The Mets had their best chance against Muller in the fifth, but Pete Alonso — who had homered five times in his past seven games — hit a chopper to third that became an inning-ending double play after Brandon Drury had delivered a pinch-hit double and Jonathan Villar walked.
Marcus Stroman’s bunt for a hit and Villar’s single in the third gave the Mets a rally, but Muller rebounded to strike out Alonso and Michael Conforto in succession.
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Stroman followed the best performance of his Mets career with a solid outing. Overall, the right-hander surrendered two earned runs on eight hits over five innings with four strikeouts in slightly raising his ERA from 2.59 to 2.63.
In Cincinnati last Wednesday he threw an eight-inning shutout in which he allowed only one hit. His importance to the Mets rotation has increased with Jacob deGrom on the injured list and Taijuan Walker struggling since the All-Star break.
Dansby Swanson barely missed clearing the center-field fence leading off the fourth and was sent back to second base after umpire Jose Navas had initially signaled for a homer. Orlando Arcia’s RBI fielder’s choice gave the Braves a 2-0 lead after Stephen Vogt singled Swanson to third.
Stroman pulled a Houdini act to escape the third with only one run allowed. After Joc Pederson stroked an RBI double, Stroman struck out Ozzie Albies and intentionally walked Freddie Freeman to load the bases. The ensuing batter, Austin Riley, hit into an inning-ending double play.
The Braves’ rally had started with Guillermo Heredia’s leadoff double. The pitcher Muller, after earlier signaling bunt, chopped a grounder through the third-base hole — for his first major league hit — to put runners on the corners for the Braves.