Braves vs. Mets Game Highlights (7/27/26) | MLB Highlights

Call it a pleasant mid-summer surprise. Lefty Zach Thornton has emerged on the big league scene, and all he's done through four starts is throw up 18 scoreless innings. He'll try to extend his streak tonight. Ronald Lacuna was the MVP in the National League. Since then, he's had trouble staying on the field. He comes back tonight from his latest injury. Well, he's a five-time All-Star. He's a five-tool player, plays defense, great arm, hits with power, steals bases. This is only his 50th game this year. But as far as the Braves are concerned, they have a five-and-a-half game lead. Remember, they had a big double-digit lead early, kind of squandered that. Now the Phillies have kind of faltered. They've got their big gun, their leadoff hitter back. It's really got to be a shot in the arm for them. Lacuna, when he comes back for injuries, he tries to make his mark. So Thornton's got to have to make sure that first pitch is a good one. 52 first-pitch home runs in Lacuna's career. You can't get much better than that in your first four starts for the young Thornton. So here is Lacuna who missed 38 games with a hamstring injury. A off pitch to him. He sends it out to center field. Welcome back to the lineup, Ronald Lacuna Jr. Got a sinker there, and Ronald out at first base. Boy, that's a good-looking sight. Ronald leading it off, climbing into the box, and then lacing a single up the middle. Welcome back, Ronald Lacuna. He's at first base for Drake Baldwin. And now on the first pitch, Drake Baldwin the other way. So Baldwin drives for one to two in the lineup, and what a potent three, you think, to start things off. You get Lacuna, Baldwin, and now next up, Olsen to the plate. Thornton deals. Swing and a liner towards first. Picked on a short hop by Young. Goes to second. One. Lindor to first. They turn it. Double play. Young got back to the bag. 3-6-3. The double up Olsen. Lacuna goes to third. Now there are two men away. We're used to seeing Matt Olsen on the other end of those and turning them against the opponent. Two down for Ozzie Albies. 1-2 pitch. Ozzie with a ground ball to the left side. Backhanded deep and short by Lindor. Long throw. Not in time. He's safe. And the Braves have a 1-0 lead. That was deep in the hole. Lindor going almost to third. They had a really nice play just to make it close at first base. But Ozzie beats it out. He's got the RBI and infield single, and it's 1-0 Atlanta. And now Michael Harris, who arguably has had the best year of any of the Braves. 1-2 coming. Swing and a miss. He got it with the cutter. And Thornton has a strikeout to end the inning, but the Braves scratch out a run. It's a 1-0 lead for the Braves into the bottom of the first inning. It'll be A.J. Ewing, Francisco Lindor, and Boba Shett up to the plate for the Mets. Taking their first looks at the left hander, Martin Perez. He goes to the firing line tonight for Atlanta. That's it toward the middle, and Ewing's got a leadoff base hit. As he's aboard with a leadoff single, Francisco Lindor, well-bent right-handed here against Perez. And he hits this one out to right field with Cunha drifting back to the warning track, back at the wall, drops, and he can't get it. On his way to third, and Lindor pulls in at second. Now Ewing trying to score as the throw came in late, and Lindor goes to third, and the Mets tie the game. Ronald Acuna Jr. just became an umpire, and in so doing, he helped the Mets. I don't think that ball went over the orange line and came back. No, it hit the orange line and came right back. So it's a triple for Lindor, his fourth triple of the year. Ewing comes home to score to tie the game. Green has started to fall a little harder as Mauricio Dubon leads off in the second against Zach Thornton. Swing and a high, fly ball to deep left field. Taylor going back. He's having trouble finding it through the rainbox, but reaches back and makes the catch. Probably with the raindrops coming down on his face, but he was able to locate it at the last minute, make the catch, and back heavily into that wall, one away. Second time through the batting order for Martin Perez. A.J. Ewing rifles one through the hole, and he's two for two. Wasting no time, got a first-pitch fastball, and Ewing has singled his first time up as a board to start the third. Ewing aboard in front of Lindor, who drove him in with a triple off the top padding in right field. A.J. Ewing has his 12th steal in 18 tries. So, a runner in scoring position for Lindor. And Lindor skies this one to deep left field. That goes Dubon to the warning track at the wall, leaping, and it's out of here. Francisco Lindor barely missed a home run his first time. This time, clears the fence for a two-run homer, and the Mets go in front three to one. And Lindor has had another big hit. It's a two-run job to make it three to one Mets in the bottom of the third. He's knocked in all three runs tonight. A walk to lead it off at the top of the fourth inning. First walk allowed by Thornton. Here comes Ozzie Albies. Two-one, stroke to the air to deep left field. That goes back to left field. That fades into the bleachers, and it's a tie game. Barreled by Ozzie Albies. That is his 18th home run of the season, and the Braves get a walk and a homer to lead things off at the top of the fourth inning and tie it up at three. He's got all three RBIs for the Braves, so it's Lindor three, Albies three in the fourth inning. Here's Bichette for two, two-two to Bichette. Reach for popped up shallow center. Might drop. It will drop. Base hit. So Bichette tosses one in the shallow right center, and the Mets have a two-odd base runner, and a lot of the fans are heading for cover as the rain comes down to a pretty good clip. So back-to-back two-odd hits for the Mets, and Francisco Alvarez will come up with two on. Outside ball four. That loads them up. But now the Mets, after two were out, and nobody on, have loaded the bases. Ready to go now, facing Jared Young. Runners go on the three-two pitch. Got him looking. Strike three. And now the Mets want to challenge this. A run on the line here. That is a strike. So Young and the Mets lose a challenge. They also lose out on a bases-loaded opportunity. That ball was absolutely scorched off the bat of Tyrone Taylor, and it ate up Austin Riley, and the Mets have the lead-off man aboard here, Marcus Simeon, the batter. Simeon unloads one. Deep left field. Forget that. That is way out of here. Marcus Simeon into the second deck. Second straight day with a home run for Simeon, and the Mets go in front five-to-three. A monstrous shot for Marcus Simeon, his 12th home run of the season. Zach Thornton back to the mound for the seventh inning. Mets have only had seven outings this year by the Mets, or eight, where the pitcher's got seven or more innings. Grounded down to first. Nice big hop for Young. He makes the toss to Thornton, who has to reach for it. Harris retired one out. Andy Green's on his way out to the mound. He's taking Thornton out of the game. He hasn't thrown more than 82 pitches in any of the starts yet. Eighty-one tonight, so Andy's pulling the plug with the right-hand hitters coming up. A new pitcher in for the Mets is Wazkar Brazoban, who takes over here in the seventh inning. Austin Riley 0-for-2. A strikeout and also hit into a double play. And it's up to him to keep the Braves out of a 1-2-3-7. Ned Riley down on strikes. Got him with the sinker. Brazoban comes in and gets two outs. Seventh-inning stretch. Mets up 5-3. So, Jared Young batting. Five three Mets. We're in the seventh inning. Nobody out. Runner at first. Pitch. Bouncing ball right near the bag, and Alves lets it go through. Alvarez goes first to third. Yeah, miscommunication there between the middle infielders, Jarvis and Alves. Ozzie took a deeper route. He thought Jim was going to go cut that off. Well, they're at the corners after a walk and a single. And the Mets in business now with Tyrone Taylor coming to the plate. And Taylor rockets one to deep left field. And that ball's out of here. A three-run homer for Tyrone Taylor as he continues his binge. Six home runs in his last 38 at-bats. And the Mets again open up an 8-3 lead, just like yesterday. Out-of-this-world performance right now for Tyrone Taylor, who jolted one out of the Fiesta deck in left field. Walk, single, homerun, walk. Luis Terenz coming up. And a lonely, lonely place right now for Connor Thomas because he's out there all by his lonesome. And if he's looking for some help, he ain't going to find it. That bullpen is empty. This one sent out to right center field. Pretty well hit. Back goes Acuna in the gap. And he can't get it. It took a bad angle to the ball. It bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double for Luis Terenz. It's been a rough night in right field for Acuna in his first game back for the injured list. Boy, the Braves are not exactly flashing the leather. Now Lindor on for the third time. The bases are loaded. Cole Bichette is coming up. Drive to right center. That'll get a run in. Harris back to get it. Bagging at third is Semien. He'll come in to score. Terenz moves over to third. Sacrifice fly for Bichette to make it nine to three. Bases loaded. One out. And Luis Terenz coming up. That's the third hit of the game for Semien. And another walk. This one forces it a run to make it ten to three. Here's Ewing, who has three hits already tonight. And Ewing flies one behind third. Long run in for Dubon. And Riley out. And Riley with a nice over-the-shoulder catch, tagging at third and coming in to score is Taylor. So that'll be a sacrifice fly for A.J. Ewing to bring in the 11th-met run. So now it's Lindor. And Lindor cranks one to deep left field. Forget that. Lindor puts the icing on the cake with a long three-run homer. His second home run of the night, a six-RBI game for Lindor. And the Mets now lead 14 to three. Ground ball on the right side. Semien's got it. And the ball game is over. The Mets overwhelm the Braves. A huge offensive day for Lindor. Go-ahead home run for Semien. Another home run for Taylor. And the Mets have won two straight against first-place competition as they beat the Braves tonight 14 to three.