Mets blow late three-run lead in crushing 10-inning loss to Braves

ATLANTA — As badly as the Braves have performed this season, there is something about playing the Mets, particularly in Truist Park, that brings out their late-inning heroics.

Tuesday night the Mets appeared to be sailing, but the wind suddenly changed and the boat capsized.

A three-run lead disappeared in the eighth before Austin Riley hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th inning against Huascar Brazobán that sent the Mets to a 5-4 loss.

The Mets lost their fourth straight on a night they managed to place only six runners in scoring position and delivered only once.

Brazobán intentionally walked Ronald Acuña Jr. to begin the 10th, with the automatic runner at second base.

After Alex Verdugo was retired, Brazobán threw a wild pitch that moved the winning run to third base.

Matt Olson walked to load the bases before Riley ended it with a drive to the center field fence.

It was the Mets’ first appearance here since last September’s doubleheader in which the team won a wild first game on Francisco Lindor’s ninth-inning homer and celebrated the clinching of a National League wild-card berth.

David Peterson, after seven strong innings, returned to the mound for the eighth but was removed after walking Nick Allen and allowing a single to Acuña to begin the frame.

Reed Garrett surrendered a single to Verdugo that loaded the bases and recorded two outs before Marcell Ozuna smashed a bases-clearing double that tied it 4-4.

Garrett, who allowed an earned run for the second time in three appearances, retired Ozzie Albies with the go-ahead run at second base.

Peterson allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts over seven innings and threw 93 pitches.

It followed his complete-game shutout last week against the Nationals.

The lefty has pitched at least seven innings in four of his past five starts.

Juan Soto smashed a slider from Spencer Schwellenbach for a homer in the first inning that produced the game’s first run.

It was the fifth homer in June for Soto, who began the night with a 1.146 OPS for the month.

Soto cleared the fence in left-center for his 14th homer of the season, tying him with Lindor for second on the team, behind Pete Alonso’s 17.

Tyrone Taylor’s bloop double in the second extended the Mets lead to 3-0.

Jeff McNeil singled leading off and Francisco Alvarez walked before Taylor, with two outs, hit a soft fly to right that landed just in front of the diving Acuña for two runs.

Acuña drew a two-out walk in the third that led to the Braves pulling to within 3-1.

Eli White and Olson followed the walk to Acuña with successive singles against Peterson.

But with runners on the corners the left-hander escaped by getting Riley on a hard grounder to third base for the fielder’s choice.

Ozuna singled leading off the fourth, but the second double play of the night turned behind Peterson helped the Mets through the inning.

Albies hit a grounder that turned into a 6-4-3 double play.

Taylor jumped on an 0-2 splitter from Schwellenbach in the fifth and cleared the left field fence for his second homer of the season, extending the Mets lead to 4-1.

Ronny Mauricio’s two-base throwing error on Ozuna’s grounder leading off the seventh gave the Braves a scoring opportunity, but Peterson retired the next three batters to preserve a three-run lead.

After the Braves tied it against Peterson and Garrett in the eighth, Soto singled to begin the ninth.

Alonso hit a shot to right field that Acuña snagged at the fence and Soto — perhaps mistaking the defensive alignment card that dropped from Acuña’s glove for the ball — was doubled off first base after breaking for second.