Inside The Mets

Carlos Carrasco Leads Mets To Doubleheader Sweep Of Braves

Carlos Carrasco's gem helped the Mets sweep the Braves in Tuesday's doubleheader.

Pat Ragazzo

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NEW YORK -- How sweep* it is. 

The Mets swept both games of their doubleheader with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, and in the nightcap, it was all Carlos Carrasco.

Carrasco tossed a gem, stifling the Braves' lineup across eight shutout innings, in which he allowed six hits, while striking out five and walking two. 

After escaping jams in each of the first two innings, the 35-year-old got better as his outing progressed. The Braves' offense went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position against Carrasco. 

Coming off his worst start of the season, in which he surrendered seven earned runs to the St. Louis Cardinals, Carrasco bounced-back in a big way against the defending champs.

Entering this contest, Braves starter Kyle Wright had allowed three runs across 24 innings this season. But the Mets were able to match this total via a Dom Smith two-run double and Pete Alonso's solo home run. 

This was all the run support that Carrasco, and Seth Lugo, who closed out the ninth, would need in a 3-0 Mets' win. 

The Mets are now 18-8, tying the crosstown rival Yankees for the most wins in baseball. On Wednesday, they will aim for their eighth consecutive series victory to begin the year. 

Game 1

In his first start back from Triple-A Syracuse, David Peterson took the mound in Game 1 and tossed five innings on 90 pitches (54 strikes), allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits. The lefty struck out six Braves hitters and walked three.

The Mets built a 5-1 lead against Braves starter Charlie Morton, but Peterson let Atlanta back in the game in the the top of the fifth after he misplayed a potential inning-ending double play. And Matt Olson made him pay, launching a three-run home run on the next pitch to pull the Braves within a run. 

However, the Mets' bullpen and bench propelled them to a slim 5-4 victory.

Adam Ottavino, Drew Smith and Edwin Diaz contributed four scoreless innings in relief. Smith continued his impressive start to the year with two more shutout innings. The righty has not allowed a run across 11.1 innings on the season, the second-longest active streak in baseball. 

As for the offense, Alonso had a pair of RBI singles and Eduardo Escobar produced a run-scoring hit as well.

But it was the bench mob that stole the show. The Mets designated Robinson Cano for assignment on Monday because they felt the other members of their bench gave them a better chance to win. And one day later, this proved to be the case.

Travis Jankowski received a rare start in centerfield in place of Brandon Nimmo, and this move ultimately paid off for manager Buck Showalter. Jankowski went 2-for-3 with a walk, stolen base and three runs scored. He was also on-base four times. 

In the fourth inning, Jankowski's impact on the base paths led to a run. The outfielder reached first base on a fielder's choice. He then stole second and subsequently advanced to third after catcher Travis D'Arnaud's throw sailed into center. As a result, Mark Canha drove in Jankowski on a sacrifice-fly to extend the Mets' lead to 5-1. 

Luis Guillorme, who started at shortstop, while Francisco Lindor served as the designated hitter, made several sparkling plays with his glove on defense. He walked twice and scored a run, too. And as previously mentioned, Dom Smith had the big two-run hit in Game 2. 

Read More:

- Mets Lose Setup Man Trevor May To IL

- What Designating Robinson Cano For Assignment Signals For Mets

- Mets Manager Buck Showalter Receives One-Game Suspension

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Pat Ragazzo
PAT RAGAZZO

Pat Ragazzo is the reporter, publisher, site manager and executive editor for Sports Illustrated's Mets and Yankees On SI websites. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has been seen on several major TV Network stations including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is frequently heard on ESPN New York FM 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM as a guest. Pat also serves as the Mets insider for the "Allow Me 2 Be Frank" podcast hosted by Frank "The Tank" Fleming of Barstool Sports. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @ragazzoreport.

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