Zack Wheeler is part of the Mets’ young starting pitching corps that gives the franchise such hope and visions of a bright future.
But the way he’s pitching now, the view of the present is not too shabby, either.
The Mets returned from their grueling 11-game road trip and won Tuesday night for the fourth straight time at Citi Field with a 5-3 victory over the Braves, owners of the best record in baseball.
Wheeler, throwing to catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who made his first home start and got his first major league hit, improved to 6-2 by pitching into the seventh while receiving home-run support from Marlon Byrd and Ike Davis plus added assistance from Atlanta’s defense.
Wheeler worked 6 2/3 innings, gave up six hits and three earned runs and struck out five. LaTroy Hawkins, the fifth Mets pitcher, got his fifth save.
Wheeler exited with the score 4-0 – though the bases were loaded with two out in the seventh. Carlos Torres, who had been scheduled to start Friday, relieved and was tagged for a three-run double by Andrelton Simmons, who took third on Omar Quintanilla’s high throw home. Scott Rice retired Freddie Freeman on a fly to left to keep the score at 4-3.
The Mets scored an unearned run in the first with Davis delivering an RBI single. Byrd launched a 2-2 offering from Brandon Beachy (2-1) for his career-best 21st homer in the sixth. The blast to left came after a double steal by Eric Young Jr. and Daniel Murphy with Young scoring as Atlanta catcher Brian McCann’s throw to second trying to get Murphy bounced into center. Davis blasted a moon shot to right leading off the eighth.
D’Arnaud stroked the first pitch he saw from Luis Ayala with two out in the eighth in the gap in left-center for a double, his first hit after starting 0-of-10. D’Arnaud had been a half step away from his first hit in the fifth. After Juan Lagares bunted his way on via a beauty down the third-base line, d’Arnaud sent a ball in the same direction with a full swing. But Atlanta’s Chris Johnson, who started the night as the NL’s hitting leader, made a nice retrieval and fired to first to get d’Arnaud as the crowd of 25,863 groaned. The play advanced the runner – but two outs quickly followed. D’Arnaud finished 1-for-4.
The Mets, who left the bases loaded in the seventh when Byrd flew out to center, struck first with an assist from the Braves. The shortstop Simmons threw wildly to first, allowing leadoff man Young to reach.
Young stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Davis’ two-out single to right under the glove of Freeman at first.
Wheeler, coming off a 12-strikeout no-decision in San Diego, found mild trouble early, but escaped damage each time. Wheeler did not have a 1-2-3 inning until the sixth and he needed a highlight-worthy diving catch by Young to achieve it.
McCann went the opposite way and sliced a shot to left with two outs.
Young sprinted over, laid out and made a great backhand catch while parallel to the ground.
Young led off the bottom of the sixth and bunted his way aboard.
Murphy followed with a single to center. The double steal and McCann’s errant throw gave the Mets a 2-0 cushion. The errant throw became a so-what affair on Byrd’s blast.
fred.kerber@nypost.com