Jonathon Niese pitched six-hit ball over eight innings, David Wright sparked the offense with a pair of doubles against Ben Sheets, and the New York Mets just hung on to beat the Atlanta Braves 6-5 Sunday night and salvage the finale of a three-game series.
A night after the Braves battered Johan Santana, Niese (9-6) tamed Atlanta’s offense and stopped yet another slide by the Mets, who have faded from contention following the All-Star break. Niese matched the second-longest outing of his big league career, allowing one run, striking out six and walking two.
With the Mets ahead 6-1, the Braves loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth against rookie Josh Edgin. Atlanta scored four runs before Jon Rauch struck out Jason Heyward to end the game and earn his second save.