This constituted a good day for the reeling Mets.
Not only did they avoid adding to their three-game losing streak last night, they showed fight in the late innings. Now they just have to finish the game.
The pouring rain not only postponed Fireworks Night at Citi Field, but left the Mets and Braves tied at 5-5 after eight innings. The suspended game will be resumed tonight beginning at 6:10, before the teams play their regularly scheduled 7:15 contest.
“We’ll come out there and see if we can’t win an inning,” said Daniel Murphy, who is 3-for-4 with an RBI.
The game will resume with Ike Davis 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, extending his tailspin to 1-for-42. It has gotten so bad for Davis, he was cheered for hitting a foul ball on an awkward swing in the eighth inning.
The four-strikeout game is Davis’ third this season, tying a franchise record. Davis remains on the brink of a possible demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas.
“He’s not the reason why we’re playing bad,” manager Terry Collins said. “He’s one of them, but there are a lot of pieces that aren’t doing the job, also. Now we have to figure out what’s going to be best for him moving forward.”
Amid a steady downpour in the eighth, the Mets tied the game when Braves reliever Anthony Varvaro unloaded a wild pitch that allowed Ruben Tejada to score. Murphy’s RBI single moments earlier — B.J. Upton booted the ball in center, allowing Tejada to reach third — was the inning’s big hit.
Evan Gattis’ pinch-hit, two-run single in the eighth against Greg Burke had given the Braves a 5-3 lead. The runs were charged to Scott Rice, who allowed a walk and single in two-thirds of an inning.
Dan Uggla homered leading off the seventh against LaTroy Hawkins to make it 3-3 and ensure Jeremy Hefner a no-decision after one of his best performances this season.
Hefner was sharp, as he allowed two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks over six innings. The right-hander allowed a two-run homer to Freddie Freeman in the first and then limited Atlanta only three base runners for the rest of the night.
“I was so excited that he pitched so well — he’s been so down about not winning a game — that I said, ‘I’m not going to let this kid lose this game,’ ” Collins said. “He needed to move forward on a positive attitude that he pitched very well. Even though he did pitch well, had something happened in the [seventh] inning, he goes home feeling bad about it and I didn’t want that to happen.”
The Mets got some decent swings against Kris Medlen, who allowed three earned runs on seven hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over six innings to receive a no-decision.
Marlon Byrd’s RBI single in the fifth gave the Mets a 3-2 lead. Murphy doubled leading off the inning and with two outs Byrd delivered for his 20th RBI of the season. It continued a hot month for Byrd, who entered 12-for-39 (.308) with three homers and nine RBIs in May.
John Buck’s homer leading off the fourth had tied the game. The blast was Buck’s 11th of the season, but first since May 3.
Lucas Duda’s RBI single in the first accounted for the Mets’ first run, after Murphy was hit by a pitch leading off and David Wright singled to snap an 0-for-12 skid.
Freeman’s two-run homer in the first put Hefner in a 2-0 hole. Brian McCann then delivered a single before Hefner got on a roll, retiring eight straight batters and 13 of 14.