Zack Wheeler continued his resurgence Saturday night, as the New York Mets right-hander earned his fourth straight win by tossing seven scoreless innings as the Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-0, at Citi Field.
The Mets ended a four-game losing streak and won for only the second time in eight games. The Braves had their five-game winning streak snapped and fell 1 1/2 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.
Wheeler (6-6), whose name was bandied about in rumors leading up to Tuesday's trade deadline, allowed just three hits and issued one walk while striking out nine. The Braves only got one runner beyond first base against Wheeler, whose winning streak is the longest by a Mets pitcher since Jacob deGrom won eight straight starts last season.
Wheeler has thrown 17 straight scoreless innings dating back to July 24 and has fashioned a 2.68 ERA in his last 12 starts dating back to June 1, a span in which he has struck out 72 and walked 24 in 77 1/3 innings.
Bobby Wahl allowed two hits while recording the first two outs of the eighth before Robert Gsellman got the final four outs, all on grounders to second base, for his sixth save.
The Mets provided Wheeler the only run he'd need in the second, when Todd Frazier drew a leadoff hit-by-pitch against Kevin Gausman, went to third on a double by Jeff McNeil and scored on Amed Rosario's groundout.
The Mets added insurance in the sixth, when inning-opening singles by Michael Conforto, Frazier and McNeil chased Gausman. Austin Jackson greeted Shane Carle with a single off his foot as Conforto raced home. One out later, Frazier scored on Kevin Plawecki's sacrifice fly.
McNeil, making just his seventh big league start, went 4-for-4 while Conforto and Jackson had two hits each.
Freddie Freeman had two of the Braves' five hits.
Gausman (5-9), who was acquired by the Braves from the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two in his Atlanta debut.
--Field Level Media
Atlanta | NY Mets | |
Kevin Gausman | Player | Zack Wheeler |
Loss | W/L | Win |
5.0 | IP | 7.0 |
2 | Strikeouts | 9 |
6 | Hits | 3 |
5.40 | ERA | 0.00 |
Atlanta | NY Mets | |
Freddie Freeman | Player | Jeff McNeil |
2 | Hits | 4 |
0 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
3 | TB | 5 |
.500 | Avg | 1.000 |