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Minor does it all as Braves take series from Mets

Aug 29, 2014 - 4:24 AM Flushing, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Minor was dominant on the mound and at the plate to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 6-1 win over the New York Mets in Thursday's series finale at Citi Field.

Minor (6-8) allowed one run on four hits and struck out five over seven-plus innings. He also went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored in Atlanta's second straight win.

"Today he got it done," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of Minor. "His curveball was probably he best pitch, other than the command of his fastball. He had a nice mix going."

Emilio Bonifacio collected four hits with two RBI and a run, while Freddie Freeman also had an RBI for the Braves.

Jason Heyward went hitless over his first four at-bats with a pair of strikeouts in his first appearance against New York's Jon Niese since Aug. 21, 2013. The last time the two met, Niese hit Heyward with a fastball in the face and broke his jaw. Heyward did, however, double and score a run in his final turn at the plate during a three-run ninth inning that put the game away.

Niese (7-10) allowed three runs on nine hits and a walk with five strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.

Minor helped his own cause in the away second with an RBI single to left. Atlanta worked a two-out rally courtesy of a walk from Andrelton Simmons and a single by Gerald Laird. Minor then sent a grounder through the hole on the left side and left-fielder Eric Campbell had trouble coming up with the ball as Simmons trotted home for the game's first run.

Minor, who held Cincinnati hitless through 7 2/3 innings in his last start, retired the first 12 Mets he faced with all five of his strikeouts coming over that span.

Lucas Duda led off the fifth with a single to break up the string for Minor, but New York's offense couldn't get anything going.

The Mets put their second baserunner on when Curtis Granderson began the seventh with an infield single to first. Minor immediately induced a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of David Wright and got Duda to pop out to end the inning.

The Braves southpaw again helped himself out in the eighth with a leadoff double to right. After a strikeout of Heyward, Bonifacio ripped a triple over the head of Juan Lagares in center that plated Minor for a two-run lead. Freeman then jumped on the first pitch he saw and deposited it into center for an RBI single.

"For the majority I kept the ball down and in that last inning I left the ball up," said Niese. "Minor is a good hitter, he's dangerous. (Bonifacio) squared his up. Like I said, I left the ball up."

New York finally broke through with back-to-back hits in the home eighth, a double by Travis d'Arnaud and a single by Wilmer Flores, respectively, to make it a 3-1 game. David Carpenter came on in relief of Minor and left a pair of men on base to keep the lead intact.

Pinch-hitter Ryan Doumit slugged a two-run homer off Daisuke Matsuzaka in the ninth to increase the lead to 5-1. Heyward followed with a double to right before Bonifacio knocked him in with his fourth hit of the night.

Game Notes

Braves pitcher Jonny Venters has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, manager Fredi Gonzalez said prior to the game. Gonzalez said the torn UCL was discovered during an examination by surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Venters, 29, hasn't appeared in a game since the 2012 season and was working his way back from a second Tommy John -- or UCL replacement -- surgery on his pitching elbow ... The Mets placed right-handed pitcher Vic Black on the 15- day disabled list retroactive to Aug. 24 due to a herniated disk in his neck. In a corresponding move, the Mets activated Matsuzaka from the DL ... Wright (neck spasms) started at third base after missing the past two games. David Murphy, meanwhile, missed his third straight game due to a calf injury ... Bonifacio stole his 19th base of the season ... Atlanta, which went 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position, outhit New York, 13-4 ... The Mets went 1- for-4 with RISP.