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Wright leads Mets over Braves

Sep 17, 2011 - 4:05 AM Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Though the Braves may have hosted Star Wars night at Turner Field on Friday, the force was clearly stronger in the New York Mets.

Behind a pair of David Wright home runs, the Mets pounded Atlanta, 12-2, in the opener of a three-game series.

Wright clubbed a two-run blast in the first inning and added a three-run shot in the fourth for New York, which avoided losing seven straight for the first time since April 10-16.

Josh Thole had three RBI and Ruben Tejada hit a two-run single, while Mets starter Chris Capuano (11-12) gave up two runs on six hits in five-plus innings.

Derek Lowe (9-15) struggled from the get-go for Atlanta, allowing four runs in the first, and departed in the third having surrendered six runs on nine hits. The veteran right-hander tossed just 2 1/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season.

"This was terrible," Lowe said.

The Braves, who have dropped five of seven, lead St. Louis by 3 1/2 games for the NL wild card.

Jose Reyes singled to begin the game, but was erased on a fielder's choice. Wright followed with a drive over the left-field wall. New York loaded the bases later in the frame and Tejada's base hit to center made it 4-0. Thole was thrown out at third base to end the inning.

"Offensively we got some good at-bats early and I think that we just rolled from there," Wright said.

Michael Bourn led off the Braves' first with a triple and scored on Chipper Jones' sacrifice fly.

Martin Prado homered to start the second for Atlanta, but Thole sent a bouncer up the middle to drive in a pair for the Mets, who upped their lead to 6-2 in the third.

New York put up another four-spot in the next frame off Julio Teheran, who walked Reyes and Angel Pagan. Wright then smashed his 14th home run of the season to left. Lucas Duda doubled and scored on a single by Nick Evans.

The Mets' advantage grew to 11-2 in the sixth when a two-out single by Thole plated Evans.

Duda knocked in Reyes with a two-out single in the ninth.

Game Notes

Wright notched his 17th career multi-homer game, tying him with Mike Piazza and Carlos Beltran for second-most in team history...Capuano stymied the Braves on August 26, tossing a two-hit shutout while recording a career-high 13 strikeouts...Reyes has at least one hit in 17 of the 18 games he's played in since returning from the DL on August 29...Duda went 4-for-5...New York left fielder Jason Bay robbed Alex Gonzalez of a home run to end the fourth...Lowe matched his career high for losses in a season (2005 with the Dodgers).