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Bullpen lifts Braves past Mets

Jul 2, 2014 - 3:43 AM Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Braves bullpen tossed 4 2/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit ball as Atlanta defeated the New York Mets, 5-4, in the middle test of a three-game set.

Mike Minor exited with one out in the fifth after he allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk. Shae Simmons (1-0) was credited with his first big-league win, spinning 1 2/3 innings in Atlanta's sixth straight win.

"I felt like I was too one-sided later in the game. They started sitting away. Two bad pitches and two home runs," Minor said of his start.

After Simmons departed, Luis Avilan blanked the Mets in the seventh and Jordan Walden tossed a scoreless eighth before Craig Kimbrel fired a 1-2-3 ninth for his 26th save of the year.

Andrelton Simmons went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in the triumph.

Curtis Granderson and Daniel Murphy each smacked a two-run homer for the Mets, who have dropped six of their last seven tilts. Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-3) yielded five runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings.

"You just got to hang in there, you can't tuck our heads between our legs and feel bad for ourselves. We've got to go out tomorrow and play well," Mets manager Terry Collins said.

The game was tied 2-2 before the Braves pushed across three runs in the fourth to go ahead.

Chris Johnson worked a leadoff walk, moved to second on a Tommy La Stella groundout and scored on Minor's roller up the middle two batters later. B.J. Upton's single put runners on the corners, and after Upton stole second base during Simmons' at-bat, Simmons bounced one through the hole on the left side to bring home Minor and Upton for a 5-2 Braves advantage.

The Mets got a pair of runs back in the fifth. Ruben Tejada coaxed a one-out free pass and Murphy followed with his two-run shot into the seats in right- center.

New York, though, mustered just one hit the rest of the way -- a two-out Travis d'Arnaud base hit in the eighth.

Earlier, the Braves opened the scoring in the second on Christian Bethancourt's two-out RBI single, but New York brought home two in the third. Juan Lagares led off with a bunt single, advanced to second on Matsuzaka's sacrifice bunt and came home on Granderson's blast to right.

Freddie Freeman's RBI double in the home half knotted the game.

Game Notes

The Braves were 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position, while New York finished 1-for-4 and left seven men on base ... Granderson's homer was his 12th of the season.