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Braves top Mets, remain unbeaten

Apr 12, 2015 - 4:29 AM Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Nick Markakis collected two hits and drove in a run while Freddie Freeman added a solo homer, as Atlanta took down the New York Mets by a 5-3 count in the middle test of a three-game series.

Eric Young, Andrelton Simmons and Christian Bethancourt each knocked in a run for the Braves, who have won five straight to begin the season.

Julio Teheran (2-0) fanned five and walked four, but gave up two hits and three runs -- one earned -- over his six-plus inning outing. Jim Johnson tossed a scoreless ninth for his first save.

Kelly Johnson also picked up two hits for the Braves.

"Playing great and pitching has been phenomenal," Kelly Johnson said.

Juan Lagares and Travis d'Arnaud drove in a run apiece for the Mets, while Dillon Gee (0-1) took the loss after allowing eight hits and five runs across five full frames.

Prior to the contest, Major League Baseball issued an 80-game suspension to Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia after testing positive for PEDs.

"He just made a bad decision and is going to have to face it," Gee said.

The Mets came back with three in the seventh to cut their deficit to two, chasing Teheran in the process.

A single and two walks loaded the bases with none out, then Alberto Callaspo's error on a Lagares grounder plated one run, d'Arnaud was plunked to force in another and a Wilmer Flores double-play grounder once Brandon Cunniff entered the game accounted for the other.

Luis Avilan then got pinch-hitter Ruben Tejada on a grounder to end the threat, and retired the side in order in the eighth. Johnson gave up a two-out hit to Lagares in the ninth but set down d'Arnaud on a grounder to first to end the game.

Freeman's second-inning solo shot put the Braves on the board.

Atlanta upped its advantage to 5-0 in the fifth. Three straight doubles to open the frame -- from Callaspo, Bethancourt and Simmons -- brought home two runs, then Young tripled home Simmons two batters later. A Jace Peterson groundout failed to get a runner home, but Markakis' single allowed Young to score.

Game Notes

Lucas Duda was the Mets' lone player with more than one hit ... Freeman has hit 14 homers in 73 career games against the Mets ... Atlanta has won five straight to begin a season for the first time since going 7-0 in 1994.