ATLANTA — This opening act with a National League wild-card berth at stake might have gotten the Mets booed off a Broadway stage, but at Truist Park was met mostly with glee.
Was it a lack of energy by the Mets or just dominant pitching by the home team?
Maybe it was a combination of both.
This snooze-fest looked over by the middle innings, with the Mets lineup incapable of providing as much as a buzz Tuesday in a 5-1 loss to the Braves.
Atlanta moved within one game of the Mets for the final wild-card spot, as Arizona — which began the day a half-length behind the Mets for the second spot — prepared to face San Francisco in a later game.
This much of the math still holds true: the Mets can wrap up a berth by winning this series.
But with the weather threatening to become a factor over the next two days, it’s anybody’s guess if those games will be played before the Mets head to Milwaukee this weekend.
David Peterson is scheduled to face NL Cy Young award front-runner Chris Sale on Wednesday, but there is a strong threat of rain, followed by the potential of a tropical storm hitting the region on Thursday.
On this night, the Mets managed just four hits against Spencer Schwellenbach and the Braves bullpen and never seemed in the game once Atlanta broke through against Luis Severino.
Severino slogged through his shortest start of the season, lasting only four innings in which he allowed four earned runs on seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
It was the first time Severino allowed more than three earned runs in a start since Aug. 28 at Arizona.
Orlando Arcia’s squib single leading off the third and Severino’s throwing error on the play started an inning in which the Braves established a 3-0 lead.
Michael Harris II’s RBI double brought in the first run before Ozzie Albies singled in another.
Starling Marte threw home instead of hitting the cutoff on the play, allowing Albies to reach second.
Severino recorded an out, but walked Marcell Ozuna and surrendered a two-out RBI single to Ramon Laureano.
Harris blasted a solo homer against Severino in the fourth that extended the Braves lead to 4-0.
The homer was the fourth allowed by Severino in his last three starts.
Marcell Ozuna homered against Ryne Stanek in the fifth to bury the Mets in a 5-0 hole.
Ozuna’s homer was his 39th of the season and gave him 102 RBIs.
The Mets had their best early shot against Schwellenbach in the third.
Jose Iglesias extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a two-out single and Brandon Nimmo reached on Arcia’s error before Marte was retired to end the threat.
Mark Vientos homered in the seventh to spoil Schwellenbach’s shutout bid.
Vientos’ shot to right just cleared the right-field wall, slicing the deficit to 5-1.
The hit was only the Mets’ third in the game.
