By Stan Awtrey, The Sports Xchange
ATLANTA — Left fielder Yoenis Cespedes clubbed his 30th home run, a long grand slam, and drove in five runs, to help the New York Mets to a 10-3 win over the Atlanta Braves Sunday in their final appearance at Turner Field.
Cespedes came to the plate with the bases loaded in the second inning and hit the second pitch he saw from Atlanta starter Williams Perez deep into the left field stands for his second grand slam this season and fourth of his career.
The blast pushed Cespedes to the 30-home run level for the second straight season; he had a combined 35 with the Tigers and Mets in 2015. The last Mets player to hit 30 homers in a season was Lucas Duda in 2014.
The beneficiary of the support was right-hander Seth Lugo (4-2), who won his fourth straight start. Lugo avoided major difficulty in the fourth inning when he got out of a bases-loaded mess with only one run scoring. He pitched seven innings and allowed two runs on six hits, one walk and five strikeouts in his first career appearance against Atlanta.
Perez (2-3) left with a right triceps impingement after allowing the Cespides home run. The right-hander pitched 2 2/3 innings and gave up five runs on four hits and one walk. The Atlanta trainer was summoned to the mound and minutes later Perez walked to the dugout. He spent time on the disabled list earlier this season with a strained rotator cuff.
The Mets pounded out 11 hits, three of them from shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. They batted around in the fifth inning and scored four times, one of the coming in to score on Lugo’s sacrifice fly, which produced his first career RBI.
New York first baseman James Loney added a solo homer, his seventh.
The Braves’ offense was led by first baseman Freddie Freeman. He walked in the first inning to extend his streak of reaching base to 33 straight games and added an RBI single in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to a season-long 17 games.
Atlanta’s Brandon Synder added a solo pinch-hit homer, his third overall and second pinch-hit homer this season.
Atlanta scored once and loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning against reliever Logan Verrett. Lefthander Josh Edgin came in and induced Jace Peterson into a game-ending double play.
The Mets had many poor performances at Turner field — going 67-106 against the Braves. But the Mets finished by winning 11 of their final 14 games at Turner Field.
NOTES: New York INF Gavin Cecchini made his major league debut as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and struck out. … The Braves placed C A.J. Pierzynski on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. The veteran went on the DL with the identical injury on Aug. 17. To add depth and an additional left-handed bat off the bench, the Braves recalled C Blake Lalli from Triple-A Gwinnett. Lalli last played in the major leagues in 2013 and was hitting .256 in 109 games for the G-Braves. … The Braves continue their homestand with a three-game set against Miami that starts on Monday. Atlanta will send RHP Mike Folytnewicz (8-5, 4.16 ERA) against Miami RHP Andrew Cashner (5-11, 4.77 ERA). New York starts a three-game road series against Washington on Monday. Rafael Montero (0-0, 4.63 ERA) starts the opener for the Mets. Washington had not announced its starter.