EditorsNote: changes game slug; fix in 3rd graf; adds pic; minor fixes elsewhere
Kyle Wright turned in his best career start, and Ronald Acuna Jr. homered and drove in four runs to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 7-0 victory over the host New York Mets on Sunday afternoon.
Wright, Will Smith, Chris Martin and Mark Melancon combined on a three-hit shutout for the National League East-leading Braves (31-22), who won seven of 10 in the season series vs. the Mets (24-29).
In his seventh start this season, Wright (2-4) retired 19 of 20 batters he faced in 6 1/3 outstanding innings. He surrendered just a two-out double to Wilson Ramos in the third inning and a one-out walk to J.D. Davis in the seventh that chased him.
Acuna homered, doubled, walked and was hit by a pitch while scoring three times. Travis d'Arnaud had two hits and continued to torment his old club, improving to 11 for 24 with 11 RBIs against New York this season.
The final meeting between the two NL East rivals shaped up as an unlikely right-handed pitchers' duel between a pair of struggling hurlers -- Wright and New York's Rick Porcello.
The outing marked the first time in his career that Wright - the No. 5 overall pick out of Vanderbilt in the 2017 draft - pitched into the seventh inning. He walked one and struck out six.
Porcello (1-6), making his 350th career start, allowed just one hit and struck out five in his first time through the Braves' order. He allowed one run on three hits and struck out a season-high 10 in seven innings.
Acuna broke the scoreless tie in the sixth when he sliced a one-out solo shot to right field for his 13th homer this season. It was the Braves' ninth homer of the three-game series but just the fourth allowed by Porcello this year - all given up over his last four starts.
D'Arnaud stroked a two-out, two-run double to right against Jeurys Familia in the eighth to make it 3-0. With the bases loaded in the ninth, Acuna lashed a three-run double for a 6-0 lead, and Marcell Ozuna doubled in a run.
--Field Level Media
