The Mets handled their division rival in the Braves, 6-3, in their first meeting of the 2019 season in Atlanta on Thursday night. >> Box score
Five things to know about Thursday's game...
1) It's as simple as this: Pete Alonso is a beast. The rookie mashed his sixth homer of the season, and it was an absolute missile to deep center field -- 454 feet to be exact. The homer, which left the bat at 118.3 mph, was the hardest-hit homer in Mets history since Statcast was implemented. He also joined Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton among the top 10 hardest-hit homers in the Statcast era, as his falls tied ninth. Alonso finished the day 2-for-4 with two RBI and moved his average to .378.
2) Steven Matz had another solid outing for the Mets, allowing just two runs on four hits over six innings of work. He also struck out eight braves and one walk. This start comes after a five-inning start against the Nationals where he allowed just two hits and no runs. Matz also got his first win after eight straight no-decisions. That's what the Mets like to see from the big lefty.
3) Amed Rosario is loving his spot near the bottom of the order, as his bat continues to stay hot. He went 2-for-4 with four RBI, including a three-run bomb -- his first homer of the season. He moved his season average up to .283.
4) The Mets' bullpen, which has been shaky of late, only allowed one run after taking over for Matz. It was Luis Avilan who allowed a solo homer to Ronald Acuña Jr. Robert Gsellman went one inning allowing two hits, but got out of the jam. Jeurys Famila took over for Avilan and closed things out, while Edwin Diaz managed to strike out Freddie Freeman with two men on in the ninth to pick up his fifth save of the year.
5) Robinson Cano and Brandon Nimmo were ice cold in Atlanta. Cano went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, while Nimmo was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a walk.
Highlights
Video: Pete Alonso destroys his 6th home run of the season
Video: Amed Rosario jacks 3-run HR against Braves
What's Next
The Mets and Braves continue their four-game series on Friday at 7:20 p.m. It will be Zack Wheeler looking for a rebound start against Kyle Wright for the home team.