ATLANTA (AP) — Austin Riley doesn’t want to put too much emphasis on winning the first game of a crucial three-game series with the New York Mets.
That being said, he sure is glad the Atlanta Braves took the opener.
“To get the first one is huge and just try to build as much momentum off it as possible,” Riley said. “To come out fighting and top to bottom did a great job. Arms did great. Just a solid win.”
Riley and Matt Olson hit back-to-back homers off Jacob deGrom in the second inning and Dansby Swanson later connected off the Mets ace as the Braves beat New York 5-2 Friday night to move into a tie for the NL East lead.
The defending World Series champion Braves soaked in the raucous atmosphere at sold-out Truist Park as they seek to keep the Mets from winning one game in the three-game series and earn the tiebreaker between the two teams.
Atlanta, going for its fifth straight NL East title, has won eight of the 17 games in the season series.
Both teams are 98-59 with five games to go in the regular season.
Riley and Olson became the first players to hit back-to-back homers off deGrom (5-4) since Freddie Freeman and Josh Donaldson did it for the Braves on June 18, 2019. That game was also the last time deGrom allowed two homers in the same inning.
At that point, deGrom had given up 13 earned runs and five homers in 17 innings over his last four starts. He entered 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA in his previous three starts. The righty also is dealing with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, but he refused to use that as an excuse.
“I had a little bit in the last start and then it popped and skin underneath right now kind of peeled off, so I started getting pretty aggravated,” deGrom said. “We were debating whether or not to keep going with it, so we decided…