ATLANTA — One series win is hardly enough to determine whether or not the Mets are fixed, especially since that win came against the NL East’s fourth-place team, but the fact that it came in Atlanta does say something.

Clay Holmes recorded his first quality start since June 7, and the Mets mashed four home runs in an 9-2 win over the Braves on Saturday night at Truist Park, three of which came in the seventh inning to turn a one-run lead into a five-run lead. Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos and Starling Marte all hammered homers. Vientos hit two, and so did McNeil, whose three-run shot in the third gave the Mets a lead they’d never relinquish.

Finally, the Mets (69-60) were able to take advantage of a team out of the running to pick up some wins. Doing so on the road in a place where they’ve historically played poorly made even more of a statement.

“We’re swinging the bat well and we’re not missing pitches,” McNeil said. “We have some good plans up there, we’re driving the ball and stringing together good at-bats.”

McNeil’s two-out, three-run shot in the top of the third gave the Mets an early 3-0 lead. The second baseman teed off on the first pitch he saw from right-hander Cal Quantrill (0-1), sending it 420 feet into the right field stands. It was the second-longest home run of his career, and it came after he had the last two days off to deal with a sore right shoulder.

The 2022 NL batting champ’s 11th homer of the season gave Holmes some breathing room to work with.

“Just a massive swing,” Holmes said. “Put us up, gave me some room to kind of wiggle with there and be more efficient. From that aspect, that swing was probably the play of the night. It was a huge swing.”

Holmes has thrown far more innings than he has in any previous year of his career, but he seemed to hit a wall after about 80. The Mets doubled down on their confidence in the converted reliever at the trade deadline, but he didn’t exactly repay them for it right away. The last time he faced the Braves (58-71), he couldn’t even make it through four innings.

This time around, Holmes relied less on his sinker and used all of his pitches to be able to work into the seventh. He gave up two in the top of the fourth after issuing back-to-back walks, but stranded the tying run on second. The right-hander retired eight straight before Drake Baldwin hit a single, prompting the Mets to go to the bullpen.

“When I’m at my best, I feel like I’m using my whole arsenal and covering different parts of the zone,” Holmes said. “The sinker is good, and it’s easy to kind of rely on it at times, but like I said, when I’m at my best, I’m able to mix and match certain different pitches and use the whole arsenal. So it’s really not just forcing myself to go to one one thing or one side of the plate, it’s, ‘Let’s use this, let’s mix it up.’ It helps everything play off each other a lot better.”

It was the kind of start the Mets expected from Holmes, who limited the Braves to two earned runs on three hits, walked two and struck out four in the win (11-6). He had help from the defense, but that’s why those other eight guys are on the field.

“I just stepped back and was like, ‘I’m going to keep forcing contact here and let the defense work,’” Holmes said. “The defense came up huge tonight. Starling made a big play out there, [center fielder Tyrone Taylor] made a great diving catch, guys were all around the infield. It was me trusting them, and they played really well.”

The homer-fest began in the top of the seventh against left-hander Dylan Lee. Juan Soto walked to lead off, and Pete Alonso hit No. 29 on the season to give the Mets a 5-2 lead. Then Vientos hit one. With one out, Marte hit one, capping a monster game in which the outfielder went 3-for-3 with a home run, a walk, two stolen bases and a 7-2 double play to get a runner at home.

“Talking to him after he’s like, ‘Yeah, before that pitch, I was moving my arm around because I wanted it, I was expecting it,’” Holmes said.

Vientos hit his second in the top of the ninth off left-hander Austin Cox, and McNeil followed with another one of his own.

The statement is this: Don’t count the Mets out just yet. They remain in second place in the NL East behind the Philadelphia Phillies, and in third place in the NL Wild Card standings, now 2.5 games up on the Cincinnati Reds.

“We’ve got a chance to sweep these guys tomorrow, and that’s the mentality,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “It’s good to come in here, especially after a couple of tough losses in DC, bounce back and play well the past couple of nights.”

Originally Published: August 23, 2025 at 10:03 PM EDT