Rookie Zack Wheeler beat NL East-leading Atlanta for the third time, pitching shutout ball into the seventh inning and sending the New York Mets past the Braves 5-3 Tuesday night.
Wheeler improved to 3-0 this year against the team with the best record in the majors. Helped by his midseason promotion from Triple-A, the Mets hold an 8-7 edge over the Braves.
Marlon Byrd and Ike Davis homered and speedy Eric Young Jr. sparked the Mets, stealing two bases, scoring twice and making a diving catch in left field. Catcher Travis d'Arnaud doubled for his first hit in the majors, ending an 0-for-10 rut.
Wheeler (6-2), raised in the Atlanta suburbs, defeated the Braves at Turner Field in his big league debut in June, then topped them at Citi Field in July.
Coming off a 12-strikeout performance at San Diego, the 23-year-old righty came out zinging fastballs in the upper 90s mph. He was one strike away from throwing seven scoreless innings — instead, he left with the bases loaded and two outs, and reliever Carlos Torres gave up Andrelton Simmons' three-run double.
Wheeler allowed six hits, struck out five and walked three. He drew a nice ovation when manager Terry Collins pulled him, and walked to the dugout with his head down.
Byrd's two-run homer capped a three-run burst in the sixth off Brandon Beachy (2-1). The right-hander pitched a day before the first anniversary of his Tommy John surgery, and made his fifth start since the elbow operation.
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Wheeler briskly trotted toward the mound to begin the seventh with a 4-0 lead. He quickly retired the first two batters before Paul Janish doubled and pinch-hitter Joey Terdoslavich walked. Wheeler got ahead of Jason Heyward at 1-2, but wound up walking him to load the bases.
Collins signaled for Torres, and soon the game nearly was tied. Simmons cleared the bases with his double into the left-field corner and kept going to third when shortstop Omar Quintanilla sailed his relay home.
Torres backed up the play and caught the errant toss in the air, yet almost cost himself with a wild toss toward third that second baseman David Murphy alertly tracked down.
Reliever Scott Rice retired Freddie Freeman on a fly ball to protect the 4-3 lead. LaTroy Hawkins pitched the ninth for his fifth save.
Byrd hit his career-best 21st homer and second in two days. Davis added an insurance run in the eighth with a drive into the top rows of the upper deck in right.
Young reached on Simmons' throwing error from shortstop to lead off the first, stole second and scored on Davis' two-out single. Young beat out a clever push bunt toward Simmons to start the sixth and stole his career-high 28th base.
