ATLANTA — Michael Harris II had three more hits, including a solo home run and an RBI double, and rookie Spencer Schwellenbach shut down the New York Mets again as the Atlanta Braves cruised to a 5-1 win Tuesday night in the opener of a pivotal three-game series.
Atlanta trails the Mets by one game in the National League playoff race with five remaining. New York began the night a half-game ahead of Arizona for the second of three wild cards, while the Braves were 1 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks.
Arizona hosted San Francisco in a later start.
Schwellenbach (8-7) threw seven strong innings, giving up one run and three hits while striking out four. He allowed one run and five hits while striking out 15 batters over 14 innings in two wins against the Mets this season.
