The Mets buried the Braves in a 12-7 victory in front of a sold-out crowd of 40,076 fans on Friday night at Truist Park.

By the time Nolan McLean returned to the mound Friday for the fourth inning — a danger zone for Mets starting pitchers — he had plenty of latitude.

The scuffling New York Mets have been in desperate need of a starter other than David Peterson to pitch deep into games.

The Atlanta Braves have a chance to push closer to a playoff spot with a pivotal weekend series against a division foe

The Mets beat up on left-hander Joey Wentz (4-4), scoring six earned runs in only 3 1/3 innings, and continuing the onslaught against right-hander Erick Fedde, with three off of the right-hander. A 20-hit night for the Mets, every hitter in the starting lineup got a hit, including backup catcher Hayden Senger, just the ninth of his career.

The Mets and Braves have had a number of climactic late-season series. This… will not be one of them. But it is a chance for the Braves to extend the Mets’ recent misery, something that, should it happen, we will all relish.

Juan Soto's first season with the New York Mets has been an adventure. The Mets season has also been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. After Soto, 26, signed his massive 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets,