NEW YORK — Matt Olson hit a three-run homer and Max Fried pitched the Atlanta Braves to a 4-0 victory over the New York Mets in a game called after five innings Friday night because of rain.
Ronald Acuña Jr. had an RBI single in the fifth and Olson followed with a 461-foot drive to right-center off David Peterson for his first home run against a left-hander this season. The distance initially was projected at 433 feet but was revised after the game.
After the Mets were retired in the bottom half, umpires called for the tarp and the game was called following an 88-minute delay.
“It was starting to get a little sloppy out there for sure,” Olson said.
Fried allowed three hits and went the distance as the teams played in a steady rain at Citi Field all night. Atlanta improved to a major league-best 11-2 on the road and beat the Mets for the seventh time in their last eight meetings.
It was the first game between the NL East rivals since the Braves completed a pivotal three-game sweep in Atlanta last September that sent them to their fifth straight division title.
PHOTOS: Olson, Fried lead Braves to rain-shortened 4-0 win over Mets
The slumping Mets have lost five of six and were shut out for the fifth time this year.
Acuña hit an RBI single after Eddie Rosario was thrown out trying to score on a grounder by Michael Harris II.
Olson launched the next pitch from Peterson (1-4) over the bullpens in right-center.
“I didn’t see where it landed,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “I just knew he hit it good.”
It was the second-longest homer of Olson’s career, behind a 475-foot shot for Oakland against Tampa Bay on May 31, 2018.
Olson struck out and grounded out before going deep and is 8 for 39 off left-handed pitching this year. Last season he hit seven of his 34 homers off lefties and also homered seven times against the Mets.
“You want to stay in that good spot all year long but it’s just not the reality of it,” said Olson, who entered with four hits in his last 25 at-bats. “You’re going to have to tinker with some stuff and get back to the spot where you feel good.”
Olson homered for the fourth straight game against the Mets, the longest streak by an opponent since Paul DeJong connected in four straight for St. Louis against New York in 2017.
Fried (2-0) did not permit a run for the third straight outing and has allowed just one all season, leaving him with a 0.45 ERA. The left-hander struck out seven and walked one for his 54th win since 2019, the most among left-handed pitchers in that span.
“The field I felt like held up really well, just there was a lot of times where it was really hard to get the feel of the ball,” Fried said.
He ended the fifth by fanning Brandon Nimmo with a runner on first.
After the Mets batted in the fourth, Peterson took a few warmup pitches from the grass on the first base side as grounds crew members attended to the soggy mound.
The Braves then set up Olson’s eighth homer with a pair of well-placed hits.
Rosario singled just past diving shortstop Francisco Lindor, and Kevin Pillar followed with a double that hopped over third base and barely stayed fair.
“I felt good. I felt like I had all of my pitches and I was executing,” Peterson said. “And then I missed my spot on the fastball to Acuña and missed my spot on the slider to Olson.”
MAKING IT UP TO FANS
The Mets announced that anyone holding a ticket to the game will receive a voucher for a ticket to another Monday-Thursday home game during the 2023 regular season besides the Subway Series in June against the Yankees, subject to availability.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Braves: RHP Raisel Iglesias felt fine after throwing 12 pitches in his first minor league rehab appearance with Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday. Iglesias has been out all season with a sore right shoulder after being shut down in the final week of spring training.
Mets: RHP Justin Verlander (strained muscle in upper back) allowed two hits and struck out six in 4 2/3 scoreless innings in a rehab appearance for Double-A Binghamton. Verlander will be evaluated Saturday and the team will decide if he needs another rehab outing. … LHP José Quintana (fractured rib) played catch for the first time since undergoing surgery.
UP NEXT
Atlanta RHP Spencer Strider (3-0, 1.80 ERA) opposes Mets RHP Tylor Megill (3-1, 3.96) on Saturday afternoon, though rain is in the forecast again. Strider took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and struck out 13 against Miami on Monday.
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