Yo-etry slam: Mets recapture Wild Card spot

ATLANTA — The Mets had more important matters on their minds Sunday than exorcising the ghosts of Turner Field, which have haunted them for the better part of two decades. In the thick of a skin-tight National League Wild Card race, the Mets simply needed a win.

But they could not have asked for a better sendoff to Turner Field, marshalling a parade across home plate in their 10-3 blowout over the Braves. Yoenis Cespedes clubbed a grand slam for his 30th homer and Seth Lugo contributed seven standout innings, moving the Mets a half-game in front of St. Louis for the NL’s second Wild Card spot.

“For us, it’s about winning games,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “I don’t care who they’re against. We’ve just got to go in and win as many as we can.”

It was Cespedes who broke things open in the third inning, extending a one-run lead to five with his slam off Williams Perez. The Braves starter felt some elbow discomfort as he threw the hanging curveball that Cespedes mashed. He lasted just one additional batter before leaving due to a right triceps impingement.

“We had two four-run innings against us,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “That doesn’t help. It was just one of those days. It’s tough when your starter leaves that early.”

The Mets then piled on in the middle innings, with five of their nine starters — including Lugo — driving in runs. Lugo’s primary contributions came on the mound, however, with seven innings of two-run ball. He improved to 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA in five starts since joining the rotation.

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“Just throwing strikes makes it easy to get more comfortable out there and relax, and make quality pitches,” Lugo said. “It’s been a lot easier since I’ve relaxed out there.”

The Mets, meanwhile, improved to 67-106 all-time at Turner Field. Sunday’s victory gave them seven road wins in a season against the Braves for the first time ever, dating back to their time in Milwaukee. The Braves will move to SunTrust Park in Cobb County next …

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