HR robbery follows lost lead, stuns Mets

NEW YORK — To keep pace with the Cardinals and Giants in the National League Wild Card race, the Mets understand they must take advantage of every opportunity. Less than two weeks to go in the regular season. No slip-ups now.

But the Mets allowed a prime opportunity to fall through their fingers this week at Citi Field, losing a 4-3 game to the Braves on Wednesday that completed a series sweep for Atlanta. Taking a three-run lead into the seventh inning, the Mets lost it amidst a lengthy string of pitching changes and pinch-hit plate appearances, going behind for good in the ninth.

Yoenis Cespedes nearly won the game for the Mets on a walk-off, three-run homer in the ninth, but center fielder Ender Inciarte robbed him with a leaping catch at the wall. The resulting win was the sixth in a row for the Braves at Citi Field and their fifth straight overall.

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The loss ensured the Mets would remain tied with the Cardinals, who lost earlier Wednesday, while temporarily dropping them a half-game behind the Giants in the NL Wild Card race.

• Inciarte broke a lot of Mets fans’ hearts with his amazing grab

Jumping out to a 3-0 lead on Asdrubal Cabrera’s two-run homer in the first inning and Rene Rivera’s solo shot in the fifth, the Mets seemed as if they might cruise to victory from there. But an Anthony Recker two-run shot in the seventh inning brought the Braves back within a run of the lead, before a Dansby Swanson single chased starter Bartolo Colon from the game.

Mets manager Terry Collins made a series of unorthodox bullpen decisions at that point, bringing setup man Addison Reed into the game in the seventh, lefty specialist Josh Smoker in the …

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