Anderson labors in 'frustrating' start vs. Mets

Ian Anderson's return to his native state didn’t prove to be nearly as enjoyable as the one he made in April. But the struggles the Braves hurler endured in a 13-2 loss to the Mets on Saturday night at Citi Field served as a reminder of his youth.

“There’s going to be bumps in the road for him,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s not going to be just perfect. He’s going to learn something every time out. It was just one of those days. He’s going to have those.”

Anderson surrendered seven hits, including two homers, and battled command issues while allowing four runs over just four-plus innings. The 23-year-old right-hander needed 87 pitches to record 12 outs. He had surrendered just four runs over his previous three starts combined. But this was the second time within his past five starts that he didn’t complete at least five innings.

“It’s frustrating,” Anderson said. “It’s definitely an outing I want to put behind me.”

Once Anderson exited with a four-run deficit in the fifth, the Braves didn’t create any excitement in this division showdown. They have lost three of four to the first-place Mets this season and now sit 3 1/2 games back in the National League East.

When Anderson struck out four of the first six hitters he faced, it appeared he might mimic the success he had back on April 21, when he tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium. But the solo homer James McCann hit off the upstate New York native in the first inning was just the start of a frustration-filled night.

Anderson struck out the first two batters he faced in the second and then surrendered a single to former Braves top prospect José Peraza. He then lost his command, hitting Cameron Maybin on the left elbow with a 1-2 pitch. The up-and-in pitch quickly conjured memories of Braves reliever Jacob Webb hitting Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar in the face with a pitch on May 17.

Maybin entered the game hitless in 26 at-bats since joining the Mets. After he reached base, Anderson issued a six-pitch walk to Mets starter Taijuan Walker, who was instructed not to swing the bat while making his first start since leaving that May 17 game in Atlanta with left side tightness. Anderson escaped that jam when Jonathan Villar flied out sharply to the wall in right field.

But even though he pitched around that threat, the righty totaled 52 pitches through the first two innings. The early stress created the feeling he was fighting an uphill battle all night.

“I felt like the whole night I was putting myself in bad situations,” Anderson said. “The first two innings, I strike out the first two guys and then the inning gets away from me a little bit. It’s never fun pitching like that. In my past few outings, it felt like I was going right at guys and getting ahead. I felt like I didn’t do a good job of that tonight.”

The Mets chased Anderson by beginning the bottom of the fifth with three consecutive hits, including Villar’s leadoff homer and a single by McCann, who enjoyed a four-hit night.

“It was a struggle for him pretty much all the way,” Snitker said. “But he went into the fifth inning down 2-0. Shoot, that’s still manageable.”

After Sean Newcomb retired the only three batters he faced in the fifth, Edgar Santana allowed five runs -- three earned -- and recorded just one out. The Mets’ seven-run sixth included Brandon Drury’s two-run homer off Santana and Billy McKinney’s three-run homer off Jay Flaa.

Anderson was forced to watch as the Braves surrendered a double-digit runs total for the sixth time this year, matching the Reds and Tigers for the most in the Majors. He has a 0.71 ERA in two career starts against the Yankees, but he has now allowed seven runs in just 8 2/3 innings over his two career starts at Citi Field.

“I’ve had two kind of rocky goes here at Citi Field,” Anderson said. “I’ve got to figure that out. It’s part of it. It’s going to be fun to go back and see what I can improve.”