Swanson saves Braves after Harvey's solid debut

March 8th, 2016

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Matt Harvey completed three solid innings in his Grapefruit League debut and Wilmer Flores recorded three hits as the Braves beat the Mets, 5-4, on Tuesday afternoon at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex.
Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson -- the No. 8 prospect in the game as ranked by MLBPipeline.com -- hit a game-tying triple in the bottom of the ninth, then scored the winning run on Emilio Bonifacio's single two batters later.
Pitching in a game for the first time since Game 5 of the 2015 World Series, Harvey managed to allow just one run, despite surrendering three hits and issuing two walks. The Mets right-hander escaped the second inning unscathed when Daniel Castro grounded into a double play with the bases loaded.
But Harvey surrendered a Nick Markakis sacrifice fly when the Braves loaded the bases again in the third, courtesy of a Freddie Freeman walk that was preceded by consecutive singles recorded by Ender Inciarte and Erick Aybar.
Braves starting pitcher Matt Wisler faced the minimum, as he completed two scoreless innings during his first spring start. Wisler erased the potential damage created by Flores' second-inning leadoff single by getting Johnny Monell to ground into a double play.
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The Mets erased their early deficit by taking advantage of highly-regarded Atlanta pitching prospect Sean Newcomb's control problems during a three-run fourth inning that was highlighted by Juan Lagares' two-run single. Newcomb, who is Atlanta's top pitching prospect per MLBPipeline.com, issued two walks, surrendered three hits and was charged with a wild pitch while facing just six batters. His reputation for having shaky control has been displayed, as he has issued six walks through his first 1 2/3 innings of the exhibition season.
The Braves got within a run of the Mets after Adonis Garcia opened the bottom of the fourth with a double and later scored on Nick Swisher's groundout. The Mets then scored a security run when Flores delivered a fifth-inning RBI single off Chris Withrow, who is one of Atlanta's top bullpen candidates.
Up next for the Mets: The Subway Series morphs into the Florida Turnpike series when the Mets take on the Yankees in a 1:10 p.m. ET game Wednesday at Tradition Field on MLB.TV. It's an opportunity for the Mets to continue rolling out their rotation, with Jacob deGrom set to make his spring debut opposite right-hander Ivan Nova. The Mets also expect Yoenis Cespedes, who has been easing into Grapefruit League play as a designated hitter, to debut in center field.
Up next for the Braves: Projected Opening Day starter Julio Teheran will make his first start of the year when Atlanta travels across town to play the Astros at Osceola County Stadium on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. ET on MLB.TV. Hector Olivera and former Astro Michael Bourn will start in the outfield. Top prospects Swanson and Ozzie Albies are also scheduled to make the trip.