In Mets debut, Frankie Montas out to turn tide vs. Braves

Frankie Montas will finally make his New York Mets debut Tuesday night.

The skidding Mets can only hope he's nearly as good upon his return as Ronald Acuna Jr. has been for the rival Atlanta Braves.

The clubs will meet Tuesday night in New York for the second game of a four-game series between the National League East rivals.

Montas, who has been out all season recovering from a right lat injury he suffered in spring training, is slated to face fellow right-hander Spencer Strider (2-5, 3.89 ERA).

The Mets fell for the ninth time in the last 10 games Monday night, when Acuna homered and Spencer Schwellenbach tossed seven strong innings as the Braves earned a 3-2 win.

The loss dropped the Mets 1 1/2 games behind the East-leading Philadelphia Phillies, who were off Monday. New York led Philadelphia by 5 1/2 games and had the best record in baseball at 45-24 on June 12.

The 1-9 stretch is the Mets' worst 10-game run since they lost nine of 10 from June 2-13, 2023.

The Mets have struggled at the plate and on the mound during the slump, during which they are batting .215 while posting a 6.02 ERA.

Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto, the top three batters in the lineup, combined to go 4-for-11 Monday, when Soto hit a two-run homer. But the fourth- through ninth-place hitters were just 2-for-21.

Starter Paul Blackburn allowed all three runs in 4 2/3 innings as he became the ninth starter in the last 10 games to last five innings or fewer.

"We need to continue to support the guys, continue to work," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "But it's about results, right? So yeah, we continue to have the confidence in the guys, but we've got to be better."

Montas, who signed a two-year, $34 million deal with the Mets last December, will need to be much better Tuesday than he was during his rehab, when he posted a 12.05 ERA in six starts. Mendoza and president of baseball operations David Stearns both expressed hope Montas' struggles were a matter of him treating the rehab like his spring training.

"I have seen him pitch a lot of years at this level and have success," Mendoza said. "The expectation is he will go out there, compete and give us a chance to win a baseball game every time he takes the ball."

The expectations have always been high for Acuna, who won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2018 and won MVP honors in 2023, when he returned from a torn ACL in his right knee to become the first player in history with at least 40 homers and 70 stolen bases in the same season.

Acuna's 2024 season ended in May due to a torn left ACL, but he's hitting .396 with nine homers in 28 games since returning May 23 -- three days shy of the one-year anniversary of his injury.

"It's crazy -- everything he's done since he's been back, honestly," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "You just don't see that after a player (has) missed that much time."

Strider will be facing the Mets for the second straight start. He earned the win last Thursday when he gave up one run over six innings in the Braves' 7-1 home victory.

Montas is 0-0 with a 7.56 ERA in two career starts against the Braves. Strider is 5-1 with a 4.91 ERA in nine games (seven starts) against the Mets.