Braves beat Mets, take important step forward in playoff hunt

With the NL East rival Mets in town for a three-game series, the Braves opened the series with a 5-1 victory that moves them just one game back of New York in the National League wild-card standings.

The Braves (86-71) were led by a fantastic pitching effort by Spencer Schwellenbach, who gave up just three hits and one run over seven innings of work. 

Meanwhile, the Mets' (87-70) Luis Severino was shelled for seven hits and four runs over just four innings of work. Atlanta put together a three-run third inning to grab a 3-0 lead, with an RBI coming from Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies and Ramon Laureano.

Harris wasn't done making noise at the plate, however, as a solo shot in the fourth padded the Braves' lead.

Marcell Ozuna concluded Atlanta's scoring in the fifth with a solo homer of his own. The home run was Ozuna's 39th of the season.

Mark Vientos finally touched Schwellenbach in the seventh inning with a solo home run, but Joe Jimenez and Raisel Iglesias shut down New York over the final two innings to secure a pivotal victory for the Braves' postseason hopes.

With a win in Wednesday's contest, the Braves can even up the wild-card standings with their division rival. First pitch for Game 2 is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with another 7:20 p.m. first pitch scheduled for the series finale on Thursday.