NEW YORK (AP) Julio Teheran took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning, 20-year-old Ronald Acuna Jr. hit his second big league home run and Atlanta routed the New York Mets 11-0 Thursday to complete a three-game sweep that vaulted the young Braves into the NL East lead.
Kurt Suzuki, Acuna and Nick Markakis homered as Atlanta built a 6-0 lead against Jason Vargas (0-2), and 21-year-old Ozzie Albies went deep off an equally shaky Matt Harvey.
Atlanta outscored the Mets 21-2 in the series, outhit them 41-15 and extended its winning streak to five. The Braves opened a 1+-game division lead, the latest in a season they have been in first place since July 20, 2014.
Teheran (2-1) was virtually untouchable until Asdrubal Cabrera doubled down the right field line with two outs in the seventh on a 1-2 curveball. Michael Conforto then walked and Adrian Gonzalez had an infield that loaded the bases, but Amed Rosario popped up.
Teheran allowed two hits in seven innings, struck out six and walked two. He retired his first 11 batters, walked Yoenis Cespedes on a 3-1 count in the fourth, then got nine more outs in a row before Cabrera’s hit.
Jesse Biddle followed with a perfect eighth, and Max Fried finished a three-hitter.
Teheran also had two hits and a sacrifice fly. Every Braves starter except Teheran scored a run.
On a summer-like afternoon with a game-time temperature of 90 at Citi Field, Teheran was pitching on five days’ rest after cutting a start short at Philadelphia because of a tight trapezius muscle in the right side of his back.
New York was shut out for consecutive games for the first time since the Chicago Cubs blanked them on June 30 and July 1, 2015. Before Cabrera’s double, 40 of the Mets’ previous 42 batters had made out.
Teheran pitched no-hit ball into the seventh for the third time. Pittsburgh pinch-hitter Brandon Inge singled to break up a bid after 7 2/3 innings on June 5, 2013, and Philadelphia’s Freddy Galvis led off the seventh with a single on Sept. 20, 2015.
Vargas actually lowered his ERA from 22.09 to 16.20 despite giving up six runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings during his first home start for Mets since May 17, 2007, at Shea Stadium. Sidelined since late spring training by a broken hamate bone in his right hand, the left-hander allowed nine runs over 3 2/3 innings at San Diego last weekend in his big league season debut.
Markakis hit a go-ahead double in the first and scored on Suzuki’s two-run homer. The Braves doubled the lead in the fifth when Acuna homered leading off and Markakis hit a two-run shot.
Harvey made his fourth relief appearance after losing his starting spot and gave up Albies’ three-run homer in a five-run seventh.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Braves: SS Dansby Swanson did not play, a day after he left in the sixth inning because of a sore left wrist.
Mets: RHP Jacob deGrom is on track to take his next turn in the rotation Monday at Cincinnati after a scan and examination determined no major injury occurred when he hyperextended his pitching elbow while batting Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (2-1), who has not gotten an out in the seventh inning in six starts this season, will be on the mound for Friday’s homestand opener against San Francisco and RHP Chris Stratton (2-2)
Mets: RHP Zack Wheeler (2-1) starts Friday’s series opener against Colorado and RHP German Marquez. Wheeler struck out nine in Sunday’s win over Philadelphia, his most since Aug. 15, 2014.
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