ATLANTA — The party was fun while it lasted.
But even on a night the Mets’ lineup finally broke out with loud hits and reached double digits in runs, the other half of the equation turned into a pile of crud Thursday.
Whether it was Justin Verlander getting knocked out after three awful innings or a parade of ineffective relievers, the Mets seem determined to squander their riches and get swept by the Braves.
Mission accomplished.
Ozzie Albies delivered a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th inning against Tommy Hunter, sending the Mets to their sixth straight loss, 13-10, at Truist Park.
The defeat marked the first time in the franchise’s 62-year history in which the Mets lost three games in a row after leading by three runs in each.
Hunter, one of only two relievers remaining after the ninth (Dominic Leone was the other) got two outs in the 10th inning — with a walk to Travis d’Aranud mixed in — before Albies cleared the right-field fence to end it. Albies was 0-for-3 lifetime against Hunter with three strikeouts previously.
Brandon Nimmo delivered a grand slam, and Francisco Alvarez homered twice to lead the Mets’ offensive attack.
The Mets trail the Braves by 8 ½ games in the NL East and, fortunately, won’t see their NL East nemesis until Aug. 11, when the teams are next scheduled to meet at Citi Field.
Orlando Arcia’s ninth-inning homer against David Robertson tied it at 10-10, fully erasing the three-run lead the Mets held in the eighth.
Robertson was asked to get five outs after Drew Smith surrendered a two-run homer to d’Arnaud in the eighth.
In a third ugly performance in his last five starts, Verlander lasted only three innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits and four walks over three innings.
The right-hander was coming off a 117-pitch outing against the Blue Jays but was also pitching on an extra day of rest. Verlander’s ERA jumped to 4.85 — the highest it has been at the conclusion of a game this season.
Verlander was jumped from the onset, allowing a two-run homer to Austin Riley in the first inning after Ronald Acuna Jr. opened with a double.
The Braves extended their lead to 3-0 in the inning when Starling Marte nonchalantly fielded Eddie Rosario’s single to right and watched the ball scoot under his glove for a two-base error.
The Mets got it all back and more in the second inning.
Three straight singles, including one by Marte for an RBI, got the Mets on the board.
Brett Baty’s RBI single in the third extended the Mets’ lead to 6-3.
Jeff McNeil’s leadoff single and Francisco Lindor’s ensuing walk got the Mets started in the inning.
But Verlander walked four batters in the bottom of the inning, allowing two runs as the Braves pulled within 6-5.
Arcia delivered an RBI single in the inning, after d’Arnaud and Ozzie Albies had walked. Michael Harris II and Acuna then walked in succession, forcing in a run, before Verlander struck out Matt Olson to end the inning.
Alvarez’s two-run homer in the fourth gave the Mets an 8-5 lead.
Nimmo walked leading off the inning before Alvarez unloaded for his 10th homer of the season.
Tommy Pham’s RBI double in the fifth upped the Mets’ lead to 9-5. Marte was initially ruled out at the plate on the play, but the Mets challenged and the call was overturned.
The Braves answered with Marcell Ozuna’s homer against Stephen Nogosek in the bottom of the inning. Jeff Brigham got the final two outs in the fifth after Nogosek had allowed a double to Harris.
Alvarez’s second homer of the game, a solo blast in the sixth, extended the Mets’ lead to 10-6. Alvarez moved into a tie with Lindor for second on the team, behind Alonso (22), with 11 homers.
Strider allowed eight earned runs over four innings and now has a 7.23 ERA in seven career appearances against the Mets. The right-hander owns a 3.08 ERA overall in his career.
