OAKLAND — At long last, the Braves are even with the Mets in the standings.
Their climb has taken all season, but with a 10-9 win over the Athletics on Tuesday at RingCentral Coliseum, the Braves pulled into a tie for first place in the National League East.
Here are five observations from the back-and-forth victory:
1. A little over three months ago, the Braves did not look like themselves – not even close. They were sloppy and inconsistent, a shell of the team many expected them to be this season. As the Braves stumbled, the Mets raced out to a huge lead in the division.
But the moment has arrived.
The Braves, a model of sustained success over the last few seasons, have caught the Mets. After spending the entire season out of first place, the Braves have a taste of it once again.
Atlanta put itself there by going 62-24 after June 1, erasing a 10 1/2-game deficit in around three months.
The Mets have not necessarily collapsed — the Braves simply have not lost enough for New York to sustain a large lead. It all led to the last few days, when the Mets lost two in a row to the Nationals and one more on Tuesday to the Pirates, while the Braves swept the Marlins before beating Oakland on Tuesday.
2. The Mets series in Queens. The losses to the Diamondbacks in Arizona. And on and on.
There have been many times pundits declared the Braves dead in the NL East, or deemed them worse than last season, but Atlanta proved this: It is a long season. Despite any ugly losses, bad as they may seem, a big-picture perspective is always best.
For the Braves, 26 games remain. A lot can happen in that time, as we’ve seen countless times. But the Braves sent a message to those quick to rule them out.
They were never as far out of this race as naysayers believed.
3. Almost at the same time the Mets made their final out in their loss to the Pirates, the Braves took a first-inning lead over the Athletics on William Contreras’ sacrifice fly.
The Braves put together a lot of early offense, but needed more and more as the night progressed. But this group, perhaps the most dangerous lineup in baseball, continued delivering.
The Braves hung a three-run first inning, a three-run third and a three-run fifth on the scoreboard. Still, those were not enough because Kyle Wright was charged with eight earned runs over four innings on a rare rough night. The final few runs scored when Dylan Lee served up a three-run home run in the fifth.
The Braves received contributions from many, including Matt Olson (a three-run homer), Vaughn Grissom (a two-run single) and Marcell Ozuna (a two-run single).
The Braves saw leads of five and four runs vanish at different points in the contest, but never folded.
4. As Olson stepped into the batter’s box for the first time here as a member of a visiting team, Oakland’s fans gave him a nice standing ovation.
His loudest moment did not occur until two innings later, when Olson launched a three-run home run to straightaway center off Cole Irvin that traveled an estimated 417 feet. The blast gave the Braves a five-run lead and, though a ton happened after that, this served as a nice moment for Olson in his return.
In six seasons with Oakland, Olson crushed 66 home runs at this ballpark. He added another, this time as a visitor.
5. Michael Harris II raced back to the wall, jumped and almost made an insane play, but the ball, which narrowly missed his glove, went over the wall for a three-run home run that tied the game in the bottom of the fifth. The Braves had led multiple times, only to see each advantage evaporate.
Their bullpen showed toughness and grit in the final innings.
After Lee allowed the homer, Jesse Chavez hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Raisel Iglesias and A.J. Minter each tossed a scoreless inning. Kenley Jansen protected a one-run lead to earn his 32nd save of the season.
Stat to know
30-13 — After Tuesday’s win, Atlanta is 30-13 against left-handed starting pitchers this season, the third-best winning percentage in baseball against lefty starters.
Up next
The second game of this two-game series begins at 3:37 p.m. on Wednesday. Atlanta’s Spencer Strider will face Oakland left-hander Ken Waldichuk.
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