NEW YORK — Freddie Freeman broke a ninth-inning tie with a three-run homer after driving in two as a pinch hitter in the seventh, and the Atlanta Braves stunned the Mets 6-3 Wednesday night in the finale of New York's rough homestand.
David Wright had a tying, two-out single off Brandon Cuniff in the seventh after the Bravesscored three times in the top half to take a 3-2 lead. But closer Jeurys Familia failed in the ninth as the NL East leaders finished 3-6 on their penultimate set at Citi Field.
New York stayed 6 1/2 games in front of second-place Washington, whose 4-3 loss to Baltimore trimmed the Mets' magic number to five for clinching the division title.
After a seven-game road trip on which they have a chance to clinch their first postseason berth since 2006, the Mets return home for three games against the Nationals to end the regular season.
Freeman, who was out of the starting lineup to rest his right wrist, had a two-run double and Michael Bourn singled in a run off Addison Reed after Bartolo Colon was lifted with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh.
Manager Terry Collins brought in his closer to maintain the tie, but Familia gave up a one-out single to Cameron Maybin and walked Bourn. Freeman, who appeared to have a testy conversation with Wright at first base in the bottom of the seventh after the New York captain's hit tied it, launched a drive deep into the stands in left-center for the first homer off Familia (2-2) in 28 appearances.
Edwin Jackson (2-2) got one out for the win. Arodys Vizcaino worked the ninth for his seventh save.
Colon held the Braves without a baserunner until there were two outs in the fifth, but A.J. Pierzynski and Andrelton Simmons started the seventh with singles off the 42-year-old right-hander. After an out, Maybin singled to chase Colon.
Reed has not yielded a run for New York since being acquired on Aug. 30, but he's allowed all five inherited runners to score.
Colon was charged with five hits and three runs in 6 1-3 innings. He was looking to reach 15 wins for a third straight season in his 40s.
Williams Perez gave up two early runs, a homer to Daniel Murphy in the first and an RBI single to Ruben Tejada an inning later, but settled in through six.
The Mets helped him out, though, stranding Yoenis Cespedes following a two-out triple in the third. Colon bunted into a double play in the fourth.
Braves first baseman Nick Swisher, who played four seasons for the Yankees, had No. 8 written on the side of his hat in honor of Yogi Berra, who died Tuesday night.
