NEW YORK — The Atlanta Braves have won the National League East Division often enough to know the regular season is more marathon than sprint, and manager Brian Snitker is well aware that rough patches occur even on the road to great success.
So a run of six losses in eight games that included being swept at Dodger Stadium last weekend wasn't enough to incite a panic in their clubhouse — and neither was the slow start for some of the biggest bats in their lineup.
Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a titanic home run, just before Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson also went deep in the third inning, and the Braves beat the New York Mets 4-2 on Friday night.
Charlie Morton (3-0) pitched seven splendid innings as the NL East rivals played through raindrops in a game delayed 55 minutes at the start. The Braves, off Monday after losing three games in a row to the Los Angeles Dodgers, won a two-game set against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday in Atlanta before getting another day off Thursday.
"We're not even close to hitting on all cylinders yet," Snitker said of the six-time reigning division champions.
Francisco Lindor homered on Morton's first pitch in the seventh, one of only three hits off the 40-year-old right-hander.
"He amazes me every time he goes out there," Snitker said.
Morton struck out seven batters and walked one in his fourth consecutive quality start, surpassing 2,000 innings in Major League Baseball in the process.
"That's a lot," Morton said. "It's something to be proud of, and something to experience with this group here is pretty special."
Atlanta reliever A.J. Minter struck out all three batters in the eighth, and closer Raisel Iglesias got three outs for his 10th save in 12 chances this season and the 200th save of his career.
Iglesias gave up Pete Alonso's two-out RBI single before J.D. Martinez hit a long drive that hooked foul down the left-field line. Martinez then flied out to end it.
After the game, Iglesias had the souvenir ball from his milestone save sitting in his locker and said he was happy to give his wife that gift on her birthday.
"I just feel very satisfied," the reliever said through a translator. "It was definitely a goal that I'd set out for myself previously, and I'm just very happy I was able to accomplish it."
Coming off a horrendous outing, Mets starter Jose Quintana (1-4) gave up four runs and six hits in five innings. The veteran left-hander was hammered for eight runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays a week earlier.
"It's frustrating because a lot feels great and (I was) throwing the ballgame well against a pretty good lineup," Quintana said. "After two outs, everything changed. Big damage. So that's pretty bad."
Right after a double play that left the bases empty in the top of the third, Acuña drove a full-count sinker 461 feet to the back of the black batter's eye incline in straightaway center, well beyond the home run apple at Citi Field.
For the reigning NL MVP, it was just his third home run this season after equaling a career high with 41 last year.
"It felt really good, I'm not going to lie," Acuña said through a translator. "It's been a while since I felt that way, so it was nice to be able to kind of regain that feeling."
Albies followed with a high fly into the left-field corner, 105 feet shorter than Acuna's smash but still worth one run. It was Albies' first homer since March 31 — he missed time with a broken toe — and the second time the Braves hit back-to-back home runs this year.
Quintana then walked Austin Riley before a previously slumping Olson sent a two-run shot to right-center for his fourth home run of the season and first since April 7 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 26-game drought was the longest of his MLB career, and Olson led the majors with 54 homers and 139 RBIs last season.
On the injury front, Braves right-hander Pierce Johnson (elbow inflammation) was set to throw off a mound.
"Just feel and touch a little bit," Snitker said. "Everything's trending good with him."
The three-game series continues Saturday.
Left-hander Max Fried (2-1, 4.23 ERA), who is 8-5 with a 2.65 ERA against the Mets, is set to go for the visitors, while New York rookie right-hander Christian Scott (0-0, 1.35) will make his first start at Citi Field. The team's top pitching prospect is coming off an impressive MLB debut last weekend at Tampa Bay, where he allowed one run with six strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.