The NL East has a new leader for the first time since early April. After the New York Mets fell 6-3 to the Miami Marlins, the Atlanta Braves won 6-4 at Seattle later Friday to take sole possession of first place in the division for the first time all season.
The Braves won their eighth straight and finally jumped a half-game ahead of the Mets in the East after chasing them for five months.
The only previous day this year the Mets did not hold at least a share of the division lead was April 11. «It's that time of year, a lot of us can hit that wall,» Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. «We have to find a way to break through the wall and do it together.
That's what good teams do and I'm sure we're going to do it.» The Mets led the NL East by as much as 10½ games over the Braves on June 1.