Eli White homered and drove in four runs to spark the Atlanta Braves to a 14-3 win over the visiting New York Mets on Saturday.
The Braves have won the first two games of the four-game series. New York has lost 12 of its last 14 and fell 17 games behind Atlanta in the National League East.
White was 2-for-2, hit one of the Braves’ five home runs and matched his career high with four RBIs. Also going deep were Mauricio Dubon, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Riley, who ended a 36-game homerless streak, and Michael Harris II, who homered off position player Luis Torrens.
Chris Sale (9-6) pitched five innings and gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out three, matching his season low.
Rookie JR Ritchie closed the game with three scoreless innings, striking out four, to earn his first save.
New York starter Sean Manaea (1-4) allowed six runs on six hits and one walk, striking out four over five innings.
The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when White hit a solo homer, his fourth, into the Mets bullpen. Manaea had not allowed a home run since White tagged him for one in New York on June 13.
Atlanta added four runs in the third. Michael Harris II drove home a run with a bases-loaded single. White followed with a shallow popup that glanced off the glove of center fielder Tyrone Taylor, who nearly collided with shortstop Francisco Lindor, and into left field, clearing the bases.
The Braves upped the lead to 6-0 when Dubon hit a solo homer, his ninth.
Taylor helped atone for his earlier gaffe with a solo homer, his fourth, in the fifth.
The Mets knocked Sale out of the game in the sixth. Mark Vientos hit a two-run homer, his 11th, and had two runners on base with no outs when Sale was lifted in favor of Dylan Lee. The left-handed reliever struck out the next three batters to end the threat.
