Mets overcome starter's injury to blank Braves

Five pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout as the New York Mets overcame the loss of starting pitcher Griffin Canning to stop the visiting Atlanta Braves 4-0 Thursday night and earn a split of the teams' four-game series.

New York moved back into first place in the NL East by a half-game over Philadelphia.

Canning was injured after throwing a pitch that retired Nick Allen on a grounder to short for the second out of the top of the third inning. Running to back up third in case Eli White tried to advance from second, Canning crumpled to the ground with his left leg in the air.

Canning was helped off the field and the Mets reported that he had a left ankle injury. He retired eight of the nine men he faced, striking out three.

Austin Warren (1-0), making his second appearance this year, worked 2 1/3 innings and allowed only one hit to earn the win. Dedniel Nunez, Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz polished off the game by allowing just one baserunner over four innings.

Grant Holmes (4-7) absorbed the loss after permitting two runs on six hits and three walks in five innings. He fanned six.

New York got the only run it needed in the fourth when Tyrone Taylor lofted a one-out sacrifice fly to right, easily scoring Juan Soto. He led off the inning with a walk and reached third via Pete Alonso's single that one-hopped the wall in right-center.

Alonso made it 2-0 in the fifth by rifling a two-out RBI single to center, his 65th RBI of the year. It scored Francisco Lindor, who singled with one out and moved up to second on Brandon Nimmo's single.

The Mets tacked on two insurance runs with two outs in the seventh. Soto singled and advanced to third on Alonso's double into the left field corner. Jeff McNeil cashed them in by looping a two-run single just over the glove of Allen at shortstop.

--Field Level Media