Brandon Nimmo was Tom Petty and he got some help from unexpected Heartbreakers

Monday’s opener against the Atlanta Braves was an awakening for New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo whose slow season took a turn for the best. Starting in his old stomping grounds of center field, Nimmo went 4 for 4 with 5 RBI and a pair of home runs. He was, without a doubt, the Tom Petty of this victory.

The 8-7 win still wouldn’t have been possible without some Mets heartbreakers. A pair of part-timers off to very different beginnings to their season chipped in with DJ Stewart giving the Mets the go-ahead home run in the eighth and Tyrone Taylor adding to the fun with his glove.

The Braves made a late charge in the ninth only for Jorge Lopez to escape the would-be rally with that long and loud out Taylor caught for only the first out of the inning. From what orifice did the Mets pull this victory from?

Almost everything that could go wrong for the Mets did and they still won

Julio Teheran exited early. Pitcher after pitcher from the Mets bullpen allowed the Braves to stay in the game. Cole Sulser allowed a run in his debut. Jake Diekman is now staring at an 8.10 ERA after another of his own. Then there’s Jorge Lopez whose first save with the Mets couldn’t have looked even more nauseating.

Like a freshly washed pair of jeans we haven’t worn since last summer, we got through it.

How, though? The Nimmo performance was a must but he received very little help from the middle of the Mets order. Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Francisco Alvarez combined to go 0 for 13. Credit Stewart with his timely home run and again Taylor for his defense.

Then there’s the unsung hero of the Mets these last few days. The man who came into relief again on Monday and tossed 2.1 scoreless innings. Reed Garrett saved the Mets in game two of Thursday’s doubleheader by pitching three innings in relief. He added some early in this matchup and held the Braves at bay.

This was a game we’ll remember as the one where Nimmo hit two homers against the Braves. From Atlanta’s perspective, the heartbreak was provided by a few others.