[Source: Reuters]

Sean Murphy hit a pair of three-run homers and the visiting Atlanta Braves hung on to beat the New York Mets 9-8 in the first game of a doubleheader on Monday.

Atlanta has won the first two games of the series and five of its last six games. New York has lost six of its last seven.

Murphy went deep in the first and seventh innings, giving him eight for the season. It was his third career multi-home run game. He was 2-for-4 and matched his career high with six RBIs.

Atlanta starter Spencer Strider (4-0) pitched five innings and allowed four runs on five hits, three walks and eight strikeouts. It ended a nine-game streak of at least nine strikeouts, two short of the major league record set by Nolan Ryan in 1977.

A.J. Minter pitched the ninth and earned his sixth save, despite allowing a two-out pinch-hit home run to Eduardo Escobar. Brett Baty lined out hard to right field to end the game.

New York’s Denyi Reyes (0-1) pitched one-plus inning as the opener and allowed five runs on five hits — two of them homers – with one walk and two strikeouts.

The Braves hit four home runs, also getting a two-run shot from Kevin Pillar and a solo homer from Ronald Acuna Jr., which was measured at 448 feet and landed in the front row of the upper deck. The power surge gave Atlanta a 6-1 lead that it never relinquished.

The Mets scored in the first inning on an RBI single from Francisco Lindor and added a three-run shot from Pete Alonso, his 11th, in the third inning. It was Alonso’s first homer since April 21, moving him into a tie for the league lead, and it trimmed the lead to 6-4.

A solo homer by New York’s Baty in the sixth cut the lead to one run, but Murphy’s second blast put Atlanta ahead 9-5.

The Mets scored twice in the seventh. Shortstop Vaughn Grissom threw away the return throw to first base on a double-play attempt that allowed Alonso to score from second. Lindor scored ahead of Alonso from third.