Grant Holmes believed he was on the verge of a game to remember when the Atlanta right-hander reached 10 strikeouts for the first time in his career — and it was only the fifth inning.

The Mets drilled the Braves 10-2 on Tuesday at SunTrust Park, where Pete Alonso and Jacob deGrom starred. Perhaps this taste of success will boost morale and lead to something else. Maybe it is just ...