ATLANTA — Mickey Callaway is a jinxed man.
Every bullpen decision the Mets manager makes these days detonates in his face, the latest coming Monday, when Seth Lugo was left in the game to pitch a second inning of relief and surrendered a walk-off two-run homer to Charlie Culberson in the ninth. The result was a 4-3 loss to the Braves in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader at SunTrust Park.
After Lugo, in a rare misstep, blew the save in the eighth, ruining Jacob deGrom’s shot at the win after seven superb innings, Devin Mesoraco led off the ninth with a blast into the left-field seats, giving the Mets the lead.