ATLANTA — Steven Matz still has a leap to make before the Mets can consider him as part of a potential playoff rotation.
The rookie lefty was effective enough to pick up a win Friday night, but his key number is seven — as in pitching into the seventh inning — and Matz isn’t there yet.
With a major assist from the bullpen and Yoenis Cespedes’ bat, the Mets beat the Braves 5-1 at Turner Field on a night Matz never found a rhythm.
Cespedes iced it with a monstrous two-run homer in the ninth, as the Mets — who won their fifth straight — moved 8 ½ games ahead of the Nationals in the NL East.