The Mets started off the 2nd half of the season on the wrong foot in a 5-3 lose to the Braves in Atlanta. Oliver Perez gave the Mets six innings of three run ball in his second start since coming back from injury, with the only hiccups back to back homers in the second by Yunel Escobar and Garret Anderson. However, the bullpen gave up runs in the 7th and 8th innings that proved to be the go-ahead tallies for the Braves, with Chipper Jones knocking in the winning run on an RBI single in the 7th. Bobby Parnell struggled in relief by giving up hits to both batters he faced, and Pedro Feliciano (2-3) suffered the loss by giving up a walk that eventually led to the deciding run. 
Jeff Francoeur received a very strong ovation before his first plate appearance in his return to Turner Field, and then hit a screamer that was caught by Martin Prado that resulted in Gary Sheffield being picked off first base for a double play. "Frenchy" went 0-4 with an RBI groundout in the Mets three run fourth inning. Sheffield drove in a run with an RBI single, and Daniel Murphy chipped in with an RBI double.
There was no sighting of "Francoeur's Franks" in the stands, which is the famous fan group that supported Jeff during his tenure with the Braves. This was also the first time Francoeur played against his best friend Brian McCann. The two of them have been on the same team since they were in Little League as 12 year olds. Before Francoeur stepped into the box, he tapped McCann on his leg with his bat.
In addition to the loss, the Mets also received bad news on the injury front. According to metsblog.com, Fernando Martinez is not expected to return from a knee injury until September.
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
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