The Atlanta Braves’ recent struggles may be spilling into the bullpen, an area of the team that has been solid for most of the season.

Atlanta, which will open a four-game series on Friday night against the visiting New York Mets, saw its relievers melt down on Thursday and allow eight runs in an 11-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Braves have lost 14 of their last 19 games to see their lead in the National League East shrink to 2 1/2 games over the Philadelphia Phillies.

New York, which is in last place in the division, did not play on Thursday. The Mets lost a three-game series at Toronto and have dropped 10 of their last 12 games.

The Atlanta bullpen, which posted a 2.14 ERA in June, finished the final four innings on Wednesday without allowing a hit.

It was a different story on Thursday.

Dylan Lee, who entered the game with an 0.95 ERA, allowed three runs in one-third of an inning and saw his ERA grow to 1.64. Reliable Tyler Kinley gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning, and Ian Hamilton and James Karinchak each gave up one run.

“Dylan has pitched a lot, so it’s something we’ve got to keep an eye on,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “We always talk about trying to keep those guys strong all the way through. (Lee) was good to go, and he’s been virtually untouchable this year.”

Atlanta setup man Robert Suarez is out with right elbow inflammation and won’t return until after the All-Star break.

This will be the second series between Atlanta and New York this season. The Mets won two of three games from June 12-14 in New York.

The Mets will send Christian Scott (2-0, 3.20 ERA) to the mound on Friday to face fellow right-hander Grant Holmes (4-4, 3.96) of the Braves.

Scott will make his second start since spending two weeks on the injured list with a hip impingement. He returned on Saturday to start against Philadelphia and threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out six in New York’s 6-2 victory.

“I feel great,” Scott said afterward. “Felt like I attacked the zone pretty well for the most part. Just established my off-speed stuff early in the game and then kind of just rode the wave off of that.”

Scott, who made nine starts as a rookie in 2024, missed all of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Since his return this spring, Scott has been reliable. In 10 starts, he has allowed more than three runs just one time — when he gave up four in 4 2/3 innings against St. Louis on June 11 before going on the injured list.

He has made one career start against the Braves, taking a loss after allowing three runs over six innings in 2024.

Holmes has made 15 starts, but his inability to pitch past the fifth inning in four of his last five starts caused the Braves to temporarily move him into a long relief role. In his last appearance against San Francisco on Saturday, he allowed just one hit over four scoreless innings in his team’s 5-0 loss.

Holmes has made two career starts against the Mets, going 0-1 with a 2.00 ERA and striking out 13 in nine innings.

–Field Level Media

Logan Webb will try to extend his hot stretch into July when he takes the mound for the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night in Denver.

Webb (5-5, 3.09 ERA) went 3-1 with an 0.71 ERA in five starts in June.

It was a sharp turnaround for the veteran right-hander, a National League All-Star the past two seasons who was 2-4 with a 5.06 ERA after eight starts this year.

Webb most recently blanked the Atlanta Braves on one hit over seven innings last Saturday in a 5-0 victory. It was the second time in the month that he one-hit an opponent over seven innings, accomplishing that feat on June 3 in a 1-0 win against the Milwaukee Brewers.

“Like waffle fries from Chick-fil-A,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said of Webb’s most recent performance. “Really, really good.”

Webb’s latest effort was even more notable considering he battled the flu the day before facing the Braves.

“In my career, I’ve pitched pretty well when I’m not feeling great, so this added to that,” Webb said.

Before surging last month, Webb had a mediocre performance against the Rockies on May 29 in Denver. He allowed one run and three hits over 4 1/3 innings of an 8-6 loss in which he did not receive a decision.

Before that performance, Webb had missed the prevision 3 1/2 weeks with right knee bursitis.

Webb has been successful against the Rockies in his career, going 11-3 with a 2.94 ERA in 20 appearances (19 starts).

San Francisco also will look for outfielder Heliot Ramos to stay hot at the plate in the series.

Ramos has played four games since missing 37 with a right quadriceps strain. So far, he’s 4-for-14 with a triple and two home runs.

He tripled, homered and drove in two runs in a 6-4 win at the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, helping the Giants salvage the final contest of the three-game series.

“He looks stronger,” Vitello said of Ramos. “However, he handled that time off was phenomenal. As he’s gotten back into it, I think he’s been full steam ahead.”

The Rockies, meanwhile, earned a split of their four-game series against the visiting Miami Marlins with a 14-4 win on Thursday afternoon.

Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman took Thursday off after blasting his 27th home run of the season in a 6-3 win on Wednesday. That feat was overshadowed by teammate Mickey Moniak, who came within a single of hitting for the cycle, and Miami catcher Joe Mack, who hit a pinch-hit, inside-the-park home run.

Goodman wasn’t sure his towering blast would clear the left-field fence on Wednesday, but when it did it tied him with Larry Walker for the most home runs through 87 games in franchise history.

“It’s been borderline historical,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “It’s been unbelievable.”

The Rockies plan to start right-hander Ryan Feltner (2-2, 4.42 ERA) in the series opener. He went 0-1 in five starts last month with a 4.00 ERA.

Feltner most recently allowed one run and five hits in six innings of a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

He has made six starts against the Giants in his career, going 1-3 with a 3.60 ERA.

–Field Level Media

While Junior Caminero had his franchise-record-tying streak of consecutive games with a home run snapped at six on Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays extended their winning streak to eight.

The Rays capped a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 5-2 victory and will open a three-game set at the Houston Astros on Friday night riding their longest winning streak since a 13-0 start in 2023.

Caminero didn’t continue his streak on Thursday, but Cedric Mullins homered for the third consecutive game and the seventh time since June 3.

“Two months ago, he was missing some pitches that were frustrating him that he normally handles,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Mullins. “Subtle adjustments here and there, and then just a lot of work to get that timing. Thrilled for what he’s doing because he’s another guy that can add that power element to our game.”

Right-hander Nick Martinez (7-2, 2.66 ERA) is the probable starter for the Rays in the series opener.

Martinez limited the Arizona Diamondbacks to one run on six hits with three strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in a 6-1 victory last Friday. He improved to 6-1 with a 2.92 ERA over his last 11 starts.

Martinez is 4-5 with a 3.94 ERA over 15 career appearances (10 starts) against the Astros. In his previous appearance against them on May 9, 2025, Martinez allowed three runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts over six innings in a 3-0 loss with the Cincinnati Reds.

Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (7-4, 4.00 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Friday.

Arrighetti allowed a season-worst eight runs on five hits — including three home runs — and five walks with seven strikeouts over a season-low three innings in an 8-0 road loss to the Detroit Tigers last Friday.

Named the American League Pitcher of the Month for April after going 4-1 with an 0.93 ERA, Arrighetti went 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA across five starts in June.

He made his lone career start against the Rays on Aug. 4, 2024, and took a 1-0 loss after allowing one run on five hits and two walks with 12 strikeouts across six innings.

Astros right-hander Cristian Javier will be reinstated from the 60-day injured list on Friday and will work out of the bullpen. Javier (0-1, 12.54 ERA in three outings) was placed on the IL with a Grade 2 shoulder strain on April 9. Of his 127 career appearances, 34 have come in relief.

“We looked into how he’s pitched, our need right now,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “Our starters, mapping out the next two weeks, just right now using him that way (makes sense). It doesn’t mean that he’s going to remain that way, but for now that’s the decision that we came to.

“All hands on deck. We need all these guys to stay healthy, but we’re also looking for some good performances from some of these guys. Our goal is to go day by day and see where it takes us.”

–Field Level Media