ATLANTA _ As former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel remained unemployed Saturday night, Mets left-hander Jason Vargas lasted one-third of an inning in an 11-7 loss to the Braves, the shortest start by a Mets pitcher since Vargas (also one out) last August.
Of Vargas' six batters, he walked three, including Dansby Swanson with the bases loaded. Two got hits. The other, Freddie Freeman, flied out when he sent an 86-mph fastball to deep center field.
Vargas, who had his previous turn in the rotation skipped as the Mets managed multiple days off, allowed four runs Saturday and has allowed 10 in 6 1/3 innings (14.21 ERA) this season.
Keuchel, a two-time All-Star who had a 3.74 ERA in 34 starts last season, has been throwing 95-pitch simulated games once every five days, a source said.
The Mets kept in touch with Keuchel's agent, Scott Boras, into the regular season in case his price dropped into a palatable range from the team's perspective. But there has been no expectation from either side that the Mets and the 31-year-old left-hander would actually agree to terms.
At SunTrust Park, meanwhile, both teams dipped into their bullpens by the top of the second, and the performances from the long relievers made the difference.
Corey Oswalt, the Mets' top rotation depth option, labored through 3 2/3 innings of relief, allowing five runs, six hits and four walks. He threw 43 pitches during Atlanta's four-run second inning.
Touki Toussaint, who entered after the Mets reached Sean Newcomb (1 1/3 innings) for four runs in the top of the second, allowed a lone unearned run in six innings. He struck out seven, allowed four hits and two walks and received a standing ovation from the home crowd upon departing in the eighth.
The Braves also scored off Luis Avilan (two innings, four hits, one run) and Robert Gsellman (two innings, one hit, one run, four strikeouts) as the Mets managed to get through the night using just three relievers.
The Mets scored at least six runs for a franchise-record seventh game in a row. Juan Lagares (two RBIs) and Jeff McNeil each had multiple hits.
Six of the Braves' eight starting position players had multiple hits. Swanson (1 for 4) led everyone with three RBIs.
With another day off Thursday, the Mets could wait a week and a half before needing a fifth starter again, allowing time for a decision on who might draw that assignment _ be it Vargas, Oswalt or anybody else.
This was Vargas' first start since April 2 (with a one-inning relief appearance mixed in).
"Pitching on 11 days of rest is tough," Callaway said Saturday afternoon. "No matter how you prepare the guy in between, it's a tall order. Unfortunately, when you're the fifth starter and you have guys like we have pitching at the front of the rotation, that's going to happen sometimes.
"(Vargas) goes out there and he competes, every time he's ever pitched probably in his whole life. That's who he is. He's a professional. I'm sure he's gotten himself ready even though the circumstances were probably tougher than others have to deal with. But he's going to go out there and throw the ball over the plate and give us a chance."
