ATLANTA (AP) — Lucas Duda and Jonathon Niese stole some of the spotlight on Chipper Jones' big night.
Duda's three-run homer in the seventh inning gave New York the lead, Niese pitched seven strong innings for his third straight win and the Mets beat Tim Hudson and the Braves 3-1 on Friday night.
Niese outpitched Hudson on a special night. A sellout crowd of 51,910 packed Turner Field for a pregame tribute to Jones.
Niese wasn't distracted.
"It was a special night for Chip," Niese said. "It couldn't go to a more deserving guy. He plays the game the right way. All the respect, all the accolades are deserved.
"It's always an honor to be able to face a player like that, a future Hall of Famer. To do it tonight in front of all those people was pretty special."
Niese (13-9) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings for his third straight win.