ATLANTA -- Just when it looked like Charlie Morton would make the National League East race a little more interesting, the Braves were dealt yet another gut punch in a 4-3 loss to the Mets on Tuesday.

“There’s no reason we should have lost that game today,” lefty reliever A.J. Minter said. “Charlie did an unbelievable job.”

• Box score

After Morton allowed James McCann’s game-tying three-run homer in the seventh, Minter entered and allowed the Mets to cap their four-run rally with Francisco Lindor’s game-winning single. It was yet another leaky night for a 'pen that hasn’t yet matched last year’s excellence.

The Braves are now 33-8 when leading after six innings after going 27-0 in such games last year. With eight losses in these games, they are tied with the Phillies for the most in the NL.

“Things could have easily gone our way tonight and we wouldn't be having this conversation,” Minter said. “But baseball happened to us tonight.”

Morton’s start going unrewarded could be blamed on a combination of Minter’s misfortunes and the extended slumber of an offense that has scored three runs or fewer in 10 of the past 11 games.

Squandering solid starts is certainly not foreign to the Braves, who over the past 13 games dating back to June 17 have gone just 7-6, while their rotation has produced a respectable 3.09 ERA . Of course, they’ll get no sympathy from the Mets, who in the same span have gone 6-9 while their starters have posted a 3.05 ERA.

But knowing the Mets have also squandered some strong starts over the past couple weeks isn’t going to make the Braves feel any better as they attempt to keep themselves relevant in the division.

The Braves were seven outs away from a potential shutout that would have moved them within 3 1/2 games of first place for the first time since June 9. But New York's comeback sunk the defending division champs, who now sit 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Mets.

“I thought we did a pretty good job,” Morton said. “It just didn’t end the way that I had hoped.”

Morton was in total control as he entered the seventh, having allowed just three hits. He totaled 78 pitches while keeping the Mets silent through the first six innings. At the time, he had surrendered just seven hits and no runs over his past 20 2/3 innings, dating back to his June 17 gem against the Cardinals.

There was no doubt that he was going one more inning. In fact, manager Brian Snitker was thinking he might get eight innings out of his 37-year-old veteran. But everything changed when Dom Smith singled, Kevin Pillar walked and McCann drilled his homer over the wall in left-center.

The first home run Morton surrendered since May 31 came against a cutter after the Mets had whiffed on five of the nine swings they took against this specific pitch. But all anyone will remember is the cutter that found the barrel of McCann’s bat.

“Obviously, I wouldn’t have wanted to catch as much of the plate,” Morton said. “The pitch was at the bottom of the zone. It probably just came out of my hand wrong. I don’t think it really cut very much.”

The home run ended the night for Morton and set the stage for Minter, who surrendered José Peraza’s ground-rule double and Lindor’s go-ahead single. Gone was the lead the Braves had gained with Ozzie Albies’ three-run homer off Tylor Megill in the fifth inning

It also tarnished what had the makings of being a gem for Morton, who allowed three runs and five hits over six innings. The Braves have enjoyed seeing him pitch like the front-line guy they envisioned, but they can’t afford to squander too many more of these impressive outings, especially those constructed against the Mets.

“We have not been playing good baseball, and we know that,” Minter said. “The fact we’re still in this [division race] is encouraging. The only thing I know is winning in this organization. So when we are playing the way we are, it’s a new feeling. Hopefully, we can address it and get back how we know we can play baseball.”