A.J. Ewing nearly completed the cycle as the New York Mets secured an 8-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, handing the major league leaders their second straight series defeat. The rookie outfielder’s strong performance contributed to the Mets winning two out of three games in the series at Citi Field.

Ewing’s impact was evident from the start, with a rare RBI double during a four-run first inning off Braves pitcher Bryce Elder. Earlier in the inning, Jared Young had opened the scoring with a run-producing single and later scored on a throw by Mike Yastrzemski that ricocheted off the pole behind third base, preventing an out. Brett Baty also drove in a run with a single during the early rally.

Ewing followed his double with a single in the third inning and a homer in the fifth, falling just short of a triple to complete the cycle. He also grounded out in the seventh and struck out in the eighth.

The Mets’ offense was supported by homers from Marcus Semien, who connected on a pitch immediately after Ewing’s fifth-inning blast. Juan Soto added to the scoring with a two-run single in the eighth inning.

Freddy Peralta (5-5) earned the win for New York, limiting the Braves to one run and four hits over five innings. Despite Atlanta loading the bases with no outs in the first, Peralta escaped major damage, allowing only a sacrifice fly from Dominic Smith. In contrast, Elder (5-4) struggled, conceding six runs and 10 hits over four-plus innings, both season highs.

The loss marked a rare stumble for the Braves, who had dropped only two of their previous 20 series before a recent sweep by the Chicago White Sox in a rain-shortened series.

Sunday’s crowd of 40,106 at Citi Field included many fans wearing Knicks apparel, who cheered loudly as highlights from the New York Knicks’ NBA Finals victory were displayed throughout the game.

Looking ahead, the Braves will return home Tuesday to face the San Francisco Giants, with right-hander Grant Holmes (4-2, 4.05 ERA) scheduled to start against San Francisco’s righty Adrian Houser (2-6, 5.54 ERA). The Mets begin a six-game road trip Monday against the Cincinnati Reds, recalling right-hander Tobias Myers (0-1, 4.05 ERA) from Triple-A Syracuse to start against Chase Burns (7-1, 2.14 ERA).