Santiago Espinal lined a tiebreaking two-run double with one out in the ninth inning off Phil Maton to give the visiting Cincinnati Reds a 3-1 victory Sunday afternoon over the New York Mets, whose nine-game winning streak came to an end.

The Braves had lost three in a row – all in disappointing and frustrating fashion. And at this time of the season, the potential consequence is this: Any slide can effectively end a club’s season.