A.J. Minter's response to blown save against Mets won't make Braves fans happy

The Atlanta Braves took two out of three games against the rival New York Mets in a weekend series, completing a successful road trip. However, they fly back to the ATL with a sour taste in their mouth, all thanks to the efforts of relief pitcher A.J. Minter, who gave up a walk-off home run to Brandon Nimmo at Citi Field.

Minter threw Nimmo a 90 MPH cutter right in the middle of the strike zone which the left-handed hitter did not miss, hitting a missile out to right-center field. Nimmo, one of the core member of these up-and-coming Mets, sent fans in Queens home happy. Minter, of course, was not one of them.

“I take pride in making hitters earn it,” Minter said, per the AJC. “I’m never gonna be scared of a hitter, I’m never gonna be scared to throw a strike. In that situation, I’m not gonna put the winning run on base. I’m gonna attack them. Yeah, I mean, if you take away all the home runs I’ve given up, I’m the best pitcher in baseball. That’s what’s been killing me this year is just getting the ball to stay in the yard. I don’t know how to fix that, I don’t know if it’s just gonna all even out, but yeah, I mean, I just wish I could tell you."

A.J. Minter's mentality could be a problem for the Braves

As Minter suggests, he'd prefer to provide Nimmo a hittable pitch, or at least one in the strike zone, rather than put the winning run on base. Minter's issue this season has been limiting the home run ball.

While Minter certainly isn't having a bad year by any indication -- he still has an ERA under four despite last night's clunker -- he does have three losses and gave up his fifth home run of the season to Nimmo on Sunday.

“My turning my point in my career, it’s been my mentality of not walking guys, and I’m gonna die on that hill,” Minter continued, per Justin Toscano. “If I’m not giving up free runners and I’m gonna make them earn it, and I think I have the nastiest stuff in baseball and they’re gonna have to earn it. That’s what they’ve been doing off of me.”

Minter will make opposing hitters earn it, even if it means giving up the occasional back-breaking longball. The Braves learned that the hard way on Sunday Night Baseball.