Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Carlos Beltran fell a double short of the cycle with a home run and three runs scored and Mike Pelfrey pitched six strong innings to pick up his first win of the season, as the New York Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves, 5-1, in the second contest of a three-game set.

Pelfrey (1-7), who was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans before the game, gave up just one run and one hit with seven strikeouts and three walks for the NL-East leading Mets, who have won two straight after a five- game skid.

"I just tried to come in here and do the best I could," said Pelfrey. "My job is to go out there and put my team in a position to win every time. I had a little payback today."

New York pushed its division lead to three games over the Philadelphia Phillies, who lost to Florida 12-6 on Saturday. Atlanta, meanwhile, fell 6 1/2 games back.

Pedro Feliciano pitched the final two innings to pick up his second save of the season, retiring 49-year-old Julio Franco to start the eighth before striking out the final five Atlanta batters of the game.

Carlos Delgado and Lastings Milledge also homered for the Mets.

Willie Harris knocked in the lone run for the Braves, who have lost five of seven.

Atlanta starter Chuck James (9-10), who was activated from the 15-day disabled list before the game, took the loss after giving up five hits and three runs over five innings.

New York scratched out a run in the second inning as Delgado's double play groundout plated Beltran, who led off with a single and went to third on Moises Alou's base-hit.

Pelfrey, meanwhile, retired the first 11 batters he faced before walking Chipper Jones with two outs in the fourth. Mark Teixeira's single put runners on the corners, but Pelfrey struck out Brian McCann to end the inning.

Delgado and Milledge each went deep in the fifth to make it 3-0, but Pelfrey got wild in the home half of the inning as Atlanta got on the board.

Pelfrey hit Jeff Francoeur with his first pitch of the game and Francoeur took exception, angrily flipping his bat and yelling at Pelfrey before home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg and Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca stepped in his way. Pelfrey followed with a walk to Andruw Jones and a one-out walk to pinch-hitter Scott Thorman to load the bases.

Harris' sacrifice fly made it a 3-1 game, but Pelfrey rebounded to strike out Kelly Johnson to end the inning.

"(Pelfrey) didn't really give us much to hit over the plate," said Teixeira. "When he had to get the big outs, he did."

New York got the run back in the seventh when Beltran led off with his 26th home run of the season.

Francoeur led off the bottom of the seventh with a single but Guillermo Mota struck out Andruw Jones and got Chris Woodward to hit into a double play.

Beltran then led off the ninth with his third triple of the season before scoring on Delgado's sacrifice fly.