ATLANTA -- Bartolo Colon winning at Turner Field is hardly rare. The 41-year-old right-hander helping himself at the plate anywhere certainly is, though.

Colon had an unlikely RBI single while pitching seven strong innings and pinch-hitter Daniel Murphy had a tie-breaking sacrifice fly in the eighth as the New York Mets handed the Atlanta Braves their first loss, winning 4-3 on Sunday.

Left fielder Jonny Gomes tied the game in the seventh against Colon with his first homer for the Braves, connecting on a 1-2 fastball and keeping his drive just inside the left-field foul pole.

The Mets went ahead in the eighth, though, as the Braves bullpen gave up a run for the first time this season.

New York loaded the bases against right-hander Juan Jaime on three walks, the last intentional. Then Murphy, pinch hitting for Colon, sent a fly ball to center field off lefty reliever Andrew McKirahan, making his major league debut, to put the Mets (3-3) ahead.

Colon, who improved to 4-0 in Atlanta, needed just 77 pitches in seven innings, allowed six hits and three runs. He struck out five and walked none.

Lefty reliever Jerry Blevins struck out first baseman Freddie Freeman, usually a Mets killer, to end the eighth inning with the potential tying run on second base.

Then, Jeurys Familia replaced Blevins with one out in the ninth and picked up his first save with a strikeout and fly ball.

The Braves (5-1) hadn't trailed this season until Mets left fielder Michael Cuddyer, homering for the first time as Met, picked on a 3-2 changeup from left-hander Alex Wood in the first inning and sent a two-run blast over the fence in left-center field.

The drive, which followed a two-out single by first baseman Lucas Duda, broke a 12-start streak by Wood without allowing a first-inning run.

The Braves, though, tied it with two outs in the second on a two-run triple by shortstop Andrelton Simmons. The Mets had a chance to get out of the inning two batters earlier, but just missed turning a double play.

Colon then put the Mets back ahead in the fourth inning on his first RBI since 2005.

With shortstop Wilmer Flores on third base after a double and groundout, Colon took his usual big swing on an 0-2 fastball and dropped a broken-bat single into right field.

The swing took Colon, who had beaten the Nationals 3-1 in Washington on Opening Day, out of his helmet and he stood on first base bemused with what had just happened.

Colon, who had been hitless in his past 37 at-bats, had a .032 average last season and the RBI was just the sixth of his career, much of it spent not batting in the American League.

Wood went 6 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits, and got off the hook for a potential loss when Gomes homered off Colon in the seventh. Wood struck out six and walked three.

NOTES: Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, sticking with a modified platoon, employed his sixth different lineup in as many games. ... Mets INF Ruben Tejada made his first start in place of 2B Daniel Murphy rather than SS Wilmer Flores as originally planned. ... Manager Terry Collins said that Murphy, who was sidelined the final two weeks of spring training because of a strained right hamstring, was "stiff" and "sore" after playing in five straight games. He had just two hits in 18 at-bats. ... RHP Jason deGrom, the 2014 NL rookie of the year, will start the Mets' sold-out home opener on Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies. DeGrom pitched six innings in a 2-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. ... Braves LHP Mike Minor, on the disabled list because of inflammation in his rotator cuff, experienced discomfort in his shoulder when he resumed throwing from the mound in his rehab and will again have to be shut down.