ATLANTA — After getting bludgeoned the previous night, the Mets were off to a rough start Sunday, with their best starting pitcher unsteady.

But the long afternoon that appeared to await Nolan McLean and the Mets never materialized, as the rookie right-hander recovered to help lead a 10-9 victory over the Braves.

This one got dicey late as Huascar Brazobán and Devin Williams combined to surrender six runs in the ninth. But Williams struck out Dominic Smith with runners on second and third base to end it.

Both Mets wins on this road trip have been in games started by McLean, a bright spot in a rotation that has been besieged by underperformance and injury.

McLean allowed three runs (one unearned) in the first inning and then nothing over the next five. Overall, he surrendered five hits and one walk with five strikeouts.

“I’m satisfied with it,” McLean said. “We’ll take the wins any time we can get them. You want to shut guys out every time you go out there, but we’ll definitely take the win.”

The adjustments for McLean after scuffling through the first inning were minor. He cited discovering his changeup later in the game as providing a boost.

“He’s a competitor,” interim manager Andy Green said. “Falling behind in the first, he didn’t really have the feel for the zone like he did for the rest of the game. He settled in incredibly well. It was just really a control game, where he was moving through the lineup for most of the day.”

The Mets, who won for only the third time in 15 games, will try to escape with a series split Monday before beginning a homestand that will take them to the All-Star break.

As badly as the Mets (37-53) have played against most opponents, they are 3-3 against the Braves, leaders of the National League East.

Bo Bichette’s RBI single in the first got the Mets started after Francisco Lindor reached on Austin Riley’s error and Juan Soto singled — and subsequently was thrown out attempting to stretch the hit into a double.

McLean’s rough first inning included four hits allowed, and he didn’t help himself with an errant pickoff throw that led to an unearned run. Michael Harris II continued his big series with a two-run single and reached third when McLean’s pickoff attempt sailed past Mark Vientos. Mauricio Dubón’s RBI single extended the Braves lead to 3-1. Drake Baldwin was hit by a pitch leading off, and Ozzie Albies doubled him to third. Both run-scoring hits were grounders.

“I feel like I had some pretty good stuff in the first; just some unfortunate things happening,” McLean said. “The ground ball base hits are never fun, when I am a ground ball pitcher usually. It’s always good when those can find gloves.”

A.J. Ewing homered leading off the second against lefty Martín Pérez, but the Mets were just getting started. Luis Torrens walked and Brett Baty doubled before Lindor’s RBI single tied it 3-3. Soto followed with a two-run single, giving him 43 RBIs this season.

Vientos’ fielding error on Jim Jarvis’ grounder gave the Braves a leadoff baserunner in the fifth, but McLean overcame the miscue by recording three straight outs.

Tyrone Taylor homered in the ninth — his second straight game with a blast — to give the Mets a 6-3 cushion. Taylor went deep against former Met Carlos Carrasco. Before the inning was complete, Bichette and Jared Young each delivered a two-run double, extending the lead to 10-3.

Brazobán got only one out in the ninth before he was removed. The Braves scored five runs against the right-hander, highlighted by Baldwin’s grand slam. Williams allowed another run before the Braves got runners to second and third. Williams’ strikeout of Smith ended the drama.

It was a sloppy victory for the Mets, who committed three errors: Brazobán had one, in addition to McLean and Vientos.

“It’s talented individuals on the baseball field; we can play cleaner baseball,” Green said. “We should hold ourselves responsible to that and that’s to each individual man and to us collectively.”