FSM Essential Recap: Dodgers vs Mets - Series 40

FSM Essential Recap: Dodgers vs Mets – Series 40

www.FranchiseSportsMedia.com

Los Angeles Dodgers (78-47)  |  New York Mets (61-63)

 

“Listen, if you start worrying about the people in the stands, before too long you’re up in the stands with them.”

– Tommy LaSorda

 

Game 4:

 

The Dodgers were in an unfamiliar position of late, trailing early on Sunday. They dug a hole they could not get out of in a 7-2 loss to the Mets on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, snapping the Dodgers’ win streak at nine games.

In the Dodgers’ six wins over the Mets in the previous nine days, New York had only three singles in 47 at-bats with runners in scoring position. But they had three run-scoring hits in the first inning alone against David Price. The first was a double by the freshly-activated Javier Báez to score Brandon Nimmo from first. The singles that followed were of the runners-in-scoring-position variety.

“Leading the game off with a walk is never good,” said Price. “That’s how you give up runs.”

Sunday’s 3-0 deficit marked the first time the Dodgers trailed in 48 innings, dating back to Monday night against Pittsburgh.

The Dodgers outscored their opponents 10-0 in the first inning during their nine-game win streak, scoring in the opening frame in five games.

Price needed 33 pitches to get through the first inning but retired 10 of his final 11 batters faced, throwing 42 pitches over the next three scoreless frames. He was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the fourth during a Dodgers rally.

His outing only underscores how phenomenal Dodgers pitching has been in August, including Price. His start on Sunday is the only appearance by an L.A. pitcher this month allowing more than two earned runs.

Cody Bellinger’s two-run single in the fourth inning pulled the Dodgers to within a run and put runners on the corners with two outs. Price was removed in favor of pinch-hitter Billy McKinney, but on an 0-2 pitch, Bellinger was caught trying to steal second.

Manager Dave Roberts said he wanted a straight steal of second base on the play, but Bellinger instead tried to stop, trying to draw a throw so AJ Pollock could try to score from third base.

“Miscommunication on my part,” Roberts said.

That ended the inning without clearing the pitcher’s spot, which meant reliever Brusdar Graterol batted for himself in the fifth. On the mound in his second inning of work, Graterol hit J.D. Davis and allowed a double to Jeff McNeil with no outs. But he recovered to get the next two batters, including a nifty play by shortstop Corey Seager for the second out.

The Dodgers intentionally walked catcher Pat Mazeika to load the bases for the pitcher’s spot, and Mets manager Luis Rojas opted to let Marcus Stroman bat, sitting on 81 pitches through five innings. Stroman tapped back to the box to end the inning, to the Dodgers’ benefit, but then L.A. didn’t make the Mets pay in the bottom of the inning, going down in order against Stroman on 13 pitches.

 

It’s been a rough couple of weekends for J.D. Davis, who was 4-for-21 with 11 strikeouts in the first six games against the Dodgers, including three different escape-hatch outs with the bases loaded.

On Sunday he took a Chris Taylor smash off his throwing hand at third base and was hit by a 100-mph pitch from Graterol in the sixth. But Davis also had an RBI single in the first inning and widened New York’s advantage with a two-run home run to left field in the seventh.

Neftalí Féliz pitched a perfect eighth inning, including a strikeout. Shane Greene pitched an imperfect ninth, allowing a single, hitting two batters, walking in a run while recording only one out. Greene allowed two runs.

They are the 36th and 37th pitchers used by the Dodgers this season, extending a franchise record.

The Dodgers have used 21 different pitchers in relief in August, two more than any other month in franchise history. The previous high came in September 2016, back when active rosters could expand to up to 40 players.

 

Game 4 Boxscore:

 

WP: Marcus Stroman (9-12)

LP: David Price (4-2)

HR: J.D. Davis (5)

 

For the first time in two weeks, the Dodgers have an off day, on Monday. They open a series against the Padres on Tuesday night at Petco Park. Julio Urías is expected to be activated off the injured list to start the opener for Los Angeles. The first pitch is at 7:10 and can be seen on SportsNet LA and ESPN.

 

 

Game 3:

 

Neither team had a hit with runners in scoring position on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, unless you count the batter’s box. The Dodgers hit three home runs to the Mets’ two in a 4-3 win, the sixth for Los Angeles over New York in the last nine days.

Four of those wins over the Mets are by one run, including each of the last two days. After a 13-21 record in one-run games to start the season, the Dodgers have won their last six such games.

“For me, it’s the law of averages. It’s not like guys are trying any harder,” manager Dave Roberts said before Saturday’s game. “I do think the easy answer is that’s baseball. But I knew we were better than the record said in one-run games, and it’s kind of showing itself.”

Those six straight one-run wins are part of a nine-game winning streak for the Dodgers, matching their longest win streak of the season, also done June 25 to July 4.

All three Dodgers home runs were solo shots, including Trea Turner, who hit his first homer as a member of the Dodgers, to lead off the first inning. His 19th home run of the season was his first since July 19 with the Nationals.

“It was good to get it over with,” Turner said of his first home run with his new team. “It felt like it’s been forever since I hit one.”

Turner had three hits on the day, his fifth multi-hit effort in the last six games.

Saturday featured the two oldest players in the majors this season, and 41-year, 217-day-old Albert Pujols hit the first pitch he saw from 41-year, 163-day-old Rich Hill over the wall in center field in the first inning.

Playing time has been more intermittent of late for Pujols, who on Saturday started for the third time in the last 14 games. But the home run was his 11th this season against left-handed pitching, against whom he’s hitting .308/.347/.615.

 

Hill is the first pitcher age 40 or older to face Pujols since he turned 40. The first-inning home run was the first hit by a Dodgers batter 40 or older against a pitcher 40 or older.

Max Scherzer only allowed one run but was limited to five innings, as the Mets made him work. The damage came in a 34-pitch fourth that saw Brandon Nimmo homer with two outs in the frame, cutting the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1.

A double by Jeff McNeil, a hit by pitch, and a walk loaded the bases and put Scherzer in trouble, but he got out of it by striking out J.D. Davis.

“Right there I thought he emptied the tank,” Roberts said. “Guys like Max make big pitches. That was the difference in the game.”

Scherzer struck out eight in five innings, including four with runners in scoring position, with the Mets 0-for-7 in those at-bats against him.

The Dodgers didn’t even have a runner in scoring position until the sixth, when they loaded the bases with nobody out against reliever Miguel Castro, pushing across a run when Chris Taylor worked an 0-2 count into a walk.

Taylor’s walk gave the Dodgers a 4-1 advantage, though in the top of the seventh a walk to McNeil followed by a two-run home run by Pete Alonso cut the margin to one. Those were the first two earned runs Blake Treinen has allowed since June 23, and his first home run allowed since June 5.

The only other Mets runner in scoring position came in the ninth after Kevin Pillar was hit by a pitch from Kenley Jansen. Nimmo flew out to left for the first out of the frame, and Pillar tagged up from first. He was dead to rights at second base, but Trea Turner was unable to corral the bounced throw from AJ Pollock.

But Jansen struck out McNeil and Alonso to end it, sealing his second save in as many days.

 

Game 3 Boxscore:

 

WP: Max Scherzer (11-4)

LP: Rich HIll (6-5)

SV: Kenley Jansen (27)

HR: Trea Turner (19), Albert Pujols (15), Chris Taylor (18); Brandon Nimmo (14), Pete Alonso (28)

 

The Dodgers try to finish off a second consecutive weekend sweep of the Mets on Sunday afternoon with David Price on the mound in the series finale while Marcus Stroman pitches for New York. The first pitch is at 1:10 and airing on SportsNet LA.

 

Game 2:

 

Walker Buehler added another gem of a game to his Cy Young Award campaign, as the Dodgers won their eighth straight game, beating the Mets 3-2. The Dodgers have now won eight straight games and five straight this season against the Mets.

Buehler had his longest outing of the year, as he went 7 ²⁄₃ innings. He allowed two runs to score on six hits while striking out eight. With the exception of a Pete Alonso home run in the fourth inning, Buehler was essentially in cruise control all night. It was the eighth inning when things really got intense and Dodger Stadium turned into a playoff atmosphere.

Buehler allowed a leadoff single, allowing the Mets to bring the tying run to the plate. After a strikeout, Brandon Nimmo reached on a soft infield single, putting two runners on and bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. Buehler then struck out Jeff McNeil on a very questionable call, but it gave the Dodgers two outs.

Alonso stepped up to the plate with runners on second and third and two outs. On the third pitch of the AB, he dribbled a single down the third baseline, bringing in a run to make it a 3-2 game. Buehler was visibly upset following the hit, saying it went off Alonso’s foot. Upon further review, it looks like it did.

Instead of it being ruled a strike, the Mets were within a run. Buehler was removed from the game and was tossed by the home plate umpire after exchanging words on his way to the dugout.

“[I was] trying to be competitive and thinking I’m making pitches,” Buehler said on the ejection. “Just a little frustrating there at the end. He told me to stop, I didn’t stop. At the end of the day, just trying to be competitive and get out of there.”

Alex Vesia relieved Buehler, needing one out to get out of the inning. Michael Conforto worked a walk, battling Vesia for 10 pitches. With the bases loaded, J.D. Davis stepped up to the plate. Vesia got three swinging strikes, including strike three at 96 mph to end the inning with the Dodgers still ahead.

“I knew [Roberts] was probably going to have me in the eighth, I went out there and executed,” Vesia said following the game.

“I’m just being myself,” Vesia said. “I fully embrace being a Dodger. It brings out that emotion and my desire to do good and compete. We have a great team. We’re going to be special this year.”

“He just knows how to not let the emotions get too high,” Dave Roberts added. “Our relievers are coming of age and he’s right there at the top of the list. He showed us a lot.”

Onto the ninth, where Kenley Jansen was handed the ball with a one-run lead. Before you even had a chance to worry if he’d potentially blow the lead, Jansen was securing the save. He retired the side on only seven pitches, all of which were strikes, including the game-winning strikeout.

With so much going on late in the game, it’s easy to forget what happened prior to that. Well, not much you can say about the offense. They scored three runs, and that was enough.

 

Trea Turner led off the bottom of the first with a double and eventually came in to score on a groundout. Then in the third inning, Max Muncy hit a double, scoring Turner and giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. Corey Seager singled in Muncy, giving the Dodgers a three-run lead. Seager’s single in the third inning was actually L.A.’s last base hit for the rest of the night.

It seemed like the Dodgers never won these kinds of games all season. But now, look out, they’re starting to.

With the Giants loss, the Dodgers are only 1.5 games out of first place.

 

Game 2 Boxscore:

 

WP: Walker Buehler (13-2)

LP: Carlos Carrasco (0-2)

SV: Kenley Jansen (26)

HR: Pete Alonso (27)

 

The Dodgers Max Scherzer will face off against old friend Rich Hill today at 1:10. The game can be seen on SportsNet LA and FS1.

 

 

Game 1:

 

For the fourth time in only seven days, the Dodgers picked up a win over the Mets. After sweeping the weekend series last week, L.A. took the first game of the four-game series, 4-1.

It’s now their seventh straight victory and the Dodgers trail the Giants by only 2.5 games in the NL West Division.

The Dodgers jumped on the board in the second inning, putting two runs on the board. Corey Seager began the inning with a walk and Will Smith doubled to put two runners in scoring position. AJ Pollock brought in a run with a groundout, putting L.A. up 1-0.

With Smith on third base, Chris Taylor grounded out as well, bringing in the second run for the Dodgers.

Another two-run inning in the fifth helped put the Dodgers ahead, 4-1. After Taylor reached with a single, Billy McKinney doubled to bring in Taylor to score. Trea Turner then followed with a single, scoring McKinney to put L.A. ahead by three runs.

For L.A., the offense wasn’t spectacular — but it didn’t have to be. Yet again, the pitching was spectacular. The Dodgers had another bullpen game, but all the relievers did their job.

 

Corey Knebel began the game for the Dodgers. For the veteran, it was his first career start in 252 games. He tossed a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out one. Following Knebel was Evan Phillips, who made his team debut. He looked solid, as he tossed 2 ¹⁄₃ innings. Phillips allowed a run and struck out one, but showed some promising pitches.

“I thought he was fantastic,” Dave Roberts said following the game. “Getting left and right out. A guy who can give us length if we need. Just for me, building that confidence in him. Expect him to add some length to our bullpen.”

Following Phillips was Victor Gonzalez, who was activated off the IL today. He tossed 1 ²⁄₃ innings, allowing only one hit. Phil Bickford followed, who looked dominant as usual. He struck out two in his inning of work.

“The guys are ‘next-man up’ mentality,” Roberts said. “Guys are coming of age. They’re pitching big innings for us.”

Brusdar Graterol needed only 13 pitches for his scoreless inning and Alex Vesia needed only 12 pitches for his. Blake Treinen took the ninth inning and struck out the side on only 13 pitches, securing his fourth save of the season.

“If you’re talking about pitchers on our staff, Blake has been just as valuable as Buehler,” Roberts said. “Every night he pitches, he’s facing the best guys in our lineup.”

 

Game 1 Boxscore:

 

WP: Evan Phillips (1-0)

LP: Taijuan Walker (7-8)

SV: Blake Treinen (4)

 

The Dodgers will look for their eighth straight victory on Friday night. Walker Buehler will be on the mound, looking to add to his Cy Young Award campaign against the Mets Carlos Carasco. It is the second game of the four seires with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 and can be seen on SportsNet LA and on MLB Network for out of market fans.

 

Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets               Dodgers vs Mets                                                                  

– Joe Arrigo

Follow Joe on Twitter @JoeArrigo

Follow The Franchise on social media

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube