The Mets entered Wednesday having scored one run in three games, facing a starting pitcher who hadn’t allowed an earned run in the regular season since last Aug. 27. Things went as you might have expected.

Pitching against the Mets for the first time, Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 over six innings, and the Dodgers beat the Mets 8-2 to complete a three-game sweep in Los Angeles. The last-place Mets (7-12) have lost eight in a row. New York had just 12 hits in the series.

Before the Dodgers (14-4) broke the game open when Dalton Rushing hit a grand slam off Devin Williams in the eighth to make it 7-1, the Mets had chances, but failed to get the big hit with runners in scoring position and committed a costly base-running error.

With Francisco Alvarez on first in the fifth, Carson Benge hit a line drive to left that Teoscar Hernández handled on a short hop. It would have been a single, but Alvarez returned to first because he thought Hernández caught the ball on a fly. Hernández threw to second for the easy force out.

Marcus Semien followed with a walk, and MJ Melendez‘s ground-rule double cut the Dodgers’ lead to 2-1. With second and third and one out, Ohtani struck out Tommy Pham, and Francisco Lindor lined out to left.

Clay Holmes, who left his last start with left hamstring tightness, gave up two runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out four, walked one, and hit a batter. Hyeseong Kim connected for a two-run homer in the second.

Tobias Myers gave up an opposite-field homer to Hernández in the sixth. Williams, who hadn’t pitched since April 7, retired only one of the five batters he faced. Kyle Tucker homered off Austin Warren in the eighth.

After Tuesday’s loss, Steve Cohen tweeted that he saw some “green shoots tonight.” (Green shoots was a new one to me, it means signs of an economic recovery during a downturn.) My favorite green shoot Wednesday: Luis Robert Jr. made a spectacular diving catch in center to rob Freddie Freeman of an extra-base hit.

Injury Notes

  • The Mets are hoping for Juan Soto to return during the next homestand, which starts Tuesday against the Twins. He ran and took batting practice on Wednesday at Citi Field.
  • Jorge Polanco, dealing with bursitis in his left Achilles, didn’t play and may need to go on the injured list. He will be re-evaluated on Friday.
  • Jared Young was placed on the 10-day injured list with a torn meniscus in his left knee. He will need surgery and be out six to eight weeks.

Stat of the Game

The Mets ended Ohtani’s streak of not allowing an earned run in the regular season at 33 innings. Green shoot? Eh.

Player of the Game

Maybe Melendez was hitting loose, blissfully unaware of the team’s offensive struggles. No one tell him. He went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI in his Mets debut. He had two doubles last season in 23 games with the Royals.

On Deck

The Mets are off Thursday. They start a weekend series with the Cubs with a day game at Wrigley Field on Friday at 2:20 p.m. ET. Kodai Senga (0-2, 7.07 ERA) will look for his first win since June 12, 2025. Righty Edward Cabrera (1-0, 1.62 ERA) goes for Chicago. The game will air on WPIX.