Former Relievers Best Mets in 4-3 Loss to Dodgers

The Mets resumed their home stand against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night. It was the battle of the top two teams in the National League, with the Dodgers pushing 90 wins and sitting comfortably in the No. 1 seed and the Mets itching to close the gap in their own ballpark.

Taijuan Walker got the ball for the Mets, his second start since leaving a game after two innings in Atlanta with back spasms. He pitched well in his last start against the Yankees allowing two runs over five innings in the Bronx. With a star-studded Dodgers lineup, the task would prove to be large for Walker.

Ultimately, the Mets fell short to the Dodgers 4-3 in a close game one of the series with two former Mets relievers getting the best of the team.

Walker struck out former MVP Mookie Betts to begin his night, then proceeded to get Trea Turner to roll over to short. He allowed a free pass to Freddie Freeman, but was able to get out of the inning when Max Muncy lined out to second base.

Andrew Heaneym on the other side, made his 10th start of the season for Los Angeles. The veteran southpaw is enjoying the best season of his career. Coming into the game, he boasted a 1.94 ERA in nine starts.

Brandon Nimmo led off the bottom of the first inning with a base hit up the middle. Starling Marte followed that up with a bunt single, where Nimmo ended up scoring and Marte reached safely all the way to third. Heaney made an errant toss to Freeman at first base that rolled down the right field line. After Francisco Lindor walked, Pete Alonso struck out with runners on the corners for the first out of the inning. Lindor was then caught stealing, and Darin Ruf struck out swinging to end the inning.

Walker ran into trouble in the third inning after allowing hits to the first two Dodgers, including Betts’ double off the left field wall. Despite the rough beginning, he struck out Turner for the second time of the night. He sawed-off Freeman with an inside cutter for out number two. A walk to Muncy loaded up the bases for another former Yankee Joey Gallo. He recorded an RBI after being hit by a pitch.

The inning didn’t stop there. Gavin Lux lined a single the other way to bring Betts and Muncy across the plate. After an early lead, the Mets fell behind 3-1 after three.

The Mets got a run back quickly. Marte launched a solo shot into the left field seats to cut the lead to one, then an inning later, Mark Canha continued his recent success by hitting a towering home run to left field that tied the game at three. This one marked his 100th career long ball.

After allowing a one-out double to Trayce Thompson in the sixth, Buck Showalter made the decision to bring Seth Lugo to face the bottom of the Dodgers lineup. Although he allowed a walk to Betts, he got out of the jam with no harm done. Lugo has allowed just one run over his last nine innings, seemingly hitting his stride in the month of August.

Los Angeles regained the lead in the seventh inning off Joely Rodriguez when Lux struck again, singling to center and bringing in Freeman, who reached on a soft double to left.

To add salt to the wound of the loss, two former relievers on the Mets 2021 roster held down the fort in the late innings for the Dodgers.

Heath Hembree picked up his third win of the year after shutting the Mets down in the sixth inning, while Jake Reed notched his first career save in then ninth.

Joely Rodriguez was on the long side after allowing two hits, one walk and one run in 2/3 innings. He now owns a 5.17 ERA this year for the Mets, probably not what they had in mind when they acquired him from the Yankees before the regular season.

Player of the Game: Starling Marte

Marte was the steady cog in the lineup, constantly putting pressure on the opposing pitcher and defense. He did it with speed in the first inning, and power in the third. He showed how many ways he can impact the game. He ended the night with two hits that led to two runs: the first-inning single and third-inning solo homer.

On Deck

The Mets will play game two of three against the Dodgers on Wednesday evening with a chance to bounce back and even the series. The ace, Jacob deGrom (3-1, 2.15 ERA), faces off against Tyler Anderson (13-2, 2.69 ERA) in a game you won’t want to miss.