Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
The Mets (11-6) took down the Dodgers (8-9) by an 8-6 margin in Los Angeles on Monday evening. In a back-and-forth affair that had six lead changes, the Mets came from behind three separate times and prevailed to take the first of a three-game series against the Dodgers.
The win marks New Yorks’s fifth straight and was backed by a relentless offensive effort, in which the club notched 14 hits. The bullpen also combined to work three scoreless innings, adding three strikeouts.
David Peterson got the start for New York and tossed 94 pitches over six innings. The right-hander allowed six runs, including three homers, on seven hits, and struck out six in bringing home the win to improve his record to 1-2 on the season.
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after Peterson allowed a Freddie Freeman solo home run. New York quickly responded in the second with a two-run inning to jump ahead. With two outs, Mark Canha knocked a single and Daniel Vogelbach cranked a two-run opposite-field shot for his first homer of the season to make it 2-1, Mets.
The Dodgers quickly captured the lead back with another two runs scored in the home half of the second. Max Muncy and Trayce Thompson, brother of the Golden State Warriors guard, Klay Thompson, both reached base via single. In his first at-bat for the Dodgers, catcher Austin Wynns knocked a two-out, two-run double to make it 3-2, Los Angeles.
New York put up a three-spot in the fourth (to take the lead, once again) after the club’s first three batters of the inning reached base. Francisco Lindor led off with a hit by pitch, Alonso singled, and McNeil followed with a base hit to score Lindor and get the Mets even 3-3. The squirrel’s RBI base hit broke a 3-for-17 streak with runners in scoring position.
Canha then grounded out to first, advancing Alonso and McNeil to second and third. With two runners in scoring position, New York got another productive out as Vogelbach hit a ground ball to second, driving in another run to take a 4-3 lead. Brett Baty then lined a hit into right field, coming back from being behind 0-2 in the count, to drive in another run and make it 5-3 Mets.
The Dodgers struck again in the fifth, when Freddie Freeman tied the game back up, 5-5 in the fifth with his second home run of the game, a two-run shot, and 30th career home run against the Mets. LA took a 6-5 lead in the sixth with a Max Muncy solo home run.
In the leadoff spot, Tomas Nido snapped an 0-for-11 stretch at the plate with a single to put the tying run on base for the Mets in the seventh. Nimmo knocked an infield hit, and Starling Marte, also snapping an 0-for-11 stretch, knocked a hit to load the bases with no outs – forcing the Dodgers to head to Phil Bickford from the bullpen. Then, a balk was called against Bickford, which brought in the tying run to make it 6-6.
New York took the lead on a Francisco Lindor groundout, driving in his 17th run of the year to make it 7-6. Alonso subsequently shot his third hit of the night to left field for his 15th RBI on the season, making it 8-6 New York. Canha and Tommy Pham then drew back to back walks to load the bases, but following another pitching change, Brett Baty flew out to end the inning.
Brooks Raley took the mound in relief in the bottom of the seventh and tossed a 1-2-3 inning. He came back out for the eighth, and allowed a bloop hit to Freeman for his third knock of the night. Then, James Outman hit a ground-rule double on a fly ball to right field to put two runners in scoring position, and the go-ahead run at the plate with just one out in the 8th.
After Raley’s five outs, Drew Smith come out to get final out in the eighth. Raley finished his evening with two strikeouts. Smith then came in clutch with a huge strike out to notorious Mets killer and former Marlin Miguel Vargas to strand two in scoring position and bring the Mets to the ninth with a two-run lead.
Adam Ottavino took the mound for New York in the ninth and earned his second save of the year after tossing a 1-2-3 inning
Player of the Game: Pete Alonso
The Polar Bear earns Monday’s honor with a 3-for-5 evening at the plate, including an RBI. It was Pete’s first three hit game of the 2023 season.
On Deck:
The Mets look to take the series against the Dodgers in game two on Tuesday evening.
Tylor Megill (3-0, 2.25 ERA) will face off against the southpaw Clayton Kershaw (2-1, 3.50 ERA).
In Megill’s last outing against the Padres, the right-hander tossed five innings, allowing two runs on three hits and struck out three, with three walks. Kershaw’s last start was against the Giants, where he pitched six frames and allowed three runs, two earned, five hits, and walked two with four strikeouts.
The game will be on SNY and WCBS 880.
