The Mets lost to the Dodgers 5-0 on Tuesday night, facing a vintage Clayton Kershaw who mirrored his greatness from the past. It was his 200th career win for the Dodgers. Meanwhile, Tylor Megill received the start for the Mets, battling through five innings with his usual control issues.
The Dodgers wasted no time and struck against Megill in the bottom of the first. Freddie Freeman got the Dodgers rolling with a single to left field, setting the stage for J.D. Martinez. The right-handed slugger had a tedious at-bat against Megill, which ended with a home run to center field — on the 10th pitch of the at-bat — to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.
Martinez made his mark against the Mets for a second time in the bottom of the third inning. After Megill retired James Outman and Freeman, Martinez drove a fastball to right field for his second home run of the game, which gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.
The early lead was more than enough for Kershaw to run with. The former MVP dominated the Mets lineup, striking out nine batters, walking none and allowing three hits across seven scoreless innings. The performance from Kershaw was almost expected due to his career numbers against the Mets. Before Tuesday’s start, the left-hander had 116 strikeouts, a 2.17 ERA and a 10-0 record in 16 starts against the Mets.
Megill had an all too familiar start for himself. The right-hander had control issues throughout the night, walking four batters in five innings of work. While he allowed seven hits in his start, Megill was only burned by the home run ball. His ERA rose from 2.25 to 3.00 after Tuesday’s performance.
The Dodgers added some insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth against John Curtiss. The right-handed reliever got into trouble with one out in the inning, facing Freeman with runners on the corners. The former Brave brought home Austin Barnes with a sacrifice fly to bring the Dodgers a 4-0 lead. Martinez followed Freeman with an RBI of his own, singling to center field to increase the Dodgers’ lead to 5-0. Curtiss has struggled recently for the Mets, allowing two earned runs in back-to-back outings after Tuesday night.
Brusdar Graterol set the Mets down in order in the bottom of the ninth, striking out two batters in the process. The loss on Tuesday ended the Mets’ five-game winning streak, while simultaneously handing them their first shutout since April 4 against the Brewers.
Player of the Game
Denyi Reyes was one of the few bright spots for the Mets on Tuesday night. He relieved Megill in the top of the sixth, striking out two batters in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. The non-roster invitee has been perfect so far in 2023, holding a 0.00 ERA in five innings, while also striking out five.
On Deck
Both teams will face former players in the rubber game on Wednesday. Max Scherzer takes the mound for the Mets, making his first start since dealing with a minor scapula injury. Noah Syndergaard gets the start for the Dodgers, facing the team he debuted with for the first time in his career.
The first pitch is slated for 3:10 p.m. ET. The game can be viewed on SNY and listened to on WCBS 880.
