The Mets’ west coast slog continued Thursday, as they dropped yet another game to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-1.

The Dodgers, who, like the Mets, have struggled to keep their starting pitchers healthy this year, opted for a bullpen game on Thursday and started the big right-hander Corey Knebel. Knebel went just one inning, and allowed one hit to Pete Alonso, who was left stranded by Michael Conforto in the first.

Taijuan Walker took to the mound for New York, looking to continue to rebound from a poor start to the second half that ballooned his season ERA by over one. The Los Angeles native retired his home-town team in order in the first, but ran into trouble in the second.

After an iffy ball-four call placed Corey Seager on first base, Will Smith gave Los Angeles a significant scoring chance with a double of his own. With two runners in scoring position, the Dodgers manufactured two straight productive groundball outs, and took a two-run lead before the inning came to a close.

The Mets, on the other hand, were the opposite of productive, and tallied just one more hit before the third frame ended.

In the bottom of the third, the speedy Trea Turner attempted to steal second after singling, but was gunned down by Patrick Mazeika after coming off the bag. The caught stealing was only Turner’s third of the season so far.

The Mets finally pieced together some offense in the fourth, as Alonso and  J.D. Davis combined forces to knock in the Mets first and only run with a single and a double, respectively. However, Davis immediately sank the momentum, as he misread where the defense was playing on a line-drive straight into the shift off the bat of Dominic Smith. Davis was doubled up at second to end the inning, and the Mets settled for just one.

Walker made it through the fourth before running into trouble again in the fifth. Chris Taylor singled and advanced to third on a throwing error by Davis, and was driven in by former Met Billy McKinney, who doubled into the left-center field gap. Turner capped off the Dodgers’ rally with a single through a hole in the right side of the infield, scoring McKinney from second to pad the Dodger lead again.

Walker came out of the game after polishing off the sixth inning, having thrown 99 pitches. He struck out four, walked one, and allowed four earned runs.

In the home half of the seventh, with Trevor Williams on the mound, Brandon Nimmo made a brilliant diving play in right-center field to rob Cody Bellinger of an extra-base hit. New York continued the outstanding defense in the eighth, this time in the infield, as Jonathan Villar made a diving stop near the second base bag to turn an inning ending double play.

That play would be the Mets final highlight, as the offense continued to struggle throughout the remainder of the game; they put together just one hit in the final four innings of play. Blake Treinen retired New York in order during the ninth to finish the game.

With the loss, the Mets fall below .500 at 60-61, and are five games behind the Braves in the N.L. East. New York has lost six of their last seven and will face the Dodgers thrice more before facing the Giants at home for a three-game set. Carlos Carrasco will take the mound for New York tomorrow at 10:10 p.m. EST, up against Walker Buehler for Los Angeles.