Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Wow. Tony Gonsolin, stopper. The New York Mets came into this series as hot as hot could be, winning six in a row and scoring practically nine runs a game along the way. But Tony Gonsolin, said “Not so fast!” The Dodgers’ unlikely ace COMPLETELY shut down the the New York offense, throwing six shutout innings and gaining his sixth win of the year. The Dodgers offense wasn’t great, but got a couple of key knocks in the middle of the game as the home boys topped the Metropolitans 2-0 in the first game of this four-game series.
Gonsolin great, but Walker solid, too
More and more, Tony Gonsolin is looking like the most reliable arm in this rotation. I can barely remember the last time he had a rough outing, and that is not exactly what I was expecting from him in 2022. But it’s tough to argue with what the guy has done. The high-flying Mets barely laid a glove on him on Thursday. And again, he followed the same MO that’s been so successful for him. Attack the zone early. Be relentless. Don’t get cute. 55 of his 89 pitches were strikes, and the Mets weren’t making good contact when they did hit him. Other than a solid double from JD Davis in the top of the 5th, the Mets didn’t have much on the barrel against the Cat Man. His line for the night 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 K.
However, the Mets’ starter Taijuan Walker was no slouch himself in this one. He went through the first four innings putting up zeroes, but was aided by a lack of clutch hitting from the Dodgers (again). The Dodgers ended up 2-for-14 with RISP in this one, and had several early chances go by the wayside while Walker got out of jams unscathed.
Single runs in the fifth and sixth for the Dodgers
But Walker’s luck ran out in the fifth and sixth. In the fifth, Chris Taylor, Gavin Lux, and Mookie Betts hit back-to-back-to-back singles to plate a run. Then, in the sixth, Justin Turner celebrated his jersey night by knocking a double off the right field wall to score Trea Turner from second base with a two-out run. And that was about all for the night. But in this game, it was enough.
Graterol, Hudson, and Kimbrel near perfect in relief
With Gonsolin out of the game, it was up to the bullpen to keep these Mets from scoring. First up was Brusdar Graterol in the seventh. The Bazooka gave up a one-out single to Jeff McNeil, but threw a scoreless frame. Daniel Hudson went 1-2-3 in the eighth on just a handful of pitches. And in the ninth (heavy sigh), it was Craig Kimbrel. However, unlike in his May outings, Kimbrel looked like a different guy out there on Thursday. In a 1-2-3 inning, Kimbrel got a ground ball to third, a flyout to right, and then he struck out slugger Pete Alonso to end the game. Wooboy!
Game Two of the series features another good matchup on the mound
These two teams will go at in again on Friday night. It should be one of the better pitching matchups of the series featuring lefty Tyler Anderson, who’s been something of a revelation for the Dodgers this year, against former Oakland A Chris Bassitt. The righty Bassitt had a great start with the Mets but got knocked around a bit in May. We’ll see what he’s got for the Boys in Blue on Friday.
Cans of Corn…
- The Dodgers and Mets both wore patches on their jerseys commemorating the second annual “Lou Gehrig Day,” which raises awareness for ALS.
- Another multi-hit game for Mookie
- When Freeman doesn’t hit, it’s hard for this team to work around that.
- Trea extends hitting streak with a double in the sixth.
- Lux was 2-for-3 with a stolen base, but got thrown out on the bags again.
- Can we get this Kimbrel always, please?
- Gonsolin’s ERA is now 1.59. Meow!
- Caleb Ferguson is back with the team. Michael Grove back to OKC.
- Zach McKinstry also back on the roster. Kevin Pillar headed to the IL with a shoulder fracture
- Andrew Heaney has a rehab start this weekend in OKC.
- Thursday was Justin Turner jersey giveaway night. Not sure how I feel about the faux pine tar stain on the back. A little too cute perhaps.
