Steve Webb
NEW YORK, NY — It was a pretty close game. Then the Mets happened. The Dodgers took advantage of a couple of huge New York fielding mistakes in the late innings, first to break a 1-1 tie, and then to pile on a ton of insurance runs en route to a 5-1 victory over the increasingly hapless Metropolitans.
For a good chunk of the night, it was a good ol’ fashioned pitchers’ duel. Kodai Senga and his “ghost fork” were pretty much keeping the Dodgers in check, and Tony Gonsolin was giving up some hard contact, but not much was landing on the grass. Gonsolin lasted five innings and gave up just one run on a solo shot to Brandon Nimmo. Senga went one inning further, but used up a lot of bullets to do so. Neither pitcher figured in the decision.
Before the Nimmo home run, the Dodgers got on the board first in the game, thanks to a solo shot in the third from Mookie Betts. That dinger was one of four hits for Betts on the night. And, the only other time he had a plate appearance, he was intentionally walked. Just imagine that. Mets manager Buck Showalter thought it would be better to face Freddie freakin’ Freeman with the bases loaded than throw to Betts with a couple of guys on base. He’s that hot right now. In his last 15 games, Betts is hitting “only” .444 with 9 home runs, 19 RBI, and an OPS of 1.093. That is MVP-caliber play right there.
But it wasn’t Betts’ heroics that one this one. It was the Mets just stinking up the joint. Pete Alonso had a potential inning-ending double play ball in the top of the eighth with the bases loaded, but his throw to Francisco Lindor sailed high, forcing Lindor to come off the bag. By the time Lindor recorded the out and threw to first, David Peralta had crossed the bag, allowing a run to score.
Then in the bottom of the eighth, Caleb Ferguson walked the lead-off man and gave up a single to phenom catcher Francisco Alvarez, giving the Mets a first-and-third, nobody-out rally. However, these are the 2023 Mets we’re talking about here. With the tying run 90 feet away, all the Mets could muster off Ferguson was a pop-up on the infield and a couple of strike-outs. The lead was preserved and a fired-up Ferguson bolted off the mound, pumping his fists in victory.
If the eight inning was bad for the Mets, the ninth got even worse. After Mookie singled to start the inning, Freddie Freeman struck out. But, Will Smith doubled to the gap, and the Dodgers had two runners in scoring position with just one out. Then, a play that might come to sum up the futility of the Mets’ horrible season. With the infield pulled in, Max Muncy hit a pop-up between short and third. Highly regarded rookie Brett Baty took a weird, backpedaling route to the ball and in the end couldn’t find it before it was too late. Beaty dived in vain for the ball. It missed his glove completely, bounced off the ground, and hit Beaty right in the kisser.
Sad Trombone.
Yikes. Betts scampered home on the play, and the Dodgers would score twice more after that. The miscue had led to a comfortable four-run advantage that Evan Phillips had to work with in the ninth. Phillips hardly needed the extra runs. He dispatched the Mets quickly, and I can’t wait to see the New York Post headlines on this one tomorrow.
“A lot of credit to the guys,” said hitting star Mookie Betts after the win. “We’re playing for each other, we take the info and we have a really good camaraderie, which I’m sure you’ve seen. We show up ready to play.”
Much as the Dodgers would like to hang around and pummel the Mets some more, the series ends on Sunday. Old pal Max Scherzer takes the mound for the Mets. Scherzer hasn’t had a great year in Queens, so he isn’t nearly as intimidating an opponent as he was a few years ago. He’ll be matched up with flamethrowing Bobby Miller, whose up and down season seems to be headed in the right direction. Game time: 10:40 am local time. Dare we get out our brooms?
