Alex Wood and Zack Wheeler traded strikeouts early, and Cody Bellinger later lowered the boom for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 5-2 win over the New York Mets.
Wheeler began the game by retiring the first six batters faced, which included striking out the side in the second inning. He worked around Kiké Hernandez’s leadoff single in the third inning and stranded a pair of runners after Max Muncy (walk) and Justin Turner (base hit) reached with nobody out in the fourth.
But then Wheeler’s command betrayed him and he issued back-to-back walks to start the sixth inning. Matt Kemp’s one-out single loaded the bases for Bellinger, who crushed an 0-2 fastball into the upper deck in right field for a second career grand slam.
The home run was the Dodgers’ 36th in the month of June, which is most in the Majors. Yasiel Puig added to it with a solo blast in the ninth inning. For Bellinger, he pulled into a tie with Max Muncy for the team lead at 13 home runs this season.
Alex Wood began his night by striking out the side in the first inning but then faced a bases-loaded jam in the second. After Amed Rosario grounded into a force out at home plate, Wood struck out Wheeler to keep the game locked in a scoreless tie.
That marked a string of 12 batters retired in a row. The stretch was snapped by Michael Conforto’s two-out single in the sixth inning. It was the second highlight of sorts for Conforto, as he made a diving catch in deep center field to rob Joc Pederson of an RBI extra-base hit.
Conforto’s single was followed by a Jose Bautista two-run home run. The two runs were all Wood allowed over six innings. He finished with seven strikeouts against one walk in his longest outing since also going six frames on May 20.
Two defensive misplays in the eighth left runners at the corners with one out but Kiké Hernandez and Muncy atoned for their miscues by turing a double play to help Scott Alexander complete his second scoreless inning of relief.
After Puig provided insurance in the top half of the ninth, Kenley Jansen converted his 17th consecutive save.
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