The Los Angeles Dodgers have dominated the New York Mets the last few years, and that was again the case on Friday night as they cruised to a 9-2 victory in the series opener at Citi Field.
The win brought the Dodgers to 15-3 against the Mets since the start of the 2017 season, and included is a 7-0 record at Citi Field during that span.
Friday night’s game featured a strong pitching matchup with Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard taking the mound, and the same is the case on Saturday with Hyun-Jin Ryu squaring off against Jacob deGrom.
Ryu has been struggling a bit as of late, which is why the Dodgers gave him 10 days of rest before this start. After posting a 1.45 ERA in his first 22 starts of the season, Ryu has allowed 21 runs in 19 innings in his last four starts, which amounts to a 9.95 ERA.
Overall in his 26 starts this season, Ryu is 12-5 with a Major-League-leading 2.45 ERA to go along with a 3.18 FIP and 1.06 WHIP. He has struck out 142 compared to just 24 walks in 161.2 innings.
He is 4-1 while yielding a 1.38 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in seven career starts against the Mets.
Perhaps Ryu’s biggest competition for the National League Cy Young Award is deGrom, who won it last year and is having another outstanding season. In 29 starts, deGrom is 9-8 with a 2.70 ERA, 2.84 FIP and 1.03 WHIP. He leads the league in strikeouts with 231 compared to 43 walks in 183 innings.
The Dodgers have seen deGrom well in the past though as in nine career starts against them he is 0-4 with a 3.23 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.
After taking Syndergaard deep in the series opener, Gavin Lux will now look to find success against deGrom. In 10 games since being called up, Lux is batting .273/.333/.515 with two home runs and five RBI as he looks to make his case for a postseason roster spot.
Pete Alonso returns to the lineup for the Mets after being out in the series opener. The leading NL Rookie of the Year candidate is hitting .264/.365/.586 with a Major-League-leading 47 home runs and 109 RBI in his first big league season.
He went 1-for-3 with a double when he faced Ryu at Dodger Stadium earlier this season.
Dodgers lineup:
RF: Joc Pederson
1B: Max Muncyy
3B: Matt Beaty
CF: Cody Bellinger
SS: Corey Seager
LF: A.J. Pollock
2B: Gavin Lux
C: Russell Martin
P: Hyun-Jin Ryu
Mets lineup:
SS: Ahmed Rosario
LF: J.D. Davis
RF: Jeff McNeil
1B: Pete Alonso
C: Wilson Ramos
2B: Robinson Canó
3B: Todd Frazier
CF: Juan Lagares
P: Jacob deGrom
