Friday was a night of streak-busters as Clayton Kershaw ended a personal three-game skid and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets, 9-2, to hurt their chances at a berth in the National League Wild Card Game and additionally snap their four-game winning streak.
Consistent with what’s held true throughout the season, Kershaw was hurt by a home run in the first inning. The solo shot was clubbed by J.D. Davis, not MLB’s leader, Pete Alonso, who did enter as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and draw a four-pitch walk.
Like he’s done so often this year, Kershaw quickly settled in. After the Mets took a lead in the first inning, he retired 15 of the next 17 batters faced, including nine in a row through the sixth.
Todd Frazier’s one-out single in the seventh snapped that string, and two ensuing walks loaded the bases and marked the end of Kershaw’s night at 6.1 innings. Joe Kelly allowed a two-out RBI single before getting out of the jam.
Kershaw doing his part to blank the Mets after the home run bought the Dodgers time until they were able to break through against Noah Syndergaard.
He stranded a pair of singles through three scoreless innings before getting knocked around in the fourth. Syndergaard’s struggles began with a one-out walk of Cody Bellinger, who then went first to third base on Corey Seager’s second single of the game.
A.J. Pollock’s grounder up the middle got through for a game-tying RBI single, and Gavin Lux’s three-run homer gave the Dodgers a lead.
Lux initially stopped at third base for what appeared to be his first career triple but the umpire told him to head home and replay upheld the call. The home run was Lux’s second of his young career, with both coming on the Dodgers’ current road trip.
L.A. added onto their lead in the seventh inning behind a two-out rally that was sparked by Joc Pederson beating the shift by poking a single into left field. After Max Muncy’s walk kept the inning alive, Chris Taylor delivered a pinch-hit, two-run double, and Bellinger plated another on his base hit.
Muncy went 1-for-3 with two walks in his first game back since suffering a fractured right wrist just over two weeks ago.
Edwin Rios, who joined the team in large part because of Alex Verdugo’s lack of progress with his recovery from back trouble, delivered a pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning for good measure.
The Dodgers improved to 17-5 at Citi Field since 2012 and have now won nine in a row in a streak that dates back to 2016. Only the Washington Nationals (12 games in 2013-14) have a longer winning streak in the Mets’ post-Shea Stadium ballpark.
