Mets 8, Dodgers 0: Nope

The curveball looked good, anyway.

On a glorious summer day at Dodger Stadium — the kind that makes the white of the uniforms seem whiter and the blues and reds pop more than ever — Mike Bolsinger had his moments (perfect innings in the second and fifth) and more than his share of bad luck (a Juan Lagares ball hit off the umpire for a hit, a run-scoring Wilmer Flores infield single, both in the fourth). Unfortunately for him, there’s only so much you can do to talk around 11 base runners in five innings, even if one was an intentional walk and not all of the hits were scorched. He allowed four runs.

Even more unfortunate for Bolsinger, Mets rookie Steven Matz was really, really good. (Just stop with the “Dodgers can’t hit rookie pitchers” meme; it’s been proven false time and time again.) Over six innings, Matz struck out eight and allowed only singles from Enrique Hernandez and A.J. Ellis, along with two walks to Scott Van Slyke. And… well, that was it. Matz and reliever Logan Verrett made it look easy.

Oh, and Yasiel Puig let Lagares “triple” by hilariously losing a ball in the sun in the seventh, allowing two to score against Juan Nicasio, and while I’m not defending it — sure looked goofy! — the game was already 5-0 at that point, so, let’s keep the proper amount of perspective there.

LOL pic.twitter.com/5pspiyLVwJ

— Ryan Walton (@RyanCPWalton) July 5, 2015

It didn’t help, anyway, that Adrian Gonzalez had to leave the game after being hit in the hand by Matz — a “right hand contusion,” apparently — or that his replacement Alex Guerrero (who came in to left, as Van Slyke moved to first) seemingly hasn’t had a hit in a month, just like Joc Pederson.

https://twitter.com/realandrewgrant/status/617822147474522112

Doubtful, but the point isn’t unfair. No word on the severity of Gonzalez’ injury, though I’m not sure that I see Yasmani Grandal getting his first playing time at first all year long in the last two innings as a good sign.

Enough about that series, anyway. We know Carlos Frias isn’t starting against the Phillies tomorrow, nor is Joe Wieland or Nicasio or Scott Baker or Zach Lee or Fernando Valenzuela or Don Drysdale, probably. We thought maybe it’d be old, old friend Eric Stults. It still may be. But since Eric Surkamp didn’t make his scheduled start today for Oklahoma City, he might be your best bet. Who? Well, yeah. The Dodgers traded Blake Smith for him on May 22, and apparently I noted that in a game thread:

Surkamp was a 2008 draft pick of the Giants and got into seven games for them before being picked up by the White Sox off waivers following 2013. He got into 35 games as a reliever last year, but was DFA’d in April and was then outrighted off the 40-man. He won’t require a 40-man spot with the Dodgers, so presumably he’s headed to Triple-A; even more presumably, we’ll never talk about him again.

Whoops, I guess? Here’s footage of him warming up for the White Sox Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte from earlier this year:

Presumably, Daniel Coulombe, who pitched the final two innings, will be optioned back down, in case he hasn’t already been by the time you’re reading this.