Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
After limiting the Mets to just a single run in the first two games of the series, the Dodgers got lit up tonight in a 9-4 loss.
Gil Hodges had his number retired before the game, which was arguably the best thing about tonight.
Walker Buehler was supposed to make his case for the NL Cy Young Award this year, but instead he’s become the worst starter on the Dodgers.
Trouble started immediately, as he gave up a homer to Francisco Lindor in the 1st to give the Mets an early lead. In the 2nd, he gave up a pair of singles but avoided real trouble thanks to a double play. Then he collapsed in the 3rd after the Dodgers got him the lead, walking back-to-back batters to start, giving up a double to Starling Marte to score a run, an RBI groundout to Lindor, and then a no-doubt two-run homer to Pete Alonso for a four-run inning.
That was it for him: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 65 Pitches. In his last five starts he has given up 19 runs in 24.1 innings, seeing his ERA rise from 1.96 to 3.84.
Not great!
Justin Bruihl took over for Buehler in the 3rd, getting the final two outs of the inning. And he got two outs in the 4th as well, but not before giving up a homer to Eduardo Escobar to pad the Mets lead.
Next out of the pen was birthday boy Yency Almonte, who ended the 4th with a strikeout. He continued in the 5th, and got two outs before giving way to David Price, who got the third out and completed the 6th as well.
Brusdar Graterol had a less than ideal 7th, giving up two ground-ball singles and giving up a three-run shot to Pete Alonso on a remarkable piece of hitting for the Mets’ final tally of nine runs. Shit happens.
Alex Vesia then got a scoreless 8th and Dave Roberts tried to give up in the 9th by pitching Zach McKinstry, but due to a rule where you can’t have position players pitchers without a more than six-run score difference, Evan Phillips had to scramble and get ready.
Thankfully, it worked out and Phillips got a scoreless frame.
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For the Mets, David Peterson took the mound, having struggled a bit himself in his last three starts (15.2 IP/10 R). After a clean 1st, the 2nd was a disaster, though not all of his own doing.
Peterson issued a lead-off walk to Justin Turner and gave up a one-out single to Hanser Alberto to corner the runners. Cody Bellinger then hit a grounder to Alonso, who threw wide and allowed everybody to be safe, which scored a run.
With two outs, Gavin Lux drew a walk to load the bases, and of course Mookie Betts made Peterson pay with a bases-clearing double to right-center for three more.
Peterson then got through the 3rd but couldn’t get through the 4th as he was removed with two down in the middle of his at-bat against Mookie after a smoked foul ball.
That move ended up working as it resulted in a strikeout, and the Mets pen got 5.1 scoreless as they cruised to victory.
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The Dodgers fall to 35-18 on the year and lose a game to the Padres in the NL West but remain 3 games up.
The four-game series concludes tomorrow at 10:10 AM HT/1:10 PM PT/4:10 PM ET with Julio Urias facing Trevor Williams.
