1-8 in their last nine games. Losers of six straight series. Swept by the Dodgers by a combined score of 18-5. Season record of 22-33. On pace for a record of 65-97. Things are looking bleak for the Mets in 2024.
In the series against the Dodgers, Game 1 was a rainout on Memorial Day and became part of a single admission doubleheader on Tuesday. The Mets took a 2-1 lead into the ninth inning but the save was blown by Adam Ottavino (not Edwin Diaz this time). The game went to extras and the Dodgers won 5-2. In Game 2, the Mets could not muster any offense and were shut out 3-0. On Wednesday in Game 3, with concerning injury news coming before the game and then in the first inning (more on those below), the Dodgers easily won 10-3.
At least they still have Pete Alonso and his power hitting prowess, right? Well…. not so fast. In the series finale, where the Dodgers completed the sweep, Alonso was drilled on the right hand with a 93 mph fastball from James Paxton and had to exit the game. On what could be a sliver of a silver lining, the X-rays were negative and the team will wait for CT results on Thursday. A significant hand injury complicates things for the Mets. On one hand, if the season continues to spiral out of control, Alonso could be a prime candidate to trade. On the other hand, significant hand injuries can linger and become problematic for this season and beyond.
In addition to Polar Bear Pete’s power, one item Mets fans had to hope for was the reestablishment of Edwin Diaz as the premier closer in baseball. Well…. not so fast. Before the third game of the series on Wednesday, right before Alonso was injured, the Mets announced Diaz was going on the 15-day IL with a shoulder impingement. Manager Carlos Mendoza doesn’t think it is anything serious, but it is something to be mindful of given how taxed the bullpen is already.
With that, below is a rundown of key stats from each of the games against the Dodgers.
Game 1: Dodgers 5, Mets 2 (10 innings)
The Mets wasted a fabulous start by Tylor Megill in losing to the Dodgers. This game is on the bullpen and the offense. Megill held up his end of the bargain and then some.
The lineup only produced four hits for the Mets, with two of them coming from Pete Alonso. In the third inning, the Mets took a 2-0 lead on a home run by Francisco Lindor, which was his 8th homer of the year. J.D. Martinez was the only other Met to get a hit.
Megill was the star of the game for the Mets. Across 7 outstanding innings, he gave up no runs and only allowed 3 hits and 1 walk, to go along with 9 strikeouts across 98 pitches. Despite an 0-2 record so far on the season, his ERA stands at 1.69. Out of the bullpen, Reed Garrett and Jake Diekman got the Mets through the eighth inning. When the ninth inning rolled around, Ottavino surrendered a run to blow the save. In the tenth, Jorge Lopez allowed an RBI single to Mookie Betts and a subsequent two-run home run to Freddie Freeman.
For the Dodgers, the lineup could not get any runs across the plate until the 8th inning. After Megill was out of the game, Los Angeles capitalized, with the key hits mentioned above. Teoscar Hernandez went 3 for 5 and scored a run.
Tyler Glasgow, the league leader in strikeouts, pitched well for LA. Over 7 innings, he gave up 2 runs on 2 hits with 4 walks and 8 strikeouts. Across 3 innings, the Dodgers bullpen gave up no runs on 2 hits.
Game 2: Dodgers 3, Mets 0
The LA Dodgers completed the doubleheader sweep behind a strong Gavin Stone start that held an early lead.
Offensively, the Mets only generated 3 hits. Those hits were singles by Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos. The Mets hitter struck out a total of 10 times.
The lack of offensive firepower more than offset a good start by Jose Quintana. The Mets southpaw went 6 innings and allowed 3 runs. With the loss, Quintana moves to 1-5 on the season with a 5.06 ERA. Dedniel Nunez and Josh Walker combined for three shutout innings out of the bullpen.
For the Dodgers, Will Smith put LA ahead with a solo homer in the top of the 1st inning. The top of the 2nd saw an RBI double from Miguel Rojas give LA a 2-0 lead, and scoring was capped in the 6th with a solo homer by Miguel Vargas provided the final tally of 3-0.
Gavin Stone’s start consisted of 7 innings of shutout ball. He gave up only 3 hits with no walks and 7 strikeouts. This moved his season record to 5-2 with a 3.16 ERA. Alex Vesta went two innings to pick up his second save of the season.
Game 3: Dodgers 10, Mets 3
The Dodgers completed the sweep with an emphatic victory. As mentioned in the beginning of this article, a 10-3 defeat to the Dodgers is not the biggest loss of the day as Edwin Diaz went on the 15-day IL and Pete Alonso exited in the first inning after getting hit in the hand with a fastball.
At the plate, two of the three Met’s runs were driven in on a 2-run home run by Tomas Nido. The game was temporarily tied 3-3 in the 5th inning after J.D. Martinez drove in Francisco Lindor with an RBI double.
Making his 2024 debut, David Peterson started for the Mets. Throwing 86 pitches across 5 innings, Peterson surrendered 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits and a walk to go along with 3 strikeouts. Five relievers went the rest of the way for the Mets. Adam Ottavino picked up the loss in this game after giving up a homer to Will Smith that broke the tie. Jorge Lopez was part of the bullpen meltdown and pretty much talked his way off the team after the game. This action was unacceptable, and may be a mirror into the frustrations within the Mets clubhouse. To be fair, Lopez has been known to be a great guy and teammate and this is out of character (and if you listen closely, he is also saying he has been a bad teammate). However, again, the actions are unacceptable and not what the Mets front office wants portrayed to fans.
Lindor called for a team meeting after the game. It is nice to see one of the veteran leaders step up, though the results in the upcoming series against the Diamondbacks will be the measuring stick.
The Dodgers offense had multiple stars. Shoehei Ohtani went 2 for 5 with an RBI single and a two-run homer to give him 3 RBI’s on the game. Will Smith delivered two solo home runs and a double, driving in two runs. Miguel Rojas had 4 hits in 5 at bats with an RBI.
LA starter James Paxton was taken out of the game after 50 pitches which taxed the Dodgers bullpen a bit. They needed 6 pitches to cover the final six innings.
Written by: Jason Krom
Stats by espn.com
***Are you interested in sports betting? If so make sure to use our promo code below where you can get your deposit matched (up to $1000), use promo code Sportz***
***Have you tried Dubby?? Are you looking for a Pre-Workout??
Use our promo code : WeLikeSportz for 10% off!
WE LIKE SPORTZ SHOW 
Leave a comment