Dodgers pitching stifled the Mets lineup, extending an eight-game losing streak and marking a second consecutive series sweep.
The New York Mets dropped their eighth consecutive game on Wednesday night to the Los Angeles Dodgers after an 8-2 finish in the series finale. It is now the second series in a row that the Mets have been swept after losing all three games to the Athletics at home last weekend.
New York has its fifth-place position in the National League East stamped, already five games back from the division-leading Atlanta Braves. With an off day on Thursday before a tough three-game series in Chicago against the Cubs over the weekend, now’s the time to recap what happened against the Dodgers.
The three-game set got off to a bad start with a 0-4 loss in which the lineup only tallied three hits in the contest. While the Dodgers' pitching dominated, Mets’ left-hander David Peterson continued his struggles to start the year, allowing four runs across five innings.
The bullpen came in to settle things down and didn’t allow another run, but New York’s lineup couldn’t do anything meaningful at the plate. With no walks in the game, those three hits weren't nearly enough to get the Mets back into it.
Game two was more of the same from the Mets’ lineup. Shortstop Francisco Lindor got things started with a home run in the first, but the Mets would only reach base four more times in the contest.
Rookie right-hander Nolan McLean went out and once again proved his promise on the mound, going seven innings in which he struck out eight, allowed two hits, and one run. Unfortunately for him, the lack of offense failed to make use of his outing. The final score read 1-2 in favor of Los Angeles.
Heading into game three, the Mets were on the verge of being swept in two straight series. With right-hander Clay Holmes taking the mound for New York, they had at least a fighting shot against the Dodgers, even if they’d have to face two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.
Holmes allowed five baserunners and two runs in his five innings, but the outcome of the game was solidified after reliever Devin Williams allowed a grand slam in the eighth inning to Dalton Rushing. In total, the Mets’ staff allowed 12 hits and four home runs in the series finale.
The lineup had already been struggling horribly, but matching up against Ohtani only made things worse. Designated hitter MJ Melendez had two doubles against Ohtani, but no other Met was able to get the best of the multi-time MVP. New York only managed five hits in the 8-2 loss while striking out a debilitating 14 times in what ended up being the final nail in the coffin of the series.
New York is in a pivotal spot heading into this weekend. Already five games under .500 after an offseason that was supposed to see them dominate, things need to turn around quickly for the Mets. It won't be easy to do so against the Cubs, who had a stellar offseason of their own. At the very least, the Mets need at least one game to end their abysmal streak of losing baseball.