The Mets made it a close game late, but their offensive struggles ultimately led to a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
Here are the key takeaways …
1. Saturday’s game really could not have started much worse for the Mets. After Brandon Nimmo led off against Max Scherzer with a double, he was left stranded right there, as the Mets started the day 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
Then, in the bottom of the first, Rich Hill allowed a pair of home runs to Trea Turner and Albert Pujols within his first nine pitches of the afternoon, putting the Mets down 2-0 in the early stages.
2. Hill allowed another Dodgers home run in the fourth, a solo shot off the bat of Chris Taylor, but he battled through 5.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits (three solo homers) while striking out two without a walk.
3. Nimmo had a big day for the Mets. After his double in the first, he singled and stole second in the third. His next time up, he ripped a solo home run off Scherzer in the top of the fifth, drilling the foul pole in right field.
4. The Mets had a chance to do more damage in the fifth, but it was once again another squandered opportunity. A Jeff McNeil double, Pete Alonso hit-by-pitch, and Michael Conforto walk loaded the bases with two away for J.D. Davis, but Davis went down swinging on a Scherzer fastball to end the inning.
5. Miguel Castro had a disastrous outing as he took the mound to start the sixth. He allowed a broken-bat single and then walked three straight Dodgers to force in a run and make it 4-1. Jeurys Familia then came in and inherited a bases-loaded no-out mess, and he was able to get out of it without any further damage.
6. Alonso continues to be productive through the Mets’ struggles, and he brought the Mets back into the game in the seventh with a two-run homer off of Blake Treinen. Alonso’s 28th homer of the season and second of the series brought the Mets back within a run.
7. In the ninth, Kevin Pillar was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a (very risky) sac fly. With the tying run in scoring position, McNeil struck out and Alonso followed suit.
The Mets were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, left nine men on base, and have now dropped eight out of nine.
Highlights
What’s next
The Mets and Dodgers will wrap up their four-game series on Sunday at 4:10 p.m. on SNY.
Marcus Stroman (8-12, 2.84 ERA) will go for the Mets against David Price (4-1, 3.62 ERA).