Split Decision

By : Mike Rifkin

In what was one of the biggest series of the first half of the Major League Baseball season the Mets and Dodgers series lived up to they hype this weekend. The two best teams in the National League split a great four game series in Los Angeles. 

On Thursday Tony Gonsolin threw six shutout innings, lowering his ERA to 1.59 and the Dodgers got RBI base hits from Mookie Betts and Justin Turner in the 2-0 LA win. It was the first time the Mets were shutout this season and offensively they only had three hits. Taijuan Walker suffered his first loss of the season after giving up two runs in 5.2 innings pitched. 

Friday night the Dodgers got two run home runs from Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry off of Chris Bassitt in their 6-1 victory. Tyler Anderson threw six shutout innings to improve his record to 7-0. Bassit gave up four runs (three earned) in six innings striking out eight in the loss. 

Saturday the Mets got off to a good start with a Francisco Lindor home run in the first inning. The Dodgers responded with four in the second including three on a Mookie Betts double. But as the Mets have done all year they responded right away Marte and Lindor drove in runs before Pete Alonso hit his first of two home runs in the game. Eduardo Escobar added a home run in the Mets 9-4 win. Dodgers ace Walker Buehler got knocked around for five runs in 2.1 innings pitched. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning Mets starter David Peterson was facing Mookie Betts with a runner on second base and two outs, and after a foul ball Mets manager Buck Showalter pulled Peterson in favor of rookie Colin Holderman who wound up striking Betts out and was credited with the win. 

Sunday was another back and forth affair and is one of the best games of the first half of the season. The Dodgers got a Trea Turner two run home run in the first inning for the quick lead. The Mets got three runs in the eight inning to take a 4-2 lead. The Dodgers got a home run from Will Smith and a RBI single form Eddy Alvarez off of Seth Lugo to tie the game at four. In the tenth inning JD Davis hit an RBI Double to give the Mets the lead. In the bottom of the Tenth Adonis Medina a pitcher the Mets acquired from the Pirates in April was given the difficult task of going up against the top of the Dodgers lineup. He got Mookie Betts to fly out, Freddie Freeman to ground out, Trea Turner reached on catcher’s interference and he struck out Will Smith to secure the split. 

The resilience the Mets have shown to start this season cannot be understated. They could have folded after Lugo blew the save in the ninth inning but they just keep grinding and find ways to compete. And they competed with one of the best teams in baseball. 

In the series the Dodgers outscored the Mets 16-15. Pete Alonso hit .278 with three home runs and seven RBI.Mookie Betts hit.278 and drove in four runs for the Dodgers in the series. These two teams will play again at Citi Field August 30th – September 1st.