Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB Postseason: It’s an Astros Braves World Series on Tuesday

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The New York Yankees season and hope for another championship were over when they lost in the wild card round to the Boston Red Sox, but the baseball season continued, for now, two teams. The Houston Astro clinched their berth in the World Series when they eliminated the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at MinuteMaid Park. The Dodgers beat the Braves 11-2, earning them a trip back to Truist Park in Atlanta. With the Braves ahead three games to two, the Dodgers again faced elimination last night. Game five of the series was their saving grace, but not for long as the Braves won the elimination game 4-2 and advanced to the World Series.

Game five with the Dodgers in the elimination hole yet again, they faced the Braves. Max Fried was on the mound for the Atlanta Braves. The Los Angeles Dodgers had Joe Kelly on the mound. Freddie Freeman put the Braves on the board first with a right down the middle no-doubter into the centerfield stands for the two-run lead for the Braves, whichKelly’sKelly’s night with only two-thirds of an inning. That lead held until the bottom of the second when the Dodgers scored three runs. AJ Pollock hit a solo homer followed by a two-run jack by Chris Taylor. Dodgers 3 Braves 2.

The Dodgers picked up another run. Chris Taylor managed a single to center with Pollock on with Pollock on, scoring Pollock for the Dodgers 4-2 lead. The fourth inning was scoreless for both teams. At the bottom of the fifth inning, the Dodgers scored another two runs. Freddie Freeman had a solo blast to center. That was followed by Taylor’sylor’s second home run of the game for the 6-2 Dodgers lead. The top of the sixth inning was scoreless for Atlanta Braves. With Dylan Lee pitching for Atlanta at the bottom of the sixth, Trey Turner singled, but the Dodgers failed to score. Dodgers 6 Braves 2.

. In the Braves half of the seventh with Blake Treinen, with his second inning of work for the Dodgers, put down the Braves in order. At the bottom, Chris Taylor hit his third home run of the game, a solo shot to left. Then Cody Bellinger singled to right. Matt Beaty flew out to end the inning. ButTaylor’sylor’s third homer of the game, the Dodgers led the game 7 to 2.

Corey Knebel pitched the top of the eight for the Dodgers and struck out three in a row. At the bottom, Jacob Webb on the mound, Mookie Betts singled and stole second. Trey Turner singled, scoring Betts. Corey Seager singled, moving Turner to second. Will Smith, the only Dodger starter without a hit, struck out. AJ Pollock, who got the first homer for the Dodgers, homered again to the bleachers in left-center, scoring Turner and Seager for another three runs for the Dodgers. Dodgers 11 Braves 2.

In the top of the ninth inning, with the last licks on the line for the Atlanta Braves, Kenley Jansen took the mound for the Dodgers. Ozzie Albies flew out to left. Freddie Freeman ground out to second. Austin Riley flew out to right, and the Dodgers staved off elimination and moved on to Atlanta on Saturday. The final score was the Los Angeles Dodgers 11 and the Atlanta Braves 2. The winning pitcher was Evan Phillips, and the loser was Max Fried. The series was then three games to two in favor of the Atlanta Braves.

Last night was Game Six. Ian Anderson was on the mound for the Braves and Walker Buehler for the Dodgers; just like in most of the games, the starters wouldn’t be involved in the decision. In the bottom of the first inning with Ozzie Albies on Austin Riley doubled driving in Albies for the Braves one-run lead. That lead held until the top of the fourth inning when the Dodgers finally answered. With Trea Turner on base, Cody Bellinger doubled driving him in for the score tied at one. In the bottom of the frame, the Braves again took the lead on a three run homer by Eddie Rosario making it 4-1 Atlanta Braves. Rosario’s hit set a team record for the most hits in a postseason.

The fifth inning was scoreless for both teams. With Alex Vesia on the mound for the Braves in the bottom of the sixth frame with two outs, Rosario walked. Freddie Freeman walked, the diminutive Ozzie Albies got the third walk of the inning. That was the night for Vesia. The new Dodger pitcher Blake Treinen faced Austin Riley with two outs and the bases loaded with Braves. Riley with a chance to blow the game open struck out to end the Braves threat. Atlanta 4 Los Angeles 1.

In the top of the seventh, Chris Taylor doubled. Cody Bellinger walked. AJ Pollock singled to left driving in Taylor and making it 4-2 Braves and ending Luke Jackson’s night. The new Braves pitcher was Tyler Matzek. He faced legendary Albert Pujios with two on and still no outs. Pujols struck out. Steven Sousa pinch-hitting struck out. Mookie Betts struck out to limit the Dodgers to just one run. In the bottom of the frame with Corey Knebel on the mound, Adam Duvall struck out. Joc Pederson flew out to right. Dansby Swanson singled to left. Travis d’Arnaud struck out. Braves 4 Dodgers 2.

In the eighth Matzek still on the mound struck out his fourth Dodger in a row. Trea Turner ground out to left. Will Smith ground out to left to put the Braves three outs of a World Series berth. In the bottom, Kenley Jansen on the mound, Jorge Soler doubled to left. Heredia pinch-runner. Eddie Rosario flew out center move Heredia to third. Freddie Freeman was intentionally walked. Ozzie Albies struck out. Austin Riley struck out. Braves 4 Dodgers 2.

In the ninth inning with the Braves, three outs away from a win and a trip to the World Series put closer Will Smith on the mound. Chris Taylor struck out. Cody Bellinger struck out. AJ Pollock lined out to short and the Atlanta Braves won the National League Pennant and earned a trip to the World Series in Houston on Tuesday. The final score was the Atlanta Braves 4 and the Los Angeles Dodgers 2. The winning pitcher was Tyler Matzek and the loser was Walker Buehler the save went to Will Smith. It will be the first time the Braves have gone to the World Series since 1999 when the New York Yankees swept the Atlanta Braves 4 games to none.

MLB News: Los Angeles Dodgers face elimination tonight

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The New York Yankees season and hope for another championship were over when they lost in the wild card round to the Boston Red Sox, but the baseball season continues for four teams. The Tampa Bay Rays, who won the AL East during the regular season, lost to the Red Sox in the ALDS. The Red Sox went on to face the Houston Astros in the ALCS. The Astros lead the Red Sox 3 games to 2. The Dodgers beat the Giants for their trip to the NLCS, and the Braves won over the Brewers for their berth on the NL side. Tonight will be a big night for the Dodgers as they face elimination. The Braves lead the series 3-1.

Game one: Corey Knebel was on the mound for the Dodgers and Max Fried for the Braves. Both teams scored a run in the first, tying the game at one. In the second inning, both teams again scored a run tying it at two apiece, and the game remained deadlocked through the seventh inning. The top of the eighth was scoreless for the Dodgers; in the bottom, they brought in their closer Kenley Jansen to face the Braves. He did the job with a 1-2-3 inning.

In the top of the ninth inning, Will Smith took to the mound and put down the Dodgers with the game still tied at two. Ozzie Albies got a base hit into no man’s land in center in the bottom with Blake Treinen pitching. Albies stole second. Austin Riley singled to left, and Albies scored for a walk-off win for the Braves. The final score was Braves 3 Dodgers 2. winning pitcher was Will Smith loser Blake Treinen.

Game two: The second game had Ian Anderson facing the Dodgers Max Scherzer. With the managers being super careful, neither pitcher lasted long in this contest. Anderson went three innings, and Scherzer lasted 4.1. The Dodgers struck first in the first inning with two runs. Mookie Betts singled, and Corey Seager hit a two-run blast to right field. Those were the only two runs the Dodgers would score until the seventh inning. The Braves, for their part, scored two in the fourth. Then, in the bottom, with one on base, Joc Pederson hit a homer to right to tie the game at 2.

In the top of the seventh, the Dodgers loaded the basis. Chris Taylor came to bat and hit one short of the centerfielder giving the Dodgers the 4-2 lead in the game, silencing the crowd in Atlanta. But that would only be temporary because, in the bottom of the eighth, the Braves would answer with two runs of their own to tie up the game at 4. Rosario singled, Freddie Freeman flew out, Rosario tagged and just made it to second. Then, Ozzie Albies singled, scoring Rosario. Next, Austin Riley doubled driving in Albies.

At the top of the ninth, Will Smith struck out the Dodgers in order. At the bottom Brustar Graterol on the mound, Travis d’Arnaud singled, Dansby Swanson hit into a force out. Heredia ground out, moving Swanson to second. Then, Rosario faced Kenley Jansen and singled, winning it for the Braves. The final score was the Braves 5 and the Dodgers 4. The winning pitcher was Will Smith, and the loser was Brustar Graterol.

Game Three: Los Angeles hoped the confines of Dodger Stadium would be kinder to them and avoid being three games behind the Braves. Charlie Morton was on the mound for the Braves and Walker Buehler for the Dodgers. The Dodgers got on the board first with a two-run homer deep into centerfield by Corey Seager. The second and third innings remained scoreless for both teams.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Braves came alive, scoring four runs. With one on, Austin Riley doubled to the centerfield wall. Joc Pederson singled to right driving in Albies. Adam Duvall drove in Riley to tie the game at 2. Pederson was driven in as the Braves took the lead. With the bases loaded, a walk put the Braves up 4-2, and that was the game for Buehler. He was replaced by Alex Vesia, who stopped the bleeding.

In the fifth, Adam Duvall got his second RBI of the game, making it 5-2. The sixth and seventh innings were scoreless. The eight-inning was the saving grace for the Dodgers as they scored four runs giving them the six runs they would need for the win. With Luke Jackson on the mound, Cody Bellinger slammed a three-run homer to right-center, tying the game at five apiece. The Dodgers added one more run in the bottom of the eighth to put them up one run. Kenley Jansen pitched a clean top of the ninth to preserve the win for the Dodgers and give them one win against the Braves two wins in the seven-game series. The final was 6-5, the winning pitcher was Tony Gonsolin, and the loser was Luke Jackson, with the save going to Kenley Jansen.

Game Four: The Dodgers’ enthusiasm leading into game four was quelled early when the Atlanta Braves took a four-run lead early in the game. In the second, Eddie Rosario hit a solo homer to left. Then, Adam Duvall hit a back-to-back homer to center field to put the Braves up two. Next, Eddie Freeman fired a long ball to the centerfield stands in the third, tacking on another Braves run. Then Rosario tripled to right. Next, Joc Pederson singled to center with men on the corners, driving in Rosario for the Braves’ four-run lead.

In the top of the fifth, the Braves would add on another run; in the bottom. The Dodgers finally got onto the scoreboard. With two on, pinch-hitter, A.J.Pollock would drive in two runs with a single to center. But that is all the Dodgers could do against the Braves. In the ninth, the Braves scored another run, with two on; Eddie Rosario would strike again with a three-run homer to right for the convincing 9-2 Atlanta Braves win. The winning pitcher was Drew Smyly, and the loser was Julio Urias.

Game Five: Tonight, with the Dodgers in the elimination hole yet again, they will face the Braves in a 5:08 PDT, 8:08 pm EDT contest. Max Fried will be on the mound for the Atlanta Braves. The Los Angeles Dodgers have not announced a starter for the game at the time of this writing. If the Braves win tonight’s game, they will advance to the World Series against either the Red Sox or the Astros. On the other hand, if they can pull off a win, the series will move back to Atlanta for the final two games. Tonight’s game will be nationally televised on TBS.

MLB News: Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Giants, forcing a game five

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The New York Yankees postseason ended with the loss in the wild card game against the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have conquered the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS and will face the Houston Astros for the second time in five years in the ALCS after the Astros beat the Chicago White Sox 10-1 earlier today. The Atlanta Braves were up two games to one and reached the NLCS when they beat the Milwaukee Brewers today in Atlanta 5-4. The only Championship yet to be decided is the Dodgers Giants NLDS at Los Angeles. If the Dodgers could win, they would tie the Giants and force a game five.

When the Dodgers won the wild card from the St. Louis Cardinals, they created history by playing in the divisional series against the San Francisco Giants for the first time since they were the New York Giants in 1889. That year the Giants won the World Series by one game over the Boston Beaneaters.

Friday was Game one against these two western rivals. The Giants scored two runs off the Dodger’s starting pitcher Walker Buehler and the game was over; the Dodgers didn’t know it at the time, but they remained scoreless off of the Giants pitching; the Giants shut them out 4-0.

Game two was Saturday at Oracle Park in San Francisco, with an altogether different outcome. The Lost Angeles Dodgers piled on nine runs to the Giants two. Thus, tying up the five-game series at one apiece.

Game three Last night at Dodger’s Stadium, Game three was a pitcher’s duel with only one run scored on the night; it belonged to the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving them the two-game lead in the series.

Tonight was Game four Anthony DeSclafani was on the mound for the Giants and Walter Buehler for the Dodgers. The Dodgers got on board first with a Trey Turner RBI.  In the second, the Giants remained scoreless. At the bottom, the Dodgers put two on. With men on the corners, Chris Taylor doubled, putting the Dodgers up by two runs. That ended the night for DeSclafani. The Giants Alverez replaced him and shut down the Dodgers. Los Angeles 2 San Francisco 0.

In the third, Buehler put down the Giants in order. At the bottom, Kevin Castro took over for the Giants, and with two on and one out. He was replaced by Jarlin Garcia, who allowed the second walk in the inning, loading the bases. Chris Taylor flew out to end the inning, stranding three Dodgers.  At the top of the fourth, Buehler put down the Giants 1-2-3. At the bottom, one on Mookie Betts homered to right field, giving the Dodgers a four-run lead and ending Garcia’s night. Dodgers 4 Giants 0.

In the top of the fifth with two on Buehler’s (on three days rest) night was over replaced by Joe Kelly. Tommy La Stella, with two on and one out, singled, loading the bases with Giants. Darin Ruf ground out, scoring Evan Longoria. But Kelly got out of the jam, only allowing the one run. In the bottom, the Dodgers Gavin Lux walked, Cody Bellinger, singled moving Lux to third, Chris Taylor reached on a fielders choice with Lux getting caught in a run down. New pitcher Tyler Rogers faced Steven Sousa, who walked. Mookie Betts flew out as Bellinger scored. Corey Seager flew out to end a very long fifth inning. Dodgers 5 Giants 1.

At the sixth with 53,000 on hand at Dodgers Stadium, Busdar Graterol on the mound for the Dodgers put down the Giants in the sixth. Zack Littell allowed two runners to get out of the inning with the Dodgers scoreless. In the seventh, the Giants failed to score, as did the Dodgers. Dodgers 5 Giants 1.

Brandon Crawford led off with a double moved to third on a Buster Posey ground out in the eighth inning. Chris Byant gound out with Crawford scoring. That was it, but the Giants tacked on a run. At the bottom, Seager led off with a single. Then, Will Smith hit a two-run homer to the left-field stands to put the Dodgers up 7-2. In the top of the ninth with the last licks on the line for the Giants, they went down in order for the Dodgers win, forcing a game five on Thursday back in San Francisco.

MLB News: Los Angeles Dodgers walk off the St. Louis Cardinals for the NL Wild Card win

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On Tuesday night, the New York Yankees season ended when the Boston Red Sox topped them in a 6-2 MLB wild-card contest at Fenway Park. Next, the Boston Red Sox will face the Tampa Bay Rays, the clear AL East division leader. That series will start on Thursday evening.

Tonight the National League MLB wild card was decided to see what team would play the NL West leader San Francisco Giants in the division series. The winner of those contests, AL and NL, will go on to their respective championship series; the winners to each will match up in the 2021 World Series.

The game tonight was between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals.  The Cardinals had an impressive 17 game winning streak to get into the wild card game. The Dodgers won 17 of its last 20 games to get their berth in the wild card. All eyes would be on Tyler O’Neill, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado, who combined for 28 homers of the 52 St. Louis had in September. Tonight the two teams met at Dodger Stadium, with the winner of the game facing the Giants in the NL divisional series.

The Dodgers sent righty Max Scherzer to the mound to face the Cardinals Adam Wainwright. These were two of the hottest pitchers this season. Scherzer was 15-4 with a 2.46 ERA. The Dodgers have won his last 13 consecutive starts.  Wainwright was 17-7 with an ERA of 3.05. He is coming off his 17th win of the season against the Milwaukee Brewers, with the Cardinals winning his last eight straight starts.

The Los Angeles Dodgers topped the St. Luis Cardinals this season, winning four of their seven games together, giving the Dodgers the home-field advantage in the wild card game.

In the first inning of the wild card game, Scherzer faced the Cardinals. The Cardinals started the game with a man on. A steal and a walk, and Scherzer was in trouble. A wild pitch allowed the Cardinals to get on the board first. But a strikeout and fly-out got him out of the inning without further damage. At the bottom of the inning, Mookie Bettes led off against Wainwright with a single to short. But that is all they would get. Cardinals 1 Dodgers 0.

The second and third innings were scoreless, as was the top of the fourth, But in the bottom of the fourth, the Dodgers got the run back when Justin Turner homered off Wainwright. After that, the fifth inning was scoreless for both teams. Los Angeles Dodgers 1 St. Louis Cardinals 1.

In the top of the sixth inning, Max Scherzer was replaced by Brusdar Graterol, who shut down the Cardinals. In the bottom with Wainwright still on the mound for the Cardinals. With a man on first and Justin Turner coming up, Wainwright’s night was over replaced by Luis Garcia.  Turner walked for two on and two outs. But by the end of the inning, it remained with the teams still tied at one.

At the top of the seventh, Blake Treinen took over the pitching for the Dodgers and did the job with the game remaining tied. At the bottom, with Garcia still on the mound for the Cardinals, Cody Bellinger singled and stole second. But Mookie Betts flew out to left to end the inning still tied.

The eighth inning with one on the Dodgers made a pitching change replacing Treinen with Corey Knebel, who got the final out, ending the half still tied. At the bottom, the Cardinal closer Glovanny Gallegos took the mound, and  Trea Turner singled to left field, but it was for naught was Gallego closed out the inning scoreless for the Dodgers. Dodgers 1 Cardinals 1.

At the top of the ninth inning, closer Kenley Jensen took the mound for the Dodgers. Tommy Edman singled to right field. Edman stole second. Tyler O’Neill struck out to end the half leaving the Dodgers the ability to walk it off in the bottom of the inning. The Cardinals sent T. J. McFarland to the mound in the bottom to shut down the Dodgers. Albert Pujols pinch-hitting flew out to center.  Steven Souza flew out for out number two. Cody Bellinger walked and ended McFarland’s night. He was replaced by Alex Reyes facing Chris Taylor. Bellinger stole second for the second time in the game. Taylor homered to left with the Dodgers walk-off win.

The final score was the Los Angeles Dodgers 3 and the St. Louis Cardinals 1. The winning pitcher was Kenley Jensen, and the loser was T. J. McFarland. The Los Angles Dodgers will go on to the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants for the first time in baseball history.

 

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Mets Game Preview (8/22/21) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (78-46)

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The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers play the final game of their four-game weekend series as the Mets look to avoid a sweep. While the weather is ugly on the east coast, the weather in Los Angeles is a typical 72 degrees and sunny. The first pitch from Dodger Stadium is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. as the Mets finish off their road trip.

The big question surrounding Sunday’s finale is whether Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez will be activated off the IL and immediately inserted into the lineup. As of 2:10 p.m. ET, the Mets have not released their starting lineup, which means both will be game-time decisions. It has been clear the Mets lack energy on the field, and any production from their bats will be welcomed with open arms.

The Dodgers have found ways to be a little bit better than the Mets throughout their season series. Outside of their 14-4 blowout, every game has been a close, down to the wire matchup. The difference is the Dodgers’ ability to wear pitchers down on offense to get clutch hits and their abundance of home runs. The Dodgers have clubbed ten homers against the Mets while the Mets have just four, and Pete Alonso has half.

Pitching Matchup

Marcus Stroman continues his amazing 2021 campaign after his gutsy outing against the San Francisco Giants. Stroman battled through seven innings, allowing three runs, struck out nine, and threw a season-high 114 pitches. He has been the most consistent Mets starter with a 2.84 ERA and leads the team with 139.1 innings pitched. Stroman may not win the Cy Young but is certainly putting himself in a position to earn a few votes.

Former Cy Young winner David Price takes the mound and is back in the starting rotation after starting the season in the bullpen. The change of roles has not deterred Price as he finds ways to put together solid outings. In 31 outings (10 starts), Price has a 3.62 ERA in 59.2 innings pitched. In his last start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he pitched 4.2 innings and allowed two runs. Price should not last long as he only has two outings of five innings or more and has one outing above 70 pitches.

Matchups To Lookout For

Marcus Stroman vs. Albert Pujols: 5-for-14 (.357), Double, Walk, 2 Strikeouts

David Price vs. Kevin Pillar: 3-for-22 (.136), Double, Home Run, Walk, 8 Strikeouts

David Price vs. Jonathan Villar: 4-for-21 (.190), 4 Strikeouts

Another Day, Another Loss: Dodgers Beat Mets 3-2

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The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to use the New York Mets as their punching bags, taking their fifth consecutive game against them this season. This time, Walker Buehler led the way as he held the Mets to just two runs in 7.2 dominant innings to give the Dodgers a 3-2 win.

Despite the quiet offensive night, the Mets had their best chance at tying the game against the fatigued Buehler in the eighth inning. A wild pitch set up the Mets with runners on second and third with only one out. Jeff McNeil thought he drew a walk to load the bases, but home plate umpire Nestor Ceja punched him out on a clear ball. Pete Alonso got one run in with an infield single that grazed his foot, making it a 3-2 game. Alonso also took care of the first run with his half swing, resulting in a solo home run to right-center field.

The hit chased Buehler and set up a matchup between Alex Vesia and Michael Conforto. Their at-bat resulted in a gutsy 10-pitch walk which loaded the bases for J.D. Davis. As usual, Davis saw a heavy dose of fastballs up in the zone, but one at the knees is what struck him out looking to get out of the inning. Kenley Jansen came on to shut the door in the ninth inning to throw a 1-2-3 inning on eight pitches to get the save.

Classic Carrasco

Carlos Carrasco looked like he would have another short outing after allowing three runs and five hits in his first three innings of work. Carrasco managed to get himself into a groove and retired the last eight batters he faced. Overall, Carrasco pitched five innings, allowing three runs and striking out six. It was by far the best outing of his short season so far.

The trio of Aaron Loup, Trevor May, and Seth Lugo continued the streak by retiring all three batters in their single innings of work. Each had efficient outings, with Loup and Lugo needing eight pitches while May needed 16 pitches.

On Saturday, both teams rematch for an earlier 4:10 p.m. ET start from Dodger Stadium. Rich Hill and Max Scherzer take the mound for their respective teams, combining 31 years of MLB experience.

Mets Game Preview (8/20/21) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (76-46)

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The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers get themselves ready for a Friday night matinee after the Dodgers took game one. They needed almost their entire bullpen to get it done, but they quieted the Mets offense in the 4-1 win. Game two from Dodger Stadium is scheduled for another late-night 10:10 p.m. ET start.

Thursday’s loss was just another example of how lost the team is at the moment. The life and energy this team once had are completely lost, especially without Francisco Lindor on the field. Jonathan Villar and Brandon Nimmo supplied some of that energy on defense, but it lacked from the entire team on offense. The Mets failed to generate any offense late in the game as the final ten batters were retired in order.

As solid as the Dodgers bullpen was in their win, it also means only a couple of relievers received a day off. Luckily with Walker Buehler on the mound, the bullpen usually has an easy workload. Will Smith has done plenty of damage to the Mets this year in a small sample size. Smith is 5-for-15 with a double, three home runs, and seven RBIs against them this season.

Pitching Matchup

Carlos Carrasco gets a second opportunity to beat the Dodgers after struggling his last time against them. Over two innings, the Dodgers put up six runs on six hits and clubbed three home runs. Carrasco has struggled in his four starts this season and has allowed 10 runs in his last three innings pitched.

Walker Buehler takes the mound for the Dodgers as he tries to keep building his Cy Young resume. Buehler leads MLB with a 2.09 ERA over 24 starts and is 12-2 on the season. In his last start against the Mets, Buehler dominated through seven innings, allowing just one run, and recorded 10 strikeouts. Buehler has lasted at least six innings in seven consecutive starts.

Matchups To Lookout For

Carlos Carrasco vs. Trea Turner: 4-for-5 (.800), 2 Doubles

Carlos Carrasco vs. Albert Pujols: 1-for-11 (.091), Walk, 2 Strikeouts

Dodgers Continue To Own The Mets As They Take Game One, 4-1

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mets, pete alonso

The New York Mets were supposed to compete on the same level as the Los Angeles Dodgers when Steve Cohen bought them, but that has been far from the case this year. The Dodgers bullpen outmatched the offense, and Taijuan Walker could not rekindle his success from last week in the 4-1 loss.

Walker battled through six-inning, allowing four runs, and struck out four batters. His velocity was great as he hit 97 mph on multiple occasions but ran into trouble navigating the elite Dodgers lineup. Will Smith continued to torture the Mets as his second-inning double set up a second and third situation with no one out. Smith and Seager both ended up scoring on a ground out to get an early 2-0 lead. In the fifth, familiar faces Billy McKinney and Trea Turner took care of the final two runs. McKinney doubled to the left-center gap, and Turner’s seeing-eye single snuck by a shifted Jeff McNeil.

The More The Merrier 

Manager Dave Roberts threw the gauntlet by using seven different pitchers in the bullpen game. They did a terrific job shutting down the offense all night. The Mets were held to just one run and the same amount of extra-base hits. J.D. Davis was responsible for both as his RBI double was the only tally they had on the night. Blake Treinen was dominant as ever in the ninth by striking out the side to complete the save.

The loss is the sixth in the last seven games and puts them five games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves. Carlos Carrasco will take the mound against Walker Buehler as the Mets look to beat the Dodgers. The first pitch from Dodger Stadium is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.

Dodgers Make It Look Easy in 14-4 Win to Complete Sweep of Mets

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mets, pete alonso

After the New York Mets missed two great opportunities to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Dodgers made sure they took away any hope of a Mets win early on. They clubbed five home runs and 12 hits on their way to a 12-4 victory on Sunday Night Baseball.

The Mets were bad at every facet of the game, from pitching to hitting to managing. Carlos Carrasco started to show that the Mets rushed him back as he struggled again. Carrasco allowed six runs in two innings and needed 57 pitches to make it through the awful start. It only took three batters for Justin Turner to hit a two-run home run and give L.A. a 2-0 lead. Will Smith added on with another homer in the first inning, and the Dodgers never looked back. Max Muncy also mixed in two more homers throughout the blowout as well.

Mets manager Luis Rojas made a baffling mistake in the second inning when he decided to let Carrasco hit for himself in the bottom of the second. The Mets were down 6-0 against Dodgers ace Max Scherzer, but Rojas allowed Carrasco to bunt instead of using a pinch-hitter. As usual, the Mets failed to capitalize with runners in scoring position and left it at 6-0.

Please Get a Hit

The Mets’ offense continued their theme of getting runners on base and leaving them there consistently. Despite scoring four runs, they went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. They also continued their trend of struggling to hit the fastball. J.D. Davis was the poster child by striking out three times on the same up and in fastball.

All of those trends allowed Scherzer to survive through seven innings on a night where he did not have his best stuff. Scherzer pitched six innings, allowing two runs, and struck out seven when it seemed like he had runners on base every inning. Once Scherzer left the game, the lower-tier reliever made the game interesting for a short period. Darien Nunez left Edwin Uceta with a bases-loaded jam, with the Mets down by six in the seventh inning.

Davis ended up sending a majestic sacrifice fly to center field, which was about five feet from becoming a grand slam and completely changing the game. Instead, the sac fly took the win out of the Mets sails, and Jonathan Villar struck out to end the rally. Geoff Hartleib and a couple of position players allowed the Dodgers to turn it into a laugher and end any Mets hopes.

On Monday, the Mets drag themselves into San Francisco to play the best team in baseball in the Giants. The first pitch from Oracle Park is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. ET.

 

Dodgers Outlast Mets For The Second Straight Night To Win 2-1 in 10

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The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers gave baseball fans another classic, but the result was the same as Friday. The Dodgers had just enough big hits and pitching to squeeze out another extra-inning victory, this time by a 2-1 score.

The pitching matchup between Taijuan Walker and Walker Buehler was as good as advertised. Both traded zeros for a majority of the game, and each only made one mistake. Buehler’s came at the hands of Michael Conforto, who launched a solo home run to continue his hot August. Walker carried a no-hitter for 6.1 innings, but Will Smith once again burned the Mets and broke the no-hitter with a solo home run.

Just like Friday, extra innings came down to the quality of depth in the bullpen. After the Mets used Aaron Loup and Seth Lugo to get to the 10th, Yennsy Diaz was the last option left. Diaz ended up allowing Cody Bellinger to double and give the Dodgers the game-winning run. For the Dodgers, their depth stepped up to shut down all nine batters they faced. The victory gave them their third extra-inning win of the season after entering New York with just one all season.

The Mets will attempt to avoid the sweep on Sunday but will have themselves busy with a familiar foe. Max Scherzer will take the mound against Carlos Carrasco for the 7:08 p.m. start on Sunday Night Baseball.