Dodgers’ Bats Overtake Mets in Extras

After a thrilling win in extra innings on Monday, the Mets (38-23) and Dodgers (37-24) again went to extra innings on Tuesday, with the Mets blowing a ninth inning lead for the second straight night. This time around, the Mets weren’t so fortunate. After failing to score in the top of the 10th, the Mets surrendered the winning run in the bottom of the inning to fall 6-5.

Max Muncy, who is always a thorn in the Mets’ side, was responsible for sending the game into extra innings with a no-doubt home run leading off the ninth. It was his second long ball of the night, his first putting the Dodgers ahead 4-1 in the first inning.

Despite the early deficit, the Mets got the scoring started in this one with Pete Alonso recording an RBI single in the first inning off Kershaw. The lead was short-lived, however, as the score was even just three batters into the bottom of the inning. A Shohei Ohtani strikeout was followed by a Mookie Betts single and a Freddie Freeman double, which scored Betts.

Tylor Megill‘s troubles were beginning as he allowed the Dodgers to take the lead on a ground ball fielder’s choice and a two-run home run off the bat of Muncy. The Mets found themselves in an immediate 4-1 hole.

Megill settled in to deliver a gutsy performance, getting through six innings without allowing another run. He totaled 105 pitches and struck out seven while retiring 16 of his final 17 batters. Megill allowed the Mets to get back in the game, and they took full advantage.

After Kershaw walked two but didn’t allow a run in the second, Juan Soto added to the Mets’ score with a two-run shot to right field. The home run was Soto’s 11th of the year and his third in the last four games to bring the Mets within a run.

The Mets were then silenced in a 1-2-3 fourth inning, but they did enough damage in the fifth to cut Kershaw’s night short. A Francisco Lindor walk and a Max Muncy error opened the door for Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo to tack on two more runs with a double from Alonso and an infield single that Nimmo barely beat out. Kershaw was subsequently removed from the game, leaving with the Mets ahead 5-4.

The first man tasked with keeping the Mets lead intact was Brandon Waddell, who was just called up to the major league team earlier in the day. His appearance in Tuesday’s game was far less eventful than his previous five-inning, 94-pitch outing on May 28, as he allowed just a walk in a relatively easy inning to turn the game over to the eighth.

Reed Garrett found himself in immediate trouble in the eighth inning with runners on second and third and no outs as a result of an Ohtani walk, a Betts single, and a passed ball. Garrett then made his best Houdini impression by, somehow, getting out of the inning without allowing a run. He got a much-needed strikeout of Freddie Freeman before Teoscar Hernández grounded to third base, which got Ohtani stuck in a rundown. Will Smith then struck out to end the inning, giving Reed Garrett his best moment in a season full of great pitching.

With two great innings out of the bullpen, the Mets failed to add any insurance runs, and it cost them. Huascar Brazobán, going for the save in place of Edwin Díaz, who was unavailable, immediately surrendered the lead in the ninth with Muncy’s second home run of the night. Brazobán recovered to strike out the next three batters, but the damage was done.

The Mets went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 10th, which was a death sentence considering the Dodgers had the top of their order coming up. After Shohei Ohtani was walked intentionally, Mookie Betts lined out to left, but Freddie Freeman put an end to the game by sending a ball to the left field wall. It could have and should have been caught, but Brandon Nimmo misplayed it, which allowed the winning run to score.

The loss snaps the Mets’ four-game win streak and puts them at 38-23 on the season.

Stat of the Game: Megill Missing Bats

Tylor Megill generated 18 swings and misses in Tuesday’s win, tying a career-high. Even with his recent struggles, Megill has done a fantastic job of getting opposing batters to whiff at his pitches. He has 23 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings over his last three starts.

Player of the Game: Juan Soto

Juan Soto is heating up. He has three home runs in his last four games and an extra-base hit in each of the last five games. His two-run homer was the difference in this game, with the Mets winning by just a run.

On Deck

The Mets will play the third of their four-game series against the Dodgers Wednesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET. Griffin Canning (5-2, 3.23 ERA) will be looking to bounce back after a rough start, while Tony Gonsolin (3-1, 5.23 ERA) will try to get his season on track. The game will air on SNY and MLB Network.

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