The Mets rolled into Los Angeles for the second series of their west coast clash with the Dodgers. Making his season debut on the mound for New York was Paul Blackburn, while the Dodgers sent Dustin May to the hill. In honor of Lou Gehrig Day, every player wore a pinstriped patch with the iconic number 4.
Right out the gate, Francisco Lindor made noise, blasting his sixth leadoff home run of the season — and his 14th overall. Brandon Nimmo followed up with a walk, but a Juan Soto double play and a Pete Alonso lineout killed the rally. Blackburn answered with a sharp bottom of the first, allowing just a Freddie Freeman infield single before getting Andy Pages to ground out.
The second and third innings passed with little action. The lone baserunner was a Max Muncy leadoff walk in the second, but neither offense could break through. In the top of the fourth, Soto smacked a ground-rule double, and Alonso was plunked, putting two aboard. But May danced out of danger by forcing a Jared Young force out and striking out Brett Baty.
In the bottom half, Teoscar Hernández opened with a single but was stranded as Blackburn shut down the next three batters.
Momentum swung back in the fifth, when Jeff McNeil and Francisco Álvarez rapped back-to-back singles with one out. Lindor came close to another homer but settled for a deep flyout. Then Nimmo came through, ripping a ground-rule double to score McNeil and pad the lead. Soto was intentionally walked, but Alonso ended the threat with a flyout. In the bottom of the frame, Tommy Edman reached on an Alonso error, and Hyeseong Kim singled to push him to second, but Blackburn locked in and got Shohei Ohtani to ground out and end the threat.
The sixth inning was mostly quiet, aside from a Baty single that didn’t amount to anything. In the bottom half, Huascar Brazobán took over for Blackburn. After a Freeman single, Brazobán walked Muncy and Michael Conforto to load the bases — but froze Edman with a strikeout to keep the Mets in control.
Jack Dreyer handled the seventh for L.A. without breaking a sweat. Max Kranick did the same for the Mets, except for one loud swing: Ohtani crushed a solo home run, cutting the lead to one run.
The eighth and top of the ninth zipped by without much drama. But in the bottom of the ninth, with one out and Edman on third, Ohtani lifted a sacrifice fly off Edwin Díaz to tie the game.
In the tenth, Tanner Scott took the ball for L.A., but the Mets weren’t done. With Luisangel Acuña starting on second, Álvarez ripped a go-ahead double. Starling Marte came in to run, and Lindor drove him home with a sharp single, giving the Mets a two-run cushion. A Pete Alonso walk was the only other blip before the inning ended.
José Castillo opened the bottom of the tenth but quickly ran into trouble. A Freeman walk and Pages RBI single chopped the lead to one. After a strikeout, Castillo was lifted for José Buttó, who coolly handled the final two outs to seal the win.
The Mets snagged the first game of this four-game series and are now riding 16 games over .500. Next up: Tylor Megill faces off with Clayton Kershaw as the battle in L.A. rolls on.