Los Angeles @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 24, 2013 ) LA Dodgers 3, NY Mets 7

The Los Angeles Dodgers will have little time to get over a damaging loss when they wrap up a three-game series at the New York Mets on Thursday afternoon. The Dodgers held a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning and were up 3-2 in the ninth Wednesday before the Mets rallied to force extra innings and won it in the 10th on a walk-off grand slam by Jordany Valdespin. It was Los Angeles' seventh loss in nine games.

New York moved back above .500 and survived the first pedestrian start of the season for Matt Harvey, who gave up three runs in six innings and was let off the hook by the late comeback. The Mets had lost five straight to the Dodgers, including four in a row at Citi Field. With a victory in the series finale, New York will have five series wins against two series defeats. The game-winning grand slam was the first such blast for the Mets in nearly 22 years.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-1, 4.01 ERA) vs. Mets RH Jeremy Hefner (0-2, 7.07)

Like a lot of pitchers over the years, Ryu took a quick liking to pitching in Dodger Stadium, posting a 2.13 ERA in his first two starts there. The left-hander, though, has made a pair of road starts since with less satisfactory results. He has given up eight runs on 14 hits in 12 innings away from home, including a rocky outing at Baltimore on Saturday in which he was reached for five runs in six frames. The 26-year-old does have a sparking 26 strikeouts against five walks in 24 2/3 innings, but has allowed 27 hits. Opponents are hitting .284 against Ryu overall and .298 against him in those two road starts.

Hefner's spot in the rotation may be on shaky ground unless he can turn things around. After a very solid season debut, Hefner has give up 10 runs in eight innings over a span of three outings, one of which saw him surrender two homers in a mop-up inning of relief. He has surrendered seven homers in 14 frames, the worst rate of anyone in the National League who has started at least one game. The 27-year-old has faced the Dodgers three times, all in relief and all within a span of 23 days last season. He allowed two runs in four innings in those encounters.

WALK-OFFS

1. Dodgers CF Matt Kemp is 9-for-21 with a home run, a double, four RBIs and two walks through the first five games of his team's six-game road trip.

2. New York's bullpen entered Wednesday with a major-league worst 5.46 ERA. However, four relievers combined on four hitless innings in the 7-3 victory.

3. Los Angeles closer Brandon League has allowed a run in three of his last five outings.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 6, Mets 5