Los Angeles @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 14, 2023 ) LA Dodgers 6, NY Mets 0
The Los Angeles Dodgers picked up Friday where they left off prior to the All-Star break.
So did the New York Mets.
The Dodgers will look to extend their winning streak and nudge the Mets further out of the playoff race Saturday night, when Los Angeles is slated to visit New York in the middle contest of a three-game series.
Tony Gonsolin (5-3, 3.86 ERA) is slated to start for the Dodgers against Kodai Senga (7-5, 3.31) in a battle of right-handers.
Julio Urias and three relievers combined on a one-hitter Friday night for the Dodgers, who cruised to a 6-0 victory.
The Dodgers' fifth straight win, coupled with the Arizona Diamondbacks' 7-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, vaulted them back into sole possession of first place in the National League West. Los Angeles has outscored its opposition 38-15 during the winning streak.
The Dodgers drew six walks against Justin Verlander -- one shy of his career high, set as a rookie in 2006 -- before recording their first hit Friday night, a one-out RBI single in the fifth inning by Mookie Betts. Freddie Freeman laced a two-run double two pitches later.
"Fantastic all night long," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "It was hard to say perfect, but from the outset, very intentional at-bats, very grindy at-bats. And regardless of the result, just as a team offense, it was as good as you're going to see."
The view was decidedly less rosy for the Mets, who have been outscored 15-3 during their three-game losing skid.
Brandon Nimmo briefly thought he'd led the game off with a homer for the Mets, but the Dodgers challenged and replays showed the ball bounced off the top of the fence. Nimmo was sent back to second base -- and was the only New York player to get there all night.
The Mets had just three more baserunners as they fell eight games behind the San Francisco Giants in the race for the third and final NL wild card spot.
"This was not a good game of baseball in any facet," Verlander said after the Mets fell to 12-21 since June 2. "But that doesn't mean that we can't go on a roll. We played good baseball going into the break and I'll be damned if one game is going to be the thing that says ‘Oh well, we sure can't go on a run.'"
Gonsolin earned the win in his most recent start July 7, when he allowed four runs over 6 2/3 innings as the Dodgers beat the Kansas City Royals, 11-4. He won his lone career start against the Mets on June 2, 2022, when Gonsolin allowed two hits over six scoreless innings in Los Angeles' 2-0 victory.
This will be Senga's first appearance against the Dodgers.
Senga earned the win July 5, when he allowed one run and struck out 12 over a career-high eight innings as the Mets edged the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2-1. The 30-year-old rookie, who has never faced the Dodgers, was named to the NL All-Star team but did not pitch in the AL's 3-2 win on Tuesday night.
--Field Level Media