Los Angeles @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( May 28, 2024 ) LA Dodgers 3, NY Mets 0
Asked Tuesday afternoon if a doubleheader would be good or bad for the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts grinned.
"I'll tell you after tonight," he said.
The twin bill turned out to be good for the Dodgers, who swept the Mets to continue what has turned into a nightmare of a season for New York.
Los Angeles has a shot to sweep the three-game set with the host Mets when the teams collide in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon.
James Paxton (5-0, 3.49 ERA) is slated to start for the Dodgers against fellow left-hander David Peterson, who will pitch for the first time since undergoing left hip surgery in November.
After dropping five games in a row, Los Angeles beat New York 5-2 in the opener of the doubleheader Tuesday thanks in part to Mookie Betts' go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning. Gavin Stone and Alex Vesia then combined on a three-hitter in a 3-0 victory in the nightcap.
The Game 1 win prevented what would have been the Dodgers' first six-game losing streak since 2019. Los Angeles scored all but one of its runs during the twin bill in a five-inning span bridging the two games, getting five runs between the eighth, ninth and 10th innings of the first game before getting a single run in both the first and second innings of the second game.
"We got some hits when we needed to," Roberts said. "We sort of had the (second) game in hand because of the way Gavin pitched. But yeah, to get back to our winning ways was a good thing. Now, we have a chance to get greedy."
The two losses represented a return to form for New York, which has scored three runs or less 11 times this month. The Mets have lost seven of their past eight games, are 7-18 this month, and are flirting with the worst month of May in franchise history, an 8-21 showing by the 1977 team.
New York scored three times in the ninth inning Sunday to beat the San Francisco Giants 4-3, but it collected just seven hits between the two games on Tuesday. The only extra-base hit during the doubleheader was a two-run homer by Francisco Lindor in the third inning of the opener.
Adding insult to injury, the Mets were 2-for-20 with runners on base in the doubleheader.
"We haven't been getting blown out," New York second baseman Jeff McNeil said. "Unfortunately, we're finding ways to lose right now."
Paxton didn't factor into the decision on Friday when he gave up five runs over 4 2/3 innings as the Dodgers fell to the Cincinnati Reds 9-6. He is 2-1 with a 3.92 ERA in four career starts against the Mets.
Peterson, who hasn't pitched for the Mets since Sept. 28, 2023, went 2-1 with a 1.14 ERA in six rehab starts this year, spending time at three levels of New York's minor league system. He is 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in three appearances (two starts) against the Dodgers.
--Field Level Media