The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to use the New York Mets as their punching bags, taking their fifth consecutive game against them this season. This time, Walker Buehler led the way as he held the Mets to just two runs in 7.2 dominant innings to give the Dodgers a 3-2 win.
Pure power. ? #LGM pic.twitter.com/5I7BwXTM4C
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 21, 2021
Despite the quiet offensive night, the Mets had their best chance at tying the game against the fatigued Buehler in the eighth inning. A wild pitch set up the Mets with runners on second and third with only one out. Jeff McNeil thought he drew a walk to load the bases, but home plate umpire Nestor Ceja punched him out on a clear ball. Pete Alonso got one run in with an infield single that grazed his foot, making it a 3-2 game. Alonso also took care of the first run with his half swing, resulting in a solo home run to right-center field.
The hit chased Buehler and set up a matchup between Alex Vesia and Michael Conforto. Their at-bat resulted in a gutsy 10-pitch walk which loaded the bases for J.D. Davis. As usual, Davis saw a heavy dose of fastballs up in the zone, but one at the knees is what struck him out looking to get out of the inning. Kenley Jansen came on to shut the door in the ninth inning to throw a 1-2-3 inning on eight pitches to get the save.
Classic Carrasco
Carlos Carrasco looked like he would have another short outing after allowing three runs and five hits in his first three innings of work. Carrasco managed to get himself into a groove and retired the last eight batters he faced. Overall, Carrasco pitched five innings, allowing three runs and striking out six. It was by far the best outing of his short season so far.
The trio of Aaron Loup, Trevor May, and Seth Lugo continued the streak by retiring all three batters in their single innings of work. Each had efficient outings, with Loup and Lugo needing eight pitches while May needed 16 pitches.
On Saturday, both teams rematch for an earlier 4:10 p.m. ET start from Dodger Stadium. Rich Hill and Max Scherzer take the mound for their respective teams, combining 31 years of MLB experience.