Utility man Jedd Gyorko squeezed a ground-ball single to center in the top of the ninth inning Sunday night that made the difference in the outcome of the entire series. The base hit scored Enrique Hernandez from second, securing the 3-2 victory for the Dodgers. More importantly, the series win against a quality opponent gave boss Andrew Friedman and skipper Dave Roberts some crucial data to examine when it comes to determining the club’s upcoming playoff roster.
For the dedicated fans who watched every single inning of the series, they’ll know that each game had a definite playoff flavor. The final two contests were especially gripping, as runs were at an absolute premium.
While Saturday’s 3-0 defeat was particularly disappointing for the Dodgers, the win in the finale seemingly made up for the loss, specifically when considering that both the Braves and Yankees each lost their respective Sunday games.
After a Robinson Cano walk and a J.D. Davis single in the bottom of the second, the Mets got on the board first with two runs when Brandon Nimmo tripled to deep right field.
The Dodgers cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth when Max Muncy scored from second base after a Corey Seager single to left field.
The Mets and their strong pitching held the one-run lead until the Los Angeles half of the eighth.
With nobody out and Muncy at the plate, Gyorko drew a walk and advanced to second on a Justin Wilson balk. In the same AB, a wild pitch by Wilson allowed Gyorko to scamper to third base. Muncy punched out, but Chris Taylor followed with a double to deep center that plated Gyorko, tying the score at two.
In the top of the ninth inning, Gyorko delivered the single that gave the Dodgers the lead to keep.
Surprisingly, Walker Buehler was pulled from the game after just five innings and 71 pitches. Later, several reports indicated that it was Roberts’ intention to get a designed look at several specific arms out of the Los Angeles bullpen.
And those relievers did not disappoint.
Pedro Baez, Dustin May, Kenley Jansen, Adam Kolarek and Kenta Maeda all combined for four full scoreless innings of one-hit ball.
Jansen looked especially good in registering the win, his fifth of the year.
For his effort in the bottom of the ninth, Maeda posted his second save of the season.
Seth Lugo took the loss for New York, one night after registering the win in one full inning of relief.
Mets’ starter Zack Wheeler was very effective over seven frames of work, allowing just one run on six hits and no walks. The 29-year-old righty struck out nine.
Offensively for the Dodgers, both Seager and rookie infielder Gavin Lux had multi-hit games. After a short cold streak, Lux has elevated his average to .275 and surely is drawing considerations for the playoff roster.
After a day off on Monday, the Dodgers head back to Los Angeles for a quick, five-game homestand against the Rays and the Rockies.
