Another day, another blown lead for the New York Mets. The Mets and Dodgers combined for nine home runs, and LA has now gone 6-0 against New York this season.
Michael Conforto got New York on the board early, launching a 427-foot moonshot to right field on Rich Hill’s second pitch of the afternoon.
Michael Conforto slams a solo home run to center field to open scoring and gain an early 1-0 lead over the Dodgers!!! #LGM pic.twitter.com/yLR8G6HlNt
— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) August 5, 2017
After failing to sneak a high fastball by Conforto, Hill tried to do it to two other times in the inning and failed miserably.
Two batters later, Wilmer Flores blasted a 403-foot solo shot to left-center.
Wilmer Flores launches a solo home run just over the left-field wall, padding the Mets' lead to 2-0 with his 12th homer of the year!!! #LGM pic.twitter.com/QEJzhoPQkS
— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) August 5, 2017
You would assume that Hill was going to try something else at that point, but he didn’t. In the very next at-bat, Curtis Grandson saw a high fastball and sent it 400 feet to right field.
?? Great first inning! ??@mconforto8, Wilmer Flores and @cgrand3 all go yard as we lead 3-0 after one. #LGM pic.twitter.com/2MMJLPORUF
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 5, 2017
Let’s compare the similarity of these three home runs:
Conforto:
- Second pitch of at-bat
- High fastball
- 89 mph
- 427 feet
Flores:
- Third pitch of at-bat
- High fastball
- 91 mph
- 403 feet
Granderson:
- Second pitch of at-bat
- High fastball
- 90 mph
- 400 feet
After five stellar innings from starter Seth Lugo, the righty let the long ball get the best of him in the sixth.
Chris Taylor led off the sixth inning with a 384-foot solo blast to center field, his second of the series and third straight game with a home run.
Chris Taylor with a solo shot in the top of the sixth! #Dodgers trail, 3-1. pic.twitter.com/E4FkxBf2lL
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 5, 2017
Two batters later, the Dodgers tied things up thanks to a two-run blast from rookie sensation Cody Bellinger, who now has 31 on the season.
A lot of power in the sixth. ?
Chris Taylor: https://t.co/nDNh55u6DB@Cody_Bellinger: https://t.co/XsUGanrU0i pic.twitter.com/eVMZVwkH9n
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 5, 2017
Lugo finished lasted 5.2 innings, allowed three runs on four hits, and struck out five.
Yasiel Puig led off the seventh inning, took Mets reliever Paul Sewald deep, and gave the Dodgers a lead they would continue to build on in the innings that followed.
TIED NO MORE! @YasielPuig sends one deep in the seventh and the #Dodgers lead, 4-3! #LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/47fiFoTDMo
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 5, 2017
Justin Turner led off the eighth inning, crushed a 415-foot bomb off Sewald and extended Los Angeles’ lead to 5-3.
Justin Turner cranks a solo home run to center in the top of the 8th, padding the Dodgers lead to 5-3!!! #LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/Dyo8vRXFE2
— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) August 5, 2017
In the top of the ninth, Corey Seager smacked a two-run shot off Fernando Salas and gave the Dodgers a 7-3 lead.
Corey Seager hits a home run to Stamford pic.twitter.com/HDuWOQ16bX
— MLB Insider Dinger (@atf13atf) August 5, 2017
Mets catcher Rene Rivera hit a solo shot in the bottom half, but the damage had already been done, and all of New York’s momentum from early on was gone.
Rene Rivera lifts a solo home run to left field in the 9th, cutting the Mets' deficit to 7-4 on his seventh dinger of the year!!! #LGM pic.twitter.com/3tF3gZK6pe
— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) August 5, 2017
Brandon Morrow (4-0) was one of four Dodger relievers that limited the Mets to one hit over the final four innings of the game.
On the other side of things, New York’s bullpen was a disaster as usual. Aside from two-thirds of a scoreless inning from Jerry Blevins, Sewald and Salas combined to allow four earned runs over 2.2 innings.
New York will look to avoid the sweep Sunday night when Steven Matz (2-4, 5.50 ERA) takes on Hyun Jin-Ryu (3-6, 3.83 ERA) at Citi Field.