NEW YORK — After the rain, the dam burst.
Given the gift of an unexpected day off – complete with a free night in New York City – by Monday’s rainout, the Dodgers slept off the lingering effects of a five-game losing streak and slowly came back to life, scoring five times in the final three innings of a 5-2 victory over the New York Mets in 10 innings in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader.
The Dodgers’ slumping offense showed few signs of renewed life, managing just three hits in seven scoreless innings against right-hander Tylor Megill.
The offensive highlight for the Dodgers against Megill came in the second inning when Teoscar Hernandez drove a ball over the wall in straightaway center field. It didn’t stay over the wall, though. Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor leapt high, reached over the wall and had Hernandez’s drive in his glove momentarily. It came out on Taylor’s way down but the Torrance High product brought back in the field of play, forcing Hernandez to hold with a double.
Making just his third start of the season and second since a shoulder strain landed him on the injured list for more than a month, Megill breezed through the Dodgers’ lineup, throwing more than 15 pitches in an inning just once (17 in the fourth). That stress-free existence allowed Megill (Los Alamitos High, Loyola Marymount) to complete seven innings for just the third time in 55 career starts.
Tyler Glasnow did what he could to keep the requirements of the Dodgers’ offense minimal. He allowed just two hits in seven innings. One of those hits, however, was a two-run home run by Francisco Lindor in the bottom of the second.
The Dodgers’ offense finally put a run on the board in the eighth inning – with some help. An error by Mets third baseman Brett Baty extended the inning long enough for the Dodgers to turn that into their first run of the game when Freddie Freeman bounced an RBI single through the infield.
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But that left the game in the hands of the bottom half of the Dodgers’ lineup, the land where rallies have gone to die this season.
Hernandez and Gavin Lux started this rally with back-to-back singles, bringing up Chris Taylor and his .110 batting average. Taylor had struck out in each of his first three at-bats Tuesday but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not pinch hit for him.
Instead, Taylor popped up a squeeze bunt attempt but it landed on the grass in front of Ottavino as he charged in from the mound. The tying run scored on the play.
Daniel Hudson escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth and Mookie Betts gave the Dodgers their first since Friday with an RBI single to drive in the free runner. Freeman followed with a two-run home run.
More to come on this story.
