New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers May 29
Los Angeles -- Edwin Diaz, arguably one of the best closers in the game, had one job to do with an 8-5 lead in the 9th inning, and he did not deliver. The Mets blew a chance to clinch the series with a horrifying 9-8 loss in Los Angeles. This is type of loss can derail the rest of the season. But man, talk about a great comeback from a team that just never gives up.
Once again for the second night in a row Dodgers pitching struggled. Walker Buehler labored to get through a hot New York lineup as he gave up two home runs and five earned runs through 5 innings. After finishing 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting last season, Buehler has been underwhelming so far this season, to say the least. This is very shocking coming from a guy that shut down a dominant Red Sox lineup in the World Series on the biggest stage. I'm confused by his pitch selection and his lack of swing and misses. But that's a conversation for another day. The Mets added another run in the sixth, two more in the seventh (bullpen has been running on fumes lately), including a home run from Los Angeles native Dom Smith. They had a chance to put the game out of reach in the seventh when they had men on second and third base with no outs and of course, they didn’t score. Now, I'm sure as you are reading this, you are wondering how in the world is an 8-3 lead such a season-defining loss? They had a good home stretch before heading to Los Angeles, and the possibility of stealing two games against the best team in the National League would have put them in a great position before the grueling days of summer. Justin Turner hit an RBI single to score Joc Pederson in the seventh inning to cut the lead to 8-4 to show signs of life. A pair of scoreless innings from the struggling duo of Yimi Garcia and Scott Alexander gave LA a chance the next few innings and man were they ready to mash. Corey Seager continued his hot hitting with a home run to straightaway center-field off of Jeurys Familia to cut the lead to 8-5. Things were starting to get way too interesting. Mind you, New York's bullpen the past three games has been absolutely abysmal (Dodgers isn't much better) giving up 14 earned runs in 8.1 innings pitched. Leading off the ninth, Joc Pederson homered in a nine-pitch at-bat and Max Muncy followed with a wall scraper to right field to cut the lead to a slim 8-7 in a blink of an eye. Edwin Diaz was clearly flustered after the first two batters, and it didn't get any better for him. Back-to-back doubles to Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger followed, with Turner scoring the game-tying run. Well, that was fast. An 8-5 lead was evaporated and I know for a fact the New Yorkers that stayed up until 2:00 AM were PISSED. Seager was intentionally walked, and an infield hit for Matt Beaty loaded the bases with nobody out. Mickey Callaway, this is probably the time you pull Diaz since it was clear it was not his day right? Alex Verdugo hit a walk-off sacrifice fly and the Dodgers completed the comeback.
Series Finale: 10:10 EST