Game Recaps

Crappy Call by Ump Helps Dodgers Beat Mets

The Mets came into Monday night’s game in Los Angeles playing some of their best ball of the year. Unfortunately, the Dodgers are playing some of the best ball in all of baseball this season, going from last place to first place in fewer than two months. They came from behind to beat the Mets, thanks in part to some help from the home plate umpire.

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Ike Davis scores in second inning of Mets game with Dodgers.

The Mets jumped out to the early lead in the second — Ike Davis, Wilmer Flores, John Buck and Omar Quintanilla all singled to plate two runs to make it a 2-0 game.

Flores, by the way, rolled his ankle as he went into third, but he stayed in the game.

The Dodgers took the lead in the sixth, with shoddy defense by the Mets contributing. Carl Crawford led off the inning with an infield single that Daniel Murphy could not field cleanly. Mark Ellis hit a soft liner to second that hit off of Murphy’s glove. However, a force play was still possible because Crawford went back to first, but Marlon Byrd bobbled the ball in right. Adrian Gonzalez then singled to center. Crawford scored easily and Juan Lagares threw to third in an attempt to get Ellis. Instead, the throw skipped past Flores, and with Jenrry Mejia backing up home plate, the ball went into the dugout. Ellis scored and Gonzalez landed on third. He scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.

Mejia was done after that inning. He pitched well, going six innings, allowing those three runs on six hits. He struck out four Dodgers and did not walk a batter. His line would have looked much better had it not been for the poor play in the field.

The Mets chased Dodgers starter Rick Nolasco with one out in the seventh after a single and a walk. Ronald Belisario allowed an infield single to Eric Young  to load the bases. Lagares, hoping to make up for his fielding blunder, struck out on a 3-2 pitch that was clearly outside; the walk would have tied the game. It was actually the second poor call of the at bat. Daniel Murphy then hit a hard liner into the gap off of rookie lefty Paco Rodriguez, but Yasiel Puig was able to track it down for the third out. That just absolutely terrible call on Lagares by Chad Fairchild cost the Mets the chance to tie the game.

Carlos Torres came on for the seventh, and he allowed a home run to Nick Punto to make it a 4-2 game.

The Mets got runners to first and second with two outs in the eighth, and when Terry Collins put in pinch hitter Justin Turner, Don Mattingly countered with his closer, Kenley Jansen. He struck out Turner to end the inning.

The Mets went down in the ninth to lose 4-2.

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