A rainout Monday meant the New York Mets could spend a bit longer enjoying a much-needed comeback win — and it extended, by at least 24 hours, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ longest losing streak in more than five years.
The Mets and Dodgers will begin a three-game series Tuesday afternoon, when New York hosts Los Angeles in a straight doubleheader scheduled to begin at 4:10 p.m. ET.
With rain forecast into the evening, Monday’s series opener was postponed almost three hours before the scheduled 4:10 first pitch.
Tylor Megill (0-2, 3.00 ERA), who was slated to start Monday, will take the mound for the Mets in the opener while scheduled Tuesday starter Jose Quintana (1-4, 5.13) will follow in the nightcap.
The Dodgers will counter in the opener with Tyler Glasnow (6-3, 3.09), who was scheduled to start Tuesday, before scheduled Monday starter Gavin Stone (4-2, 3.60) pitches the second game.
The Mets ended a five-game losing streak Sunday afternoon, when Omar Narvaez delivered the walk-off RBI single in a 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers’ losing streak hit five games as they fell 5-1 to the host Cincinnati Reds in the finale of a three-game set.
The Mets, who have scored three runs or fewer nine times in 23 games this month, scored three times in the ninth Sunday against Tyler Rogers to improve to 7-16 (.304) since May 1.
New York needs to win at least three more games this month to avoid the franchise’s worst May since 1993, when the Mets went 9-18 (.333) on their way to finishing 59-103 — the franchise’s most recent 100-loss season.
“Down a little bit of late because we’re not getting results in the win column, but I think we’re playing good baseball,” said Mets center fielder Harrison Bader, who hit the game-tying two-run double Sunday. “We’re doing a lot of good things that put us in position to win. So to come out with a win (and) having the same approach I think is good for the group.”
The Dodgers continued slumping Sunday, when they were blanked until Freddie Freeman’s one-out RBI double in the ninth as their losing streak hit five games — the longest skid for Los Angeles since a six-game losing streak from April 8-13, 2019.
Freeman’s double was the Dodgers’ lone hit with a runner in scoring position Sunday. Los Angeles is hitting just .128 (6-for-47) with runners in scoring position during the losing streak.
The Dodgers are hitting just .200 while being outscored 29-11 over the last five games. Los Angeles hit .258 and averaged 5.2 runs per game over the first 50 games of the season.
“I think it’s a part of baseball — it’s still a really good group, really good lineup,” Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux said. “It’s just one of those runs where we’re just not really clicking.”
Megill returned from a nearly two-month stint on the injured list due to a right shoulder strain on May 20, when he took the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) over five innings in a 3-1 Mets loss to Cleveland. He is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in two career starts against the Dodgers.
Quintana didn’t factor into the decision last Wednesday after giving up three runs over six innings in the Mets’ 6-3 loss to the Guardians. He is 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA in 12 games (nine starts) against the Dodgers.
Glasnow took the loss last Wednesday when he surrendered three runs over five innings in a 6-0 Los Angeles loss to Arizona. He is 2-2 with a 3.75 ERA in eight games (five starts) against the Mets.
Stone took the defeat May 21 after giving up four runs over six innings in the Dodgers’ 7-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. He didn’t factor into the decision in his lone previous appearance against the Mets on April 20, when Stone allowed two runs over 3 1/3 innings in New York’s 6-4 victory.
–Field Level Media