Pete Alonso's bat is all Mets need to defeat Dodgers
The month is just four days old, but for the Dodgers the June swoon is already getting old.
On Wednesday, they lost for the third time in four games with a pair of Pete Alonso home runs lifting the Mets to a 6-1 victory. The loss was the 10th in 18 games for the Dodgers, who are just four games over .500 since their season-opening eight-game winning streak.
Right-hander Tony Gonsolin (3-2) took the loss although he really only had one bad inning.
He got off to a rough start, hitting Francisco Lindor in the right foot with his second pitch and the inning went downhill from there. Brandon Nimmo followed with a potential double-play ball that went through second baseman Kiké Hernández and after Nimmo stole second, Lindor scored on a ground out.
Alonso followed with a towering two-run home run to right-center to give the Mets a 3-0 lead.
Gonsolin settled down after that and though he didn't allow another run, New York had runners on base in each of the five innings he worked. He exited after 90 pitches, having given up three hits and two walks while striking out six.
After a pair of hitless innings from the Dodger bullpen, Alonso put the game away in the eighth, following a hit batter and a walk from reliever Ryan Loutos with a majestic three-run homer to left. It was Alonso's first multi-homer game of the season and it gave him a season-high five RBIs.
The Dodgers' only run came on Andy Pages' solo home with one out in the ninth. The hit was Pages' third of the night — half his team's total. He also had a second-inning infield single and a seventh-inning double, extending his hitting streak to a season-high nine games and raising his average to .290.
Mets' starter Griffin Canning (6-2) cruised through his six innings, facing just four batters over the minimum. The former Angel gave up three hits, walked one and struck out seven in his best outing of the season, winning for the first time in nearly a month.
Etc.
Switch-hitting utility man Tommy Edman could be headed to the injured list after tweaking his right ankle earlier this week, aggravating an injury that forced him to spend three weeks on the IL earlier this season. Edman came off the bench in Tuesday's win but was out of the lineup Wednesday. Speedy outfielder Esteury Ruiz was summoned from triple-A Oklahoma City as a precaution and would probably take Edman spot on the roster if he goes on the IL.
Relievers Kirby Yates (hamstring) and Michael Kopech (shoulder) both threw short simulated games Wednesday and manager Dave Roberts said both are close to being activated.
'As long as he feels good tomorrow, then there's certainly a good possibility to be activated this weekend,' Roberts said of Yates, who lasted pitched May 17 against the Angels.
Kopech gave up 11 runs in 6.1 innings while on a rehab assignment in Oklahoma City but Roberts seemed unconcerned.
'Obviously you're in rehab mode, you're not around. So to get back to your teammates and the coaches, they might be able to kind of detect some things or clean some things up mechanically,' he said. 'To be here tonight, last night to watch a game, that's very that's helpful and productive. With him is it just kind of getting command more dialed in.'
Kopech's last appearance came in the fifth and deciding game of last fall's World Series.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Mets' David Peterson shuts out Nationals: ‘This is what we strive for'
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First career complete game shutout for @_David_Peterson! 👏 #LGM — New York Mets (@Mets) June 12, 2025 Peterson was referring to the idea of a starting pitcher staying in a game as long as possible. It's a bygone concept. 'You don't see this too often,' Mendoza said. Peterson is a throwback. It was fitting he'd throw the Mets' first shutout since Luis Severino's gem last August. Ask Peterson about how his expected numbers (expected ERA, expected slugging) point to regression each time he takes the ball, and he rolls his eyes with a smile. It's not that Peterson doesn't care for numbers. He pores over scouting reports pregame, Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo said, with intense inspection. It's just that he feels expected numbers, in particular, don't take into account the human element, the ability to execute the right pitch at the right location at the right time. Over and over again. Ask the Nationals batters about Peterson's expected numbers, and they raise their eyebrows, looking incredulous. 'There are a lot of guys, especially older vet guys, where the typical 'stuff' doesn't grade out and they get outs year in and year out,' Nationals outfielder James Wood said in an interview after the game. 'You gotta take those (expected numbers) with a grain of salt sometimes. You can't really live and die by numbers like that. Numbers aren't always gospel. He's a good example.' Advertisement Why? Wood offered a simple explanation. 'He just knows his stuff, knows how it plays and just makes good pitches,' Wood said. Peterson entered Wednesday's game with a 2.80 ERA and a 3.78 expected ERA, mostly because he allows a lot of hard contact (he ranks among the bottom 15 percent in hard-hit rate allowed, per Baseball Savant. Among pitchers who have faced at least 200 batters this season, the difference between Peterson's ERA and expected ERA is the 15th largest. Last year (2.90 ERA, 4.56 xERA), he owned the third-largest discrepancy. Yet on Wednesday, he lowered his ERA to 2.49. Mets starters have pitched at least seven innings five times. Peterson is responsible for three of those games. Good defense helps. Tyrone Taylor's outfield assist (and Torrens expertly applying a tag) preserved the shutout in the eighth inning. Peterson racked up 13 outs on the ground. Peterson allowed nine hard-hit balls. But there was only one extra-base hit: Luis Garcia's double with one out in the eighth. So when Wood was told of the Nationals' exit velocities, he refused to take much solace. Wood said Peterson pitched 'a great game,' and he 'didn't want to take that away from him.' Peterson used his four-seam fastball, sinker and slider around the same amount of time, near 30 percent. He also deployed his changeup and curveball. He worked unpredictably and unafraid, doubling up on sinkers or using a slider in the same spot consecutively. Peterson got ahead with first-pitch strikes to 22 of the 31 batters he faced. From there, he didn't make it any easier. Throughout the game, he kept the Nationals off balance. 'Just the feel for pitching,' Mendoza said when asked what worked so well for Peterson. 'That's what makes him who he is.' The Mets' rotation's ERA (2.91 heading into Wednesday) still ranks as MLB's best without Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, their two big signings from the offseason. Montas' next rehab start is Friday in Triple A, while Manaea will pitch Sunday (location to be determined). Mendoza was noncommittal when asked if Montas, who is ahead of Manaea, would need another rehab outing after his next one. Left unsaid: With the way the Mets' rotation is rolling, what's the rush? Advertisement Yet for all the Mets' starting pitching success — Kodai Senga's dominance, Clay Holmes' value, etc. — it's Peterson who leads them in innings (79 2/3) and continues to pitch deep into games with the most consistency. Mendoza spent the eighth inning Wednesday grilling pitching coaches Jeremy Hefner and Desi Druschel about how much Peterson had left in the tank. A few players stared at Mendoza in the eighth inning, essentially forbidding Mendoza with their eyes from removing Peterson. 'I just told him,' Peterson said, 'let me finish this thing.' When Peterson took the mound for the final inning, the crowd cheered. After Peterson recorded the first out in the ninth inning, fans chanted, 'Pe-ter-son! Pe-ter-son!' 'Hearing the crowd when I came back out and hearing them get louder after every out was very special,' Peterson said. Then Peterson struck out Wood on three pitches. 'The way he attacked Wood there,' Mendoza said, 'I was like, 'The game is over here.'' Two pitches later, infielder Andres Chaparro grounded out to end the game. After celebrating with his teammates on the field, Peterson embraced Mendoza and told him, 'Thank you, skip.' The way Mendoza saw it, Peterson couldn't have deserved the opportunity more.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Dodgers win battle vs. Padres in MLB's hottest rivalry: 'Playoff atmosphere'
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There's plenty of historical rivalries in MLB. There's the Red Sox-Yankees, Dodgers-Giants and Cardinals-Cubs to name a few. While bitterness will always be present in those big-time rivalries, it's fair to say none are generating more heat in 2025 than the Dodgers and Padres. San Diego was one win away from eliminating the Dodgers in last year's postseason before Los Angeles won two do-or-die games to advance en route to the World Series. Advertisement With a loaded roster of veterans and young stars, San Diego will take another shot at slaying the dragon, while the MVPs of Los Angeles try to quell a Padres club that has a legitimate shot to win its first World Series. Now, whenever these two teams are in opposite dugouts, the stadium is filled and the atmosphere feels like it's October – even if it's a Wednesday afternoon game in June. 'This being a playoff atmosphere – against this team – awesome series to be a part of,' said Dodgers pitcher Ben Casparius. Michael Conforto celebrates his home run with Shohei Ohtani. The series started very similar to what transpired in October 2024. The first game was a back-and-forth affair with 11 runs scored in the first three innings before the Dodgers won it at the end 8-7 – this time in extra innings. In game No. 2, the Padres blitzed Los Angeles and Dylan Cease mowed down the lineup for a 11-1 rout. Advertisement In the rubber-match, in front of a sold-out crowd of 45,481, the injury-plagued Dodgers pitching staff limited San Diego to four hits and Teoscar Hernandez woke up from his slump with a game-changing three-run home run to push the defending champions to a 5-2 victory. Before the series started, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tried to downplay its significance. But it's easy to see how badly each side wants the upper hand. Roberts said it was 'really important' to win the series opener, and find a way to at least split the last two games. 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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers vs Padres: MLB's hottest rivalry highlights NL West standings
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Mets lefty David Peterson pitches his first 9-inning complete game since college in 2017
NEW YORK (AP) — David Peterson had just walked back to the dugout after eight innings and 97 pitches when New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza approached him. 'Kind of pulled me aside and said let's have a talk and wanted to hear what I had to say,' Peterson would later recall. He strolled into the tunnel toward the clubhouse for a quick talk with Mendoza and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. 'I told them let me finish this thing,' the 29-year-old left-hander said. Peterson returned to the mound and polished off a six-hitter for the first nine-inning complete game of his professional career, a 5-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night that stretched New York's winning streak to five. 'He came in the dugout and he didn't want to give me a look,' Mendoza said. 'That for me is a sign that he wants to go back out.' Their tunnel conversation was brisk. Ryne Stanek was warming up in the bullpen, just in case. 'I said, `Man, this is a tough one,'' Mendoza remembered. 'You've only got a few pitches here.' It was like: `Let me finish it.' I said: `All right, it's yours.'' Mendoza emphasized the short leash to catcher Luis Torrens. 'He says, `Hey, he's got about eight or nine pitches,'' Torrens related through a translator, 'so I went out there with the plan to be able to get a quick ninth.' Fans in the Citi Field crowd of 40,681 roared when Peterson rushed back to the mound for the ninth. He fell behind Amed Rosario 2-0 before retiring him on a lineout, struck out slugger James Wood on three pitches and retired Andrés Chaparro on a groundout with his 106th pitch, ending a game that took just 2 hours, 16 minutes. Peterson pumped a fist, flashed the widest of smiles and hugged Torrens and then Pete Alonso. The first baseman handed Peterson the ball, which the pitcher promptly tucked into a rear pocket in his pants. A dozen Mets formed a circle, arms over shoulders, and each raised a knee quickly in their goofy group celebration. 'It's been fun to see him grow up in front of my eyes,' said outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who homered twice. 'I was here when he first came up and everybody's kind of trying to feel their way around and kind of make sure they belong in the big leagues. And then now to see him the way that he is and him take the field with such confidence and knowing that if he executes his plan, he's really hard to hit.' Peterson struck out six and walked none, throwing 75 of 106 pitches for strikes and opening with a strike to 21 of 32 batters. He mixed 30 fastballs, 29 sinkers, 27 sliders, 11 changeups and nine curveballs, getting 13 swings and misses. 'He kept us off balance,' Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. Peterson's only prior professional complete game was a four-hitter in a rain-shortened, five-inning loss to Atlanta on April 28, 2023. His previous nine-inning complete game came in college, a four-hit shutout for Oregon against Arizona State on April 28, 2017. Selected by the Mets with the 20th overall pick in that year's amateur draft, Peterson signed for a $2,994,500 bonus. He won his debut three years later at Fenway Park early in the pandemic-shortened season and was 18-21 with a 4.51 ERA in his first four seasons, getting optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse five times in 2022 and twice more in 2023. He had surgery on Nov. 6, 2023, to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, delaying his 2024 debut until May 29. He is 15-5 with a 2.74 ERA since. Last October, he was moved to the bullpen and got the final three outs of the Division Series clincher at Milwaukee. 'The compete, how much he wants it, his ability to come through in big moments,' Mendoza explained, 'I can sit here and say a lot of different things about him, but he's just a guy that the situation is never too big for.' In an age of analytics that has made bullpen use paramount, Peterson pitched the seventh shutout and 14th complete game in the major leagues this season. The Mets hadn't thrown a complete game since Luis Severino's shutout against Miami last Aug. 17 and they hadn't gotten a shutout from a left-hander since Steven Matz vs. Pittsburgh on July 27, 2019. 'When you have to work for something, and when it doesn't come easy, it means all that much more,' Nimmo said. 'He was a first-round pick, and you have a lot of expectations that come with you with that. But he stayed the process, and he's worked hard and taken advantage of that talent.' ___ AP MLB:
