The Dodgers were 12 outs away from sweeping the New York Mets, and then their bullpen absolutely imploded. Seven unanswered runs crossed the plate as they choked away their final game on a nine-game road trip, ending on a whimper, right?
Early Jabs and a Starter’s Grind
The game kicked off wild, with both Emmet Sheehan and Freddy Peralta putting multiple dudes on base and tossing over 20 pitches in the first inning. It was the Mets who drew first blood, with Francisco Lindor singling against Sheehan to plate A.J. Ewing. But the Dodgers weren’t quiet for long. After going down quietly in the second, they jumped on Peralta in the third. Eliézer Alfonzo doubled, Andy Pages walked, and then Freddie Freeman blasted an RBI double to tie it up at 1. That was Freeman’s 574th career double, tying him with legends Bobby Abreu and Charlie Gehringer for 24th all time! Max Muncy followed with a groundout that scored Pages, giving the Dodgers a one-run lead. They kept the pressure on in the fourth, with Tommy Edman leading off with a single, and Jared Young’s error helping Kyle Tucker reach. Teoscar Hernández singled to load the bases, and Alfonzo picked up his second career RBI on a groundout to stretch the lead to two. Peralta was *working*, getting pulled after four innings with 93 pitches. Sheehan, though, actually settled down. After those three straight hits in the first, he locked it in, not allowing another hit after the Bo Bichette single. He ended up giving up just one run over five innings, a huge rebound from getting shelled for six runs against the Phillies.
The Bullpen Blew It, Big Time
Sheehan walked off after five solid innings, and that’s when everything went sideways. The Mets started feasting immediately against Jack Dreyer, drawing a pair of walks to put the tying run on base. Dreyer only managed one out before Evan Phillips got the call, but it was too late. Tyrone Taylor stepped up and absolutely mashed a thunderous three-run home run. Just like that, the Mets had their first hit and their first lead since the first. But they weren’t done! The Mets kept pouring it on in the seventh. A wild pitch from Will Klein brought home Lindor, and Klein walked Jorge Polanco to put two on with two outs. Marcus Semien stepped up, launching another three-run bomb to extend the Mets’ lead to five! Meanwhile, Freddie Freeman was still doing his thing, grabbing his fourth consecutive multi-hit game with a single in the eighth off Luke Weaver. But that was a tiny bright spot. The Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, but Teoscar Hernández couldn’t cut the deficit, grounding out to end the threat.
This kind of collapse, after being a mere 12 outs away from a road sweep, is a brutal gut punch. Ending a nine-game road trip on such a sour 8-3 loss? That’s gotta sting. Giving up seven unanswered runs and letting a sweep slip away just sticks with a team. They’ve got to regroup quickly, because that bullpen performance was an absolute nightmare. At least Freddie Freeman is going to keep hitting, but man, that was tough to watch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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