The Dodgers' offense dominates the Mets once again

Two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani kicked off the game with a home run that traveled 422 feet. Meanwhile, Mookie Betts, also an MVP, had a career night, driving in four RBIs and hitting a two-run home run. 

Together, they led the Dodgers to a 7-2 victory over the Mets on Thursday night at Citi Field.

Los Angeles is one victory away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 2020.

Although Freddie Freeman was not in the starting lineup for Game 4, the Dodgers' offense continued to perform well, beginning with Ohtani’s third home run of the postseason. Ohtani also walked three times, including once in the third inning.

Betts propelled the Dodgers to a 3-1 series lead with his 4 for 5 performance in Game 4. He is 6 for 17 in this series. Betts' confidence is soaring, especially after a disappointing postseason in the previous year leading up to the San Diego series.

Tommy Edman batted cleanup in Freeman's absence, hitting an RBI double off left-hander Jose Quintana in the third inning then with a two-run double in the eighth inning, collecting three RBIs. Edman is 6 for 14 with five RBIs in the NLCS. Kike Hernandez drove in an RBI as he was safe at first with an infield hit. 

Betts hit a double to left field off right-hander Jose Butto in the fourth inning, scoring the Dodgers' fifth run of the game. Betts wasn't finished yet, hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning, which marked his third home run of this postseason.

Max Muncy had reached base safely 12 straight times in the postseason prior to striking out in his last at-bat, tying Reggie Jackson's record. Muncy was 1 for 2 with a single and three walks.

The night was still young for Mets left-hander Jose Quintana, who struggled with his command, walking four batters during the game. Quintana pitched 3 ⅓ innings, giving up five hits and five runs.

Mark Vientos of the Mets hit his second home run of the series, launching a deep shot in the first inning that tied the game. In the third inning, the Mets had a promising opportunity as they loaded the bases and scored just one run from an infield single by Brandon Nimmo.

Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched 4⅓ innings in Game 4, allowing four hits and two runs while playing on the road. He threw 73 pitches during the game, walking one batter and striking out eight. His effective use of a mix of pitches, particularly his splitter, kept the opposing hitters off balance.

The Dodgers chose right-hander Evan Phillips to come out of the bullpen and close the inning for Yamamoto, finishing without allowing a run. However, Phillips ran into trouble in the sixth inning when the first three batters reached base, loading the bases. He struck out José Iglesias and then got Jeff McNeil to hit a fly ball for the second out.

Roberts decided to call on the bullpen and brought in right-hander Blake Treinen. Treinen managed to get Jesse Winker to hit a deep fly ball to Betts, which helped him escape a bases-loaded jam without allowing any runs. Over 1 ⅓ innings, Treinen gave up two hits while throwing 23 pitches.

Rookie right-hander Edgardo Henriquez entered the game for the Dodgers in the eighth inning and displayed confidence, despite walking one batter.

Los Angeles has home-field advantage throughout the postseason. If they close out the series on Friday, they will have an extended break, as the Cleveland Guardians trail the New York Yankees 2-1 in the ALCS.

The Mets need to quickly turn things around as they host an elimination game on Friday afternoon. While the Mets have not announced their starting pitcher, the Dodgers will start right-hander Jack Flaherty, who pitched seven shutout innings in Game 1.