Tony Gonsolin falters in Dodgers' defeat to Mets

LOS ANGELES –  The New York Mets faced off against the defending champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and delivered a commanding performance, winning 6-1 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium in front of 45,733 fans on Sandy Koufax Jersey giveaway night.

Pete Alonso had a Hollywood performance, hitting two home runs: a two-run shot in the first inning and a three-run blast that traveled 447 feet into the left field pavilion in the eighth inning. Alonso finished with five RBIs, marking his 14th home run of the season.

Right-hander Griffin Canning (6-2, 2.90 ERA) was stellar on the mound for the Mets, shutting out the Dodgers' offense over six innings. Canning's performance earned him his sixth win of the season.

“He’s a much better pitcher, has more weapons than he has had in the past,” Dave Roberts said. “He really put it on us for a couple of innings.” 

The Mets' offense got off to a strong start, scoring three runs in the first inning against right-hander Tony Gonsolin. Francisco Lindor opened the game by getting hit by a pitch on the foot. Brandon Nimmo followed with a hard-hit ball that Kike Hernandez couldn’t handle, leading to runners on first and third with no outs. Juan Soto then drove in the first run of the game with a groundout.

Gonsolin started the at-bat against Alonso with an 85 mph slider, which Alonso crushed deep into left field, giving the Mets a 3-0 lead in the first inning. It was a tough start for Gonsolin, who had given up 16 runs over his last 16 innings. However, he managed to settle down, pitching four consecutive scoreless innings. Gonsolin finished the game after five innings, allowing three hits, two earned runs, three walks, and recording six strikeouts on 90 pitches.

Despite Gonsolin's efforts to keep the Dodgers in the game after the rough first inning, the Dodgers' offense was quiet, producing only two hits through five innings: an infield single from Andy Pages in the second and a single from Shohei Ohtani in the third.

Canning, 29, turned in a remarkable outing, pitching six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, one walk, and striking out seven batters on 99 pitches. He kept the Dodgers' hitters off-balance throughout the game.

The Dodgers showed some signs of life against left-handed reliever Jose Castillo when Pages recorded his second hit of the game with a double, and Michael Conforto was hit by a pitch, placing runners on first and second with one out. However, Castillo struck out Dalton Rushing and Kike Hernandez on three pitches each to end the inning.

The only significant excitement for the Dodgers came from a fan who jumped onto the field and ran through the outfield, being chased by Dodger Stadium security. He was eventually tackled and escorted out through the center field wall, which seemed to energize the crowd. The Dodgers managed to score a solo home run from Pages in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. It was the third hit of the game for Pages as he raised his batting average to .290 this season.

The Dodgers' bullpen held strong after Gonsolin's departure, with left-hander Anthony Banda pitching a perfect inning on just 11 pitches. Right-hander Lou Trivino followed up with a scoreless seventh inning, also on 11 pitches. However, right-hander Ryan Loutos encountered trouble when he hit Nimmo with a pitch and then walked Soto to set up the big for Alonso. This was Loutos' second appearance with the Dodgers. Alonso then launched a 92 mph sinker into the left field pavilion to make it 6-0 in the eighth inning.

Despite the Dodgers out-hitting the Mets 6-4, they couldn’t capitalize on their chances, and the Mets secured their second win in the first three games of the four-game series, which concludes on Thursday afternoon.

The Dodgers will send right-hander Landon Knack (3-2, 4.58 ERA) to the mound, while the Mets will counter with left-hander David Peterson (4-2, 2.69 ERA) as they wrap up the series before the Dodgers head on the road for a three-game series in St. Louis and another three-game set in San Diego.