LOS ANGELES - James Loney doubled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning in his second big league game of the season, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied past the New York Mets 5-3 on Monday night to hand the slumping NL East leaders their seventh loss in eight games.
Randy Wolf (8-4) earned the victory, allowing nine hits and three runs in six shaky innings. Wolf, who walked none and struck out three, moved into a tie with Philadelphia's Cole Hamels for the most wins in the NL.
Takashi Saito, the fourth Los Angeles pitcher, worked the ninth for his 17th save in 18 chances as the Dodgers won for just the second time in seven games. Wolf and three relievers teamed up to retire the final 12 New York batters.
The game was the first between the teams since the Mets swept the Dodgers in their best-of-five NL division series last October.
Luis Gonzalez hit his second double of the game off Orlando Hernandez (3-2) to start the sixth. Loney, recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday, lined a shot off the left-center fence one out later, driving in Gonzalez and giving the Dodgers a 4-3 lead.
Loney went to third when center fielder Carlos Beltran mishandled the ball for an error, but was tagged out by catcher Paul Lo Duca while trying to score on Tony Abreu's suicide squeeze attempt. Lo Duca tried to double up Abreu at first, but his throw was wild, and Abreu went all the way to third on the error. Pinch-hitter Wilson Betemit followed with an RBI single, giving the Dodgers a two-run lead.
The Mets took a 2-0 lead in the first on RBI singles by Shawn Green and David Wright, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Carlos Delgado doubled to start the fourth and scored on a two-out single by Carlos Gomez, making it 3-0.
The Dodgers tied the game in the fourth on RBI singles by Russell Martin and Andre Ethier and a run-scoring double by Gonzalez - their first three hits of the game. The three earned runs matched the total allowed by Hernandez in his previous five starts spanning 33 innings.
Hernandez gave up seven hits and five runs, four earned, in 5 2-3 innings. He walked three and struck out four.
Notes: Gonzalez's two doubles gave him 561, putting him in 19th place on baseball's career list. ... Green was activated from the disabled list before the game and went 2-for-4 against his former team. ... Dodgers 1B Nomar Garciaparra wasn't in the lineup for the second straight game. Manager Grady Little said he told the slumping Garciaparra he wanted to give him a little break - two games, possibly three. ... Mets LF Moises Alou, sidelined since May 12, had an MRI exam in New York that revealed inflammation and soreness in his left quadriceps. “Nothing's better. I don't think that he's in a situation where he's going to be back anytime soon,” manager Willie Randolph said. ... Martin, the Dodgers' catcher, had a tough first inning, when the Mets stole two bases and he had a throwing error and a passed ball. Martin also stole his 11th base in the game - one more than he had as a rookie last year.
Dodgers 5
Mets 3
Up next
Mets at Dodgers,
10:10 p.m., SNY
Takashi Saito, the fourth Los Angeles pitcher, worked the ninth for his 17th save in 18 chances as the Dodgers won for just the second time in seven games. Wolf and three relievers teamed up to retire the final 12 New York batters.
The game was the first between the teams since the Mets swept the Dodgers in their best-of-five NL division series last October.
Luis Gonzalez hit his second double of the game off Orlando Hernandez (3-2) to start the sixth. Loney, recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday, lined a shot off the left-center fence one out later, driving in Gonzalez and giving the Dodgers a 4-3 lead.
Loney went to third when center fielder Carlos Beltran mishandled the ball for an error, but was tagged out by catcher Paul Lo Duca while trying to score on Tony Abreu's suicide squeeze attempt. Lo Duca tried to double up Abreu at first, but his throw was wild, and Abreu went all the way to third on the error. Pinch-hitter Wilson Betemit followed with an RBI single, giving the Dodgers a two-run lead.
The Mets took a 2-0 lead in the first on RBI singles by Shawn Green and David Wright, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Carlos Delgado doubled to start the fourth and scored on a two-out single by Carlos Gomez, making it 3-0.
The Dodgers tied the game in the fourth on RBI singles by Russell Martin and Andre Ethier and a run-scoring double by Gonzalez - their first three hits of the game. The three earned runs matched the total allowed by Hernandez in his previous five starts spanning 33 innings.
Hernandez gave up seven hits and five runs, four earned, in 5 2-3 innings. He walked three and struck out four.
Notes: Gonzalez's two doubles gave him 561, putting him in 19th place on baseball's career list. ... Green was activated from the disabled list before the game and went 2-for-4 against his former team. ... Dodgers 1B Nomar Garciaparra wasn't in the lineup for the second straight game. Manager Grady Little said he told the slumping Garciaparra he wanted to give him a little break - two games, possibly three. ... Mets LF Moises Alou, sidelined since May 12, had an MRI exam in New York that revealed inflammation and soreness in his left quadriceps. “Nothing's better. I don't think that he's in a situation where he's going to be back anytime soon,” manager Willie Randolph said. ... Martin, the Dodgers' catcher, had a tough first inning, when the Mets stole two bases and he had a throwing error and a passed ball. Martin also stole his 11th base in the game - one more than he had as a rookie last year.
Dodgers 5
Mets 3
Up next
Mets at Dodgers,
10:10 p.m., SNY