LOS ANGELES _ For more than three hours Wednesday night, it appeared as though the Los Angeles Dodgers offense would not salvage the club for the second consecutive night. Walker Buehler had endured a rocky outing. The bullpen had been blasted again. They entered the ninth inning down three runs against the New York Mets, tasked to beat Edwin Diaz, one of the sport's best closers. Their first losing streak in over a month seemed imminent.
But over the span of a few minutes, the Dodgers flexed their muscles and rallied to defeat Diaz and the Mets 9-8 with two home runs, two doubles and, finally, Alex Verdugo's sacrifice fly.
Joc Pederson and Max Muncy ignited the rally with consecutive home runs to begin the inning. Justin Turner followed with a double down the left-field line, bringing up Cody Bellinger. The M-V-P chants bubbled as he was announced. First base was opened, but the Mets decided to pitch to the slugger, who responded by trying to bunt down to the left side against the infield shift. He failed and swung through the next pitch to fall behind 0 and 2. But after taking a ball, he swatted a 97-mph fastball for a double to drive in Turner and tie the score.
With first base open, the Mets intentionally walked Corey Seager to face Matt Beaty. The 26-year-old rookie fell behind 0 and 2 and stayed there, fouling off three pitches until he hit a grounder to shortstop Amed Rosario a couple steps away from second base. Rosario gathered the ball and, while looking at Bellinger dashing for third base, tried to step on second base to get the sure out. But he miscalculated the distance and missed the base with his first attempt. His second try was too late and Seager slid in safely, loading the bases for Verdugo, who lifted a slider deep enough to left field for Bellinger to race home to win the game.
Wednesday's pitching matchup was a duel between two of the hardest-throwing starters in baseball. Buehler began the game fourth in the majors in average fastball velocity. Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard topped the list. Countering the velocity was paramount for both offenses.
The Mets' game plan against Buehler was apparent the first time Buehler went through their lineup; they were primed to pounce on fastballs early in the count. Buehler threw six four-seam fastballs, two cutters and a two-seam fastball as the first pitch to the first nine batters he faced. The Mets swung at seven of them.
Four of the five hits the Mets accumulated in the first two innings, when they jumped out to a 3-0 lead, were on fastballs or cutters. They all had an exit velocity of at least 105 mph.
Buehler's turbulence began when Dominic Smith sliced a 95-mph cutter for a single in the first inning. Pete Alonso hit the next pitch, a 98-mph fastball, over the wall in right-center field. Adeuny Hechavarria's double on a second-pitch cutter in the second inning drove in the Mets' third run. Syndergaard hit the next pitch, thrown at 96 mph, down the right-field line for a double.
New York's loud contact prompted an adjustment from Buehler, who began mixing in his curveball more. The first two pitches he threw to leadoff hitter Rosario as he began his second time through the lineup, for example, were curveballs. The modification generated success. After the Mets were five for nine with two strikeouts the first time through the lineup, Buehler held them hitless with a walk and four strikeouts his second time through it.
His third time was far bumpier. Replicating the first inning, Smith singled and Alonso hit a cutter to bust a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning. Buehler finished the frame with 95 pitches. He didn't emerge to throw another one as he failed to pitch into the sixth inning for the first time in eight starts. He gave up five runs and seven hits. He walked one and struck out six.
Syndergaard commenced his outing overwhelming the Dodgers. Boasting a fastball that touches triple digits, a 93-mph changeup and a devastating curveball, he struck out the first two batters he faced, Pederson and Muncy, on three pitches each. Muncy's strikeout was cinched with a 100-mph fastball.
The Dodgers adjusted to the velocity and hit three consecutive doubles for two runs in the second inning. They tied the score in the third inning on Turner's single, which came after Muncy doubled to avenge his first hasty at-bat. But Syndergaard rediscovered his rhythm and held the Dodgers scoreless over his final three innings, concluding his outing after throwing 116 pitches.
The Dodgers turned to the bullpen in the sixth inning and Pedro Baez surrendered a run. Down three runs, Julio Urias was summoned in the seventh and Rosario welcomed the left-hander with a home run on the first pitch. Three pitches later, Smith made it back-to-back homers.
Urias had given up two home runs in 30 1/3 innings, both in his start April 12, before Wednesday.
