Jacob deGrom Dominates Dodgers as Los Angeles Drops to 2nd Place in NL West

One is the loneliest number you'll ever see. 

One day after taking over sole possession of first place in the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers dropped to second after falling to Jacob deGrom and the New York Mets, 4-2, on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. 

Pinch-hitter Brandon Nimmo hit a three-run run home run off reliever Kenta Maeda in the top of the ninth and the Dodgers rally fell short in the bottom half of the inning after two-time hero Matt Kemp grounded into a game-ending double play.

"I thought he was going to do it again," admitted Bellinger who was on first base when Kemp came up representing the tying run. "Obviously its hard to do three nights in a row, but unfortunately that's just how it goes sometimes."

The loss ended the Dodgers' three-game winning streak as they fell a half of a game behind the Colorado Rockies for first in the NL West, but still a game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks who lost to the San Diego Padres.

DeGrom pitched six innings of one-run ball and drove in the tying run for the Mets, but didn't factor into the decision. He extended his streak of 25 consecutive starts of three earned runs or less, breaking a tie with Dwight Gooden (1985) for the longest run in Mets history.

"He's good," Bellinger said of deGrom. "He's got some of the best stuff in the game right now. I think we did a great job of battling him and getting him out in the sixth inning, that's a win against him this year."

The game got away from the Dodgers when Jay Bruce opened the ninth with a double off Kenta Maeda (8-9) and was sacrificed to third by Kevin Plawecki. Maeda hit Jeff McNeil with a pitch before Nimmo's second career pinch-hit homer went over the right-field wall.

"I was trying to throw a back-foot slider and it missed," said Maeda through a translator of the pitch to Nimmo. 

Nimmo has been red-hot in his last ten games, batting .485 with nine runs, four doubles, two triples, two homers and eight RBI.

The Dodgers tried to complete their fourth consecutive comeback in the bottom half of the ninth after Alex Verdugo led off the ninth with a single. 

Four pitches later, Cody Bellinger, blasted a ball down the right-field line that was initially ruled foul by first base umpire Ryan Blakney. 

"I thought it hit the chalk," Bellinger said after he saw the call by Blakney. "I didn't know you could replay fair or foul balls, but I guess in that case with a runner on first you could, I'm just glad they got the call right."

After review, replay showed the ball hit the chalk, and Bellinger was given first base, while Verdugo was given third. However, with Bellinger being one of the fastest players on the team, the decision to place him at first base and not second base, would loom large. 

"They just felt that because the right fielder was there it would have been a long single," explained Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts of the umpire's call as far as the placement of the runners.

One batter later, the Dodgers cut the lead in half after a sacrifice fly by Yasmani Grandal, but Matt Kemp followed with a game-ending double play, something that wouldn't have happened had Bellinger been granted second base instead of first, or the ball been correctly ruled fair to begin with.

Drew Smith (1-0) got the win with one inning of relief. Robert Gsellman worked the ninth for his 10th save.

"We were up against one of the best pitchers in baseball," said Roberts of the game overall. "I thought that we did a good job of keeping us in the game and to grind and get deGrom out of the game was a victory in itself...I thought we did a good job tonight."

Justin Turner went deep in the first to put the Dodgers up 1-0, just the ninth homer off deGrom this season.

DeGrom allowed two hits. He struck out six — snapping a run of six straight starts with at least nine — and walked one. His 20 straight quality starts are the longest active streak in the majors and the longest in franchise history. Despite that, the NL Cy Young Award candidate is 8-8 this season.

"He's been special, and he's fun to watch," said Wood of his counterpart. "You have to bear down and going inning to inning and hitter to hitter when you go up against him."

At the plate, deGrom was 2 for 2, and his two-out RBI single in the fifth drove in the Mets' first run.

"I just left a breaking ball up, it's as simple as that," said Wood of the pitch to deGrom that tied the game. "It's pretty frustrating a left-hander against a left-hand hitting pitcher."

The Dodgers ran up deGrom's pitch count in the sixth when he needed 34 pitches against the heart of their order. After deGrom struck out Joc Pederson, Turner worked a 12-pitch at-bat into putting the go-ahead run at first on an error by shortstop Amed Rosario. DeGrom struck out Manny Machado on seven pitches and Max Muncy grounded out to second to end deGrom's outing.

With Seth Lugo pitching in the seventh, the Dodgers had runners at the corners with one out. Alex Verdugo doubled leading off and Cody Bellinger followed with a single to set up Yasiel Puig. But he grounded into an inning-ending double play. 

"I thought the seventh inning was something we'd like to get back. First and third with nobody out and deGrom out of the game, that's a chance for us to get a lead and the game could have been different." said Roberts of the seventh inning. "Yasiel got a 2-0 pitch he could hit, and hit it hard, but obviously in that situation you want to elevate it."

Los Angeles had runners at second and third with two outs in the eighth when Enrique Hernandez flied out to center.

Dodgers starter Alex Wood gave up one run and five hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked two.

"It was like throwing on a cloud tonight," Wood said of the LA weather compared to his last start in Texas. "It almost didn't even feel like I was pitching. I felt good."

In his last 13 starts since June 16, Wood has gone 7-1 with a 2.39 ERA and has held the opposition to a .229 batting average. He has allowed just three runs or fewer in each of those 13 starts, the third longest active streak (deGrom is first) according to STATS LLC. 

Entering the game, the Dodgers had won their last 12 consecutive games against the Mets, dating back to last season, the longest winning streak against any opponent in Los Angeles franchise history. That streak was snapped.

The Mets hadn't beaten the Dodgers since May 27, 2016, New York's longest losing stretch against them in team history.

The Dodgers have scored three runs or fewer in their last six games.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mets: C Devin Mesoraco singled in the fifth and then left the game because of neck and back stiffness. ... INF David Wright, trying to come back after surgeries on his neck, right shoulder and back in addition to chronic spinal stenosis, will continue taking ground balls and hit in the cage. Without more minor league games for him to play in, manager Mickey Callaway says the team will need to get creative in offering Wright game-like situations. Callaway was non-committal about the possibility of Wright being activated during the next homestand, saying he will be re-evaluated on a daily basis.

Dodgers: They're evaluating whether closer Kenley Jansen will make the trip to Colorado on Friday. He experienced an irregular heartbeat and went on the 10-day DL during his last visit. If doctors say the high altitude could affect him, he would likely stay back. ... RHP Walker Buehler, who experienced muscle spasms in his left foot during Sunday's start, had precautionary X-rays that were negative. He expects to make his next start. 

UP NEXT

LHP Jason Vargas (5-8, 6.56 ERA) starts for the Mets on Tuesday. His three-game winning streak is his longest since taking four in a row last September. He recently notched his 1,000th career strikeout. LHP Rich Hill (6-5, 3.59) goes for the Dodgers. In five starts against New York, he is 1-2 with a 7.66 ERA, averaging 11.28 strikeouts per nine innings.