Julio Urias and three relievers combined on a one-hitter Friday night for the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the New York Mets 6-0 in the opener of a three-game series.
The Dodgers have won five straight games and six of seven. The Mets have lost three straight since a season-long six-game winning streak.
Mets leadoff batter Brandon Nimmo hit Urias’ fourth pitch off the top of the right field wall for what was originally ruled a home run. The Dodgers won an appeal and Nimmo was sent back to second. He was the only New York baserunner to get beyond first.
Urias (7-5) walked Pete Alonso with two outs in the first before setting down 16 of the final 18 batters he faced in completing six innings. He plunked Starling Marte with two outs in the fourth, and Brett Baty reached on catcher’s interference with one out in the fifth.
Urias finished with seven strikeouts and has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 17-4 in three starts since returning from the injured list July 1.
Yency Almonte, Caleb Ferguson and Ryan Brasier each threw a perfect inning for the Dodgers.
Mookie Betts single in a run in the fifth and Freddie Freeman followed with a two-run double, the first two hits for the Dodgers against Mets starter Justin Verlander (3-5).
Miguel Rojas laced an RBI single in the sixth, J.D. Martinez homered in the eighth, and Will Smith collected an RBI on a grounder in the ninth.
Betts and James Outman had two hits apiece, and Outman scored twice.
Verlander gave up three runs on two hits and six walks — one shy of his career high — while striking out six. He issued all six walks before Betts singled off the glove of sliding left fielder Mark Canha.
Verlander previously walked six batters in a game on April 21, 2017, when he was pitching for the Detroit Tigers against the Minnesota Twins. He walked seven as a rookie for the Tigers against the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 16, 2006.
Mets pitchers combined to walk a season-high nine batters.
–Field Level Media