Mets lose to the Dodgers with an uncomfortably familiar score and hit total

Feel familiar? The New York Mets lost 6-0 to a National League West team with only one hit to show for it. This is how the Mets were eliminated by the San Diego Padres on October 9, 2022. It’s how they began the second half of the 2023 season versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There was no danger of being no-hit in this one, though. Brandon Nimmo led off with a home run which was then reversed and turned into a double. It would be the lone hit of the night for a Mets squad that got nothing from the offense.

Starting pitcher Justin Verlander wasn’t particularly well-equipped for the second half. He tossed 5 innings, allowed 2 hits, 3 earned runs, and struck out 6 while walking another 6. Empty offense and poor starting pitching highlighted the start of a second half where the Mets have little wiggle room.

The NY Mets can afford to lose to the LA Dodgers but no one else this month

In need of essentially a .625 winning percentage for the remainder of the 2023 season, losses to the Dodgers are strangely acceptable. They’re a superior team to the Mets. It just sucks that they’ll happen so soon in the second half and if they continue this weekend will put the club in a deeper hole.

The schedule does get easier. The Mets host the Chicago White Sox for three after this before heading to play a talented but beatable Boston Red Sox club. July also includes a pair versus the New York Yankees and concludes with a four-game series at home against the Washington Nationals.

It’s not an easy street for the Mets before the August 1 trade deadline arrives to make up significant ground in the wild card race. It’s not exactly going up against nothing but perennial contenders either.

Loss number one of the second half came with more warning signs than just the putrid offense and Verlander’s struggles at throwing strikes. David Peterson, Dominic Leone, and Drew Smith each gave up a run in their inning of work. Francisco Lindor struck out 3 times. 

The Mets spun cold heading into the All-Star Break. Unfortunately, the chill has continued for at least one night.