Freeman homers in the 10th inning as the Dodgers beat the Mets 5-2 in doubleheader opener

By JERRY BEACH
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers snapped a five-game losing streak by defeating the New York Mets 5-2 on Tuesday in the opener of a doubleheader.

Los Angeles trailed 2-0 before Freeman hit an RBI single in the eighth, and Chris Taylor — mired in a 7-for-72 slump — drove in Teoscar Hernández with a well-placed bunt in the ninth against Adam Ottavino.

“I think even in the eighth inning, being able to get across one run there on that was huge,” Taylor said. “We had been dead in the water for a few games, so just to get one run across was big. Trying to get one in the ninth instead of two is a big difference.”

Mookie Betts opened the 10th with an RBI single against Jorge López (1-2), driving in automatic runner Andy Pages. After Shohei Ohtani struck out swinging, Freeman hit a drive to right for his sixth homer.

Daniel Hudson (2-1) got the win, escaping a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the ninth. Blake Treinen pitched a perfect 10th for his first save since Sept. 28, 2021.

“We kind of went through a little rough patch there for a bit,” said Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow, who struck out eight in seven innings. “It was a really good win.”

Los Angeles’ five-game slide was the team’s longest streak since it dropped six in a row in April 2019.

New York wasted a stellar performance by Tylor Megill, who struck out nine while pitching seven innings of three-hit ball. The Mets have dropped six of seven.

Francisco Lindor snapped a lengthy drought with a two-run homer for the Mets, who were trying to win back-to-back games for the first time since May.

“At the end of the day we have the bases loaded in the ninth and we couldn’t cash in,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.

Lindor’s drive in the third in his second at-bat after changing his walk-up music to The Temptations’ “My Girl” was his first homer since May 10. He hit just .197 in 66 at-bats between round-trippers, though he entered Tuesday with four multihit efforts in his last seven games.

Left-hander Jose Quintana is scheduled to start the second game for New York against Los Angeles right-hander Gavin Stone.

Ohtani went 0 for 5 in his first game at Citi Field since signing with Los Angeles in December. He was cheered in each of his first three plate appearances before hearing scattered boos from a late-arriving crowd to the single-admission doubleheader in the eighth and 10th inning.

Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani, who is nursing a right hamstring injury, wouldn’t play in the nightcap.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: 2B Max Muncy (right oblique), who was placed on the injured list May 17, is no longer swinging a bat in Arizona. … RHP Evan Phillips (right hamstring) is expected to make one more rehab appearance before returning to the Dodgers on Friday.

Mets: C Francisco Alvarez (left thumb) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Thursday with Double-A Binghamton. Alvarez was expected to miss six to eight weeks when he underwent surgery April 23. … RHP Kodai Senga (shoulder) played catch Tuesday, four days after he received a cortisone shot.

UP NEXT

The three-game, two-day series concludes on Wednesday, when Mets LHP David Peterson will be activated from the injured list to make his season debut against Dodgers LHP James Paxton (5-0, 3.49 ERA). Peterson is coming back from left hip surgery.

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