July 1 (Reuters) – The Los Angeles Dodgers finally broke out
of their scoring drought and snapped a seven-game losing streak
on Sunday by beating the Mets 8-3, but they got the win thanks
in no small part to a few New York errors.
The Dodgers (44-36) had been shut out in five of their last
six games as they fell out of first place in the National League
West.
Dee Gordon helped spark the turnaround when he scored on an
error in the fifth inning, where the Dodgers tallied two runs to
tie the game 3-3, then stole a pair of bases in the seventh
where the home team scored four times to end their slump.
The critical seventh saw two Los Angeles runners cross home
plate when New York catcher Mike Nickeas misplayed a catch. The
Dodgers needed just seven hits to secure the win.
Starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw set up the victory with
seven strong innings and nine strikeouts. He allowed just one
earned run in the first, but the Mets (43-37) added two in the
third to move ahead 3-1 on a pair of throwing errors by Gordon.
Gordon redeemed himself in the fifth, while James Loney’s
sixth-inning RBI gave struggling Los Angeles their first lead
since June 24.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
