NEW YORK (AP) — Roki Sasaki pitched seven sparkling innings, Kyle Tucker hit a two-run homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 4-2 on Friday night.
Freddie Freeman had three hits and Shohei Ohtani put Los Angeles ahead 2-1 with a sacrifice fly off Brooks Raley (4-5) in the seventh.
Tucker homered off left-handed reliever A.J. Minter with two outs in the eighth after Freeman singled leading off the inning and stole second base.
Luis Robert
Jr. and Francisco Alvarez homered for New York in the opener of a 10-game homestand. The last-place Mets (43-61) fell a season-worst 18 games under .500 as they prepare for a selloff ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
New York slugger Juan Soto was removed for a pinch hitter in the sixth because of left calf soreness.
Coming off a fine outing at Yankee Stadium a week ago, Sasaki (4-5) allowed one run and three hits while striking out nine and walking two for his first win in nine starts since May 23 at Milwaukee. Alvarez went deep against Evan Phillips in the eighth before Tanner Scott worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save.
Mets starter Sean Manaea pitched six effective innings and gave up only Miguel Rojas' tying sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Manaea was helped out by rookie right fielder Carson Benge, who had a pair of assists. Benge relayed to shortstop Francisco Lindor to throw out Ohtani trying to stretch a leadoff double in the fifth, then cut down Freeman at home plate after catching Rojas' flyball for an inning-ending double play in the sixth.
The crowd of 35,338 on Japanese Heritage Night at Citi Field was filled with fans of the Dodgers, who outhit the Mets 11-4 as the two-time defending World Series champions won their third straight game and improved the best record in the majors to 66-38.
Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10-6, 2.78 ERA) starts against Mets rookie Nolan McLean (7-6, 3.34) in an attractive matchup Saturday night. The two hooked up for a tight pitchers' duel April 14 in Los Angeles.
Yamamoto is coming off a four-hitter at Yankee Stadium last weekend for his first regular-season complete game in 66 major league starts. McLean turned 25 on Friday.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
