MLB Mets 3 Dodgers 8

Sloppy fielding resulted in squandering a two-run lead and the Mets fell shy of their first-ever four-game sweep of the Dodgers. Behind All-Star Clayton Kershaw and three Mets errors, Los Angeles salvaged the finale with an 8-3 win Sunday night at Dodger Stadium.

The Mets finished their seven-game trip to Chicago and L.A. with a 4-3 record.

Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw
#22 SP
Los Angeles Dodgers

2012 STATS

GM17
W6
L4
BB30
K112
ERA2.65

Second baseman Ronny Cedeño and first baseman Justin Turner committed fifth-inning errors, leading to a pair of unearned runs as the Dodgers evened the score.

L.A., which had been shut out five of its past six games, took the lead an inning later against Dillon Gee when Juan Rivera walked, moved to third on Adam Kennedy’s ground-rule double and scored on James Loney’s groundout. The Dodgers had gone 66 innings without a lead before Rivera touched home plate. L.A. had scored a combined eight runs in its previous eight games.

Things further unraveled with sloppiness in the seventh, as a one-run game turned into a laugher.

Miguel Batista entered with one out in that frame to face Rivera, after Ramon Ramirez and Justin Hampson combined to load the bases. Batista coaxed a comebacker, and what should have been an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play that would have held the deficit at 4-3. Instead, Mike Nickeas missed the ball and was charged with an error as two runs scored. L.A. added two more runs before the inning ended.

The Mets had grabbed a 3-1 lead in the third inning when Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon committed a pair of errors.

WHAT’S NEXT: After an off-day, the Mets return home to face the reeling Phillies, who are 36-45 after a loss to Miami on Sunday. Right-hander Vance Worley (4-4, 2.92 ERA) is due to face Jon Niese (6-3, 3.55) in Tuesday’s series opener, after an off-day for both teams.

Philadelphia is expected to skip Kyle Kendrick, which would set up Chris Young-Cliff Lee and R.A. Dickey-Cole Hamels matchups the remainder of the series.