Dodgers edge slumping Mets on Kyle Tucker’s RBI single in 8th inning

LOS ANGELES — There will certainly be bigger moments ahead for Kyle Tucker in a Dodgers uniform – there had better be, considering what they will be paying him. But he needed this one.

Put on the spot when Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked in the eighth inning of a tie game, Tucker came through with an RBI single, driving in the winning run from second base to give the Dodgers a 2-1 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night.

“Yeah, it was nice,” Tucker said. “I haven’t had as many hits or barrels as I would have liked. But I’m still grinding out at-bats, still taking my walks and stuff, and to come up with a huge hit right there, get the run and win the game – I’ll take it.”

The hit is just the sixth in Tucker’s 30 at-bats over the past nine games. But it was enough to settle a pitchers’ duel between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Nolan McLean – and send the ice-cold Mets to their seventh consecutive defeat.

“Man, it was an old-school pitchers’ duel,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “You can see both pitchers feeling like they didn’t have any margin after that first inning, and we were fortunate to squeak one out. A leadoff homer for Lindor, but after that, I mean, there was just nothing happening. Just two great pitchers.”

There hasn’t been much happening at all recently when the Mets get their turn at the plate. They have been shut out three times in their past five games and have scored a total of 10 runs during the losing streak, including just one in the first two games of this series at Dodger Stadium.

Justin Wrobleski kept the Mets frosty on Monday, retiring the first 13 batters in order before allowing the first of two hits he would surrender in eight scoreless innings.

Yamamoto made his lone mistake early. He fell behind 2-and-0 to Mets leadoff man Francisco Lindor then grooved a fastball that Lindor sent into the right field pavilion. The 111.3 mph drive ended a streak of 20 scoreless innings for the Soto-less Mets lineup. (Juan Soto has been out since April 3 with a calf injury.)

That was it. The next 20 Mets went down in order against Yamamoto.

“I don’t think the last two (starts) he felt great. Just didn’t feel as synced up,” Roberts said. “But tonight, it was kind of vintage Yamamoto. With just the command. The split, it was strike-to-ball. The breaking ball when he needed it. The misses were just near-misses. In his delivery. Yeah, this was special. And it’s kind of who he is right now.”

Over 16 innings against Wrobleski and Yamamoto in this series, the Mets went down in order 11 times, on fewer than 12 pitches nine times.

The Dodgers’ hitters, however, were not having any more success against Mets starter McLean.

They scratched out their own first-inning run against the 24-year-old right-hander. Tucker drew a one-out walk and went to third when Will Smith doubled in front of a diving Tommy Pham in left field. Tucker scored when Freddie Freeman dribbled a soft ground ball up the first base line and Mark Vientos fielded it rather than waiting for it to go foul.

And that was it. McLean retired the next 13 Dodgers in order, walked Hyeseong Kim in the fifth inning and didn’t give up another hit until Max Muncy’s two-out single in the seventh.

The Mets finally put a little stress in Yamamoto’s life in the seventh. Bo Bichette hooked a two-out double inside the left-field line, ending Yamamoto’s streak of 20 consecutive batters retired. He walked Francisco Alvarez to put two runners on base then struck out Brett Baty to end the momentary difficulties.

Roberts sent Yamamoto back out for the eighth despite his pitch count having reached 94. Yamamoto retired the first two batters but gave up back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners. Roberts called on Blake Treinen to face Luis Robert Jr., and Treinen froze him with a called third strike (affirmed by ABS when Robert challenged) to end the threat.

McLean did not go back out for the eighth inning, and the Dodgers put the winning rally together against lefty reliever Brooks Raley.

Miguel Rojas drew a leadoff walk. Pinch-hitter Santiago Espinal bunted him to second base – and the Mets did what you would expect. They intentionally walked Ohtani (extending his on-base streak to 48 games after an 0-for-3 night), preferring to deal with Tucker who has yet to find his footing with the Dodgers.

“I honestly didn’t know (if the Mets would walk Ohtani),” Roberts said. “Raley is their guy to get lefties out. So you actually pick your poison with Shohei facing a tough lefty, versus Tucker and Will. So I did it to give Shohei an opportunity. And if they do that (intentional walk), we still get Will in the mix. So I felt just getting a guy to second base was the right decision.”

Tucker fell behind 1-and-2 then sliced a cutter from Raley into left field for the game-winning hit.

“I hope a lot,” Roberts said of how much relief Tucker might get from contributing. “He’s going through it right now. But for him to stick his nose in there against Raley and find a way … to just flare a ball to get a game-winning hit – he helped us win a baseball game.

“So you face McLean, who was throwing wiffle balls up there. And then you got a tough lefty, with the game on the line. They walk Shohei to get to you, and to still hang in there and get a knock was big for us. And it should be big for his confidence.”

Closer Edwin Diaz was not available. Roberts said the Dodgers’ staff wanted him to throw a bullpen session before pitching in a game again after blowing a save on Friday and admitting he didn’t “feel right,” specifically with his knee. He did that Tuesday afternoon and will be re-evaluated Wednesday.

So Alex Vesia closed it out in the ninth, striking out the side. It was another emotional moment for Vesia. On Healthcare Appreciation Night, he and his wife, Kayla, hosted the medical team that helped them last fall when their newborn daughter died.

“To see them – today was the first time I’ve seen pretty much all of them since everything,” Vesia said. “So it was very special, very emotional. One of the main, main nurses – she was here tonight too – that took care of us. And so, that was awesome.

“You guys know, I wear my heart on my sleeve when I’m out there. So I was pretty fired up to be put in that spot.”