The New York Mets choose to go with left-handed reliever Scott Rice against Andre Ethier, but the left-handed swinger made them pay with a one-out single to right field to score Nick Punto, who had led off the inning with a double, with the go-ahead run in the ninth inning. Juan Uribe, who had walked three times earlier, delivered an insurance run with an infield single that plated Matt Kemp who had been intentionally walked ahead of Ethier.
That last run was crucial after Ike Davis led off the ninth inning against Brandon League with a home run to right field. League then retired three consecutive pinch-hitters to record his sixth save of the year in the Dodgers 3-2 victory which won the series for Los Angeles and ended a .500 road trip.
With a bullpen that had thrown 8 1/3 innings in the first two games of the series in New York, the Dodgers needed Hyun-Jin Ryu to pitch deep into this game, and he responded with the longest start of his career, allowing only one and three hits in seven innings.
The Dodgers had not had a starter go as many as six innings since Saturday, nor gotten a quality start since Chad Billingsley still had enough of an ulnar collateral ligament to toss one back on April 15. The bullpen had been pressed into 8 1/3 innings over the last two nights.
But the game turned into a battle of the bullpens anyway as journeyman Jeremy Hefner struck out only two Dodger position players, but induced enough harmless fly outs to get through seven innings on 93 pitches, allowing only three singles and matching Ryu's one run allowed.
Ryu cruised through the first five innings on 65 pitches, but finally allowed the tying run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly to David Wright, but escaped the inning after 32 pitches, leaving Mets runners stranded on second and third base. Ryu wound up tossing 109 pitches on the day.
Kemp opened the scoring with a solid single to left field that plated Carl Crawford who had been hit by an 0-2 pitch and advanced to second on a soft ground out. Kemp collected more hits on this road trip, 11, than he had for the season prior to the trip, 10.
Uribe collected all three walks Hefner allowed. Uribe has had three other games in his career of three or more walks, all in 2010, including one four-walk game, which was also in Citi Field.
The first time through the batting order, only one Mets batter reached against Ryu, and that was on a Justin Sellers fielding error, his first since his two-error game in the opening series of the season.
Up next
The Dodgers return home to face the Milwaukee Brewers. Josh Beckett (0-3, 4.68 ERA) takes the hill for Los Angeles, while right-hander Hiram Burgos (1-0, 1.80 ERA) makes the second start of his career.
Thursday's particulars
Home run: Ike Davis (4)
WP - Kenley Jansen (1-0): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
LP - Scott Rice (1-1): 2/3 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk
Save - Brandon League (6): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 strikeout, 1 HR allowed