Missed opportunities, Daniel Murphy end Dodgers' season

LOS ANGELES -- Daniel Murphy beat the Dodgers in multiple ways, and the Dodgers left countless opportunities on the table in a 3-2 loss to the Mets to drop Game 5 of their National League Division Series on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers' season is over without advancing past the first round for a second straight season.

With a Zack Greinke inexplicably pitching from a stretch with nobody on base in the sixth inning, Murphy took him deep down the right field line to break a 2-2 tie.

But it was Murphy scoring the tying run, in the fourth inning, that will drive the Dodgers crazy. With three infielders shifted to the right side with the left-handed Lucas Duda up with one out and Murphy on first, Duda walked. But as the ball was thrown back to Greinke, nobody was covering third base, which Murphy swiped quite easily, technically a stolen base.

"It's probably all of our responsibility as far as guys on the field about kind of talking about that, making sure that we know," manager Don Mattingly said. "But really we should all be kind of, as far as on the field, be kind of communicating get to third, get to third. So just a breakdown right there."

Murphy scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly to right field, in foul territory.

On the night, Murphy finished with three hits, including a double, drove in two and scored two. He hit three home runs in the series, two off Clayton Kershaw and one off Greinke.

That overshadowed Justin Turner, who had a fantastic night of his own with three more hits and two more doubles. He finished the series 10-for-19 (.526), setting a Dodgers record for most doubles (six) an any postseason series, and set a club record for hits in a division or league championship series.

The Dodgers had a better approach against Jacob deGrom in Game 5 than they did in Game 1, and used four straight singles to plate two runs in the bottom of the first with one out.

But they left runners on first and second base in the first against deGrom, then did the same in the second. With Dodger Stadium aching to explode in euphoria, the Dodgers stranded a runner on third base in the third inning, then a runner at second base in both of the fourth and fifth innings, with deGrom making pitch after pitch to escape further trouble.

Despite being shaky all night, deGrom battled through six innings and even left with a lead, finishing off his night with a perfect sixth inning.

Noah Syndergaard pitched the seventh inning in relief of deGrom, then closer Jeurys Familia got the final six outs for a two-inning save. After threatening in each of the first five innings, the Dodgers could only muster a walk, and no hits, in the final four innings.

Familia retired all 16 batters he faced in the series.

Greinke struck out nine of his own and pitched into the seventh, but got hung with the loss. And instead of getting to erupt, Dodger Stadium fizzled out with a season ending just like that.

Game 5 particulars

Home runs: Daniel Murphy (3)

WP - Jacob deGrom (2-0): 6 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts

LP - Zack Greinke (1-1): 6⅔ IP, 6 hits, 3 runs 1 walk, 9 strikeouts

Sv - Jeurys Familia (2): 2 IP, 2 strikeouts