LOS ANGELES — In series losses to the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals at the start of this week’s nine-game homestand, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ struggles had followed a few recurring themes.

Their starting pitching wasn’t great. Their bullpen repeatedly stubbed its toe. And their top-heavy lineup teetered with everyone from Chris Taylor to Freddie Freeman scuffling to start the season.

If all that wasn’t enough, the Dodgers added another problem to the mix Friday night.

In a 9-4 loss to the New York Mets to open this weekend’s three-game series, the Dodgers’ already shaky defense committed several more costly errors, emerging as the latest problem to address in what has become a 2-5 skid at Chavez Ravine this week.

Friday could have been a day for the Dodgers (12-10) to take a step forward.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto grinded through the longest start of his rookie season, completing six stressful innings despite giving up four runs (one was unearned, thanks to some defensive miscues in the second) and seven hits.

The Dodgers briefly erased an early four-run deficit, mounting the kind of mid-game rally that has been rare since the opening weeks of the year.

Taylor even got a key hit, snapping his one-for-35 start (including an 0-for-30 mark entering Friday) by tying the game on a two-run single in the sixth.

Alas, it wasn’t enough -- not on a night the Dodgers squandered other prime scoring opportunities, once again struggled to find production from the bullpen, and most consequentially were hurt by several misplays in the field.

The Dodgers’ shoddy defense started in the second inning.

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