Starling Marte drives in 4 runs in Mets' series-clinching win vs. Dodgers

LOS ANGELES — Watching Starling Marte now, it’s almost tough to remember that he looked so different last season. A shell of his former self after double groin surgery in 2022, Marte is back to crushing baseballs and causing havoc on the basepaths.

The latest ball crushed by Marte was a three-run go-ahead homer off Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Ryan Brasier that helped lead the Mets to a 6-4 win at Dodger Stadium. The Mets took the series, their fifth straight, with their sixth straight win.

Marte’s homer came in the sixth inning with two on and one out and the game tied, 2-2. Ryan Yarbrough (0-2) walked pinch-hitter Zack Short to lead off the inning and he was moved over on a sacrifice bunt by Omar Narvaez. Brandon Nimmo was then hit by a pitch to reach base for the fourth time in the game and the Dodgers went to the bullpen for the third time, bringing in Brasier.

Marte teed off on a 1-0 slider sending it over the center-field wall. He then scored an insurance run in the eighth, reaching base on an error, stealing second and coming home on an RBI single from Francisco Lindor.

Los Angeles came back in the bottom of the inning with Freddie Freeman’s two-RBI single off right-hander Drew Smith, cutting the Mets’ lead to just one run. The runs were charged to Michael Tonkin, who put two on to start the inning before exiting with one out. Smith walked Mookie Betts to load the bases and got a huge strikeout, getting Shohei Ohtani to swing through a cutter.

Freeman lined the ball to center field, deep enough to score two.

That was as close as the Dodgers would come. The bullpen shut the door. Jorge Lopez got a big double play in the seventh and after he walked one in the eighth, Edwin Diaz walked two more to load the bases. He struck out Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy, leaving them loaded.

One day after being charged with a blown save and a win, Reed Garrett struck out the side for the save, the first of his career.

Neither starting pitcher was especially efficient. Jose Butto lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving way to Tonkin (1-2) in the fifth with runners on the corners. Butto allowed two earned runs on three hits, striking out six and walking five.

Right-hander Gavin Stone had a similar line, walking five and allowing two earned over 3 1/3. It became a bullpen game for both teams early.

Butto had some command issues in his third start of the season, walking the bases loaded with two outs in the second to keep the game tied at 1-1.

A double by Betts, a walk issued to Ohtani and an RBI single by Freeman tied the game in the bottom of the first. With the bases loaded, the count full to Hernandez and two out in the second, Butto threw him a slider. He struck out on a foul tip.

The Mets made Stone throw 33 pitches in the first inning. They came away with only one run but it was clear they had tired him out. Nimmo walked to lead off the game, then stole second and reached third on a wild pitch. This put him in position to score easily on Lindor’s ground-rule double.

The double came with Lindor hitting from the left side of the plate. Friday night, his home run came from the left side. The switch-hitting Lindor has lamented his lack of success from the left this season, but the shortstop appears to be heating up.

Lindor went 2 for 5 with a double and two RBIs, Jeff McNeil went 2 for 4 with two doubles and a walk and Marte finished the day 2 for 5 with two runs and four RBIs.