Game #20: Dodgers 3, Mets 2

Well, the Mets got themselves another last-inning home run. It just needed to be at the end, not the beginning.

Ike Davis's solo home run in the 9th wasn't enough as the Mets squandered Jeremy Hefner's best start of the season to drop the game, and the series, to the Dodgers, 3-2.

The Bad Stuff:

(NYDailyNews.com)

• Tied 1-1 in the 9th, Scott Rice came on for a full inning of relief and proceeded to give up a leadoff double to Nick Punto. Adrian Gonzalez's groundout advanced Punto to third, and Rice walked Matt Kemp intentionally to get to the favorable matchup in Andre Ethier. Favor wasn't kind: Ethier singled in the go-ahead run, then after Bobby Parnell came on to relieve Rice, Juan Uribe hit a single up the middle to make it 3-1.
• The New Yorkers collectively were far from clutch, as they went 0-5 with RISP and stranded seven. The key inning was the 6th, when the Mets got the first two men on and could only bring one home; the disappointment was punctuated with Ike Davis's strikeout with runners on second and third to end the threat.

The Good Stuff:

• Jeremy Hefner may have played himself out of going the way of waiver-wire Aaron Laffey, allowing a single run on three hits in seven innings, walking three and striking out four on 93 pitches.
• David Wright picked up his 17th RBI of the season with a sac fly in the 6th to tie the game at 1-1.
• Davis's solo home run to lead off the 9th, his fourth of the season, gave the game its final 3-2 margin.

Final Analysis:
The New York bats, so hot upon their return home from the Rocky Mountains to thaw, cooled off again during this series; aside from Jordany Valdespin's grand slam in last night's 10th inning the Mets scored seven runs between 27 innings against L.A.'s pitching.

Great to see Hefner pitching so well this afternoon. He may not be much of a starter but every so often he turns in a gem.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times for Ike Davis, who couldn't get the job done in the 6th but whose last at-bat was particularly memorable. Any time something good happens for Ike you want to think maybe, just maybe, this is when he gets it going. And that's all I can really say right now. We'll see what he does tomorrow against the fourth-place Philadelphia Phillies.

MM